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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 71, 01-04-11
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 71, 11 April 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT BRIEFS CHIRAC ON KEY WEST
[02] MAIN SUSPECT IN ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SHOOTING REFUSES TO TESTIFY
[03] BALCEROWICZ COMMENTS ON GEORGIAN ANTIPOVERTY PROGRAM MISCONSTRUED
[04] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT'S ASSOCIATE ACCUSED OF MURDER
[05] PROSECUTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE KEEPS TABS ON KAZAKH MEDIA
[06] KYRGYZSTAN TO REQUIRE REREGISTRATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES, MEDIA
OUTLETS
[07] KYRGYZ DEPUTY PARLIAMENT SPEAKER'S FUTURE UNCLEAR
[08] RUSSIA AGREES TO PARTIAL RESCHEDULING OF KYRGYZ FOREIGN DEBT
[09] TAJIK OFFICIAL ASSASSINATED
[10] RUSSIAN MINISTER OFFERS HELP TO CONTAIN TAJIK DAM DANGER
[11] TURKMENISTAN REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE CIS EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[12] ALBANIA'S MEIDANI SAYS SERBIA MUST FACE UP TO WAR GUILT...
[13] ...WARNS AGAINST RUMORS OF 'GREATER ALBANIA'
[14] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT PREDICTS 'SOFT' ELECTIONS
[15] ALBANIAN PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN CALLS ON MACEDONIA TO 'FACE
REALITY'
[16] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT LAUNCHES COMMISSION ON ALBANIAN ISSUES
[17] POWELL TO PROMOTE DIALOGUE IN MACEDONIA
[18] U.S. EQUIPMENT FOR MACEDONIAN MILITARY
[19] OSCE MONITORS SLAM MACEDONIAN ARMY BEHAVIOR
[20] MACEDONIA SACKS POLICE CHIEF
[21] KFOR HOLDS SUSPECTED GUERRILLAS
[22] SERBIA TO OUTLAW PARAMILITARIES
[23] YUGOSLAV SUCCESSOR STATES AGREE TO DIVIDE GOLD RESERVES
[24] QUIBBLING CROATIAN CABINET TO BE RESHUFFLED IN MAY?
[25] BOMB OUTSIDE HERZEGOVINIAN MODERATES' HOME
[26] ROMANIAN PARTY WALKS OUT ON BUDGET DEBATES
[27] ILIESCU ON RELATIONS WITH MOLDOVA
[28] MOLDOVAN COMMUNISTS ASK FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF COMPULSORY RUSSIAN
CLASSES IN SCHOOLS
[29] VORONIN PROPOSES PRIME MINISTER
[30] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SEES LIFTING OF VISA REGIME AS EU APPROVAL
OF REFORMS
[31] BULGARIAN CENSUS RESULTS SHOW SHARP DECLINE IN POPULATION
[32] BULGARIAN DEPUTIES INTRODUCE LEGISLATION FOR DEATH PENALTY
[C] END NOTE
[33] There is no End Note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT BRIEFS CHIRAC ON KEY WEST
On a brief stopover in Paris on 10 April, President Robert Kocharian
informed his French counterpart Jacques Chirac on last week's talks in Key
West between himself; Azerbaijan's president, Heidar Aliev; and the Minsk
Group co-chairmen on resolving the Karabakh conflict, AP reported. The Key
West talks reportedly focussed on "general principles" proposed by the
presidents of France, Russia, and the U.S., and which Aliev and Kocharian
discussed during talks in Paris early last month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5
and 6 March 2001). Kocharian told Chirac that he is "encouraged" by the
most recent talks, and Chirac reaffirmed his readiness to continue to
mediate a settlement of the conflict. LF
[02] MAIN SUSPECT IN ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SHOOTING REFUSES TO TESTIFY
Nairi Hunanian, the leader of the five gunmen responsible for shooting
eight senior officials in the Armenian parliament in October 1999, refused
on 10 April to testify in court, claiming that his continued detention is
illegal, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Pretrial testimony by Hunanian
read by prosecutors at the 10 April session revealed that Hunanian decided
to kill parliament speaker Karen Demirchian only hours before the 27
October bloodbath, following a conversation with journalist Nairi Badalian.
Badalian was detained shortly after the shootings on suspicion of
complicity but was released last June. Hunanian's pretrial written
testimony also confirms that he had contacts with Armenia's National
Security Ministry, which encouraged him to develop contacts with Turkish
media. LF
[03] BALCEROWICZ COMMENTS ON GEORGIAN ANTIPOVERTY PROGRAM MISCONSTRUED
Visiting Tbilisi on 9-10 April, Polish economist and former Deputy Premier
Leszek Balcerowicz offered a cautious initial assessment of Georgia's draft
antipoverty program, Caucasus Press reported. Speaking on Georgian national
television on 9 April, Georgian Minister of State Gia Arsenishvili
reportedly quoted Balcerowicz as giving a negative assessment of the draft
and saying that donors would refuse to fund it. But in a written statement
released the following day, Balcerowicz said he has merely advised amending
the draft to focus more on those elements that would strengthen
macroeconomic stability and create new jobs. Balcerowicz also offered
recommendations for renegotiating a schedule for repayment of Georgia's
overdue foreign debt repayments and reached agreement with the Finance
Ministry on simplifying some aspects of the Georgian tax system. The U.S.
government will pay Balcerowicz $1 million to serve for one year as an
adviser to President Eduard Shevardnadze, according to Caucasus Press. LF
[04] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT'S ASSOCIATE ACCUSED OF MURDER
The Georgian Prosecutor-General's Office has formed a special group to
investigate claims that former Minister of Culture Valeri Asatiani, who is
close to President Shevardnadze, murdered one of his subordinates in 1996,
Caucasus Press reported. The allegations were made earlier this month by a
former assistant to Asatiani, Irakli Kereselidze, in a program aired by the
independent Rustavi-2 TV station. Asatiani has denied the charges, and
Shevardnadze has said he is convinced he is innocent. LF
[05] PROSECUTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE KEEPS TABS ON KAZAKH MEDIA
Speaking in Astana on 10 April at a seminar on the media, Deputy Prosecutor-
General Georgii Kim said that last year his office launched over 300
investigations into suspected violations of existing legislation by media
outlets, Interfax-Central Asia reported. Most of the violations concerned
infringements in registration, noncompliance with printing standards, and
dubious advertising. But criminal investigations were begun into violations
of the constitution by three newspapers -- "Kazakhstanskaya pravda," "XXI
Vek," and "Lad." LF
[06] KYRGYZSTAN TO REQUIRE REREGISTRATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES, MEDIA
OUTLETS
The Kyrgyz Ministry of Justice announced on 10 April that all political
parties and media outlets must reregister with it by 1 July, RFE/RL's
Bishkek bureau reported. The ministry claimed that many organizations
founded several years ago no longer exist. Djypar Djeksheev, who heads the
Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan, said the ministry's ruling is aimed at
creating obstacles for opposition parties and papers. There are an
estimated 30 political parties and 300 media outlets in Kyrgyzstan. LF
[07] KYRGYZ DEPUTY PARLIAMENT SPEAKER'S FUTURE UNCLEAR
Several pro-government parliament deputies on 10 April expressed support
for a demand by deputy Isa Tokoev that Deputy Speaker Omurbek Tekebaev
should resign his post, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Tekebaev last
year expressed his support for embattled former Vice President Feliks Kulov,
and has backed opposition calls for a demonstration in Bishkek on 13 April
in support of media freedom. Tekebaev had asked to be relieved of his post
on the grounds that he accepted it last spring only for a period of one
year, but his fellow deputies turned down that request on 5 April. LF
[08] RUSSIA AGREES TO PARTIAL RESCHEDULING OF KYRGYZ FOREIGN DEBT
During talks in Moscow on 2-4 April between Russian officials and
Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Finance Minister Emirlan Toramyrzaev, agreement was
reached that approximately one-third ($59.3 million) of Kyrgyzstan's total
$150 million debt to Russia will be repaid between 2003 and 2115, RFE/RL's
Bishkek bureau reported. That agreement will be formalized during a visit
to Moscow later this month by Kyrgyz Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiev. Also
on 10 April, Kyrgyz Finance Minister Temirbek Akmataliev argued that by
2005 Kyrgyzstan should cut foreign borrowing to no more than 3 percent of
GDP. This year the country plans to borrow $130 million, which is equal to
10 percent of planned GDP. Kyrgyzstan's total foreign debt at the beginning
of 2001 was $1.27 billion. LF
[09] TAJIK OFFICIAL ASSASSINATED
First Deputy Interior Minister Habib Sanginov, a former member of the
United Tajik Opposition, was killed on 11 April when three people opened
fire on his car as he was driving to his office in Dushanbe, Western
agencies reported. Sanginov's driver and two bodyguards also died in the
attack, which Interior Minister Khumid Sharipov described as "a terrorist
strike," according to AFP. Reuters quoted Sharipov as suggesting that
Sanginov may have been killed to thwart an operation he headed to track
down and eliminate "criminal bands." Islamic Party deputy Khikmatullo
Saifullozoda said the murder was intended "to destabilize the situation" in
Tajikistan. LF
[10] RUSSIAN MINISTER OFFERS HELP TO CONTAIN TAJIK DAM DANGER
Visiting Dushanbe on 9-10 April, Russian Emergency Situations Minister
Sergei Shoigu met with Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov and with his Tajik
counterpart Mirzo Zieev to discuss cooperation in the sphere of civil
defense and coping with natural catastrophes, Asia Plus-Blitz and Interfax
reported. Shoigu and Zieev signed a joint program of measures that provides,
among other things, for the participation of Russian specialists in
measures to prevent the collapse of the dam at Lake Sarez east of Dushanbe.
If that dam should collapse, the ensuing flooding would endanger up to 6
million people in several Central Asian states. LF
[11] TURKMENISTAN REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE CIS EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Turkmenistan's president, Saparmurat Niyazov, told a cabinet session on 10
April that Ashgabat will not recognize educational diplomas from other CIS
member states, Caucasus Press reported. He said tuition by correspondence
does not provide an adequate knowledge of any given subject, adding that
nonetheless "hundreds of people" try to acquire diplomas in this way. LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[12] ALBANIA'S MEIDANI SAYS SERBIA MUST FACE UP TO WAR GUILT...
Albanian President Rexhep Meidani said at RFE/RL headquarters in Prague on
10 April that it will be difficult to uproot the "sick nationalism" that
has grown in Serbia "over the years" unless the Serbian leadership publicly
condemns the Milosevic regime's policies of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
He stressed that Serbia needs to face up to its guilt for starting four
wars as a prerequisite for developing a new civil society. Meidani also
called on the new Belgrade authorities to release all political prisoners.
Turning to Macedonia, he noted that "military offensives don't resolve the
problems in the Balkans." Meidani argued that the Balkan region, with its
50 million people, needs a free-trade zone with common customs and value-
added taxes, which he dubbed a "mini-Schengen." Referring to his recent
meetings with regional leaders in Davos, Meidani said he regrets that the
Macedonian and Bulgarian presidents shy away from regional integration lest
it slow down their countries' progress toward EU membership. PM
[13] ...WARNS AGAINST RUMORS OF 'GREATER ALBANIA'
Meidani suggested in his remarks at RFE/RL headquarters in Prague on 10
April that Serbia is behind rumors that allege that Albanians across the
Balkans aspire to create a greater Albania. Meidani charged that "no normal
person" in Albania or anywhere else can seriously seek to set up a greater
Albania or a greater Kosova. To avoid providing grist to the mills of those
who believe Tirana wants a greater Albania, the Albanian government has not
called a roundtable conference of ethnic Albanian leaders from around the
Balkans, he added. Meidani said that Kosovar moderate leader Ibrahim Rugova
and other ethnic Albanian leaders are "always welcome" in Tirana. He noted
that Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta met recently in Prishtina with
Rugova, who has not visited Tirana for some time. Meidani added that "we
see that they [Albanian politicians in Kosova and Macedonia] need our
advice and...cooperation. We are trying to do this [on an] individual
basis." PM
[14] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT PREDICTS 'SOFT' ELECTIONS
In his remarks at RFE/RL Prague headquarters on 10 April, Meidani said that
he expects that the 24 June parliamentary elections will be less troubled
than were some of the other ballots in Albania's recent history (see
"RFE/RL Balkan Report," 3 and 6 April 2001). The president stressed that
the electronic media will likely play a key role in keeping the elections
honest and above board. PM
[15] ALBANIAN PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN CALLS ON MACEDONIA TO 'FACE
REALITY'
Speaking at RFE/RL headquarters in Prague on 10 April, parliamentary
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Sabri Godo said that it is "urgent" that
the Macedonian authorities launch a dialogue with the ethnic Albanian
minority. "We all want Macedonia to maintain its sovereignty and integrity,
but Macedonia will be harmed in the future if it refuses to face reality.
There is no other way for Macedonia than coexistence between Macedonians
and Albanians." Godo ruled out a federal system for Macedonia, which is an
idea supported by some Albanian nationalists there but is rejected outright
by the Macedonian authorities. PM
[16] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT LAUNCHES COMMISSION ON ALBANIAN ISSUES
Boris Trajkovski said in Skopje on 10 April that he is setting up a
commission of Macedonians and Albanians to look into charges that the 23
percent Albanian minority faces discrimination. Trajkovski added that the
commission will also examine possible changes to the constitution to
reflect the country's multiethnic nature, AP reported. Most Macedonian
politicians oppose any changes to the constitution. Other subjects on the
agenda include combating organized crime, which many Macedonians regard as
an Albanian specialty (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 3 April 2001). Also on
10 April, Trajkovski continued his roundtable talks with representatives of
the political parties in the parliament. The opposition Albanian Party for
Democratic Prosperity (PPD) took part, but only to present its program.
Menduh Thaci of the governing Democratic Party of the Albanians (PDSH)
called the PPD's behavior "childish," Reuters reported. The EU has called
for rapid progress in interethnic relations in Macedonia (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 10 April 2001). PM
[17] POWELL TO PROMOTE DIALOGUE IN MACEDONIA
The foreign ministers of the international Contact Group are slated to meet
in Paris on 11 April for the first time in eight months. The VOA described
the session as an opportunity for U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to
discuss pressing problems in Bosnia, Macedonia, and Kosova with his
colleagues from Germany, Italy, Britain, France, and Russia. Powell will
then go on to visit Bosnia, Kosova, and Macedonia. In Washington, State
Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said that "during his visit to
Macedonia [on 12 April], Secretary Powell will encourage further efforts to
move from process to progress. We've clearly supported the overall goal of
these discussions in Macedonia to provide for full political participation
by the ethnic Albanian minority. We do think that's very important, that
can take place within the democratic context, and we'll continue to
encourage that." PM
[18] U.S. EQUIPMENT FOR MACEDONIAN MILITARY
The U.S. Embassy in Skopje announced on 11 April that the two countries
have signed an agreement by which Washington will provide $3.5 million
worth of tactical communications equipment for the Macedonian army. The
embassy press release said that the equipment is "the latest technology"
and "fully meets NATO standards," AP reported. PM
[19] OSCE MONITORS SLAM MACEDONIAN ARMY BEHAVIOR
London's "The Guardian" reported on 10 April that OSCE monitors in
Macedonia are disturbed by the arrest and beating of ethnic Albanian
civilians and the vandalizing of houses by security forces following the
army's offensive against the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army
(UCK). In one incident, a 16 year-old boy was killed after being struck by
four bullets when he and two friends went home to UCK-stronghold Selce to
tend their sheep. One of the friends, who is a deaf mute, is seriously
traumatized by the killing, which took place on 6 April. The Macedonian
authorities claim that no civilians died in the campaign. In another
incident, monitors said that soldiers ransacked and painted crosses on
ethnic Albanian homes. Most Macedonian Albanians are Muslims. PM
[20] MACEDONIA SACKS POLICE CHIEF
Police spokesman Stevo Pendarovski said in Skopje on 10 April that police
General Aleksandar Doncev has been fired for making numerous, unspecified
mistakes, dpa reported. Doncev has been ill recently and did not command
the crackdown on the UCK. PM
[21] KFOR HOLDS SUSPECTED GUERRILLAS
A UN police spokesman told Reuters on 11 April that German KFOR troops have
detained 12 ethnic Albanian men who crossed into Kosova from Albania. The
12 are suspected of having links to the UCK. On 9 April, unidentified
persons fired on U.S. and Polish peacekeepers near the Kosova-Macedonian
border. No one was injured. PM
[22] SERBIA TO OUTLAW PARAMILITARIES
Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic said in Belgrade on 10 April that the
government has prepared tough legislation banning paramilitary and private
military formations, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. PM
[23] YUGOSLAV SUCCESSOR STATES AGREE TO DIVIDE GOLD RESERVES
Dobrosav Mitrovic, who heads Belgrade's delegation to the Yugoslav
succession talks in Brussels, told AP on 11 April that an agreement has
been reached on dividing the former Yugoslavia's gold reserves, which are
valued at $440 million. The 46 metric tons of gold have been held in the
Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, since 1991.
Mitrovic told the news agency that the gold will be divided according to a
formula suggested by the International Monetary Fund. This gives 36.52
percent to Belgrade, 28.49 percent to Croatia, 16.39 to Slovenia, 13.2
percent to Bosnia, and 5.4 percent to Macedonia. Yugoslav National Bank
Governor Mladjan Dinkic said that dividing the former Yugoslavia's
embassies abroad will be a particularly tough task, "Vesti" reported. PM
[24] QUIBBLING CROATIAN CABINET TO BE RESHUFFLED IN MAY?
Prime Minister Ivica Racan said in Zagreb on 11 April that the governing
six-party coalition will discuss possible cabinet changes after the 20 May
local elections. Public quarrels between parties and ministers over
policies and even some strategic issues have become commonplace (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 10 April 2001). Speculation centers on the possibility
that three of the smaller parties may leave the government, which would
then be run by the Social Democrats (SDP), Social Liberals (HSLS), and the
Peasant Party (HSS), Reuters reported. The coalition came together in late
1999 to oust the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) of the late President
Franjo Tudjman. The government is under popular pressure to make good on
its promises to boost the economy and ease social difficulties. PM
[25] BOMB OUTSIDE HERZEGOVINIAN MODERATES' HOME
A car bomb exploded outside the home of Mladen Ivankovic in Siroki Brijeg
in the early hours of 10 April, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. He
is a minister-without-portfolio in the non-nationalist government. His
brother Jerko, who also lives in the home, is a deputy in the House of the
Nations of the Bosnian parliament. No one was injured. The two brothers
blamed the incident on hard-liners in the HDZ. The international
community's High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch also condemned the
attack. PM
[26] ROMANIAN PARTY WALKS OUT ON BUDGET DEBATES
National Liberal Party (PNL) MPs walked out on the 10 April debate on an
article of Romania's budget for 2001, Mediafax reported. PNL members
protested against a provision in the budget that would not include funds
resulting from the privatization process. PNL Chairman Valeriu Stoica said
the ruling Party of Social Democracy in Romania instead wants to use the
money to support state companies with large debts. Finance Minister Mihai
Tanasescu replied that, in the first trimester, money coming from
privatizations was used to pay off public debt, and that the exact sums are
included in the PSAL and RICOP programs financed by the European Union. In
related news, four extraparliamentary parties called on the parliamentary
parties not to vote in favor of the draft budget, as it lacks transparency
and facilitates fraud. ZsM
[27] ILIESCU ON RELATIONS WITH MOLDOVA
Romanian President Ion Iliescu said during a TV program on 9 April that
Romania should continue to maintain "special relations" with Moldova,
irrespective of which party is in power in Chisinau, Mediafax reported.
Reacting to the U.S.-based Rand Corporation's report on NATO's further
enlargement, which said relations with Moldova could complicate Romania's
NATO accession chances, Iliescu said the report's conclusions are not
"fundamental." He added that the Rand Corporation's conclusions are often
"one-sided." Iliescu said Romanian society now has the "unique chance" to
improve its living conditions. He said 2001 is a "decisive" year for the
country's economic development and its potential accession to the EU and
NATO. ZsM
[28] MOLDOVAN COMMUNISTS ASK FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF COMPULSORY RUSSIAN
CLASSES IN SCHOOLS
Two deputies from the Party of Moldovan Communists (PCM) on 10 March
proposed to parliament the introduction of compulsory Russian-language
classes in schools at all levels, Flux reported. Accordingly, PCM deputies
Victor Andrusciac and Anatol Taranov want to modify the Education Law and
also want to introduce a compulsory Russian-language examination for
students upon their completion of high school. The deputies argued that the
current Education Law contradicts Moldova's Law on the Use of Languages.
ZsM
[29] VORONIN PROPOSES PRIME MINISTER
Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin named Vasile Tarlev as prime minister,
Flux reported on 11 April. Tarlev is to present his cabinet's program and
structure within 15 days to parliament, which is to approve his candidacy
by a simple majority. Tarlev, an ethnic Bulgarian, is 37 and politically
independent. He is the manager of Bucuria, the country's largest
confectionery producer; the chairman of the Moldovan Association of
Producers; and was, during Petru Lucinschi's presidency, chairman of the
Supreme Economic Council. ZsM
[30] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SEES LIFTING OF VISA REGIME AS EU APPROVAL
OF REFORMS
Nadezhda Mihailova walked across the border into Greece on 10 April to mark
the lifting of EU travel restrictions for Bulgarians, AP reported.
Mihailova, who was accompanied by reporters and dozens of citizens waving
their passports, said "this act is a manifestation of strong political
confidence in the reforms of this country." Vladimir Kissyov, Bulgaria's
chief negotiator on EU accession, said "the scrapping of the visas can act
as a springboard for Bulgaria's fast accession to the EU." Mihailova added
that "freedom of movement is one of the principal rights of everyone and
something that gives Bulgarians self-confidence as Europeans." The Schengen
Agreement, which allows visa-free travel between all signatory states,
includes all EU countries except Great Britain and Ireland, along with
Iceland and Norway, which are not members of the EU. PB
[31] BULGARIAN CENSUS RESULTS SHOW SHARP DECLINE IN POPULATION
A lower birthrate and emigration are being cited as the prime reasons for a
net loss of some one-half million Bulgarian citizens over the past eight
years, AP reported. Official statistics from last month's census show that
Bulgaria has a population of 7,977,646 people. In the last census,
conducted in 1992, 8,487,317 people were counted. The birthrate per
thousand fell from 10.4 in 1992 to 9 in 2000. Additionally, an estimated
700,000 people have left Bulgaria since the fall of communism in 1989. PB
[32] BULGARIAN DEPUTIES INTRODUCE LEGISLATION FOR DEATH PENALTY
A group of Bulgarian legislators have called for the reinstatement of the
death penalty for people convicted of murdering children and pregnant women,
AP reported on 10 April. Krasimir Karakachanov, the leader of the small
VMRO party, said his party supports the bill because 39 children have been
murdered in Bulgaria in the last three years. Some 150,000 people have
signed a petition calling for capital punishment to be made legal. A
moratorium on capital punishment was imposed in 1991, and the death penalty
was abolished in Bulgaria in December 1998. All of those on death row had
their sentences changed to life sentences without the possibility of
parole. PB
[C] END NOTE
[33] There is no End Note today.
11-04-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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