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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-02-25
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA RELUCTANTLY ATTENDS CLOSING CEREMONY FOR WINTER
[02] ...AFTER YET ANOTHER SCANDAL...
[03] ...CONTINUED CLAIMS OF BIAS AGAINST RUSSIAN ATHLETES, DELIBERATE
[04] ...AND DUMA'S CALL FOR A BOYCOTT
[05] EX-SOVIET HOLIDAY CELEBRATED
[06] ...AS DEFENSE MINISTER SPEAKS ABOUT THE STATUS OF HIS ARMY
[07] DUMA APPROVES ELECTRONIC ACCOUNTANCY
[08] KASYANOV'S PORTFOLIO WIDENS...
[09] ...WITH KLEBANOV'S DEMOTION
[10] RUSSIAN OIL TO BE EXPORTED TO U.S. VIA ALASKAN PIPELINES?
[11] LEFTIST MILITARY LEADERS SAY PUTIN'S POLICIES CATER TO U.S.,
[12] MORE RESHUFFLING AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY
[13] PRIVATIZATION OF RUSSIAN FILM INDUSTRY LAUNCHED IN ST. PETERSBURG
[14] INTERREGIONAL ASSOCIATION SEES WTO MEMBERSHIP AS POTENTIALLY
[15] SOME LOCAL MEDIA TRY TO DISCOURAGE USE OF TATAR PASSPORTS
[16] CULTURAL MISUNDERSTANDING BEHIND FLIGHT EXPULSION, PHILHARMONIC
[17] CHECHEN VILLAGERS PROTEST DISAPPEARANCE OF LOCAL RESIDENTS
[18] CHECHNYA QUIET ON DEPORTATION ANNIVERSARY
[19] ARMENIA NOT IN LINE FOR DEBT RELIEF
[20] ARMENIA, CYPRUS SIGN MILITARY COOPERATION AGREEMENT
[21] AZERBAIJAN PROTESTS PLANNED KARABAKH PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT
[22] U.S. VICE PRESIDENT CONFERS WITH AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT
[23] GEORGIAN NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY COMMITS SUICIDE
[24] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS AGAIN RULE OUT JOINT ACTION WITH U.S., RUSSIA
[25] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT DISCUSSES ABKHAZ CONFLICT WITH TURKISH
[26] OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT UNABLE TO STAMP OUT
[27] GEORGIAN COUP PLOTTER RELEASED FROM JAIL
[28] NEW KAZAKH OIL CONGLOMERATE HEAD OUTLINES POLICY...
[29] ...AS FORMER OIL SECTOR BOSS EXPRESSES APPROVAL
[30] EDITOR OF KAZAKH OPPOSITION PAPER APPEALS TO U.S. ADMINISTRATION
[31] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT FACTIONS APPEAL TO OSCE ON BEHALF OF ARRESTED
[32] ...AS HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHDOG CALLS FOR HIS RELEASE
[33] KYRGYZ PAPER ACCUSES U.S. OF FAILING TO PAY FOR USE OF AIRPORT...
[34] ...AS IMPRISONED FORMER VICE PRESIDENT CALLS FOR DEPLOYMENT OF
[35] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT--PART 1 COUNTRIES
[36] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION WANTS OBSERVER STATUS IN OSCE PARLIAMENTARY
[37] COURT OUSTS COMMUNIST LEADER FROM ELECTION RACE IN CRIMEA
[38] U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS WASHINGTON HAS NO PROOF OF ALLEGED UKRAINIAN
[39] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT DECREES PAY RAISE FOR SERVICEMEN, MOVES TO
[40] UKRAINIAN TELEVISION URGES PARTIES TO REFRAIN FROM 'FOUL LANGUAGE'
[41] CONTENTIOUS ISLAND BECOMES PART OF UKRAINIAN REGION
[42] UKRAINIAN BROADCASTER REQUESTS SECURITY SERVICE PROTECTION
[43] ESTONIA MAY GIVE UP ON ASKING FOR TRANSITION PERIOD FOR TAX-FREE
[44] RIGA, MOSCOW CITY COUNCILS SIGN COOPERATION PROTOCOL
[45] SLOVENIA, LATVIA EXPECT TO JOIN EU, NATO TOGETHER
[46] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL ENCOURAGES BUT GIVES NO GUARANTEES TO
[47] POLISH ARCHBISHOP ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
[48] POLISH SHIPYARD REINSTATES WORKERS TO END STRIKE
[49] POLISH PRESIDENT CALLS ON TRADE UNIONS TO CONSIDER 'NEW PROPOSALS'
[50] CZECH PRESIDENT TRIES TO MEND RELATIONS WITH EGYPT
[51] CZECH UNIT MOVES TO KUWAIT
[52] CZECHS OPTIMISTS ON VISEGRAD FOUR'S 'FUTURE'
[53] EU COMMISSIONER ASSURES CZECHS ON BENES DECREES
[54] SPIDLA WILL NOT SEEK CZECH PRESIDENCY
[55] SLOVAK CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS SUBMIT ANTI-STATUS LAW BILL
[56] SLOVAK PREMIER EXPLAINS DECISION TO BOYCOTT VISEGRAD FOUR SUMMIT
[57] VISEGRAD FOUR BUDAPEST SUMMIT CANCELED...
[58] ...WHILE IRREDENTIST HUNGARIAN GROUP PROTESTS AT SLOVAK EMBASSY
[59] HUNGARIAN PREMIER OPENS BUDAPEST 'HOUSE OF TERROR'
[60] YUGOSLAVIA DISMISSES EU PLAN FOR NEW FEDERATION WITH MONTENEGRO AS
[61] SERBIAN WOMAN KILLED IN KOSOVA
[62] RUSSIA TO REDUCE PEACEKEEPING ROLE IN KOSOVA, SAYS BALKANS MUST
[63] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER WON'T GIVE UP MLADIC, WANTS EU TO PAY UP
[64] UN ENVOY TO BOSNIA WARNS BELGRADE TO STAY OUT OF 'CONSTITUENT
[65] BOSNIAN DELEGATION MAKES FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT TO YUGOSLAVIA
[66] CROATIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HE IS WILLING TO TESTIFY IN MILOSEVIC
[67] PRESIDENT MESIC WRAPS UP ASIAN TOUR
[68] CROATIANS SAY OSCE NO LONGER CONSIDERS THEIR COUNTRY 'A PROBLEM'
[69] MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY WARNS OF SPRING OFFENSIVE BY ETHNIC
[70] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT SWEARS IN PREMIER MAJKO
[71] ROMANIA DISPATCHES ADDITIONAL 'LETTER OF INTENT' TO IMF
[72] ROMANIAN INVESTIGATORS REJECT TUDOR'S REQUEST TO SUBPOENA ARAFAT,
[73] RUSSIAN STATE DUMA CONDEMNS ROMANIAN 'INTERFERENCE' IN MOLDOVA...
[74] ...PROMPTING ROMANIAN REBUTTAL
[75] MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT DROPS CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS
[76] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT SAYS COUNTRY 'INFECTED WITH NATIONALIST VIRUS'
[77] GAGAUZ-YERI GOVERNOR THWARTS PLEBISCITE
[78] BULGARIA, RUSSIA SETTLE DEBT DISPUTE
[79] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT--PART 2 COUNTRIES
[80] ROMA UNREST ROCKS BULGARIAN CITY
25 February 2002
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIA RELUCTANTLY ATTENDS CLOSING CEREMONY FOR WINTER
OLYMPICS...
Despite calls for the Russian contingent not to attend, the country's
athletes were present for the closing ceremony of the 2002 Winter
Olympics in Salt Lake City on 24 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22
February 2002). Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matvienko said on 23
February that "of course there were facts of an unfair approach to our
sportsmen, but, as a respectful state and a great power, Russia cannot
allow itself to be affronted," RTR reported. Russia finished the games
with a total of six gold, six silver, and four bronze medals, after
taking 11 gold medals at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994, and
nine golds at the Nagano Games in 1998. Meanwhile, smi.ru commented on
23 February that Russia's critical position toward the 2002 Winter
Olympics was softened by a warning by the International Olympic
Committee that a boycott of the final ceremony by Russia could affect
Moscow or St. Petersburg's bids to host future Olympic Games. VY/MES
[02] ...AFTER YET ANOTHER SCANDAL...
Following her dominating performance on 24 February in the 30-kilometer
classical race, Russian cross-country skier Larisa Lazutina said of her
disqualification from the 20-kilometer cross-country relay on 21
February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 February 2002): "I was devastated
and it made me more determined for today... I took the test today and
it was fine," AP reported. However, Lazutina was later stripped of her
gold medal in the 30-kilometer classical race after testing positive
for darbepoetin, a little-known performance-enhancing drug intended to
help kidney patients avoid anemia. Cross-country skiers Olga Danilova
of Russia, and Johann Muehlegg of Spain also tested positive for the
drug, and were disqualified. Mikhail Ivanov of Russia was awarded
Muehlegg's gold medal in the 50-kilometer classical race that took
place on 23 February. All three positive results came from
out-of-competition drug tests on 21 February, and the Spanish and
Russian Olympic delegations have challenged the validation process of
the tests. MES
[03] ...CONTINUED CLAIMS OF BIAS AGAINST RUSSIAN ATHLETES, DELIBERATE
TYPOS...
Following Russia's 3-2 loss to the United States in the ice-hockey
semifinal on 22 February, head coach Slava Fetisov said: "An
agreement's been signed that is designed to have a final between Canada
and the U.S.A. You have this final, you have NHL referees... They live
here and they know the North American players," AP reported. Meanwhile,
on 23 February, ITAR-TASS reported on presidential aide Sergei
Yastrzhembskii's response to the letter International Olympic Committee
(IOC) President Jacques Rogge sent to President Vladimir Putin (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 22 February 2002). "I have here the IOC president's
letter to the president of Russia, and I could not help noticing one
far from unimportant detail -- the leader of the International Olympic
Committee called the president 'A. Putin' instead of Vladimir Putin,"
Yastrzhembskii said. "I would advise him to check the name before
writing a letter to the head of state. I think this is not a slip of
the pen, but [signifies] the type of attitude toward Russia. This
letter came through the U.S. State Department." MES
[04] ...AND DUMA'S CALL FOR A BOYCOTT
On 22 February, the Russian State Duma passed a resolution calling for
Russia's Sports Committee and the Russian Olympic Committee to boycott
the final ceremonies should the IOC fail to provide reasons for its
rulings against Russia's athletes and issue an apology to the Russian
contingent, ITAR-TASS reported. No apologies were issued. The
resolution called for North American referees to be removed from the
Russia-U.S. ice-hockey game in order "to prevent serious conflicts that
could have unpredictable consequences, including political." During the
Duma's proceedings, deputy chief of the presidential staff Aleksei
Volin said that "it was a wild Olympiad in the Wild West that
undermined the Olympic movement," while Foreign Affairs Committee head
Dmitrii Rogozin said that the Salt Lake Games duplicated the
nationalist spirit of the 1936 Berlin Games, according to ITAR-TASS.
Meanwhile on 23 February, Russian news agencies reported that the
treatment of Russian athletes is particularly disturbing for Russian
Orthodox Church Patriarch Aleksii II because he had personally offered
his blessing to Russian Olympic Committee President Leonid Tyagachev
for the success of the Russian team before it left for Utah. VY/MES
[05] EX-SOVIET HOLIDAY CELEBRATED
On 23 February, Russia held its inaugural celebration of the nonworking
holiday the "Defenders of the Fatherland Day," which was known in the
communist era as "Soviet Army Day" and was named as a federal holiday
last year by the Duma on the initiative of the presidential
administration. In Moscow, members of Russian left-wing opposition
parties led by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF)
organized a large march of supporters to commemorate the 84th
anniversary of the foundation of the Soviet army and navy, BBC reported
the same day. Speaking at a rally at the monument dedicated to popular
Soviet military commander Georgii Zhukov, KPRF leader Gennadii Zyuganov
said that "the Russian army has never been in such a difficult and
dramatic situation as now." His comments were echoed by Viktor Anpilov,
the head of the Working Russia movement, who said that "there is
nothing to greet today, on 23 February, as the army has been looted and
is now dragging out a miserable existence; its airborne and missile
forces are deliberately being eliminated; while the U.S. is declaring
war on the whole world." The rally was interrupted by the appearance of
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia head Vladimir Zhirinovsky, whose
attempt to join the rally was thwarted by communists calling him a
"government" agent and "Judas." VY
[06] ...AS DEFENSE MINISTER SPEAKS ABOUT THE STATUS OF HIS ARMY
In an interview Sergei Ivanov gave to "Krasnaya zvezda" on 22 February
to commemorate Defenders of the Fatherland Day, he said that Russia "is
not preparing for large-scale wars, but [its] requirements for the
level of national defense capability are still quite high." Ivanov
added that Russia's military doctrine rejects the "globalism of Soviet
times," but at the same time the state should maintain the readiness of
its armed forces, as Russia is a "vast land-based power with the
longest borders in the world" that has neighbors "whose intentions are
not always encouraging." He also said Russia should not disregard "its
naval component, without which Russia would lose its status as a
superpower," and that the air force has been neglected and under-funded
over the last 10-12 years. Ivanov said that in the last two years the
military budget has been increased by one-third, so the situation
should slowly begin to show improvements. VY
[07] DUMA APPROVES ELECTRONIC ACCOUNTANCY
The Duma adopted amendments to the Law on Accountancy that will allow
electronic accounting documents the same status as traditional paper
documents, RIA-Novosti reported on 22 February. Proponents of the law
say it will enhance the transparency of accounting in Russia, and will
help the country meet international accounting standards. VY
[08] KASYANOV'S PORTFOLIO WIDENS...
Following Ilya Klebanov's loss of his post as deputy prime minister
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 February 2002), Russian Prime Minister
Mikhail Kasyanov signed a document on 23 February redistributing
responsibilities between himself and his four remaining deputy prime
ministers, Interfax reported. According to the document, Kasyanov will
oversee the Atomic Energy Ministry; the Property Relations Ministry;
the Ministry of Industry, Science, and Technology; the State Customs
Committee; the Federal Property Fund; the Central Bank; and the Russian
Academy of Science. He will also head the government commission on
military-technical affairs. In addition, Kasyanov will coordinate the
work of all structures that are subordinated directly to President
Putin, such as the Defense, Foreign, Interior, Justice, and Emergency
Situations Ministries; the Federal Security Service; the Federal Tax
Police; the Federal Border Guards; and the Federal Agency for
Government Communications. Deputy Prime Minister Aleksei Kudrin will
remain at the helm of the Finance Ministry while overseeing the
Economic Development and Trade, Tax, and Antimonopoly Policy
Ministries; the State Statistics Committee; the Federal Securities
Commission; the Federal Bankruptcy Service; the State Reserves Agency;
and the new Financial Monitoring Committee. JAC
[09] ...WITH KLEBANOV'S DEMOTION
Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko will supervise the Energy,
Natural Resources, Communications, and Railways Ministries; the State
Housing and Construction Committee; and the Federal Energy Commission.
Deputy Prime Minister Aleksei Gordeev will continue to serve as head of
the Agriculture Ministry, while overseeing the State Fisheries
Committee, the Federal Cartography Service, the Federal Land Survey
Service, the Federal Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring
Service, and the State Grain Inspectorate. Deputy Prime Minister
Matvienko will supervise the work of the Labor, Health, Education,
Culture, and Media Ministries, as well as the State Sports Committee,
the Federal Archive Service, the Pension Fund, the Social Security
Fund, and the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund. JAC
[10] RUSSIAN OIL TO BE EXPORTED TO U.S. VIA ALASKAN PIPELINES?
The Foreign Ministry's press service distributed an official statement
on 22 February that said the strategic energy priorities formulated
during the meeting early this month between U.S. Vice President Dick
Cheney and Prime Minister Kasyanov "make Russia and the United States
natural and efficient partners in energy dialogue, as both countries
share joint approaches and interests," RIA-Novosti reported.
"Kommersant-Dengi," No. 7, commented that the new U.S. energy strategy
seeks to lessen the country's dependence on foreign oil by developing
Alaskan oil fields and diversifying suppliers, and that Russia may be
able to usurp Saudi Arabia's role as a primary supplier to the U.S.
market. The weekly added that the plans include the delivery of Russian
oil from the Sakhalin Islands to Alaska, which is why Exxon-Mobil and
Royal Dutch/Shell have already announced their intentions to speed up
multibillion investments in the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 hydrocarbon
projects. VY
[11] LEFTIST MILITARY LEADERS SAY PUTIN'S POLICIES CATER TO U.S.,
OLIGARCHS
The newspapers "Sovetskaya Rossiya" and "Segodnya" published an appeal
to Russian President Putin on 22 February that was signed by some of
Russia's most famous generals and admirals, many of whom are retired.
According to the appeal, Putin has failed to meet their expectations
that he would "introduce order." They accused Putin of continuing the
"criminal" course pursued by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and
former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, as evidenced by the liquidation
of the spy center in Lourdes, Cuba, and by allowing U.S. troops on
Central Asian territory. They also charged that the president has
chosen the oligarchs, "who turn off the electricity to strategic
military installations, over the Russian people." According to the
appeal, "our people already know that socialism is better than
capitalism, therefore we insist that in the nearest future a referendum
be held in Russia on the restoration of the socialist system and
planned-market economy, and the eradication of the criminal regime of
the oligarchs." The appeal was signed by former Defense Minister Igor
Rodionov, Colonel-General and former State Duma deputy Albert Makashov,
army General Vladimir Arkhipov, and Lieutenant-General Mikhail Titov
among others. JAC
[12] MORE RESHUFFLING AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY
President Putin has signed a decree relieving Aleksandr Avdeev of this
post as first deputy foreign minister because of his transfer to a new,
as yet unnamed, position, ITAR-TASS reported on 23 February. Avdeev had
overseen Balkan policy among other things. According to the agency,
Avdeev is a strong contender for the post of Russian ambassador to
France. Putin also signed a decree appointing Valerii Loshchinin to the
post of first deputy foreign minister, an office he will now hold
simultaneously with the position of state secretary. Loshchinin was
promoted to the post of state secretary last October after serving as a
deputy foreign minister in charge of CIS affairs. JAC
[13] PRIVATIZATION OF RUSSIAN FILM INDUSTRY LAUNCHED IN ST. PETERSBURG
NTV reported on 24 February that the Culture Ministry has announced the
beginning of the privatization of the Russian film industry with the
sale of shares in the St. Petersburg-based Lenfilm studio. Meanwhile,
Lenfilm Director Viktor Sergeev has tendered his resignation, Ekho
Moskvy reported on 21 February. Sergeev told the station that he is not
opposed to privatization of Russia's film studios, but the government
"chose the wrong moment for a radical break-up of the film industry."
Sergeev told NTV that there appears to be little investor interest in
the studios, and that no oligarchs, such as Boris Berezovsky, have come
along with any kind of financial offers -- attractive or otherwise --
for Lenfilm. JAC
[14] INTERREGIONAL ASSOCIATION SEES WTO MEMBERSHIP AS POTENTIALLY
HARMFUL FOR SOME REGIONS
Participants in a meeting in Kazan of the Greater Volga Interregional
Association declared on 21 February that joining the World Trade
Organization (WTO) is a "necessity" for Russia despite the fact that
the country is currently hardly ready to compete in foreign markets,
RFE/RL's Kazan bureau reported the next day. At the same time,
association members called on the Russian federal government to develop
programs to support regions that could suffer most from WTO membership,
as well as a more open trade regime. JAC
[15] SOME LOCAL MEDIA TRY TO DISCOURAGE USE OF TATAR PASSPORTS
Efir TV of Kazan and the "Konets Nedely" weekly recently carried
reports focusing on the difficulty of obtaining passports without an
insertion in the Tatar language, claiming that officials in Interior
Ministry bodies in many Russian regions are unaware of the inserts'
validity and thus tend to detain the bearers of "strange passports,"
RFE/RL's Kazan bureau reported on 22 February. Tatarstan's militia
confirmed the problem and instructed traveling residents of Tatarstan
to stay calm and tell the Russian militia that the federal government
agreed to include the extra pages. Despite the negative coverage of the
special inserts, only 213 Tatarstan residents have so far applied for
and received passports without the Tatar inlay -- while 700,000 people
have received the new type of documents. According to the bureau, a
total of 3.9 million new passports are to be distributed in the
republic by the deadline of 31 December 2003. JAC
[16] CULTURAL MISUNDERSTANDING BEHIND FLIGHT EXPULSION, PHILHARMONIC
DIRECTOR MAINTAINS
The director of St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Sergei
Sheryadev, said on 22 February that his orchestra was booted off a
United Airlines flight to Los Angeles not because of drunken behavior
but because his musicians did not understand the very strict nature of
heightened U.S. security measures, ntvru.com reported. Various Western
media reported on the incident on 17 February. He did not exclude the
possibility that five or so of his 107 musicians might have had too
much to drink, but the real source of the conflict, according to
Sheryadev, was that the "musicians, as creative people, operate very
far from American security methods," and their reaction to these
methods was "completely inappropriate." JAC
[17] CHECHEN VILLAGERS PROTEST DISAPPEARANCE OF LOCAL RESIDENTS
Residents of the village of Avtury in Shali Raion southeast of Grozny
began a protest blockade of the local administration building on 22
February, Interfax reported. Local council head Sherip Alikhadzhiev
said the villagers are protesting the disappearance on 19 February of
four local residents whose burnt-out car was found two days later. LF
[18] CHECHNYA QUIET ON DEPORTATION ANNIVERSARY
Security precautions were tightened in Chechnya on the eve of 23
February, the anniversary of the 1944 deportation of the Chechens and
Ingush to Central Asia on Stalin's orders, Reuters reported. No
incidents were reported. On 25 February, chechenpress.org reported that
leaflets are circulating in Grozny calling on the city's inhabitants to
prepare for military action against the "Russian occupiers." LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[19] ARMENIA NOT IN LINE FOR DEBT RELIEF
The IMF/World Bank meeting in London to discuss the economic situation
of the seven poorest former Soviet republics (Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan) will not
discuss writing off the debts of either Armenia or the other countries
in question, Armenian Central Bank Chairman Tigran Sarkisian told
RFE/RL by telephone on 22 February. Sarkisian explained that "we are
only talking about restructuring the debts so that these countries can
service them on time." He added that in terms of its ability to meet
its debt repayments, Armenia is "in much better shape" than some of the
other six. LF
[20] ARMENIA, CYPRUS SIGN MILITARY COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Visiting Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian and his Cypriot
counterpart Socratis Hasikos signed an agreement in Nicosia on 22
February on military and military-technical cooperation, Noyan Tapan
and Caspian News Agency reported. The agreement, which Sarkisian
described as "very important" for Yerevan, provides for military
exchanges and the training of army officers. Sarkisian also met on 22
February with President Glafcos Clerides and with Archbishop
Chrisostomos, who quoted Sarkisian as saying they had agreed that
Cyprus and Armenia have "a common enemy, the Turks," according to
Cyprus News Agency, as cited by Groong. LF
[21] AZERBAIJAN PROTESTS PLANNED KARABAKH PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT
Sergei Davidian, who is chairman of the Central Election Commission of
the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, announced in Stepanakert on
22 February that in accordance with the enclave's constitution,
presidential elections will take place on 11 August 2002, 28 days
before incumbent President Arkadii Ghukasian's four-year term expires,
according to Arminfo, as cited by Groong. On 23 February, Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry spokesman Matin Mirza denounced the planned ballot as
illegal, adding that it will "undoubtedly" have a negative impact on
efforts to resolve the Karabakh conflict, Turan reported. LF
[22] U.S. VICE PRESIDENT CONFERS WITH AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney telephoned Heidar Aliev on 21 February
to enquire after his health, Turan and Interfax reported the following
day. Aliev is recuperating in the Cleveland clinic where he underwent
prostate surgery on 14 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 February
2002). Cheney thanked Aliev for Azerbaijan's support for the ongoing
campaign against international terrorism. The two also discussed
U.S.-Azerbaijani relations and the prospects for resolving the Karabakh
conflict. LF
[23] GEORGIAN NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY COMMITS SUICIDE
Nugzar Sadzhaya died in hospital in Tbilisi on 25 February of
apparently self-inflicted gunshot wounds from his personal pistol,
Caucasus Press reported. He had reportedly shot himself in his office
at the state chancellery, which has since been cordoned off by troops,
AP reported. Sadzhaya, who was 60, was a long-time close associate of
President Eduard Shevardnadze, who blamed his suicide on "moral
terror," according to Reuters. Last week, parliament deputy Boris
Kakubava, who heads one of the organizations that represent displaced
persons from Abkhazia, accused Sadzhaya, along with intelligence
service head Avtandil Ioseliani, of masterminding the assassinations of
former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, National Democratic Party Chairman
Gia Chanturia, and Deputy Interior Minister Gia Gulua, ITAR-TASS
reported. Observers question whether a man who spent decades working
with for the KGB would be so sensitive as to kill himself unless the
allegations leveled against him could be corroborated. The newspaper
"Akhali epokha" on 23 February claimed without identifying its sources
that Russian security services "are waging a secret war" against
Sadzhaya, whom they suspected of clandestine contacts with the Chechen
resistance. Sadzhaya denied in October 1999 conducting secret
negotiations with former acting Chechen President Zelimkhan Yandarbiev.
LF
[24] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS AGAIN RULE OUT JOINT ACTION WITH U.S., RUSSIA
IN PANKISI
Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Kakha Sikharulidze told journalists
in Tbilisi on 22 February that Georgia is not planning to mount an
antiterrorist operation in the Pankisi Gorge with Russian and U.S.
assistance, Interfax reported. Interfax also quoted Georgia's
ambassador in Moscow, Zurab Abashidze, as saying that no such operation
is needed "at this point." On 24 February, ITAR-TASS similarly quoted
National Security Minister Valeri Khaburzania as saying that he
"excludes any special operation in the Pankisi Gorge in cooperation
with Russia and the U.S." at the present time. LF
[25] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT DISCUSSES ABKHAZ CONFLICT WITH TURKISH
AMBASSADOR
President Shevardnadze has discussed with outgoing Turkish Ambassador
to Georgia Burak Gursel the prospects for resolving the Abkhaz
conflict, Caucasus Press reported on 23 February. Gursel had traveled
to Sukhum several days earlier, where he assured Abkhaz Prime Minister
Anri Djergenia and Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba that although not a
member of the Friends of the UN Secretary-General for Georgia group,
Turkey is keenly interested in promoting a peaceful solution to the
conflict. Representatives of the Abkhaz emigre community in Turkey have
recently appealed to Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem to do more to
promote a settlement of the conflict, to arrange a visit to Turkey by
Djergenia and Shamba, and to facilitate travel by Abkhaz to Turkey,
Caucasus Press reported on 7 February. LF
[26] OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT UNABLE TO STAMP OUT
CORRUPTION
Speaking in Tbilisi on 22 February, former parliament Chairman Zurab
Zhvania accused the Georgian leadership of being powerless to take
decisive action to stamp out corruption, Caspian News Agency reported.
Zhvania said that failing is the primary reason "why we are not on
President Shevardnadze's team any more." LF
[27] GEORGIAN COUP PLOTTER RELEASED FROM JAIL
General Gudjar Kurashvili, who was sentenced last November along with
nine fellow-conspirators to three years' imprisonment on charges of
plotting in May 1999 to assassinate President Shevardnadze (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 9 November 2001), was released from jail on 22 February,
Caucasus Press reported. LF
[28] NEW KAZAKH OIL CONGLOMERATE HEAD OUTLINES POLICY...
Lazzat Kiinov, whom Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev named on 20
February to head the new KazMunayGaz company (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21
February 2002), told Interfax on 22 February that in future the Kazakh
government will retain a 51 percent stake in all new oil and gas
contracts. Contracts signed in the past between international investors
and KazakhOil or KazTransOil, the companies on the basis of which
KazMunayGaz was created, will not be revised, Kiinov said. LF
[29] ...AS FORMER OIL SECTOR BOSS EXPRESSES APPROVAL
In a press release issued by KazakhOil on 22 February, that
organization's former president, Nurlan Balghymbaev, said he repeatedly
had urged President Nazarbaev to merge KazakhOil with KazTransOil,
Caspian News Agency reported. Balghymbaev said that he did not want "to
lay the blame on anyone, but within two years KazakhOil was turned from
a powerful company into a structure with antiquated assets."
Balghymbaev was named to head KazakhOil after resigning as prime
minister in October 1999. LF
[30] EDITOR OF KAZAKH OPPOSITION PAPER APPEALS TO U.S. ADMINISTRATION
TO HELP MEDIA
In a letter dated 22 February addressed to U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell and carried by forumkz.org, Ermurat Bapi, who is the
editor in chief of the opposition newspaper "SolDat," appealed to the
U.S. to expedite the creation in Kazakhstan of an independent
publishing house that would print newspapers critical of President
Nazarbaev and his regime. Bapi said an announcement was made at the
time of Nazarbaev's visit to Washington in December 2001 that
Washington is prepared to do so. Bapi explained that state-run
publishing houses refuse to print not only his "SolDat," but two other
independent newspapers that had expressed support for the demand that
local administrators be publicly elected (see "End Note," "RFE/RL
Newsline," 29 January 2002). LF
[31] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT FACTIONS APPEAL TO OSCE ON BEHALF OF ARRESTED
DEPUTY...
The Communist and Kyrgyzstan parliament factions submitted to the OSCE
office in Bishkek on 21 February an appeal to OSCE Secretary-General
Jan Kubis to help them establish an independent commission to determine
whether or not arrested parliament deputy Azimbek Beknazarov has been
beaten while in custody, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Beknazarov
has told visitors he was beaten, although while in the presence of
prison officials he has denied it (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19, 20, and
22 February 2002). On 23 February, Beknazarov's wife, Saken Mamakeeva,
told RFE/RL that she traveled to Djalalabad Oblast on 19 February but
has not been allowed to meet with her husband. LF
[32] ...AS HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHDOG CALLS FOR HIS RELEASE
On 21 February, the Geneva-based International Organization Against
Torture appealed to other similar organizations to write to the Kyrgyz
authorities demanding the release of both Beknazarov and Djaparaly
Kamchybekov, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Beknazarov is accused of
having failed to bring murder charges against Kamchybekov after the
latter killed a man in self-defense in early 1995 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 8 January 2002). LF
[33] KYRGYZ PAPER ACCUSES U.S. OF FAILING TO PAY FOR USE OF AIRPORT...
Interfax and AP on 22 February quoted that day's issue of the newspaper
"Vechernii Bishkek" as quoting a member of the Manas airport
administration as saying that the U.S. is currently paying Bishkek only
$4,000-$5,000 for each takeoff and landing by a U.S. military plane
from that airport, rather than the previously agreed $7,000. The paper
reportedly also said that several unspecified "incidents" involving the
U.S. military have taken place at Manas since the beginning of
February, and that some passengers have complained about the presence
at the airport of a large number of armed U.S. servicemen. The Kyrgyz
leadership has formally granted the U.S. the use of the airport for one
year within the parameters of the ongoing antiterrorist campaign in
Afghanistan. LF
[34] ...AS IMPRISONED FORMER VICE PRESIDENT CALLS FOR DEPLOYMENT OF
RUSSIAN TROOPS
In an interview published in the newspaper "Aghym" on 22 February,
imprisoned former Vice President Feliks Kulov argued that Kyrgyzstan
should deploy Russian troops on its territory alongside the U.S.
contingent and those belonging to other member states of the
antiterrorism coalition, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Kulov was
sentenced in January 2001 to seven years' imprisonment on charges,
which most observers believe were fabricated, of abuse of his official
position (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 January 2001). LF
[35] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT--PART 1 COUNTRIES
FINAL STANDINGS
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Russia66416
Armenia0000
Azerbaijan0000
Georgia0000
Kazakhstan0000
Kyrgyzstan0000
Tajikistan0000
Uzbekistan0000
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[36] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION WANTS OBSERVER STATUS IN OSCE PARLIAMENTARY
ASSEMBLY
Belarus's Consultative Council of Opposition Parties proposed to the
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 22 February that it grant observer
status to both the Belarusian opposition and the Chamber of
Representatives, a Belarusian legislature elected in the 2000 elections
that were declared unfair and undemocratic by OSCE monitors, Belapan
reported. The proposal was made by Uladzimir Nistsyuk, Anatol
Lyabedzka, and Valyantsina Palevikova -- who attended last week's OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly session in Vienna -- to OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly President Adrian Severin. The three suggested that this status
could be effective until 2004, when the next parliamentary elections
are to be held in Belarus. Severin has not commented on the proposal. A
delegation from Belarus's National Assembly, although invited, failed
to appear at the OSCE gathering in Vienna. JM
[37] COURT OUSTS COMMUNIST LEADER FROM ELECTION RACE IN CRIMEA
A district court in Simferopol on 25 February canceled the registration
of Crimean Supreme Council Chairman Leonid Hrach, the leader of the
Crimean branch of the Communist Party of Ukraine, as a candidate in the
31 March elections to the Crimean autonomous legislature, UNIAN and the
"Ukrayinska pravda" website reported. The court concurred with a
complaint filed by the proxy of a candidate running in the same
constituency with Hrach in Simferopol that Hrach had misinformed the
election commission about his income and possessions as well as failed
to suspend his activity in the post of Crimean speaker for the duration
of the election campaign period, as is required by the law on the
election to the Crimean Supreme Council. Hrach is the leader of the
Crimean Bloc of Leonid Hrach, one of the two major groups vying for
seats in the 100-member Crimean legislature. Hrach remains No. 14 on
the election list of the Communist Party of Ukraine in the elections to
the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv. JM
[38] U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS WASHINGTON HAS NO PROOF OF ALLEGED UKRAINIAN
ARMS TRADE WITH AFGHANISTAN
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Steven Pifer said in Kyiv on 24
February that the U.S. "enthusiastically" supports Ukraine's intention
to join the World Trade Organization, Ukrainian Television reported.
Pifer stressed that Washington attaches great importance to the
development of close relations with Kyiv, and may consider revoking the
economic sanctions against Ukraine if it strictly adheres to all the
points in the recently adopted law on combating CD piracy. Pifer also
said that the U.S. does not possess any information that would confirm
that Ukraine supplied arms to Afghanistan's Taliban. In January,
Ukrainian lawmakers urged prosecutors to probe such allegations, which
were voiced last year in some foreign media (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14
February 2002). JM
[39] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT DECREES PAY RAISE FOR SERVICEMEN, MOVES TO
SHORTEN SERVICE
Leonid Kuchma has signed a decree to increase wages for Ukrainian
senior officers by 50 percent and to lower-rank servicemen by 100
percent as of 1 January 2003, Interfax reported. By virtue of another
decree, Kuchma ordered the government to submit a bill to the
parliament proposing to reduce compulsory military service in Ukraine
to 12 months as of 2005. JM
[40] UKRAINIAN TELEVISION URGES PARTIES TO REFRAIN FROM 'FOUL LANGUAGE'
IN CAMPAIGN SPOTS
Former presidential adviser Ihor Storozhuk, the head of the Ukrainian
National Television Company, advised parliamentary election candidates
against "resorting to foul language, trading insults, and making
groundless allegations" in state-sponsored election broadcasts that the
company is obliged to carry under the election law, Ukrainian
Television reported. Storozhuk's appeal was followed by a program
commenting on the Socialist Party's election broadcast on 21 February
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 February 2002). The broadcast featured
excerpts from recordings made by former presidential security guard
Mykola Melnychenko, in which a voice similar to that of President
Kuchma was heard using extremely foul language and attacking his
opponents. JM
[41] CONTENTIOUS ISLAND BECOMES PART OF UKRAINIAN REGION
The Serpents Island (Zmiyinyy Ostrov) in the Black Sea has officially
become part of Kyliyskyy District of Odesa Oblast, Ukrainian Television
reported on 23 February. Kyiv and Bucharest have long been in dispute
over this rocky islet and over how to divide the oil- and gas-bearing
continental shelf around it (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine
Report," 4 December 2001). The report added that Ukraine has built and
installed some "necessary facilities" on the islet, including a post
office and a payphone. JM
[42] UKRAINIAN BROADCASTER REQUESTS SECURITY SERVICE PROTECTION
Serhiy Sholokh, the director of Kiev-based Radio Kontynent, has said
that he and his family are under threat of "physical elimination,"
UNIAN reported on 22 February, quoting from Sholokh's letter to
Security Service head Volodymyr Radchenko. Sholokh said the previous
day that "an unknown person who refused to identify himself called me
and made threats," adding that Sholokh and his family need to leave the
country immediately. Sholokh asked the Security Service to take
measures to protect his family. Radio Kontynent is a rebroadcaster of
the BBC and Deutsche Welle, and has previously encountered difficulties
with the authorities, including a temporary license revocation last
year. JM
[43] ESTONIA MAY GIVE UP ON ASKING FOR TRANSITION PERIOD FOR TAX-FREE
TRADE
Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland said that Estonia may give up on its
calls for a 6 1/2 year transition period for tax-free trade in its
ongoing EU membership negotiations, ETA reported on 25 February. She
noted that the EU has never responded to this request, which would be
part of the taxation chapter that Estonia wants to close in the first
half of this year. The Estonian Association of Tourist Firms claims
that ending the tax-free system would deprive Estonia of 5 billion
kroons ($278 million) a year, and raise the state's unemployment rate
by 8 percent. Ojuland asserted that the government may consider
granting state subsidies to shipping companies to prevent a fare hike.
SG
[44] RIGA, MOSCOW CITY COUNCILS SIGN COOPERATION PROTOCOL
Riga Mayor Gundars Bojars and Moscow City Council Chairman Vladimir
Platonov signed a protocol on cooperation and mutual contacts in Riga
on 22 February, LETA reported. It seeks to facilitate the development
of Latvian-Russian relations, and calls for greater partnership
relations between the two capitals based on the principles of equality
and mutual admiration. The cooperation will focus primarily on the
expansion of contacts in education, science, environment, sports, and
tourism. The protocol was signed for a period of five years and will be
extended automatically for another five years if neither party
announces its intention to end it. On 23 February, commemorated in
Russia as Defenders of the Fatherland Day, the Moscow delegation placed
flowers at the monument to the Soviet soldiers the German army forced
to leave Riga during World War II, and met with Jurmala Mayor Dainis
Urbanovics. The delegation departed the next day after visiting the
open-air Ethnographic Museum near Riga as well as the medieval town of
Sigulda. SG
[45] SLOVENIA, LATVIA EXPECT TO JOIN EU, NATO TOGETHER
Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said during an official visit
to Riga on 22 February that his country and Latvia "belong to the same
class," and are likely to join both NATO and the European Union on
similar schedules, dpa reported. Both countries will finish accession
talks with the EU this year and receive NATO invitations in November if
all goes as planned, he said. "The year 2002 will be a good one," Rupel
added. During a swing through the Baltics, Rupel has reiterated support
for the "Vilnius 10" group of NATO applicants while saying he believes
five to seven countries will be invited into the defense alliance. AH
[46] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL ENCOURAGES BUT GIVES NO GUARANTEES TO
LITHUANIA
Lord George Robertson began a one-day visit to Vilnius on 22 February
with talks with President Valdas Adamkus, ELTA reported. He asserted:
"Lithuania is on the right road, but you are not at the destination
yet. No decisions have been taken and nobody can take for granted an
invitation to join NATO." He said that Lithuania's key tasks for
membership are the modernization of its armed forces, antiterrorist
activities, and maintaining democratic standards. Premier Algirdas
Brazauskas assured him that all political parties in Lithuania support
NATO membership and will not reduce the 2 percent of GDP devoted to
defense spending. Robertson told Defense Minister Linas Linkevicius
that Lithuania should have mobile and well-trained armed forces that
are able to participate with alliance forces in collective defense and
peacekeeping operations. At a meeting with parliament Chairman Arturas
Paulauskas and other deputies, Robertson answered the question of
whether four, five, or seven will be admitted in the next round of NATO
expansion by diplomatically replying that the enlargement formula could
range from one to nine new members. SG
[47] POLISH ARCHBISHOP ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Poland's respected daily "Rzeczpospolita" disclosed on 23 February that
67-year-old Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, the metropolitan of Poznan, has
been accused by "numerous" clerics of sexual harassment.
"Rzeczpospolita" reported that the archbishop has frequently used a
200-meter underground passageway connecting his palace in Poznan to
lodgings of priests and seminarians from a local seminary to pay them
unannounced visits. "I have asked you to come here today to say that I
have never, I repeat never, molested our seminarians and priests," PAP
quoted Archbishop Paetz as saying to a gathering of senior priests on
23 February. In a statement released later the same day, Poland's Roman
Catholic Church Episcopate said the Vatican has already been looking
into the sexual-harassment allegations against Archbishop Paetz. PAP
reported that Papal Nuncio to Poland Jozef Kowalczyk is going to travel
to Poznan to conduct his own investigation. Polish Television quoted
unofficial sources as saying that the pope has decided to discharge
Archbishop Paetz from his post. JM
[48] POLISH SHIPYARD REINSTATES WORKERS TO END STRIKE
A weeklong strike by some 500 workers of the Gdynia shipyard (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February 2002) ended on 25 February after the
management agreed to reinstate 122 employees it fired last week in a
wage dispute, AP reported, quoting shipyard spokesman Miroslaw
Piotrowski. Under the 25 February settlement, the sacked workers will
be reinstated, but they will have their contracts reviewed after a
year. Piotrowski said the company plans to take legal action against
three strike leaders for organizing an illegal labor protest. He added
that the protesters have gained no concessions on their wage demands.
JM
[49] POLISH PRESIDENT CALLS ON TRADE UNIONS TO CONSIDER 'NEW PROPOSALS'
TO FIGHT UNEMPLOYMENT
Addressing a news conference after a meeting of center-left leaders in
Stockholm on 23 February, Aleksander Kwasniewski appealed to Poland's
trade unions "to become open to new proposals" regarding ways to combat
the country's 18 percent unemployment, PAP reported. Kwasniewski
stressed that the government has a program to facilitate the employment
of graduates and to make the labor market "more flexible," but added
that it cannot be implemented if trade unions continue to block changes
in the Labor Code. JM
[50] CZECH PRESIDENT TRIES TO MEND RELATIONS WITH EGYPT
Vaclav Havel has written to his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak,
assuring him that Premier Milos Zeman's statement that compared
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat with Adolf Hitler "does
not reflect official Czech foreign policy," AP reported on 22 February.
Reacting to Zeman's statement, Egypt "postponed" a visit to Cairo by
the Czech premier planned for the end of the month. In turn, the
Foreign Ministry has instructed Czech ambassadors to Arab countries to
inform leaders about Zeman's denial of the statement attributed to him
by the Israeli daily "Ha'aretz." On 22 February, Foreign Minister Jan
Kavan denied reports that Prague intends to expel Palestinian
Ambassador Sami Abdal Fatah, calling those reports a "canard." MS
[51] CZECH UNIT MOVES TO KUWAIT
A Czech military unit of some 350 experts in fighting chemical and
biological attacks has begun transferring personnel to Kuwait, dpa
reported on 23 February. "Mlada fronta Dnes," quoting Defense Minister
Jaroslav Tvrdik, reported the same day that the unit will operate under
U.S. command and will be deployed anywhere in the Middle East it is
needed. MS
[52] CZECHS OPTIMISTS ON VISEGRAD FOUR'S 'FUTURE'
"Relations between Central European countries [that are members of] the
Visegrad Four are firm" and "the current deviation of [Hungarian
Premier] Viktor Orban should not change those relations in the future,"
CTK quoted government spokesman Libor Roucek as saying on 23 February.
Roucek spoke after it was announced in Prague that Premier Zeman will
not attend the planned summit of the Visegrad Four premiers in Budapest
in protest against the recent statement by Orban that the Benes decrees
should be abolished before the Czech Republic and Slovakia accede to
the EU. Roucek added that he "hopes" Orban "does not want to change the
postwar agreements in Europe." He said the Visegrad Four should "orient
themselves to the future, rather than the past" (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
21 February 2002). MS
[53] EU COMMISSIONER ASSURES CZECHS ON BENES DECREES
Guenter Verheugen, the EU's commissioner in charge of enlargement,
assured Foreign Minister Kavan in Brussels on 22 February that the EU
has no intention whatsoever to link Czech or Slovak accession to the EU
with the abolition of the Benes decrees, CTK reported. MS
[54] SPIDLA WILL NOT SEEK CZECH PRESIDENCY
Social Democratic Party (CSSD) Chairman Vladimir Spidla announced on 22
February that he does not intend to run for the post of president in
2003, when Havel's mandate ends, CTK reported. Spidla told journalists
that his intention is to "lead the CSSD to victory" in the June 2002
elections, and that he has "no other political ambition." Spidla was
responding to speculation in the media that he might seek the
presidency even if he were to inherit Zeman's post of premier after the
elections. MS
[55] SLOVAK CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS SUBMIT ANTI-STATUS LAW BILL
The Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) submitted a draft law to the
parliament on 22 February that provides for sanctions against Slovak
citizens who accept the Hungarian ID card under the provisions of the
Status Law, CTK reported. Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan said in
response that the draft law is "unnecessary," and pointed out that the
Hungarian Coalition Party has warned that the move might prompt its
departure from the coalition and the fall of the government. The
cabinet headed by Mikulas Dzurinda approved measures on 20 February
aimed at "safeguarding Slovakia's national and state interests," but
unlike those measures, the KDH-drafted law stipulates that
organizations involved in issuing the Hungarian ID card will be
disbanded. The government only approved a "check" on the legality of
the involvement of those organizations (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 and
21 February 2002). MS
[56] SLOVAK PREMIER EXPLAINS DECISION TO BOYCOTT VISEGRAD FOUR SUMMIT
Premier Dzurinda said on 22 February that his decision not to attend
the planned summit in Budapest of the Visegrad Four premiers is due to
the fact that Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban "makes inappropriate
statements more and more often." He said his decision is aimed at
"making it clear that Viktor Orban should decide whether he is ready to
return to the dialogue...that brought so many positive results, or
wants to continue pursuing the nationalist course." Dzurinda added that
Orban should make that decision "even before the [Hungarian]
elections." Dzurinda also said that Orban's recent "statement on the
Benes decrees," and his claim that Slovakia is "incapable" of reaching
an agreement on the Status law due to its own "special political
situation," are "extremely untruthful and extremely inappropriate." MS
[57] VISEGRAD FOUR BUDAPEST SUMMIT CANCELED...
Czech Premier Minister Zeman and his Slovak counterpart Dzurinda on 22
February canceled their planned attendance of the 1 March summit of the
Visegrad countries because of Premier Orban's recent call to abolish
the 1945 Benes decrees (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 February 2002),
prompting Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller to follow suit. Foreign
Minister Janos Martonyi said that Hungary's government does not intend
to link the abolition of the Benes decrees to EU accession. Opposition
Socialist Party (MSZP) Chairman Laszlo Kovacs said that "regrettably,
it could be expected that the leaders of the Visegrad countries would
run out of patience with Orban's clumsy style." In response to the
cancellation of the summit, Orban said on 23 February that "all must
calmly realize that some issues have a sense and a depth over and above
politics. Collective guilt is an invention that has no place in the
21st century." MSZ/MS
[58] ...WHILE IRREDENTIST HUNGARIAN GROUP PROTESTS AT SLOVAK EMBASSY
Approximately 100 young people staged a demonstration outside the
Slovak Embassy in Budapest on 23 February to protest Slovakia's
rejection of Hungary's Status Law and demand the cancellation of the
Benes decrees. The demonstration was organized by a youth organization
called "64 counties," named so in memory of Greater Hungary, which was
divided into 64 counties. The demonstrators sang songs about Greater
Hungary and denounced the "anti-Hungarian" stands taken by Bratislava.
The group submitted a petition to Slovak diplomats saying that if the
demands are not met, Hungary will not support Slovakia's NATO and EU
admission. Slovak Foreign Ministry spokesman Boris Gandel said: "We
must ask whether this action is not a logical continuation of the
embarrassing manifestations of nationalism in Hungary's internal
political life. We expect the highest officials of the Hungarian
Republic to clearly dissociate themselves from this action," CTK
reported. MSZ/MS
[59] HUNGARIAN PREMIER OPENS BUDAPEST 'HOUSE OF TERROR'
Premier Orban on 24 February inaugurated the House of Terror museum in
the Budapest building that was the former headquarters of World War
II-era Nazi-like Arrow Cross, and which later served as headquarters of
the dreaded communist state security police. About half of those 30,000
attending the opening were demonstrators from the extremist Hungarian
Justice and Life Party. Critics of the museum, whose director is
Orban's counselor Maria Schmidt, claim that there is a disproportionate
under-representation of the fascist horrors in comparison with the
communist atrocities, and that the exhibit deliberately attempts to
link the MSZP with Soviet-era terror. MSZP Chairman Kovacs said that if
his formation wins the next elections, it will rename the museum "House
of Remembrance and Reconciliation," in order to "commemorate the
victims of terror, rather than terror itself," Hungarian media
reported. MSZ/MS
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[60] YUGOSLAVIA DISMISSES EU PLAN FOR NEW FEDERATION WITH MONTENEGRO AS
'FINANCIAL FRANKENSTEIN'
Following meetings with Montenegrin leaders and EU security chief
Javier Solana, Serbian leaders rejected the EU's proposal for keeping
the two remaining republics of the former Yugoslavia in a loose
federation, AP reported on 24 February. Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic
said he would not accept "a rotten compromise" under which "something
artificially glued together would be called a state." B-92 radio
reported that the EU proposed a future Yugoslavia without a president
and only a symbolic federal administration. Serbia and Montenegro also
would have separate currencies, customs, and tax systems, while Serbia
would be effectively responsible for both republics' foreign debts.
Serbian Finance Minister Bozidar Djelic said that different tax systems
and customs tariffs on imported goods "would create a playground for
smugglers and require a border control between the two republics."
That, he said, would "look like a financial Frankenstein -- impossible
for a common market and a free flow of goods." DW
[61] SERBIAN WOMAN KILLED IN KOSOVA
An ethnic Serbian couple walking down a street separating the Serbian
and Albanian sections of the town of Lipljan were fired upon with an
automatic rifle in the evening of 22 February, and the 57-year-old
woman was killed, AP reported the next day. A UN spokesman said the
woman's husband escaped injury. Some 1,000 Serbs protested the killing
on 24 February, demanding protection by the international civilian and
military missions in Kosova. Momcilo Trajkovic, a Kosovar Serb leader
and a deputy in the Serbian parliament, said he viewed the shooting as
"a carefully planned terrorist act" aimed at frightening the 2,500
Serbs living in the Lipljan area into leaving Kosova, Beta reported. DW
[62] RUSSIA TO REDUCE PEACEKEEPING ROLE IN KOSOVA, SAYS BALKANS MUST
NOT BE IGNORED
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said after talks with Serbian
Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic in Moscow that the international
community must continue to pay attention to tensions in the Balkans, AP
reported on 22 February. "There are still serious problems that may
destabilize the regional situation," Ivanov said. At the same time,
Covic said he had received confirmation from Russia that Moscow will
reduce its peacekeeping contingent in Kosova, Interfax reported. He
said that the most likely reasons "for making this final decision are
the fact that over three years nothing or very little has been done to
ensure security, free movement, and the normal life of the population."
DW
[63] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER WON'T GIVE UP MLADIC, WANTS EU TO PAY UP
In an interview with the German weekly "Der Spiegel" released on 23
February, Zoran Djindjic said he won't order the arrest of war crimes
suspect Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic for fear of starting a civil
war, AP and Reuters reported. "Am I now to risk the lives of our police
so that Mladic and his 100-strong personal guard can be served up at
the table in The Hague? What if it caused civil war to break out? We
have over 200,000 refugees from Bosnia, many of them armed. The price
is too high," Djindjic said. In the interview, Djindjic also complained
about slow and delayed reconstruction payments from the EU. "In the
past year, two-thirds of the promised 300 million euros ($263 million)
has been taken away as debts from the Milosevic time... These are cheap
tricks," he said. DW
[64] UN ENVOY TO BOSNIA WARNS BELGRADE TO STAY OUT OF 'CONSTITUENT
PEOPLE' ISSUE
High Representative to Bosnia Wolfgang Petritsch said on 24 February
that he has urged Zagreb and Belgrade to refrain from attempts to make
the "constituent people" issue in Bosnia an international one, Hina
reported during Petritsch's visit to the Yugoslav capital. Croatia and
Yugoslavia should encourage Bosnian politicians to resolve the question
themselves, he added. Petritsch also suggested that Yugoslavia follow
the Croatian example and financially assist with the return of refugee
Bosnian Serbs to Bosnia. AH
[65] BOSNIAN DELEGATION MAKES FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT TO YUGOSLAVIA
The speakers of both houses of the Bosnia-Herzegovinian parliament,
Zeljko Mirjanic and Sejfudin Tokic, arrived in Belgrade on 24 February
for two days of meetings with Yugoslav officials, Onasa reported. It is
the first Bosnian parliamentary delegation to visit Yugoslavia, and
comes three months after a Yugoslav legislative group visited Sarajevo.
The Bosnian parliamentary delegation is expected to meet the presidents
of both chambers of the Federal Assembly and see Yugoslav President
Vojislav Kostunica and Prime Minister Dragisa Pesic, according to
official Yugoslav sources. AH
[66] CROATIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HE IS WILLING TO TESTIFY IN MILOSEVIC
TRIAL
President Stipe Mesic said he has responded to questions by
investigators from the UN war crimes tribunal and is willing to testify
in the case against former President Slobodan Milosevic, Western
agencies reported on 23 February. Mesic declined to give details on the
questioning and said the prosecution has not summoned him to testify at
The Hague. In response to charges raised by Milosevic that Mesic led
Croatian efforts to "break up Yugoslavia" while it held the rotating
presidency in 1991, the prime minister said he merely "concluded, at
the time, that Yugoslavia no longer existed," AP reported. AH
[67] PRESIDENT MESIC WRAPS UP ASIAN TOUR
Croatian President Mesic said on his return from a 10-day Asian tour
that while his country wants to take part in European unification, "our
interests are outside Europe as well," Hina reported on 23 February. He
stressed economic relations with the countries he visited, including
Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Croatia offers cooperation
in shipbuilding and ports that could provide key access to the European
market, he added, according to the agency. AH
[68] CROATIANS SAY OSCE NO LONGER CONSIDERS THEIR COUNTRY 'A PROBLEM'
Zdravko Tomac, who led Zagreb's delegation to the winter session of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said after
the close of the session on 22 February that "Croatia is no longer
being mentioned as a problem in Southeastern Europe but as an important
factor that can help solve crises in the neighborhood," Hina reported.
Tomac said his government thinks the OSCE should reduce, then
discontinue, its mission to Croatia as soon as possible. Another
delegation member, Ivan Milas (HDZ), added that "the greatest success
of our policy is that nobody is mentioning us in particular." AH
[69] MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY WARNS OF SPRING OFFENSIVE BY ETHNIC
ALBANIAN REBELS
Deputy Defense Minister Boris Zmejkovski told a press conference on 23
February that his ministry has "indications of preparations for the
spring offensive... For that goal, new contingents of sophisticated
weapons were brought to Macedonia," dpa reported. This followed the
arrest of eight ethnic Albanians on 21-22 February suspected in drug
and arms trafficking. NATO sources said there is no information
available on a possible rebel arms buildup, and the leader of the
formally disbanded National Liberation Army (UCK), Ali Ahmeti,
immediately dismissed the Macedonian government's accusation. DW
[70] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT SWEARS IN PREMIER MAJKO
President Rexhep Meidani swore in newly elected Prime Minister Pandeli
Majko and his cabinet on 22 February, the same day the country's
parliament wrapped up contentious debate over the proposed government,
Western and local news agencies reported. Despite grim predictions from
observers who say Majko's tenure will be plagued by infighting in his
Socialist Party, the 34-year-old leader told Reuters he will fight
graft, which played a major part in the fall of Ilir Meta's government.
"We need a 'clean hands' operation," said Majko, who served as prime
minister in 1998-99. "My government will have all its doors wide open."
The agency quoted an unnamed political observer as saying that Majko
"became prime minister because of clashes and will continue to be
affected by them." AH
[71] ROMANIA DISPATCHES ADDITIONAL 'LETTER OF INTENT' TO IMF
On 22 February, the government dispatched an "additional letter of
intent" to the IMF outlining measures intended to help meet conditions
agreed to last year for the current standby agreement with the fund,
RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Among the measures mentioned is a
pledge to privatize three large-scale enterprises by 31 March, and
eight more by 31 September. The government also pledged to improve
revenue collection, and to respect restrictions on wages and the number
of employees in state-owned companies agreed to with the IMF in the
original accord. At the same time, the cabinet seeks the fund's
approval for increasing the deficit from 3 to 3.2 percent of GDP. MS
[72] ROMANIAN INVESTIGATORS REJECT TUDOR'S REQUEST TO SUBPOENA ARAFAT,
SHARON
Prosecutors investigating the lawsuit launched against Greater Romania
Party (PRM) Chairman Corneliu Vadim Tudor rejected his request to call
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Israeli Premier Ariel
Sharon, and President Ion Iliescu as witnesses, Mediafax reported on 22
February. Tudor is under investigation for "spreading false
information" in his claim that Romania has trained Hamas terrorists. In
related news, Tudor demanded on 22 February that the parliamentary
mandate of Senator Bela Marko, the chairman of the Hungarian Democratic
Federation of Romania, be revoked because he accepted a Hungarian ID
card under the provisions of the Status Law. He also said that
parliamentary deputy Sever Mesca, who resigned from the PRM the same
day, has been "bought" by the ruling Social Democratic Party. Since the
2000 elections, the PRM has lost 14 deputies and one senator, who were
either expelled or resigned from the party. MS
[73] RUSSIAN STATE DUMA CONDEMNS ROMANIAN 'INTERFERENCE' IN MOLDOVA...
The State Duma on 22 February approved a resolution on the
"inadmissibility" of Romania's "interference in Moldovan internal
affairs," RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The Duma said Romania is
infringing on Moldova's "sovereign right to an independent linguistic
policy and the safeguarding of Russian as the traditional language of
interethnic communication." The Duma said that Bucharest aims to
"increase its influence in Moldova and is placing obstacles on the road
to that country's integration into the EU," and warned that the
protests "against the so-called enforced Russification" in Chisinau
"can destabilize the country ahead of the local elections." MS
[74] ...PROMPTING ROMANIAN REBUTTAL
In a declaration issued on 22 February and echoed by Foreign Minister
Mircea Geoana the next day, Romania said it is "surprised" by the State
Duma declaration, and rejected it as being "in contradiction with the
position consistently expressed by Bucharest." The ministry said the
State Duma's declaration "runs the risk of encouraging forces
interested in transferring Moldova's internal problems to the sphere of
Romanian-Russian bilateral relations." Geoana said that those who "try
to teach Romania moral lessons are...attempting to provoke a dangerous
game." On 23 February, the Foreign Ministry summoned Moldova's
Ambassador to Bucharest and said it expects "explanations" from
Chisinau regarding a minor fire that damaged the Romanian cultural
center the previous night. MS
[75] MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT DROPS CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS
On 22 February, the government annulled the decision to introduce
compulsory Russian-language classes in schools, and introduced a
"moratorium" on the decision to replace the teaching of the "History of
Romanians" with the "History of Moldovans." The parliament approved the
changes the same day, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported.
Russian-language classes will now be optional, with the choice
depending on the decision of parents. A commission of experts is to
examine replacing current history textbooks with textbooks on the
"History of Moldova." The parliament also approved a resolution
condemning the protests as "endangering national security," and as
"questioning and denigrating the Moldovan state and its people." It
said that "extremist political circles" from Moldova, "above all the
Popular Party Christian Democratic (PPCD)," are "backed by extremist
forces from outside the country" and "pose a direct threat to the
constitutional order and to the Moldovan Republic's independence." MS
[76] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT SAYS COUNTRY 'INFECTED WITH NATIONALIST VIRUS'
Speaking on Moldovan television on 23 February, Vladimir Voronin called
the ongoing demonstrations an "attempted putsch," RFE/RL's Chisinau
bureau reported. President Voronin said that Moldova has been "infected
by the virus of nationalism, extremism, and insanity," and that PPCD
leader Iurie Rosca is a "terrorist" who "uses children as shields" to
bring about Moldova's transformation into a "territory of fear and
horror." Voronin said the administration will use only "democratic
means" to stop the protests, and urged the Council of Europe to send
representatives to assess the situation. Rosca said in response that
the president's speech is proof that the country's rulers are
"panicking." The demonstrations peaked again on 24 February, and the
estimated crowd of 60,000 approved a resolution calling for "civic
disobedience." MS
[77] GAGAUZ-YERI GOVERNOR THWARTS PLEBISCITE
Police in Comrat, acting on Governor Dumitru Croitor's orders, seized
the offices of the Central Election Commission (CEC) on 24 February,
ITAR-TASS reported. CEC Chairman Ivan Petrov said police "produced a
writ describing the referendum as illegal, took away the [commission's]
seal, voting ballots, and other documents, and stopped our activity."
Croitor said that the commission's mandate "expired after the partial
municipal elections of 18 February." His supporters showed an Infotag
correspondent evidence that forgery by Croitor's opponents was underway
at polling stations in Comrat. MS
[78] BULGARIA, RUSSIA SETTLE DEBT DISPUTE
Bulgaria and Russia agreed on 23 February on the settlement of a
long-standing Russian debt to Bulgaria, ITAR-TASS and AP reported. The
agreement followed a meeting in Sofia between the two countries' joint
governmental commission on trade and economic cooperation and was
signed by Russian Deputy Premier Aleksei Kudrin and his Bulgarian
counterpart Nikolai Vasiliev. Under its stipulations, Bulgaria agreed
to reduce the debt owned by Russia from $100 million to $88.5 million.
In exchange, Russia pledged to pay the debt by 2004, rather than over
20 years, as it did for debts it owes to several of its other former
East European allies. Out of the remaining debt, $15 million is to be
paid within the next few months, and $49.5 million is to be paid in
nuclear fuel supplies. The rest will be covered by Bulgarian purchases
of Russian-produced equipment for its army. MS
[79] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT--PART 2 COUNTRIES
FINAL STANDINGS
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Croatia3104
Bulgaria0123
Estonia1113
Czech Rep.1012
Poland0112
Belarus0011
Slovenia0011
Bosnia-Herzeg.0000
Hungary0000
Latvia0000
Lithuania0000
Macedonia0000
Moldova0000
Romania0000
Slovakia0000
Ukraine0000
Yugoslavia0000
END NOTE
[80] ROMA UNREST ROCKS BULGARIAN CITY
By Ulrich Buechsenschuetz
At about 9 p.m. on 18 February, hundreds of Roma took to the streets in
Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city, in protest against the
decision of the state-run electricity company Elektrorazpredelenie to
cut power to their neighborhood of Stolipinovo due to unpaid bills. The
angry crowd blocked streets with burning garbage containers and threw
stones at police officers. A trolley bus was destroyed, and several
shops were looted.
Later that night, police managed to seal off the neighborhood, but did
not intervene. Newspapers reported that tensions remained high in
Plovdiv on 19 February, but that there was no new violence. The police
also prevented the residents of another Romany neighborhood from
blocking a major highway.
While Plovdiv Mayor Ivan Chomakov called for peace and order, the
director of the electricity company, Valentin Kirchev, categorically
ruled out any deal with the demonstrators, saying, "if we lose this
battle now, we will lose the war." His company nevertheless agreed to
discuss the unpaid bills with representatives of the municipal council,
the electricity company, and the Romany community. The Stolipinovo
neighborhood reportedly owes some 6 million Leva ($2.67 million) to the
electricity company, and some of the company's clients -- mostly small
enterprises -- have unpaid monthly bills of up to 700 Leva ($311).
As a compromise, the company set the evening of 19 February as the
deadline for the payment of 30,000 Leva ($13,300), which is equal to 10
percent of the neighborhood's January bills. On the evening of 20
February, however, the Romany protests resumed in the center of
Plovdiv, as the electricity company decided to switch on electricity in
the Romany neighborhoods for only a few hours per day.
This is not the first time that the inhabitants of Stolipinovo have
protested against electricity cuts. As the daily "Monitor" recalled,
Roma from the neighborhood also set up roadblocks in 1998, after which
three other Plovdiv Romany neighborhoods took part in the resistance
against the electricity company's attempts to collect debts owed to
it.
At that time, the city council resorted to a tactic typical of the
Bulgarian government's policy toward Roma -- as long as the Roma did
not demand anything along the lines of welfare or health care benefits,
the authorities would not interfere in the Romany communities' affairs.
On the government level, several institutions that are theoretically
responsible for minority questions similarly failed to take any action.
Recently, President Georgi Parvanov announced that he will form a
council on ethnic problems, and it remains to be seen whether the new
institution will be more active than its predecessors.
According to Bulgaria's 1992 census, at that time the Romany minority
numbered about 315,000 people, or 3.5 percent of the total population.
But other estimates set the number much higher, because many Roma
listed their ethnicities as either Bulgarians or Turks.
Recent official data sets the unemployment rate among the Roma as high
as 70 percent, compared to the national average of 18 percent. But as
Roma experts Elena Marushiakova and Veselin Popov of the Ethnographic
Institute and Museum in Sofia point out, many Roma have turned to the
flourishing shadow economy to make a living, while others go to Greece
or Italy for seasonal work.
Almost every large settlement in Bulgaria has at least one Romany
neighborhood. During the 1970s and 1980s, the communist government
tried to tear down some of these settlements in order to hide the
existence of the Romany minority. After protests, they sometimes built
concrete walls around the makeshift settlements, as they did in the
central Bulgarian town of Kazanlak. The largest of Bulgaria's Romany
settlements are Fakulteta in Sofia and Stolipinovo in Plovdiv, which
number some 30,000 inhabitants.
Housing conditions in these settlements are often miserable, and
surveys of the general health condition of the minority consistently
report that it is far below average. The rate of illiteracy among Roma
remains above the national average.
The Romany minority is not a homogeneous group, but is divided in many
subgroups -- along religious, linguistic, and even occupational lines.
These groups function as closed communities and do not associate with
outsiders, which is one reason why attempts by the Bulgarian government
to assimilate the minority have failed.
This also why the Roma themselves have failed to unite in a single
organization that could represent the entire community. After 1989,
several political parties intending to represent Roma interests were
founded, but they initially failed to garner much support. Only in the
late 1990s were members of the Euro-Roma Party as well as the Free
Bulgaria Party elected to a number of municipal councils.
The gap widened as nongovernmental organizations filled the vacuum left
by the Roma's failure to organize themselves into political parties.
But some observers say that most of these NGOs were founded with the
sole purpose of raising funds abroad. Officially founded to support
Romany issues, these NGOs remained almost invisible in Bulgaria,
contributing to the growth of a Bulgarian "Roma industry" with few
activists and almost no influence.
Given the experience of the past few years, it is unlikely that the
recent protests will force the government will rethink its current
policy, which is characterized by Marushiakova and Popov as the
"[simulation of] activity instead of making use of the existing
potential for change. This situation is not affected by differences
between political parties because the attitude of the state toward the
Romany issue has been predetermined by underlying stereotypes and
prejudice toward Gypsies in Bulgarian society."Ulrich Buechsenschuetz
is a freelance political analyst based in Berlin. He contributes
regularly to "RFE/RL Balkan Report."
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