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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 194, 01-10-12Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 194, 12 October 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIA EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER THREAT TO COETHNICS IN ABKHAZIAGalust Sahakian, who heads the Armenian parliament's largest faction, Miasnutiun, said on 11 October in Yerevan that the Armenian government should take unspecified steps to protect the Armenian community in Abkhazia, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Several Armenians were reported killed in the village of Giorgievskoe on 3 October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 October 2001), and 14 more died during a raid late on 8 October on the village of Naa. On 10 October, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian expressed concern at those killings, warning against any attempt to damage relations between Armenia and Georgia. Armenian Revolutionary Federation -- Dashnaktsutiun faction leader Aghvan Vartanian advocated on 11 October sending a fact- finding mission to Abkhazia. LF[02] ARMENIA UNLIKELY TO SEND TROOPS TO CENTRAL ASIAThe dispatch of Armenian troops to Central Asia to defend the Tajik-Afghan border within the framework of the CIS Collective Security Treaty is "unlikely and will hardly be needed," Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian said in Yerevan on 11 October upon his return from the emergency meeting of CIS security officials on 8-9 October in Dushanbe, ITAR-TASS reported. Sarkisian noted that under the Armenian Constitution the parliament must approve the dispatch of troops to fight outside Armenia. LF[03] ARMENIAN AIRSPACE NOT USED SINCE BEGINNING OF AFGHAN STRIKESSarkisian also told journalists on 11 October that the U.S.-led antiterrorism coalition has not made use of Armenian airspace since the beginning of airstrikes on Afghanistan on 7 October, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. He said no such request has yet been received, but that Armenia would "almost certainly give out permission" if asked. U.S. military aircraft engaged in the buildup to those attacks overflew Armenia on 27 September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 October 2001). LF[04] AZERBAIJAN 'WOULD CONSIDER' TRANS-CASPIAN PIPELINEIlham Aliev, the vice president of Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR and son of Azerbaijan's President Heidar Aliev, told journalists in Baku on 11 October that the Azerbaijani leadership is ready to consider any proposal that Turkmenistan may make concerning the laying of a Trans-Caspian pipeline to export Turkmen natural gas via the South Caucasus, Interfax reported. That statement is at odds with one by SOCAR's President Natik Aliev (no relation to Ilham and Heidar) that the Trans-Caspian pipeline project will not be implemented (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 October 2001). But Ilham Aliev reiterated the condition that originally led to the collapse of talks between Baku and Ashgabat on the pipeline project, namely that Azerbaijan be granted the use of half its estimated annual throughput capacity of 16 billion cubic meters to export gas from its Shah Deniz Caspian field. He pointed out that if Turkmenistan agreed to those terms it would no longer be so dependent on Russia to export and sell its gas. LF[05] AZERBAIJAN EXTRADITES SUSPECTED EGYPTIAN TERRORISTAn Egyptian citizen detained in Azerbaijan on suspicion of involvement in international terrorism was handed over to Egyptian officials at Baku airport late on 11 October, ITAR-TASS reported the following day. Azerbaijani security officials refused to divulge details of his arrest or comment on his possible involvement in the 11 September terrorist attacks on the United States. LF[06] ABKHAZ AIR FORCE ATTACKS INTRUDERSOn 11 October Abkhaz military aviation for the first time attacked the group of fighters said to be Chechens and Georgian guerrillas who are pinned down near the Sugar-Loaf mountain, inflicting casualties and preventing them from breaking out of encirclement, Abkhaz Deputy Defense Minister Harri Kupalba told Interfax. Abkhaz presidential aide Astamur Tania told Caucasus Press on 12 October that fighting continued through the night and that two Georgians were killed. He did not say whether the Abkhaz side incurred losses, Caucasus Press reported. Also on 12 October, Russian peacekeeping troops intercepted a Georgian convoy carrying food supplies that was headed for the Kodori gorge, ITAR-TASS reported. LF[07] ABKHAZ PRESIDENT APPEALS TO PUTINAbkhaz Defense Minister Vladimir Mikanba told Caucasus Press and Interfax on 11 October that the Abkhaz leadership considers the dispatch of Georgian army units to the Kodori gorge as "a step toward war," in response to which Abkhazia will appeal for help from Russia and the peoples of the North Caucasus. Later that day, Abkhaz President Vladislav Ardzinba wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to "thwart Georgia's policy of state aggression" and take urgent measures to prevent "a new large-scale war in Abkhazia." He also asked Putin to initiate a UN Security Council resolution denouncing "Georgian terrorism," ITAR-TASS reported. LF[08] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR WITHDRAWAL OF CIS PEACEKEEPERS...Parliament deputies voted late on 11 October almost unanimously, by 163 votes for to one against, to demand the withdrawal from Georgian territory of the Russian peacekeeping force deployed since mid-1994 under the auspices of the CIS along the border between Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia, Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS reported. Deputies claimed that the peacekeepers have failed to fulfill their mandate. Prior to the vote, President Eduard Shevardnadze had said that he would do his best to ensure that the peacekeepers are withdrawn if the parliament considers such a withdrawal expedient. Under the CIS peacekeeping force's mandate, it cannot be withdrawn without the consent of the Abkhaz, and all CIS states must vote on the withdrawal, which Armenia is unlikely to approve given its concern for the fate of the Armenian minority in Abkhazia (see above). LF[09] ...WHICH UN REPRESENTATIVE DEEMS UNWISEDieter Boden, the UN Secretary-General's special representative for the Abkhaz conflict, commented on 11 October that the withdrawal of the CIS peacekeepers could present "a great risk," insofar as it is not clear who would take their place, Caucasus Press reported. He said that if the CIS force were withdrawn, the UN Observer Force would also be constrained to leave Georgia. On 12 October, Caucasus Press quoted Boden as denying a statement attributed the previous evening by Georgian State Television to the effect that he approved the dispatch of Georgian troops to the Kodori gorge. Caucasus Press quoted him as saying that on the contrary, he regards the Georgian move as "not useful," potentially destabilizing, and as a violation of the cease-fire agreement signed by Georgia and Abkhazia in May 1994. LF[10] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT ASSURES DISPLACED PERSONS OF SPEEDY 'VICTORY'Meeting earlier on 11 October with representatives of some 1,000 Georgian displaced persons from Abkhazia demanding that the Georgian government give its official support and backing to the Georgian guerrilla units operating in Abkhazia, President Shevardnadze said, "I am sure we will return to Abkhazia and it will happen very shortly. I will go head with you. We have more resources now and international support... We are closer to victory than any time before," Reuters reported. LF[11] MOSCOW BLAMES TBILISI FOR DETERIORATING SITUATION IN ABKHAZIA...The Russian Foreign Ministry on 11 October issued a statement saying that Moscow holds Tbilisi responsible for failing to block the influx of Chechen and other fighters into Abkhazia, Russian agencies reported. The statement continued that Russia has frequently warned Georgia about this danger but that "our calls were not heeded." It concluded that the deteriorating situation in Abkhazia reflects as well the interest of some in the Georgian capital in using force rather than negotiations to resolve the Abkhaz conflict. PG[12] ...WHILE DUMA ADOPTS RESOLUTION CRITICIZING GEORGIA FOR CRISISBy a vote of 292 to one with one abstention, the Duma on 11 October adopted a resolution expressing its concern over the rise in tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi and placing the blame for that development on Georgia, Russian agencies reported. The resolution repeated many of the points the Russian Foreign Ministry statement contained, and the ministry expressed itself satisfied with the tone of the Duma resolution. Many deputies spoke out against recent Georgian policies, and Communist Party chief Gennadii Zyuganov said that Georgian President Shevardnadze has "completely lost control over the situation in his country." PG[13] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION FACTION DEMANDS THAT PARLIAMENT SPEAKER RESIGNLevan Gachechiladze, one of the 11 deputies in the opposition "New Right Wing" faction, has argued that parliament speaker Zurab Zhvania should step down following the total collapse of the parliament majority, "Alia" reported on 11 October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 October 2001). Until a few days ago, the Union of Citizens of Georgia to which Zhvania belongs was the largest single parliament faction and the senior partner within the majority faction (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 4, No. 33, 8 October 2001). LF[14] KAZAKH TV STATION DENIES PRESIDENT'S SON-IN-LAW CONTROLS MEDIA EMPIREEditors from KTK TV convened a press conference in Almaty on 11 October at which they denied that the station is owned by President Nursultan Nazarbaev's son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. They rejected as "groundless and politically motivated" claims made by parliament deputy Tolen Toqtasynov in an open letter to Nazarbaev made public the previous day that Aliyev and his wife, Nazarbaev's daughter Dariga, between them control the majority of both print and electronic media outlets in Kazakhstan (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 October 2001). LF[15] KYRGYZSTAN HOSTS MEETING OF SCO SECURITY OFFICIALS...Senior security and Interior Ministry officials from five of the six member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, and China, but not Uzbekistan) met in Bishkek on 11 October to assess the possible impact on Central Asia of the U.S.-led antiterrorist strikes against targets in Afghanistan, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. Participants adopted a joint statement, which must be endorsed by their foreign ministries, stressing the need for enhanced cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, drug trafficking, and religious extremism. Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev did not address the session although he had been expected to do so. LF[16] ...ASSESSES CAPACITY FOR HOUSING REFUGEESAddressing a session in Bishkek on 11 October of the government's coordinating committee for emergency situations, Kyrgyz First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev said Kyrgyzstan could accept a maximum of 2,000 refugees from Afghanistan, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. He said housing and providing for that number of refugees would cost an estimated 20 million soms ($415,000) and that the Kyrgyz government would have to ask international relief organizations to provide part of that sum. LF[17] DIPLOMAT DENIES TALIBAN AMASSING ON BORDER WITH UZBEKISTANMedia reports that Taliban forces are gathering on the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan are "not serious," Uzbekistan's Ambassador to Russia Shokasym Shoislamov told Russian journalists in Moscow on 11 October. He added that Uzbekistan "is fortifying its borders," but that no large Taliban force has been detected in the vicinity. LF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[18] REBEL LEADER CAUTIOUSLY WELCOMES MACEDONIAN AMNESTY...The former political leader of the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (UCK), Ali Ahmeti, welcomed the amnesty adopted by the Macedonian government on 9 October (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 October 2001) as "an expression of political good-will," Western news agencies reported on 11 October. But Ahmeti also demanded the release of all the former UCK members arrested in the seven months of fighting in the spirit of the amnesty. "We expect them to release all those Albanians arrested and detained under investigation, and also to pardon all those already convicted on charges relating to activity in the UCK. We request these measures to be taken immediately," he said. Also, the Kosova-based daily "Koha Ditore" reported on 11 October that Ahmeti will form his own party to pursue the disbanded UCK's goals of greater rights for ethnic Albanians in Macedonia. DW[19] ...WHICH IS ALREADY UNDER THREAT OF COLLAPSE?Ethnic Albanian Deputy Interior Minister Refet Elmazi said on 11 October that days prior to the government's amnesty, Macedonian police raided villages in search of young ethnic Albanians bearing arms and 50 were arrested and await trial, AP reported. He said it indicates a lack of sincerity by the ethnic Macedonian-dominated government. Also, police announced the same day that troops discovered a cache of arms buried near the village of Tanuse in rebel-held territory near the Albanian border and 80 kilometers southwest of Skopje. Police spokesman Vasko Sutarov said the cache contained rocket launchers, antitank mines, machine guns, hand grenades, and explosives. He did not say what prompted the raid in rebel territory near the army's border post. DW[20] YUGOSLAV RADICAL LEADER EAGER TO GO TO HAGUEHard-line nationalist Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj said on 11 October that he "cannot wait" to go to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague to defend himself and show he is not afraid of the tribunal, Reuters reported. Seselj was one of 15 Yugoslav political figures, police, and army officials named in the indictment against former President Slobodan Milosevic for ethnic cleansing in Croatia in 1991-92. The indictment says Seselj recruited or provided assistance to Serb volunteers, known as "chetniks" or "Seselj's men," who it said carried out crimes. It also said Seselj openly espoused the creation of a Greater Serbia "by violence and other unlawful means." "I am proud that thousands of Serb Radical Party volunteers fought on almost all fronts where Serbdom was defended," Seselj said. "Do they expect me to defend myself from this, no I boast of this, I am proud of it and my sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will be proud of this." DW[21] TRIAL BEGINS OF FORMER MILOSEVIC SECURITY CHIEFThe former chief of state security under President Milosevic, Radomir Markovic, and three others went on trial on 11 October for the alleged attempt in 1999 on the life of then-opposition leader Vuk Draskovic, Reuters and AP reported. Draskovic escaped with injuries when a truck plowed into cars carrying him and his associates, four of whom were killed. The trial began with two of the defendants, former members of an elite police unit, withdrawing confessions they made earlier this year. They had confessed that Markovic gave the order and arranged the crash to look like an accident. They claimed they confessed after being told it would help clear the name of their unit and were promised leniency and witness protection. DW[22] FORMER GENERAL INDICTED BY HAGUE IN HOSPITALRetired Lieutenant General Pavle Strugar, who had said he wanted to surrender himself to the UN war crimes tribunal after being named (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 October 2001) in an indictment stemming from the shelling of Dubrovnik, Croatia, in 1991, has been hospitalized, Western news agencies reported. Montenegrin Interior Minister Andrija Jovicevic said Strugar, 68, who now lives in the smaller Yugoslav republic, "is currently in hospital as he is very ill. His treatment should be completed by the end of this week." He added that Strugar still wants to go to The Hague, but asked that the court show "a certain amount of patience." DW[23] ORTHODOX CHURCH IN NIS BURNS TO THE GROUNDA 19th-century Serbian Orthodox church in the south Serbian city of Nis was destroyed early in the morning hours of 12 October in a fire and explosion, Reuters reported. Firefighters arrived quickly, but attempts to put out the blaze were disorganized and one fire engine was set on fire when part of the church collapsed on it, Radio B-92 reported. The church was undergoing restoration work and the cause of the fire is thought to be negligence. DW[24] VOJVODINA ASSEMBLY DECLARES NOVI SAD CAPITALThe parliament of the Serbian province of Vojvodina on 11 October decided to return to the province's main city of Novi Sad the status of provincial capital, Reuters reported the same day. Leaders in the assembly say they want to win back the political and economic autonomy granted to Vojvodina by the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution and stripped by former President Milosevic, but that they are not calling for independence. "We are not separatists, we just want our money," said Nenad Canak, the parliament's speaker and leader of the political forces calling for autonomy. DW[25] YUGOSLAV FORCES DETAIN SIX KOSOVA POLICEA UN spokesman in Kosova said Yugoslav forces have detained six Kosova police officers operating by the boundary with the republic of Montenegro, Reuters and AP reported on 12 October. Spokesman Andrea Angelli said the officers of the Kosovo Police Service (KPS), including one woman, were detained on 11 October while on duty and in uniform but that the reason and the circumstances were still not clear. Angelli said he did not know whether the officers, five ethnic Albanians and one Muslim Slav, had been detained inside Kosova or whether they had accidentally crossed the boundary in a mountainous and remote region. "The KPS officers belong to the antismuggling unit operating on the Kosovo side of the administrative border with Montenegro," he said, adding that they are still being held. DW[26] WORLD BANK STUDIES POVERTY IN KOSOVAThe World Bank on 11 October released a report on poverty in Kosova that says half of the province's population live in poverty, dpa reported. The study also says that 12 percent of the population live in extreme poverty, and also that poverty is concentrated in areas with higher ethnic diversity, suggesting the existence of different access and utilization of public services and market opportunities. The survey also said that there are more poor Kosova Serbs (59 percent) than Kosova Albanians (50 percent). The report said non-Albanians like Serbs, Roma, and Muslim Slavs are more exposed to poverty risks. DW[27] OSCE PUSHES FOR REDUCED MILITARY SPENDING IN BOSNIAThe Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on 11 October launched an initiative aimed at discouraging what it considers excessive military expenditures in Bosnia, dpa reported. The head of the OSCE mission in Bosnia, Robert Beecroft, said Bosnia's military "could fulfill their mission far more effectively if their personnel strength were significantly reduced," adding that current spending is unsustainable, the agency said. The OSCE is trying to raise public awareness of spending levels, encouraging citizens to demand transparency and accountability in the budget process. The OSCE claims Bosnia's defense budget entailed roughly 6 percent of GDP, while the European average is about 1.5 percent. According to the OSCE, Bosnia-Herzegovina, a country with two armies that include three military components with different national bases, can barely afford an army half its current size. AH[28] BOSNIAN MEDIA SHUFFLE WILL 'TERMINATE' HRT TERRESTRIAL TV PRESENCEA spokesman for the Office of the High Representative (OHR) to Bosnia said on 11 October that ongoing efforts to reorganize radio and television in Bosnia will put an end to Croatian Radio Television's (HRT) terrestrial broadcasts in that country, Hina reported. Croat-Muslim federal authorities have frequently objected to aspects of reforms aimed at convergence with international standards, and HRT has reached a significant part of the population in recent years. Croatian and international representatives in Bosnia-Herzegovina are considering ways to ensure broadcasts to the Croat population via the future federal Radio and Television and the state Public Broadcasting Service, the OHR spokesman added, according to Hina. AH[29] NATO 'HARVESTS' THOUSAND OF WEAPONS IN BOSNIAA spokesman for the NATO peacekeeping force in Bosnia said international officials have this year collected thousands of weapons through a program offering amnesty in return for surrendered weapons, AP reported on 11 October. More than 2,650 small arms and 567,790 rounds of ammunition have been collected in the NATO-led program, dubbed Harvest, which began in 1998. Weapons handed in this year included 9,500 hand grenades, 3,400 mines, and 3,540 kilograms of explosives. The NATO spokesman added that authorities plan to continue the program, the agency reported. AH[30] HUNDREDS OF BODIES EXHUMED FROM FORMER MINE IN BOSNIAForensic experts have exhumed 372 bodies in the past four weeks from one of the largest mass graves discovered in Bosnia since the 1992-95 war, AP reported. The victims are believed to be Bosnian Muslims and Croats killed by Serb troops at the beginning of the conflict. The grim body count could increase as experts continue to search for victims at the former iron mine near the Serb-held town of Prijedor, some 175 kilometers northwest of the capital Sarajevo, the deputy head of the Muslim Commission for Missing Persons, Jasmin Odobasic, was quoted as saying. AH[31] FORMER OFFICER TESTIFIES TO ATROCITIES AT LORA MILITARY BASE IN CROATIAA former Croatian military police officer, who says he lost his job for objecting to atrocities against prisoners of war (POWs), told a local daily that killings and torture were commonplace at the Lora military base in Split during the war, dpa reported on 12 October. An investigation is continuing into alleged abuses at Lora and seven former military police officers have been arrested as a result. Mario Barisic said he saw POWs wearing Yugoslav National Army uniforms "making gurgling sounds as if their tongues had been cut off, while some had missing ears and eyes," the daily "Jutarnji" quoted him as saying. His superior told him many POWs were not registered anywhere and therefore he could "do whatever you like" to them. After he appealed to then-President Franjo Tudjman, he said he lost his job. AH[32] CROAT MINISTERS BACK ZAGREB-SPLIT MOTORWAY...The Croatian government, symbolically meeting in Split on 11 October to dispel perceptions that it is neglecting the south of the country, voted unanimously to establish a commission to speed the construction of a highway between the capital Zagreb and Split, Hina reported. Premier Ivica Racan will head the commission, whose job it will be to ensure that construction starts in June 2002 and the north-south motorway is completed within three years, the agency added. The project is expected to cost 3 billion German marks, about half of which will be provided by the government. The rest of the funding should come from increased taxes on fuel or hikes in road tolls, or future government windfalls or international loans. The government also unanimously agreed to assist in the reconstruction of the existing Zagreb-Split road, a project that should be finished by the mid-2003, Hina reported. AH[33] ...BUT STILL CAN'T WIN THE HEARTS OF SOUTHERN VETERANSAbout 200 veterans of the 1991 war for independence marched on the Croatian cabinet session in Split to tell the government it is unwelcome in this nationalist-held southern city, AP reported on 11 October. Ministers held their regular session in Split to shake off feelings that they are neglecting the area. Police stopped the veterans' group, which was waving Croatian flags and chanting antigovernment slogans, some 200 meters from the building. Hostility has mounted among veterans and the former ruling party of the late President Tudjman since the government declared its determination to prosecute Croat war crimes, the agency noted. Veterans have scheduled a new rally for 20 October in Zagreb. Prime Minister Ivica Racan told reporters he has nothing against the rallies, "as long as they're not violent," AP reported. AH[34] OHR IN BOSNIA QUESTIONS CROAT CANTONAL BOYCOTTThe Mostar branch of the Office of the High Representative to Bosnia expressed regret over a recent announcement by Croat representatives to the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Assembly suggesting Croat officials might boycott such cantonal institutions, Hina reported on 11 October. Croat representatives in the assembly have told the UN Mission Chief that the national structure in the cantonal Interior Ministry is unfair, since neither the minister nor other senior elected officials are Croats, the agency said. Deputies recommended that Croat officials consider their participation until ethnic equality is achieved in the Interior Ministry. An OHR spokeswoman said a boycott is no way to resolve the situation, Hina reported. AH[35] TALKS CONTINUE BETWEEN CROATIAN GOVERNMENT, CIVIL SERVANTSTalks aimed at hammering out a collective agreement for public sector employees were expected to resume on 12 October following the elimination of a major hurdle, Hina reported on 11 October. Negotiators from the Croatian government and civil servants unions agreed to the text of a protocol that had been holding up the talks, which deal with some of the basic rights of civil servants. AH[36] ALBANIA VOWS TO WORK WITH GREEKS TO STIFLE LAWLESSNESSAlbanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta said his government will "cooperate closely with Greece and other regional countries" to combat terrorism, organized crime, and stem the flow of illegal immigrants, AP reported on 11 October during Meta's visit to Athens. He also said the Greek minority in Albania will "continue to be an important part of new standards we want to achieve with the further democratization and Europeanization of Albania," the agency added. The treatment of ethnic Greeks has heightened tensions between the two countries in the past as some have complained of harassment by Albanian authorities, AP said. Meta and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis discussed a Greek government program to issue temporary work and residency permits to hundreds of thousands of Albanians who entered the country illegally. AH[37] POLL SHOWS SLIGHT ROMANIAN MAJORITY BACKING AFGHANISTAN BOMBINGA poll conducted by the Romanian Institute for Public Opinion Surveys (IRSOP) between 8 and 10 October showed 51 percent of Romanians back the U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan and 44 percent oppose it, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Sixty percent said they agree to allowing U.S. overflights and 73 percent expressed confidence in the ability of President Ion Iliescu and Prime Minister Adrian Nastase to "make the right decisions." Fifty-nine percent said it is unlikely that Romania will become a target of terrorist attacks, 54 percent said they feel secure, and 42 percent have "a sense of danger." MS[38] ROMANIAN DEFENSE OFFICIAL SAYS KFOR AND SFOR MISSIONS WILL BE STRENGTHENEDDefense Ministry State Secretary George Maior on 11 September said in Bucharest that Romania's military is "disappointed" that its offer to participate in peacekeeping operations in Cyprus was turned down by the United Nations. Maior said Romania had hoped to "score some points" in the quest for NATO accession by demonstrating the ability of its military, Mediafax reported. He announced that Romania will increase participation in the KFOR and SFOR peacekeeping operations in Kosova and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Also on 11 October, Romanian radio reported that a KFOR military delegation visited the Black Sea port of Constanta the same day and that NATO intends to use the port's military facilities for transporting equipment to KFOR forces. MS[39] SUSPECTED ARAB TERRORIST DETAINED IN ROMANIAA court in Constanta issued a warrant on 11 October for the "preventive detention" of Attala Mohamid Attala, a 31-year-old Palestinian who is a resident of both Egypt and Romania, Mediafax reported. The agency said the Romanian secret services were acting upon information received from foreign secret services, which suspect Attala to be a member of an Arab terrorist organization. He was detained on 10 October on charges that he participated in three robberies in Romania itself. Attala told Mediafax he has lived in Romania since 1993, but admitted that "for some time" he had been expelled from the country. He denied being a member of any terrorist organization. MS[40] ROMANIAN MAVERICK SENATOR TO FINALLY LOSE PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY?The Prosecutor-General's Office recommended on 11 October that the parliamentary immunity of Greater Romanian Party (PRM) Chairman Senator Corneliu Vadim Tudor and of his fellow-PRM Senator Danut Saulea, be lifted on grounds that they had "spread false information" on the alleged training of Hamas Palestinian terrorists in Romania, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. In response to the decision, Tudor said his senatorial immunity cannot be lifted for having expressed a "mere political opinion." He said he can be prosecuted as a journalist, but that the information he had disseminated was "nothing new" and had been published in many media outlets. His prosecution as a journalist, Tudor added, would amount to "restoring censorship." He also said the PRM will act to initiate early parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, on 11 October Senate Chairman Nicolae Vacaroiu announced that since the PRM has refused to replace Tudor in the Senate delegation that will visit three Far Eastern countries, that delegation will include no PRM representative (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 October 2001). MS[41] ROMANIAN OPPOSITION PARTY PROTESTS GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF ROMPRESIn a statement released on 11 October, the Democratic Party said it will appeal to international organizations to intervene against the government's attempt to "take total control" over the official Rompres news agency, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The Democrats say Rompres journalists are forced to take orders from the government, as the agency has been placed under the supervision of the Public Information Ministry. The Democrats called for returning Rompres to parliamentary supervision. MS[42] CEFTA MEMBERS AGREE ON 'SEPARATING COMPROMISE'Meeting in Bucharest on 11 October, the seven countries of the Central European Free Trade Organization agreed on a compromise, whereby the economically more advanced Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia will continue liberalizing trade among themselves and abolishing tariffs, said Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana after the meeting, as cited by Romanian radio. The other, less developed four members (Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia), will be allowed to defend local producers of agricultural goods by keeping some trade barriers in force. MS[43] MOLDOVAN JUSTICE MINISTER SAYS STRASBOURG DECLARATION MADE 'UNDER GOVERNMENTAL MANDATE'...Justice Minister Ion Morei on 11 October said in Chisinau that he has no reason to submit his resignation, as has been demanded by opposition parties and Moldovan civic movements, Mediafax reported. Morei said the declarations he made before the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg were "under governmental mandate." He said he used the term "Romanian political expansionism" to describe the fact that "certain political forces from both Moldova and Romania, whether overtly or covertly, do not recognize Moldovan state sovereignty." He said these forces "strive to use any possible method" to undermine Moldovan sovereignty and that "the Bessarabian Metropolitan Church is just part of those methods." MS[44] ...WHILE ROMANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER CANCELS CHISINAU VISITOn 11 October, Romanian Defense Minister Ioan Mircea Pascu canceled a scheduled visit to Chisinau "due to the situation that has been created," Romanian radio reported. The visit was scheduled for 18-19 October. Also on 11 October, Romanian government spokesman Claudiu Lucaciu refuted a statement made by Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev's one day earlier that Moldova has received no "official information" concerning the cancellation of the visit by Premier Nastase (see "RFE/RL Newsline, 11 October 2001). Lucaciu said Chisinau was informed of the cancellation "via diplomatic channels and through the official declaration issued by the Romanian government." MS[45] BULGARIAN POLICE ARREST LEBANESEPolice arrested on 10 October a Lebanese suspected of "committing crimes across the whole country," Interior Ministry spokeswoman Stefka Ivanova announced on the next day, AP reported. A special anti-organized crime squad raided the suspect's villa in a Sofia suburb, arresting him and seven armed men that were guarding him. He was only identified as "Adel S., aged 44." Police seized five rifles and two pistols in the villa. Ivanova said she did not know whether the man was suspected of links to international terrorism. He has lived in Bulgaria for 10 years and has held Bulgarian citizenship since 1993. Police also seized about a kilogram of gold and "a large amount of foreign and Bulgarian currency." On 11 October, an explosion in the northern Bulgarian city of Pleven killed one man and police said it could not exclude that the explosion was "a suicide bombing, " AP reported. The bomb exploded near a secondary school and a kindergarten. MS[C] END NOTE[46] Bulgaria's Simeon Gives Backing to Incumbent StoyanovBy Julia GuechakovIn what looked more like a royal blessing than a party endorsement, Bulgaria's prime minister has announced that his party will back incumbent President Petar Stoyanov for a second term in office in upcoming elections. By deciding to support Stoyanov, an independent who already has the backing of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces (SDS), Simeon has virtually assured that Stoyanov will not face serious competition. The National Movement Simeon II (NDSV) -- a recently formed coalition led by former monarch Simeon Saxecoburggotski -- won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections earlier this year. Had Simeon chosen to back a different candidate, it would have posed a serious challenge to Stoyanov. Prime Minister Simeon justified the decision by saying, "The position of the National Movement Simeon II is a clear sign of continuity in Bulgaria's foreign policy, which is aimed at a full-fledged membership in the European Union and NATO, a sign that the National Movement shares the values of the European Popular Parties." Significantly, Simeon made the announcement on the eve of a recent meeting in Sofia of heads of state of Eastern European countries aspiring to join NATO. Membership in the alliance was a top foreign policy priority for the previous SDS government. Also, the NDSV is said to be seeking to join the European Popular Party, a grouping of mostly ruling European conservative parties, of which SDS is a member. The decision seemed to leave many of the NDSV's leaders perplexed. Stoyanov, a popular politician with a good foreign policy record, is running as an independent and already had the endorsement of the SDS. And the SDS has bitterly opposed the NDSV since losing to Simeon's movement in the June general election. But the NDSV in fact had little choice. Simeon is barred from running for president under the constitution, as he has not lived in Bulgaria for the past five years. Simeon's movement is a motley group, and most members have little political experience and no national following. The NDSV -- and the former monarch -- could hardly risk losing the presidential poll so soon after coming to power. The center-right SDS appeared to have plenty of reasons to rejoice at the NDSV's endorsement of Stoyanov. Party leaders were quick to publicly present it as a failure of the ruling coalition -- and their own victory. "The National Movement Simeon II once again showed they are weak politicians unable to take important political decisions, just as they are unable to rule the country," said Dimitar Abadzhiev, an SDS leader. "This position clearly dealt a heavy blow to their coalition parties, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms [DPS] and the Socialist party, which clearly are of a different opinion." But in fact, Simeon's endorsement of Stoyanov will deprive the SDS of the opportunity to fight and regain some lost political ground. The Socialists also said Simeon's decision is a sign of political helplessness. The Socialists, who have two ministers in the government although they are not formally part of the coalition, have nominated party leader Georgi Parvanov as their candidate. They had previously expressed a willingness to back a joint candidate with the ruling coalition. Parvanov's nomination -- announced after waiting almost to the last minute -- seemed somehow second best. The NDSV's junior partner in the coalition -- the ethnic Turkish DPS -- was in the tightest spot. After repeatedly saying they will back a joint candidate with Simeon's movement, the DPS refused to follow the line of their coalition partner. DPS leader Ahmed Dogan said, "We do not and will not support the nomination of Petar Stoyanov for a second term in office." Dogan further warned that, according to the DPS, endorsing Stoyanov risked a political destabilization and early parliamentary elections. "Support for Petar Stoyanov by the National Movement -- and as it had been only logical to expect, support by the DPS [for a joint candidate] -- will lead to instability instead of stability. It clears the way for a [political] comeback of the SDS and early parliamentary elections." Despite the threatening predictions, the DPS -- which for the first time since the collapse of the former communist regime a decade ago now has ministers in the government -- said its coalition agreement with the NDSV is not in question. The DPS has not endorsed any presidential nominee yet. In Bulgaria, power rests mostly with the government and parliament. The apparent lack of real competitiveness in November's election could shrink traditionally low voter turnout -- which some say could even fall below the required 50 percent -- and undermine the perceived political weight of the presidential institution. And that, some local analysts suggest, may have been the hidden reasoning behind Simeon's decision. Julia Guechakov is an RFE/RL correspondent. 12-10-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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