Visit the Athens News Agency (ANA) Archive Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923) Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923)
HR-Net - Hellenic Resources Network Compact version
Today's Suggestion
Read The "Macedonian Question" (by Maria Nystazopoulou-Pelekidou)
HomeAbout HR-NetNewsWeb SitesDocumentsOnline HelpUsage InformationContact us
Thursday, 28 March 2024
 
News
  Latest News (All)
     From Greece
     From Cyprus
     From Europe
     From Balkans
     From Turkey
     From USA
  Announcements
  World Press
  News Archives
Web Sites
  Hosted
  Mirrored
  Interesting Nodes
Documents
  Special Topics
  Treaties, Conventions
  Constitutions
  U.S. Agencies
  Cyprus Problem
  Other
Services
  Personal NewsPaper
  Greek Fonts
  Tools
  F.A.Q.
 

RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 71, 01-04-11

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>

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


    Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
    Back to Top
    Copyright © 1995-2023 HR-Net (Hellenic Resources Network). An HRI Project.
    All Rights Reserved.

    HTML by the HR-Net Group / Hellenic Resources Institute, Inc.
    rferl2html v1.01 run on Wednesday, 11 April 2001 - 15:33:05 UTC