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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 188, 01-10-04
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 188, 4 October 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] RUSSIAN ANTIAIRCRAFT MISSILES IN ARMENIA AT COMBAT READINESS
[02] PRESIDENT WELCOMES RENEWED PUBLICATION OF 'IZVESTIYA' IN AZERBAIJAN
[03] PRESIDENTIAL GUARD TO PROTECT AZERBAIJAN-GEORGIA-TURKEY GAS PIPELINE?
[04] PRESIDENT SAYS GEORGIA MAY 'SOON' QUIT CIS
[05] GEORGIAN-CHECHEN FORCE SEIZES VILLAGE IN ABKHAZIA
[06] GEORGIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS POSTPONED FOR ONE YEAR
[07] COUNCIL OF EUROPE CALLS FOR SCHEDULING REFORM OF GEORGIAN POLICE,
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
[08] RUSSIA PROVIDES SPECIALIST LITERATURE FOR ABKHAZ HIGHER MILITARY
COLLEGE
[09] KAZAKH PRESIDENT ENDS VISIT TO GERMANY...
[10] ...FLIES TO TURKEY
[11] OIL AND GAS CONFERENCE OPENS IN KAZAKHSTAN
[12] KAZAKHSTAN NOT IN LINE FOR OBSERVER MEMBERSHIP OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE
[13] KAZAKH OPPOSITION PARTY OPPOSES ELECTING REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS
[14] MORE HIZB UT-TAHRIR ACTIVISTS ARRESTED IN TAJIKISTAN
[15] TAJIK PRESIDENT, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE DISCUSS ANTITERRORISM
COOPERATION
[16] UZBEK GOVERNMENT FAILS TO CONFIRM PRESENCE OF U.S. TROOPS
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[17] PEACE IN MACEDONIA IN JEOPARDY AS POLICE SET TO MOVE INTO REBEL
AREAS...
[18] ...DEFYING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY...
[19] ...AS REBELS WARN OF MORE WAR
[20] MINERS AT SERBIA'S LARGEST COAL MINE GO ON STRIKE
[21] ALBANIAN PARTIES KICK OFF KOSOVA ELECTIONS WITH CALLS FOR INDEPENDENCE
[22] BOSNIA SIGNS FREE-TRADE AGREEMENT WITH SLOVENIA
[23] PEACEKEEPERS RELEASE BOSNIANS DETAINED AFTER RAID ON SAUDI RELIEF
GROUP
[24] CROATIAN AUTHORITIES ASSIST PROBE INTO U.S. BUS TRAGEDY
[25] CROATIAN POLICE BREAK UP PEDOPHILE RING
[26] CROATIAN, MACEDONIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS COOL ON NEW REGIONAL
INITIATIVES
[27] CROATIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER EXPELLED FROM PARTY
[28] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF OHRID, KOSOVA ELECTIONS
[29] ...WHILE BRITISH OFFICIAL LAUDS ALBANIA'S ROLE IN MACEDONIA
[30] HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER MEETS ROMANIAN PRESIDENT
[31] HUNGARIAN PRIVATE UNIVERSITY LAUNCHED IN ROMANIA
[32] RULING ROMANIAN PARTY TO BACK LIFTING TUDOR'S PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY
[33] ROMANIAN PREMIER CANCELS VISIT TO MOLDOVA IN PROTEST
[34] RUSSIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER IN TIRASPOL
[35] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT SAYS NATO NEEDED MORE THAN EVER
[36] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS NAME VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
[37] BULGARIA RELEASES PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF 2001 CENSUS
[C] END NOTE
[38] There is no End Note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] RUSSIAN ANTIAIRCRAFT MISSILES IN ARMENIA AT COMBAT READINESS
Visiting the Russian military base at Giumri, northern Armenia, on 3
October, Russian Army Chief of General Staff General Anatolii Kvashnin
formally put on permanent combat duty with Armenian air defense units the
Russian antiaircraft missile regiment deployed there, RFE/RL's Yerevan
bureau and Russian agencies reported. The Russian regiment is armed with S-
300 surface-to-air missiles that have a range of 75 kilometers. Echoing a
statement by Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian in early May, when
Russian and Armenian military planes first began joint patrols, Kvashnin
stressed that the cooperation between the two air forces is "purely
defensive" and "does not threaten anybody," ITAR-TASS reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 7 May 2001). LF
[02] PRESIDENT WELCOMES RENEWED PUBLICATION OF 'IZVESTIYA' IN AZERBAIJAN
"Izvestiya" reported on 3 October that Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev
telephoned the editors of the paper the previous day to thank them for
renewing the publication of "Izvestiya" in his country. The editors
commented that the appearance of their paper in Azerbaijan serves those who
find it difficult to make the transition to the Latin script. At the same
time, however, they stressed that the distribution of the paper across the
former space of the USSR has "only one goal: to give access to information
to all who need it and to promote the development of pluralism and free
speech." PG
[03] PRESIDENTIAL GUARD TO PROTECT AZERBAIJAN-GEORGIA-TURKEY GAS PIPELINE?
President Aliev's elite personal guard will be responsible for the security
of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas export pipeline, Turan reported on 3
October, quoting an unidentified "official source." That source said that
"a large number" of military personnel will be seconded to the presidential
guard for that purpose. The possibility, raised last year, of creating a
special NATO force to protect the planned Baku-Ceyhan oil export pipeline
has apparently since been dropped: at a meeting last month in Kyrgyzstan,
intelligence service chiefs from Turcophone states decided to cooperate
between themselves to ensure the safety of that pipeline while informing
Georgia of the measures involved. LF
[04] PRESIDENT SAYS GEORGIA MAY 'SOON' QUIT CIS
In a speech at Harvard University on 3 October on the second day of his
official visit to the U.S., Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said
that Georgia's foreign policy orientation focuses on NATO and the West,
Caucasus Press reported. He said he does not exclude the possibility that
Georgia will "soon" quit the CIS, but it is not clear whether he explained
what might serve as the catalyst for such a decision. Georgia joined the
CIS in 1993 only as a result of economic pressure from Moscow. Shevardnadze
attributed tensions in Georgian-Russian relations to the 1992-1993 conflict
in Abkhazia and accused Russia of applying double standards in accusing
Tbilisi of condoning terrorism by tolerating the presence on its territory
of Chechen fighters while at the same time offering refuge to former
Georgian national security chief Igor Giorgadze, whom the Georgian
authorities accuse of masterminding the August 1995 car bomb attack on
Shevardnadze. LF
[05] GEORGIAN-CHECHEN FORCE SEIZES VILLAGE IN ABKHAZIA
In a move that was presumably timed to coincide with Shevardnadze's absence
from Georgia, a joint force of several hundred Georgian guerrillas and
Chechen fighters advanced from Abkhazia's Kodori gorge early on 3 October
and occupied the largely Armenian- and Greek-populated village of
Giorgievskoe in Gulripsh Raion after fighting with Abkhaz troops in which
one Abkhaz serviceman was killed, Caucasus Press and dpa reported. Seven
villagers are reported missing. Following repeated reports that Georgian
guerrillas and Chechen fighters have joined forces with the aim of
launching new hostilities in Abkhazia (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 October
2001), UN special envoy for the Abkhaz conflict Dieter Boden had called on
3 October for a resumption of patrols of the upper reaches of the Kodori
gorge by members of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia. Those patrols were
suspended last year after UN personnel were briefly taken hostage in the
gorge for the second time (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 October 1999 and 5
June 2000). LF
[06] GEORGIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS POSTPONED FOR ONE YEAR
As anticipated (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 October 2001), the Georgian
Central Election Commission decided on 3 October to postpone the local
elections scheduled for 4 November until 20 October 2002 because the state
budget for 2001 does not provide the 4 million laris ($1.93 million) needed
to conduct that ballot, Caucasus Press reported. The commission appealed to
President Shevardnadze to ensure that the budget for 2002 makes provisions
for financing the elections, which most opposition parties had threatened
to boycott. LF
[07] COUNCIL OF EUROPE CALLS FOR SCHEDULING REFORM OF GEORGIAN POLICE,
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has called on
the Georgian government to embark on reforming the Interior Ministry and
Prosecutor-General's Office by 1 January 2003, Georgian parliament's Human
Rights Committee Chairwoman Elena Tevdoradze told journalists, according to
Prime News on 3 October, as cited by Groong. PACE recently issued a report
sharply criticizing unlawful arrests and the use of torture by Georgian
police (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 September 2001). LF
[08] RUSSIA PROVIDES SPECIALIST LITERATURE FOR ABKHAZ HIGHER MILITARY
COLLEGE
Russian military colleges are supplying manuals and other specialist
literature to the Sukhum Military School, Abkhazia's First Deputy Defense
Minister Vladimir Arshba told journalists in the unrecognized republic's
capital on 3 October, according to Prime News, as cited by Groong. LF
[09] KAZAKH PRESIDENT ENDS VISIT TO GERMANY...
Nursultan Nazarbaev ended his official visit to Germany prematurely on 3
October after a meeting with the Aga Khan to discuss the planned creation
of branches of a Central Asian University in Kazakhstan and other Central
Asian states, which the Aga Khan Foundation will partially finance RFE/RL's
Kazakh Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 and 31 August 2000).
According to the presidential press service, at their meeting on 2 October
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 October 2001) Nazarbaev discussed with Federal
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder possible German participation in constructing
new infrastructure in the Caspian. Schroeder also reportedly expressed
readiness to provide assistance in improving Kazakhstan's border and
customs services. LF
[10] ...FLIES TO TURKEY
Nazarbaev was originally scheduled to travel from Berlin to Munich on 4
October to meet with representatives of Germany's small Kazakh community,
RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. But instead he flew to Ankara on 3
October for talks with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Necdet Sezer on the
situation in Afghanistan. LF
[11] OIL AND GAS CONFERENCE OPENS IN KAZAKHSTAN
The annual Kazakhstan Oil and Gas conference opened on 3 October in Almaty,
RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. In an indication that despite Russia's
willingness to cooperate with the U.S. in combating terrorism, Moscow still
regards the Caspian as part of its sphere of influence, Russian Deputy
Foreign Minister and presidential envoy for Caspian issues Viktor
Kalyuzhnii told conference participants that Russia wants to see Kazakh
crude exported via its territory, Interfax reported. U.S. Ambassador Larry
Napper for his part expressed his support for the export of Kazakh crude
via the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. Kalyuzhnii said that possible antiterrorist
operations in Afghanistan will not affect the implementation of oil and gas
projects in the Caspian. He also warned that the Caspian summit now
tentatively scheduled for December will not adopt a final statement
clarifying the status of the Caspian, although he expressed the hope that
it would give "new impetus" to the process of resolving the differences on
that issue between the five littoral states. LF
[12] KAZAKHSTAN NOT IN LINE FOR OBSERVER MEMBERSHIP OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE
PACE Chairman Lord David Russell-Johnston met in Astana on 3 October with
Kazakh Prime Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev to discuss the prospects for
Kazakhstan becoming an observer member of that body, RFE/RL's Kazakh
Service reported. Russell-Johnston told journalists after those talks that
it is "too early" for Kazakhstan to do so in view of its centralized
government, which gives considerable power to the president while the
parliament remains relatively weak. He also observed that the media in
Kazakhstan are "not fully independent." Interfax, however, quoted Lord
Russell-Johnston as offering an additional explanation why Kazakhstan does
not qualify for observer membership in PACE, namely that observer
membership would imply the possibility of subsequent full membership, which
is restricted to states that are geographically part of Europe. "Vremya
novostei" for its part on 4 October quoted Russell-Johnston as saying the
main reason Kazakhstan would not be admitted to PACE is that it retains the
death penalty. LF
[13] KAZAKH OPPOSITION PARTY OPPOSES ELECTING REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS
The Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan convened a press conference in
Almaty on 3 October at which the chairman of its executive committee,
Amirzhan Qosanov, said the party opposes the planned election later this
month of local administrators, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. President
Nazarbaev decreed in late September that for the first time, local
administrators in two villages in each of Kazakhstan's 14 oblasts are to be
elected. At present, Nazarbaev appoints the oblast governors who in turn
appoint lower-level administrators. Qosanov argued that no such elections
should be held before the present election legislation is amended, and that
not just village administrators but also oblast governors should be
elected. LF
[14] MORE HIZB UT-TAHRIR ACTIVISTS ARRESTED IN TAJIKISTAN
Four members of the radical Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir have been
arrested in Tajikistan in recent days, Reuters and AP reported on 3
October. Two of the four were said to have been in possession of literature
calling or the overthrow of the Tajik government. The arrests bring the
total number reported so far this year in Tajikistan to at least 40, three
of whom were women. Hizb ut-Tahrir seeks to establish an Islamic state in
Central Asia by peaceful means. LF
[15] TAJIK PRESIDENT, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE DISCUSS ANTITERRORISM
COOPERATION
In a telephone conversation on 3 October, President Imomali Rakhmonov
assured U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell of his readiness to cooperate
with the U.S. government and other interested countries on antiterrorism
measures, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. Rakhmonov also appealed to Powell for
more U.S. humanitarian aid for the civilian population of neighboring
Afghanistan. Meanwhile the Tajik Foreign Ministry on 3 October rejected as
untrue a report published in "The Washington Post" that 1,000 U.S. troops
landed in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan late the previous day. A spokesman said
there are no U.S. forces in Tajikistan. LF
[16] UZBEK GOVERNMENT FAILS TO CONFIRM PRESENCE OF U.S. TROOPS
Uzbek presidential spokesman Rustam Djumaev told ITAR-TASS on 3 October
that he "cannot confirm" the Western media reports of a U.S. troop
presence. But dpa on 3 October and the "Chicago Tribune" on 4 October both
quoted Uzbek military sources as confirming the presence of some U.S.
troops. According to dpa, those troops arrived in Uzbekistan 10 days
earlier and are preparing for combat missions in Uzbekistan. The "Chicago
Tribune" reported that a U.S. advance force is assessing possible locations
for the deployment of U.S. forces, focusing in particular on the former
Soviet air base at Khanabad. Also on 3 October, Uzbekistan's President
Islam Karimov and British Prime Minister Tony Blair discussed by telephone
international efforts to combat terrorism, including the need to strike at
international terrorist bases in Afghanistan, Interfax and ITAR-TASS
reported. Karimov repeated that Uzbekistan is prepared to make available
its airspace for that purpose. LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[17] PEACE IN MACEDONIA IN JEOPARDY AS POLICE SET TO MOVE INTO REBEL
AREAS...
Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski said in Skopje on 3 October that security
forces will begin returning to ethnic Albanian rebel-held areas in
northwestern Macedonia even though no amnesty for former insurgents has
been declared, Reuters reported. Boskovski met early on 4 October with the
leaders of two ethnic Albanian villages near Skopje, Grusino and Orlance,
to discuss his plan. He said the previous day that "tomorrow is D-Day for
Macedonia, when Interior Ministry forces will return to occupied
territories with light arms and [ethnically] mixed patrols." He added,
"Macedonia cannot wait for some missionaries to say whether this condition
or that condition is fulfilled. Macedonia is a sovereign country and we
have our red line." Boskovski's decision was supported by the country's
Security Council, which was convened by President Boris Trajkovski on 3
October. The council said in a statement that it recommends "that security
forces enter the crisis region in the next several days." PB
[18] ...DEFYING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY...
The decision by Macedonia's Interior Ministry to return to ethnic Albanian-
held areas without first issuing an amnesty was resolutely condemned by
international officials working in Macedonia, Reuters reported. After
holding talks with Macedonian officials well into the night of 3 October,
four international envoys -- the U.S.'s James Pardew, the EU's Francois
Leotard, NATO Ambassador James Speckhard, and the OSCE's Max van der Stoel -
- issued a statement saying the international community "will be unable to
support or be associated with any such decisions." It also accused the
Macedonian government of dodging a "fully transparent planning process"
that involved officials from both the international and ethnic Albanian
communities. It criticized the government for not demobilizing rogue police
reserves and paramilitaries; for not granting an amnesty to former rebels;
and for failing to adopt minority rights reforms. PB
[19] ...AS REBELS WARN OF MORE WAR
Meanwhile, a senior former commander in the ethnic Albanian National
Liberation Army (UCK) said the "war will resume" if security forces move
into rebel-held areas before an amnesty is issued, Reuters reported. The
commander, known as Leka, led a rebel group that operated in the Tetovo
valley that is north of the country's second largest town of Tetovo. He
said, "I think there is no way that something like that [the police moving
in] can happen but if tomorrow police do come into this area," fighting
will break out. Several former leaders of the UCK who were disarmed and
demobilized over the last few weeks have made it clear that although they
are looking toward the amnesty as a sign of good faith on the part of the
Macedonian government, they are prepared to rearm if such a clemency is not
granted before police return to the areas the rebels control. PB
[20] MINERS AT SERBIA'S LARGEST COAL MINE GO ON STRIKE
Workers at the Kolubara mine 60 kilometers south of Belgrade went on strike
on 3 October to demand the unfreezing of their wages one year after playing
a key role in the general strike that helped topple former Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic from power, Reuters reported the same day. "We
decided to go on strike after last night's talks with the government and
the management failed to bring any results," said Zdravko Vucetic, head of
the trade union that says it represents over 16,000 workers at the mine.
The miners had already twice threatened to strike this year over low wages
and poor working conditions but decided to continue to work after the
government met some of their demands. "We participated in the changes and
hoped that the new regime will create a new relationship toward the workers,
" Vucetic said. DW
[21] ALBANIAN PARTIES KICK OFF KOSOVA ELECTIONS WITH CALLS FOR INDEPENDENCE
Launching the 45-day campaign period for the 17 November general elections,
the main ethnic Albanian parties all stressed their goal of independence
from Yugoslavia, Reuters and dpa reported on 3 October. Ibrahim Rugova,
leader of the Democratic League of Kosova, which won local elections last
year, said in a statement, "These elections are to show that it is about
time that the independence of Kosova is recognized, and that its people are
capable of building a democratic society and state, capable of building
freedom." Hashim Thaci said his Democratic Party of Kosova "is ready to
rule together with all those within the political spectrum in Kosova who
are sincerely committed to its independence." The leader of the third
ethnic Albanian party, Ramush Haradinaj, said at a meeting of his Alliance
for the Future of Kosova, "By supporting the Alliance, you will make your
well-earned dream of freedom, dignity, economic well-being -- the dream of
the state of Kosova -- come true." DW
[22] BOSNIA SIGNS FREE-TRADE AGREEMENT WITH SLOVENIA
Bosnian and Slovenian officials on 3 October signed an agreement on free
trade aimed at launching a new era of economic relations between the two
countries, AP reported, citing Onasa news agency. The deal abolishes all
customs duties for Bosnian products in Slovenia beginning on 1 January 2002,
while Bosnia will begin reducing customs duties for Slovenian products and
completely abolish them by 2005, AP reported. The agreement should help
rebalance mutual trade, which currently heavily favors Slovenia as that
country exports seven times more to Bosnia than it imports from that
country, AP reported. AH
[23] PEACEKEEPERS RELEASE BOSNIANS DETAINED AFTER RAID ON SAUDI RELIEF
GROUP
NATO-led peacekeepers in Bosnia released two Bosnian citizens detained in a
recent raid on a Saudi humanitarian-aid organization, the defense alliance
said on 3 October, according to AP. The men were working as guards at the
offices of the Saudi High Commission for Relief in Bosnia and were
suspected of supporting terrorism, the agency cited Stabilization Force
(SFOR) spokesman Daryl Morrell as saying. The two men were held at an SFOR
base, but were released on the night of 2 October after they were no longer
needed for the investigation, an SFOR statement said. Two foreign citizens
detained in separate actions and suspected of involvement in terrorist
activities, a Jordanian and an Egyptian, remain in custody while the
investigation continues, the agency reported. AH
[24] CROATIAN AUTHORITIES ASSIST PROBE INTO U.S. BUS TRAGEDY
The Croatian Embassy in Washington will assist U.S. investigators probing a
fatal bus accident that took six lives on 3 October, apparently at the
hands of a Croat war veteran who was in the United States illegally, Hina
and dpa reported the same day. State-run HRT television in Croatia said the
alleged attacker, Damir Igric, 29, "had fought in the homeland war" of
independence from Belgrade in the 1990s, dpa added on 4 October. Igric, who
slit the bus driver's throat before the vehicle hurtled off a Tennessee
highway, was among those killed in the accident. The Croatian national had
"a record of mental problems," according to an FBI spokesman quoted by dpa,
and entered the U.S. in 1999 on a one-month visa issued by the U.S. Embassy
in Zagreb. AH
[25] CROATIAN POLICE BREAK UP PEDOPHILE RING
An Interior Ministry spokeswoman said Croatian police have arrested "around
50" people and broken up one of the country's biggest known pedophile rings,
dpa reported from Zagreb on 3 October. Suspects were questioned and
released, the agency reported, adding that the police action, code-named
"Purgatory," is continuing. The suspected ringleader was from Split, police
said, adding that it is not yet clear whether the children in seized video
tapes are from Croatia or abroad. The number of suspects might rise to 100
persons, the agency reported. AH
[26] CROATIAN, MACEDONIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS COOL ON NEW REGIONAL
INITIATIVES
Senior diplomats from Croatia and Macedonia effectively dismissed recent
initiatives for new regional organizations in Southeastern Europe, Hina
reported on 3 October. Macedonian Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva,
following talks with her counterpart in Zagreb, said her country instead
favors "more intensive bilateral cooperation." She said both countries
"believe the initiatives are not compatible with Euro-Atlantic associations,
" the agency reported. Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said there
are no alternatives to stabilization and association with the European
Union, Hina reported. AH
[27] CROATIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER EXPELLED FROM PARTY
Minister for Maritime Affairs and Transport Alojz Tusek was expelled from
his Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) on 3 October following
confirmation of a regional party decision by the HSLS's executive, Croatian
TV reported. Tusek was kicked out by the Split-Dalmatia party structure
over his failure to respect the HSLS inner council's decision to oppose the
extradition of Croatian generals to The Hague for prosecution of war crimes,
HRT1 TV reported. AH
[28] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF OHRID, KOSOVA ELECTIONS
Albanian President Rexhep Meidani emphasized to visiting British Foreign
Ministry official Alan Chariton on 3 October the importance of a quick
ratification of the Ohrid peace agreement by Macedonia's parliament, ATA
reported. Meidani said, "the situation will markedly improve and positive
changes will occur" once that happens. Meidani also said upcoming elections
in Kosova will prove decisive for its future, adding that the participation
of all Macedonians and ethnic communities is very important, the agency
reported. AH
[29] ...WHILE BRITISH OFFICIAL LAUDS ALBANIA'S ROLE IN MACEDONIA
The British Foreign Ministry's director for Southeastern Europe, Alan
Chariton, was reported by ATA on 3 October to have hailed the role of
Albania in contributing to peace in Macedonia. The agency was reporting on
the results of a meeting between Chariton and Albanian President Meidani.
The Albanian president's information department told ATA that the British
official "appraised, in general, Albania's commitment in favor of dialogue
and regional cooperation." The Albanian president asked Chariton for an
increased British business presence in his country, the agency reported. AH
[30] HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER MEETS ROMANIAN PRESIDENT
Visiting Hungarian parliamentary speaker Janos Ader met separately on 3
October with President Ion Iliescu, Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, and
Senate Chairman Nicolae Vacaroiu, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported.
Iliescu said he agreed with his guest that in the future, "preliminary
consultations" should preempt the emergence of conflicting opinions between
the two states, and expressed the hope that the two sides will be able to
use such contacts to overcome their differences on the Status Law. Ader
told Geoana that Hungary is ready to share with Romania its experience on
negotiations with NATO and the EU, and that he does not believe relations
between the two countries will be affected by the Status Law. He also said
the law includes no discrimination and told Vacaroiu that Romania is alone
among neighboring states in its objections to the law. MS
[31] HUNGARIAN PRIVATE UNIVERSITY LAUNCHED IN ROMANIA
The Sapientia Hungarian-language private university was officially
inaugurated on 3 October in Cluj, in the presence of Public Information
Minister Vasile Dancu and Hungarian Education Minister Joszef Palinkas,
Mediafax reported. The university will function in several Transylvanian
towns. Palinkas said the Hungarian government, which finances the
university, will continue to do so "for as long as necessary," but
expressed the hope that Romania and private Romanian companies will also do
so. Dancu said that "under the current conditions, Romania cannot subsidize
private universities, regardless of the language in which instruction is
provided." MS
[32] RULING ROMANIAN PARTY TO BACK LIFTING TUDOR'S PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY
Prime Minister Adrian Nastase on 3 October said after a meeting of the
Social Democratic Party (PSD) Executive Bureau that the PSD will support in
the parliament lifting the parliamentary immunity of Greater Romania Party
leader Senator Corneliu Vadim Tudor, and that it will do so "without any
time limitation." The PSD decided not to invite Tudor to a meeting of
parliamentary parties on Romania's efforts to join NATO that is scheduled
for 5 October. He said the PSD did so "in a sign of solidarity" with
President Iliescu, who broke any contacts with Tudor following the latter's
claim that Romania had trained Hamas terrorists. The PSD Executive Bureau
also decided to elect Foreign Minister Geoana as its executive secretary in
charge of the party's international relations. Geoana, who had been
politically unaffiliated, officially joined the PSD the same day. MS
[33] ROMANIAN PREMIER CANCELS VISIT TO MOLDOVA IN PROTEST
Romanian Premier Adrian Nastase on 3 October canceled a scheduled visit to
Moldova to protest insulting remarks made by Moldovan Justice Minister Ion
Morei, Romanian radio reported. Morei told a hearing of the Strasbourg
International Court of Human Rights on 2 October that the complaint of the
Bessarabian Metropolitan Church being heard by the court against the
Moldovan government's refusal to register it was prompted by "Romanian
expansionism." The Romanian cabinet subsequently issued a declaration
saying Morei's statements are "inadmissible" and an "illustration of
irresponsibility" reminiscent of the terminology used by the Moldovan
Bolshevik puppet "autonomous republic" before 1940. The Romanian cabinet
said in the declaration that Morei's statements are even "more
incomprehensible" as they were made after Romania actively backed Moldova's
accession to the Balkan Stability Pact and closer relations with the EU. As
justice minister, Morei's comments could not be perceived as merely a
"personal view" in Strasbourg, the Romanian cabinet said. Moldovan agencies
cited Morei as having said in Strasbourg that Romania is attempting to
"interfere in the internal affairs of the sovereign and independent
Moldovan Republic by using pro-Romanian forces in the country." MS
[34] RUSSIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER IN TIRASPOL
On 3 October, First Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov said in
Tiraspol, where he arrived from Chisinau, that the two sides in the
Transdniester conflict "must take the bull by the horns and not be
distracted by issues of secondary importance," Infotag reported. Separatist
leader Igor Smirnov said he is satisfied with the results of the
discussions with Trubnikov and that Tiraspol is ready to resume talks with
Chisinau, "but on equal terms, taking into account existing reality and
without a dictatorship of the economic blockade" by Moldova. MS
[35] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT SAYS NATO NEEDED MORE THAN EVER
President Petar Stoyanov on 3 October said that after the terrorist attacks
of 11 September one can no longer "ask questions as to why NATO should
exist or why it should expand," BTA reported. Stoyanov said building a
global antiterrorist union of states will take a long time and raise
"complicated legal questions, calling for changes in international law."
Instead, Stoyanov said, one should "seriously consider how to best use the
capability of existing unions and alliances, such as the EU, but especially
NATO." Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Elena Poptodorova said on 3 October
that Bulgaria has yet to be asked to provide military support for an action
against terrorism, but added that "such a request cannot be ruled out
completely." Asked to comment on media reports that a Russian memorandum
mentions Bulgarian citizens as members of terrorist organizations in
Afghanistan, Poptodorova said the memorandum also mentions Czechs, and that
Bulgaria "cannot be held responsible for possible involvement of individual
persons with terrorist organizations." MS
[36] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS NAME VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Retired General Angel Marin, who ran at the head of the ethnic Turkish
Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) in the June parliamentary elections,
has been named as the vice presidential candidate on the Bulgarian
Socialist Party (BSP) ticket -- which calls itself the Coalition for
Bulgaria -- headed by Georgi Parvanov, BTA reported on 3 October. The DPS,
which refused to endorse incumbent President Stoyanov's candidacy, has not
reacted to the nomination. Parvanov told journalists that Marin left the
army in 1998 to protest the military reforms being carried out at the time
by Ivan Kostov's cabinet, but BTA said Marin was dismissed by President
Stoyanov over having made public remarks disapproving of the reform.
Meanwhile, Stoyanov said on 3 October that DPS opposition to his candidacy
will not mar relations with that party and will not affect his positive
attitude toward the ethnic Turkish minority. MS
[37] BULGARIA RELEASES PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF 2001 CENSUS
Preliminary results of the census conducted on 1 March show that 83.4
percent of citizens consider their national identity to be Bulgarian, 9.5
percent view themselves as Turks, and 4.6 percent as Roma, BTA reported,
citing the National Statistical Institute. The results are based on a
sample of 2 percent of the population. All other ethnic groups total 1.5
percent. MS
[C] END NOTE
[38] There is no End Note today.
04-10-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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