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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-06-10
CONTENTS
[01] WORLD CUP LOSS SETS OFF RIOT IN MOSCOW...
[02] ...BUT WAS THE VIOLENCE SPONTANEOUS?
[03] KALININGRAD TO BE FOCUS OF BALTIC REGION SUMMIT...
[04] ...AS MOVEMENT SEEN ON KOLA PENINSULA CLEANUP
[05] RUSSIA, UKRAINE PUSH AHEAD ON ENERGY COOPERATION...
[06] ...AS BELARUS LOOKS FORWARD TO INTEGRATION
[07] CHUBAIS ASSOCIATE TARGET OF CORRUPTION PROBE
[08] SIGNING OF AZERBAIJANI-RUSSIAN CASPIAN AGREEMENT POSTPONED
[09] AZERBAIJANI, RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS MEET
[10] PUTIN MEETS WITH FELLOW PRESIDENTS ON SIDELINES OF SCO SUMMIT
[11] 'NOVAYA GAZETA' ON BRINK OF CLOSURE
[12] BOOK ON 1999 APARTMENT-BLOCK BOMBINGS WINS NATIONAL AWARD
[13] RUSSIA TO SEEK EXTRADITION OF GUANTANAMO DETAINEES
[14] DEFENSE MINISTER WANTS MORE MILITARY COOPERATION WITH GERMANY
[15] CHECHEN PRESIDENT CONVENES COUNCIL OF WAR
[16] THIRTY DETAINED IN CONNECTION WITH KASPIISK BOMBING
[17] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTIAL REPRESENTATIVE MEETS NARDARAN RESIDENTS
[18] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION POSTPONES PLANNED RALLY
[19] GEORGIAN OPPOSITIONIST ACCUSES STATE MINISTER OF ENGINEERING
[20] POLICE CHIEF TORTURED, MURDERED IN WESTERN GEORGIA
[21] ARRESTED KAZAKH OPPOSITIONIST'S WIFE BEGINS HUNGER STRIKE
[22] KAZAKH OPPOSITION NEWSPAPER EDITOR'S CAR SABOTAGED
[23] PROTEST PARTICIPANTS DETAINED IN SOUTHERN KYRGYZSTAN
[24] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT APPEALS TO CHINESE COUNTERPART, CONSTITUTIONAL
[25] KYRGYZ NGOS PROTEST LAW ON POLITICAL EXTREMISM
[26] TURKMENISTAN ESTABLISHES WORKING GROUP FOR TRANS-AFGHAN
[27] ...REACHES AGREEMENT WITH UKRAINE ON GAS DEBTS
[28] U.S. DIPLOMAT URGES SWIFTER DEMOCRATIZATION IN UZBEKISTAN
[29] BELARUS WANTS TO EXPAND TRADE WITH ARMENIA...
[30] ...AND KAZAKHSTAN
[31] NGO APPEALS FOR SATELLITE TV IN BELARUSIAN
[32] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT HOPES FOR PARLIAMENT'S SMOOTH OPERATION...
[33] ...AS DOES PRIME MINISTER
[34] KYIV HAS 2.6 MILLION RESIDENTS
[35] RUMSFELD SEES NO SHORTCOMINGS IN BALTIC NATO PREPARATIONS
[36] LATVIAN PRESIDENT DISCUSSES NATO'S NEW ROLE IN THE WORLD
[37] LITHUANIA, PORTUGAL SIGN DEFENSE-COOPERATION TREATY
[38] POLISH RADICAL AGRARIAN EXCLUDED FROM PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE, FINED
[39] POLISH AUTHORITIES TO TAKE TOUGH STANCE AGAINST BLOCKADES
[40] POLISH PRESIDENTIAL RUNNER-UP TO RUN FOR WARSAW MAYOR
[41] CZECH PARTY LEADER RULES OUT ALLIANCE WITH CIVIC DEMOCRATS
[42] CZECHS MARCH AGAINST BREAST CANCER
[43] JUSTICE MINISTER DENIES CZECH COURTS ARE CORRUPT
[44] CZECH POLICE BREAK UP HUMAN-TRAFFICKING RING
[45] SLOVAK PRESIDENT BELIEVES HE DISPELLED U.S. CONCERNS
[46] U.S. PRESIDENT RECOGNIZES SLOVAK ARMY REFORMS
[47] NATIONALIST GROUP SAYS IT IS BEING 'THROTTLED' AMID SLOVAK DECLINE
[48] SLOVAK CURRENCY HITS 20-MONTH LOW DESPITE ECONOMIC GROWTH
[49] FIDESZ CHAIRMAN ASSAILS 'RETURN TO KADAR ERA'
[50] ORBAN SAYS PARTIES ARE LOSING POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE...
[51] ...AND SUPPORTS DRIVE FOR RECOUNT
[52] EX-POLICE CHIEF GUNNED DOWN IN SERBIAN CAPITAL...
[53] ...AS LEADERS CALL FOR CRACKDOWN ON CRIME
[54] KOSTUNICA'S PARTY NAMES SERBIAN SHADOW CABINET
[55] MACHINE-GUN PHOTO CONTINUES TO HAUNT KOSTUNICA
[56] DRASKOVIC THREATENS MASS PROTESTS
[57] MILOSEVIC'S PARTY SET TO SPLIT?
[58] SOLANA WARNS SERBS AND MONTENEGRINS NOT TO WASTE TIME
[59] KOSOVA SERBS TO RETURN ON THEIR OWN
[60] RUGOVA RE-ELECTED PARTY LEADER
[61] APPEALS FOR CALM AFTER KILLING IN PRESEVO VALLEY
[62] WASHINGTON STEPS UP DIPLOMATIC EFFORT TO BREAK ELECTION-LAW
[63] ROMANIAN TRADE UNIONS, GOVERNMENT SPEED UP NEGOTIATIONS
[64] ROMANIAN LIBERALS BLAST PREMIER OVER REMARK AIMED AT
[65] EU WARNS MOLDOVAN LEADERS ABOUT STATE BROADCASTER...
[66] ...WHILE VORONIN CONFIRMS MOLDOVA'S DESIRE TO JOIN EU
[67] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS RE-ELECT PARTY LEADER...
[68] ...WHO DOES NOT RULE OUT SOCIALIST PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT
[69] BULGARIAN CUSTOMS SEIZES 80 KILOGRAMS OF HEROIN
[70] There is no End Note today.
10 June 2002
RUSSIA
[01] WORLD CUP LOSS SETS OFF RIOT IN MOSCOW...
Massive street rioting broke out in downtown Moscow following Russia's
1-0 loss to Japan in the World Cup soccer championships on 9 June,
Western and Russian news agencies reported. Some sources reported that
two people were killed in the violence, but that information remains
sketchy and unconfirmed. An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 fans -- many of
them intoxicated -- gathered in a central square to watch the match on
a big-screen television, while only about 150 police were on hand to
control the crowd. After the match, fans rampaged along Moscow's main
street, damaging the building that houses the State Duma, vandalizing
about half a dozen restaurants in a fashionable pedestrian area, and
attacking several tourists of Asian appearance. One hundred and
eighteen people were arrested, and more than 100, including 20 police
officers, were hospitalized. Duma Deputy Vladimir Reznik, a leader of
the pro-Kremlin Unity faction, said that the Interior Ministry (MVD)
must bear responsibility for the rampage because of its poor crowd
control. Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov said that he will personally
look into the matter. VY
[02] ...BUT WAS THE VIOLENCE SPONTANEOUS?
Many observers, including some leading politicians and pro-Kremlin
commentators, labeled the 9 June violence an "orchestrated action."
Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov called the riots "a well-planned
escapade," and Aleksandr Oslon, head of the Public Opinion Foundation,
said the disturbances "must have been prepared by somebody," strana.ru
reported on 10 June. The pro-Kremlin website also speculated that
journalists on the scene may have been "intentionally assaulted."
According to "The Moscow Times," anchorman Yevgenii Krivenko said on
state-run RTR's evening newscast on 9 June that the violence
underscores the need to adopt quickly the controversial,
government-sponsored bill on extremism that passed its first reading in
the State Duma on 6 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 June 2002). The
incident is reminiscent of a case in 1999 when crowds of soccer fans
rampaged near the U.S. Embassy in Moscow during NATO's military action
against Yugoslavia. VY
[03] KALININGRAD TO BE FOCUS OF BALTIC REGION SUMMIT...
The prime ministers of 11 Baltic-region countries plus representatives
of the European Union gathered in St. Petersburg on 10 June for a
two-day meeting of the Council of Baltic Sea States, Western and
Russian news agencies reported. Much of the discussion centered on
Russian concerns about EU expansion and the Kaliningrad exclave.
Speaking to journalists before the meeting, Prime Minister Kasyanov
said that Russia insists on "the unimpeded transit of cargo and
movement of Russian citizens from Kaliningrad Oblast," ITAR-TASS
reported. Denmark takes over the rotating EU presidency in July, and
Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov arrived in Copenhagen on 10 June for talks
on the Kaliningrad problem, ITAR-TASS reported. In St. Petersburg, the
Baltic leaders also discussed regional environmental problems,
organized crime, and energy cooperation. VY
[04] ...AS MOVEMENT SEEN ON KOLA PENINSULA CLEANUP
Sweden expects to sign an agreement worth several hundred million
dollars before the end of the year to assist Russia with the cleanup of
nuclear waste on the Kola Peninsula, ITAR-TASS reported on 10 June.
Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson made the announcement prior to his
departure for the Baltic region summit in St. Petersburg. The
agreement, which will involve a number of other donors -- including,
most likely, Norway, Finland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, the
United States, Germany, Great Britain, and the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development -- will cover the scrapping of
decommissioned nuclear submarines that have been abandoned on the
peninsula and the safe storage of the radioactive waste that has
accumulated there, the news agency reported. RC
[05] RUSSIA, UKRAINE PUSH AHEAD ON ENERGY COOPERATION...
President Putin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma met in St.
Petersburg on 9 June and signed a joint statement ordering their
respective governments immediately to prepare a bilateral agreement on
strategic cooperation in the natural gas sphere, ITAR-TASS reported the
next day. The statement outlined the proposed agreement, calling for
the creation of a consortium that would manage and develop Ukraine's
gas-transport system. Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko said that
the agreement "will enhance the reliability of Russian gas deliveries
to Europe in the long term," the news agency reported.
[06] ...AS BELARUS LOOKS FORWARD TO INTEGRATION
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka arrived in St. Petersburg on
10 June for talks with President Putin on 11 June, ITAR-TASS reported.
The presidents are expected to discuss the prospects for a formal union
of the two countries, including the introduction of a common currency.
On the eve of the visit, Lukashenka chaired a meeting of his summit
working group and later told journalists, "We consciously made headway
toward integration." RC
[07] CHUBAIS ASSOCIATE TARGET OF CORRUPTION PROBE
The MVD has initiated an investigation of Mosenergo Director Arkadii
Yevstafiev, a close associate of Unified Energy Systems (UES) head
Anatolii Chubais, Interfax and NTV reported on 8 June. Mosenergo is a
UES subdivision. According to investigators, the case against
Yevstafiev is linked to his business activity before becoming head of
Mosenergo. Yevstafiev became known during the 1996 re-election campaign
of then President Boris Yeltsin when he was caught leaving a government
building with $538,000 in cash in a cardboard box; Yevstafiev declined
to explain anything about the money. Commenting on the MVD
investigation, gazeta.ru wrote that it is linked to another 1996
episode, in which Yevstafiev and Chubais took a loan of several million
dollars for an NGO called the Center for the Protection of Private
Property, which they headed. The loan was allegedly never paid back. In
his 1998 book "Obscurantism," MVD Colonel Valerii Streletskii wrote
that significant evidence of fraud had been uncovered in both cases but
that the investigations were stopped for political reasons. VY
[08] SIGNING OF AZERBAIJANI-RUSSIAN CASPIAN AGREEMENT POSTPONED
Azerbaijan's President Heidar Aliev announced on 8 June on his
departure for a two-day visit to St. Petersburg that he and President
Putin would not, as originally planned, sign an agreement on the
division of their countries' respective sectors of the Caspian Sea,
Interfax reported. Spokesmen for the two countries had said in April
following a meeting between Aliev and Putin on the sidelines of the
abortive Caspian summit in Ashgabat that such an agreement would be
signed this month. Aliev said on 8 June that several points of the
agreement have not yet been finalized, but that "there are no
disagreements on matters of principle," according to AFP. Deputy head
of Putin's staff Sergei Prikhodko similarly said that the uncoordinated
points "are not political," and predicted that the agreement will be
ready for signing "soon." Deputy Prime Minister Khristenko said the
following day that the agreement "is being coordinated," and that
"there are certain technical questions in the wording," ITAR-TASS
reported. LF
[09] AZERBAIJANI, RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS MEET
Aliev and Putin together attended the unveiling on 9 June of a monument
in St. Petersburg to the medieval Azerbaijani poet Nizami of Gyanja.
They then held wide-ranging talks that focused among other things on
the potential for expanding bilateral economic cooperation, especially
in the energy sector, and bilateral trade, and on the Karabakh
conflict, Russian agencies reported. Aliev recalled Putin's insistence
during his visit to Baku in January that the Karabakh conflict be
resolved without winners or losers, and expressed the hope that
Russia's new foreign policy will facilitate reaching solutions to all
regional conflicts based on that formula, ITAR-TASS reported. LF
[10] PUTIN MEETS WITH FELLOW PRESIDENTS ON SIDELINES OF SCO SUMMIT
President Putin met on 7 June in St. Petersburg on the sidelines of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit with Kazakhstan's President
Nursultan Nazarbaev, Russian agencies reported. The two signed an
agreement on exports of Kazakh natural gas via the Russian Federation.
Putin praised the "phenomenal progress" made over the past decade in
bilateral relations, specifically the agreement signed last month on
dividing the Caspian seabed (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 May 2002). At
the same time, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Khristenko and his Kazakh
counterpart Karim Massimov signed 15-year agreement on the export via
Russia of Kazakh oil (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 June 2002). During talks
with Kyrgyzstan's Askar Akaev, Putin noted that delegations from the
Defense Ministry and the State Security Council will visit Bishkek
shortly to discuss combating terrorism, Interfax reported. Putin also
discussed bilateral relations, regional security, and the situation in
Afghanistan with Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov, Russian agencies
reported. Meeting with Uzbekistan's Islam Karimov, Putin noted
"positive trends" in Russian-Uzbek relations, specifically the 20
percent increase in bilateral trade registered in 2001. LF
[11] 'NOVAYA GAZETA' ON BRINK OF CLOSURE
Dmitrii Muratov, editor in chief of the liberal weekly "Novaya gazeta,"
told journalists on 7 June that a court bailiff had appeared at his
office earlier that day and announced that he was enforcing a Moscow
court order freezing the paper's property, polit.ru reported. According
to a February court ruling, the paper must pay 15 million rubles
($482,000) in damages to Mezhprombank as compensation for business
allegedly lost as a result of an article printed in the paper (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 29 May 2002). Muratov said that the paper, which is
controlled by self-exiled oligarch Boris Berezovskii, is appealing the
verdict, but added that if the bailiff fully enforces the decision
before the appeal is heard, the paper will have to close. "Novaya
gazeta" is the second newspaper in recently whose fate has become
uncertain. At the end of May, journalist Yegor Yakovlev announced the
sale of the weekly "Obshchaya gazeta" and the new owner immediately
fired the entire staff and suspended publication until at least the
fall (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 and 31 May 2002). VY
[12] BOOK ON 1999 APARTMENT-BLOCK BOMBINGS WINS NATIONAL AWARD
Ardent anti-Western author and publisher Aleksandr Prokhanov won on 31
May the prestigious 2002 National Bestseller Prize for his
controversial book "Gospodin Geksogen" ("Mr. Gexogen"), Russian news
agencies reported. The book, which is posted on the Internet at
http://www.geksogen.ru, is a thinly fictionalized account that
maintains the 1999 apartment-block explosions in Moscow and other
cities, the renewal of fighting in Chechnya, and the election of
Vladimir Putin as president were all the result of a security-organs
conspiracy led by veterans of the KGB. The book features characters
closely based on former President Yeltsin, former Prime Minister Sergei
Stepashin, former Prosecutor-General Yurii Skuratov, KGB General Fillip
Bobkov, and mass-media magnates Berezovskii and Vladimir Gusinskii.
Putin appears in the book under the name "Chosen One." Accepting his
$10,000 prize from jury chairman and St. Petersburg banker Vladimir
Kogan, Prokhanov said that he will donate most of the money to the
defense of his "national-patriotic" comrade, Eduard Limonov, whose
trial on charges of illegal arms possession and attempting to overthrow
the constitutional order is expected to get under way in Saratov in the
near future. VY
[13] RUSSIA TO SEEK EXTRADITION OF GUANTANAMO DETAINEES
Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov said on 10 June during talks in
Moscow with U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft that the main goal of
cooperation between their respective agencies is the aggressive
prosecution of criminals and the active protection of citizens,
RIA-Novosti and RTR reported on 10 June. Ashcroft said that one of the
purposes of his visit was to thank the Russian people for their
contribution to the fight against international terrorism. Ustinov
asked Ashcroft for assistance in extraditing five Russian citizens who
were captured in Afghanistan as alleged supporters of the Taliban and
who are currently being held at a U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, ITAR-TASS reported. Ashcroft told journalists after the meeting
that he would look into the matter upon his return to the United
States. VY
[14] DEFENSE MINISTER WANTS MORE MILITARY COOPERATION WITH GERMANY
Sergei Ivanov told journalists in Germany after talks with his
counterpart Rudolf Scharping that both countries are willing to expand
military cooperation both within the framework of NATO and on a
bilateral basis, Russian and German news agencies reported. Ivanov said
that special attention is being paid to cooperation in the area of
military transport aviation and joint military training, ITAR-TASS
reported. Ivanov added that although he believes the issue of expansion
is an internal matter for NATO, he thinks that doing so would create
"some problems" for the alliance. He said that he does not understand
how expanding the alliance will help combat international terrorism or
assist in coping with other contemporary threats. VY
[15] CHECHEN PRESIDENT CONVENES COUNCIL OF WAR
Aslan Maskhadov convened a meeting of field commanders -- including
Shamil Basaev -- and senior Muslim clerics on 6 June, chechenpress.com
reported on 10 June. Participants agreed unanimously on the need to
intensify military operations throughout Chechnya. On 6 June and again
during the night of 9-10 June, Chechen fighters attacked the home of
Ramzan Musaev, administrator of the village of Shalazhi in Urus-Martan
Raion. Late on 9 June they subjected Russian posts in Alkhazurovo and
Gekhi-Chu to artillery fire. LF
[16] THIRTY DETAINED IN CONNECTION WITH KASPIISK BOMBING
The number of persons detained in connection with the 9 May bombing in
the Daghestani city of Kaspiisk has risen to around 30, Interfax
reported on 8 June quoting Daghestan's Interior Minister Adilgirei
Magomedtagirov. But none of them has yet been formally charged with the
bombing, in which 45 people died and 130 were injured. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[17] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTIAL REPRESENTATIVE MEETS NARDARAN RESIDENTS
An unnamed representative of President Heidar Aliev met on 8 June with
inhabitants of Nardaran, the village on the outskirts of Baku where
police clashed with residents five days earlier, Hadji Djabrail Alizade
-- chairman of the Union of Baku and Baku Villages -- told Turan the
same day. The presidential representative promised to reduce gradually
the number of police checkpoints that were set up around the village
after the 3 June clashes. President Aliev said on 8 June, prior to his
departure for St. Petersburg, that he is prepared to meet with Nardaran
residents if they request such a meeting, Turan reported. But Aliev
declined to comment on the situation in Nardaran, saying that it is a
matter for the police. In a 7 June press release, Human Rights Watch
called for an independent investigation into the Nardaran clashes,
which, it noted, marked the first time that Azerbaijani police have
opened fire with assault rifles on demonstrators. The organization
appealed to Aliev to ensure that the authorities avoid unnecessary
force in response to illegal actions committed during public protests.
LF
[18] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION POSTPONES PLANNED RALLY
In order to avoid renewed clashes with police, the United Azerbaijani
Opposition (BMH), which comprises some 25 opposition parties, decided
on 7 June to postpone a rally scheduled for the following day because
the Baku municipal authorities had failed to respond to their request
to hold it at a specific venue, Turan reported. Some 25 people were
detained and several injured when police resorted to violence on 26 May
to prevent the most recent BMH-sponsored demonstration (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 28 May 2002). LF
[19] GEORGIAN OPPOSITIONIST ACCUSES STATE MINISTER OF ENGINEERING
ELECTION OUTCOME
Koba Davitashvili, a leading member of the opposition National
Movement-Democratic Forum (EMDP), accused Minister of State Avtandil
Djorbenadze in an interview published in "Akhali taoba" on 7 June of
altering the outcome of the 2 June elections. Davitashvili told the
paper that Labor Party Chairman Shalva Natelashvili went to the State
Chancellery on the evening of the vote and, at that meeting,
Djorbenadze agreed to manipulate the outcome of the poll so that the
Labor Party, rather than the EMDP, would emerge the winner in Tbilisi.
Davitashvili said that agreement explains why Natelashvili opposed a
recount of the vote in the capital. (In fact, Natelashvili agreed to
such a recount provided that it was televised live.) Also on 7 June,
opposition National Democratic Party leader Irina Sarishvili-Chanturia
announced in Tbilisi that she will appeal the results of the 2 June
ballot, Caucasus Press reported. The Prosecutor-General's office
announced on 7 June that it has begun investigating 14 complaints of
procedural violations during the voting. Meanwhile, Natelashvili has
begun consultations with representatives of the "New Rightists," the
Industrialists, and the pro-Russia Unity movement with the aim of
forming a majority on the 49-seat Tbilisi municipal council. LF
[20] POLICE CHIEF TORTURED, MURDERED IN WESTERN GEORGIA
Djemal Narmania, security police head in the west Georgia raion of
Zugdidi, was found dead at his home on 7 June, Caucasus Press reported.
He had been tortured with a hot iron and then hanged. His wife has been
hospitalized with injuries. Zugdidi police sources told Caucasus Press
they believe the killers broke into the house the previous evening and
demanded money. LF
[21] ARRESTED KAZAKH OPPOSITIONIST'S WIFE BEGINS HUNGER STRIKE
Karlyghash Zhaqiyanova, whose husband Ghalymzhan is hospitalized and
awaiting trial on charges of financial crimes in Pavlodar Oblast, began
a hunger strike on 7 June to protest the treatment he is receiving, AP
reported. Police, not doctors, are reportedly deciding which
medications he should receive. Zhaqiyanov has twice been placed in
intensive care in recent weeks, the first time after collapsing during
an eight-hour police interrogation (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 May and 3
June 2002). LF
[22] KAZAKH OPPOSITION NEWSPAPER EDITOR'S CAR SABOTAGED
Ermurat Bapi, editor of the Almaty-based opposition newspaper "SolDat,"
discovered on the morning of 7 June that the brake cable of his car had
been professionally severed with a sharp instrument, forumkz.org
reported the same day. Automobile mechanics said the damage could under
no circumstances have happened accidentally. LF
[23] PROTEST PARTICIPANTS DETAINED IN SOUTHERN KYRGYZSTAN
Police on 8 June dispersed several hundred people who had resumed a
protest blockade of the Bishkek-Osh highway near the town of Tash-Komur
in Djalalabad Oblast on 5 June, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. The
demonstrators, who blocked the highway for a week last month, demanded
that the sentence recently handed down to parliament deputy Azimbek
Beknazarov be annulled and that those responsible for the March
bloodshed in Aksy Raion (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 and 22 May 2002) be
punished. Some 40 protesters were detained, and criminal proceedings
have been brought against seven of them, ITAR-TASS reported. LF
[24] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT APPEALS TO CHINESE COUNTERPART, CONSTITUTIONAL
COURT
On 5 June, 21 Kyrgyz parliament deputies appealed to China's National
People's Congress to declare the Sino-Kyrgyz border agreement signed in
1999 invalid, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. The Kyrgyz parliament
ratified that agreement last month under pressure from President Askar
Akaev (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 and 17 May 2002). On 7 June, the
parliamentary group Kyrgyzstan and the Communist faction similarly
appealed for a second time to the Kyrgyz Constitutional Court to
declare the border agreement invalid. The court rejected the first such
request on the grounds that Akaev had not signed the agreement into law
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 May 2002), which he did on 28 May. LF
[25] KYRGYZ NGOS PROTEST LAW ON POLITICAL EXTREMISM
Several Kyrgyz human rights organizations appealed on 4 June to
President Akaev to withdraw the draft law on fighting political
extremism that he submitted to both chambers of parliament on 24 May,
RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. They argued that the law could be
misused in order to crack down on the political opposition. LF
[26] TURKMENISTAN ESTABLISHES WORKING GROUP FOR TRANS-AFGHAN
PIPELINE...
President Saparmurat Niyazov announced on 8 June that the heads of
state of Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to his proposal to set up
a joint government working group to oversee construction of the planned
pipeline to export Turkmen natural gas via Afghanistan to Pakistan,
turkmenistan.ru reported. He gave the planned construction time for the
1,460-kilometer pipeline as 2 1/2 years, saying it could be completed
by the end of 2005. No offers have yet been forthcoming from investors
willing to finance the estimated $2 billion project, although Niyazov
said the World Bank and several major Asian banks have expressed
interest. LF
[27] ...REACHES AGREEMENT WITH UKRAINE ON GAS DEBTS
Agreement has been reached on a schedule for repayment of Ukraine's $46
million debt to Turkmenistan for supplies of natural gas received in
2002, Neftegaz Ukrainy President Yurii Boyko told journalists in Kyiv
on 8 June ITAR-TASS reported. A protocol has also been signed on the
repayment schedule for an outstanding $65 million debt for Turkmen gas
supplied in 1999. LF
[28] U.S. DIPLOMAT URGES SWIFTER DEMOCRATIZATION IN UZBEKISTAN
During talks in Tashkent on 7 and 8 June, U.S. Assistant Secretary of
State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Lorne Craner noted that
Uzbekistan has recently made progress in improving its human rights
situation, uza.uz and uzreport.com reported on 10 June. But he warned
after his talks with Uzbek Prime Minister Utkir Sultanov,
Prosecutor-General Rashit Kadyrov, Justice Minister Abdusamat
Palvan-Zade, and Interior Minister Zokirzhon Almatov that if bilateral
relations are to expand beyond security issues, economic and political
reforms must be implemented. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[29] BELARUS WANTS TO EXPAND TRADE WITH ARMENIA...
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka met again with his Armenian
counterpart, Robert Kocharian, in Minsk on 7 June (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 7 June 2002), Belarusian media reported. Lukashenka stressed
that political relations between the countries are excellent, adding
that it is time to place these relations on a solid economic
foundation, Belarusian Television reported. The two sides signed an
agreement on visa-free travel, a protocol on free trade, and an accord
on cooperation between the capital cities of Minsk and Yerevan. Armenia
is reportedly interested in purchasing Belarusian tractors. JM
[30] ...AND KAZAKHSTAN
Lukashenka met with Zharmabai Tuyakbaev, speaker of the lower chamber
of Kazakhstan's parliament, on 8 June in Minsk, Belarusian Television
reported. "I think the flow of shipments between Kazakhstan and Belarus
will increase in connection with the fact that [Belarus] will have the
same transportation tariffs as the Russian Federation as of 1 July,"
Lukashenka told Tuyakbaev. "We should be able to reach a
[Belarusian-Kazakh] trade turnover of $150 million [annually],"
Lukashenka added. JM
[31] NGO APPEALS FOR SATELLITE TV IN BELARUSIAN
The Belarusian Language Society (TBM) has appealed to European
organizations to support a project to create a satellite television
channel to broadcast in Belarusian to Belarus, Belapan reported on 8
June. In particular, TBM urged UNESCO to assist in launching a
broadcast on the preservation of Belarus's cultural heritage and
language on the Discovery Channel. TBM expressed concern about the
domination of Russian broadcasters in Belarus, noting that broadcasts
in Russian account for 97 percent of television programs available in
the country. JM
[32] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT HOPES FOR PARLIAMENT'S SMOOTH OPERATION...
President Leonid Kuchma said on 7 June that following the distribution
of the posts of committee heads among parliamentary caucuses, "the
Verkhovna Rada has finally unblocked its work," UNIAN reported. "Now it
is necessary calmly to pass the laws required by the country," he
added. Earlier the same day, parliament voted by 235 to seven, with
three abstentions, to approve a resolution whereby Our Ukraine will
head 10 parliamentary committees, the Communist Party six, United
Ukraine four, the Socialist Party and the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc two
each, and the Social Democratic Party one. JM
[33] ...AS DOES PRIME MINISTER
Prime Minister Anatoliy Kinakh sent a letter to Verkhovna Rada speaker
Volodymyr Lytvyn assuring him that one of the cabinet's priority tasks
is to ensure stable and efficient cooperation between the government
and the parliament, UNIAN reported on 8 June. The previous day, Kinakh
told journalists that the cabinet will introduce a special ministerial
post for coordinating all issues connected with such cooperation. JM
[34] KYIV HAS 2.6 MILLION RESIDENTS
According to last year's national census, 2,607,400 people lived in
Kyiv as of December 2001, UNIAN reported on 10 June. JM
[35] RUMSFELD SEES NO SHORTCOMINGS IN BALTIC NATO PREPARATIONS
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld attended a meeting of Baltic and
Nordic defense ministers in Tallinn on 8 June, ETA reported. Estonian
Defense Minister Sven Mikser said the fight against international
terrorism was the main topic of the meeting. Rumsfeld told a press
conference after the meeting that he sees no shortcomings in the Baltic
countries' preparations for NATO membership. "I can only see their
efforts and mutual cooperation," Rumsfeld said. He particularly praised
their cooperation with Nordic countries, noting that this is important
because NATO countries also cooperate closely. Rumsfeld added that the
Baltic states have made serious contributions to the war on terrorism,
particularly by allowing aircraft of countries in the antiterrorism
coalition to use their airspace without any conditions and to land on
their territory if necessary. However, he cautioned that no decisions
on which countries will be invited to join NATO at the alliance's
November summit in Prague have been made and that, therefore, all
candidate countries must continue their efforts. SG
[36] LATVIAN PRESIDENT DISCUSSES NATO'S NEW ROLE IN THE WORLD
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga told the 41st annual Academy of
Achievement summit in Dublin on 8 June that the new cooperation between
NATO and Russia is beneficial for global security, LETA reported.
Vike-Freiberga noted that Russia does not have a veto right on NATO
expansion and expressed the hope that Latvia's relations with Russia
will improve after it becomes a NATO member, just as Poland's did after
it joined the alliance in 1999. Current and former Supreme Allied
Commanders Europe Generals Joseph Ralston and Wesley Clark also spoke
at a session devoted to NATO's new role in the world. At the summit's
closing ceremonies, Vike-Freiberga presented the organization's Gold
Medal to former Estonian President Lennart Meri. SG
[37] LITHUANIA, PORTUGAL SIGN DEFENSE-COOPERATION TREATY
At a meeting of Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) defense
ministers in Brussels on 7 June, Lithuanian Defense Minister Linas
Linkevicius and his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Sacadura Cabral Portas
signed a treaty on bilateral cooperation in defense, BNS reported. The
EAPC is composed of 19 NATO member countries and 27 countries
participating in the NATO Partnership for Peace program. Lithuania has
signed defense cooperation treaties with 26 countries, including all
NATO members except Iceland and Luxembourg. A similar treaty with
Luxembourg is currently being drafted. Linkevicius was the first
speaker at the meeting, stressing that the council should maintain
strong ties with the Partnership for Peace program as an instrument of
successful practical cooperation. He also held talks on bilateral
military cooperation with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian, who
accepted an invitation to visit Lithuania at the end of August. SG
[38] POLISH RADICAL AGRARIAN EXCLUDED FROM PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE, FINED
Sejm deputy speaker Donald Tusk excluded Self-Defense leader Andrzej
Lepper from a Sejm session on 7 June after futile attempts to persuade
him not to obstruct the debate, PAP reported. Lepper took the floor
during a discussion on the state of the agricultural sector and tried
to deliver a speech without being recognized by Tusk, who was chairing
the debate. Exclusion is a new penalty recently added to Polish
parliamentary regulations. In addition, Lepper was fined by the Sejm
Presidium: He will lose half of his parliamentary salary this month and
next. "The extent of the turmoil that Mr. Andrzej Lepper allows himself
is decisively too much to bear," Sejm speaker Marek Borowski commented.
JM
[39] POLISH AUTHORITIES TO TAKE TOUGH STANCE AGAINST BLOCKADES
Premier Leszek Miller said on 9 June that police will not allow farmers
from the radical Self-Defense union to block traffic in Polish cities,
Polish media reported. Miller was responding to Self-Defense's
announcement earlier the same day that it will organize nationwide
protests and blockades on 25 June. "Wherever the law is broken, police
will intervene with full determination, regardless of whether those who
break it are [Sejm] deputies or not: Being a deputy does not give [one]
permission to violate law and order, or to deride Poland," Miller said
on Polish Radio. JM
[40] POLISH PRESIDENTIAL RUNNER-UP TO RUN FOR WARSAW MAYOR
Civic Platform (PO) leader Andrzej Olechowski announced during a party
electoral convention on 8 June that he will seek mayoral office in the
capital in the autumn local elections, PAP reported. Olechowski
finished second in the 2000 presidential election with 17.3 percent of
the vote. JM
[41] CZECH PARTY LEADER RULES OUT ALLIANCE WITH CIVIC DEMOCRATS
Less than a week before the Czech general elections, Vladimir Spidla,
leader of the ruling Social Democrats (CSSD) and a deputy prime
minister, has ruled out the possibility of a coalition with the Civic
Democrats (ODS), Czech media reported on 9 June. Spidla said there are
large differences between his left-of-center CSSD and Vaclav Klaus's
right-of-center ODS. Specifically, Spidla cited pension reform,
taxation, and his party's unequivocal support for EU membership. He
added that he would prefer to form a government with the Coalition
electoral bloc but would form a minority government if necessary.
According to the latest opinion polls, the CSSD is slightly ahead of
the ODS, but neither party is expected to win an outright majority in
the 14-15 June general elections. After the 1998 elections, the CSSD
and ODS formed a so-called "opposition agreement," under which the
Social Democrats controlled the government and the Civic Democrats took
key parliamentary posts. BW
[42] CZECHS MARCH AGAINST BREAST CANCER
Around 2,000 people marched through downtown Prague on 8 June to raise
awareness of breast cancer, Czech media reported on 9 June. The march,
attended mostly by young women, was organized to raise awareness about
a new law allowing all women over 45 years of age to be tested for
breast cancer free of charge. According to official statistics, about
4,500 women contract breast cancer annually in the Czech Republic, and
one-third of the cases are fatal. BW
[43] JUSTICE MINISTER DENIES CZECH COURTS ARE CORRUPT
Czech Justice Minister Jaroslav Bures has dismissed allegations that
the country's court system is riddled with corruption, "Pravo" reported
on 7 June. Bures said, however, that the Czech judicial system suffers
from a shortage of funding and staff, especially judges. Critics say
the system is riddled with influence peddling and is slow to handle
cases against former communist officials. BW
[44] CZECH POLICE BREAK UP HUMAN-TRAFFICKING RING
Czech police have broken up a major human-trafficking ring, CTK
reported on 8 June. The group has organized at least 700 refugees'
illegal entry into Germany and Austria via the Czech Republic, police
spokeswoman Blanka Kosinova said. The ring, part of a larger
international operation, has been under surveillance since 4 November
2000, Kosinova added. Thirteen suspects of what police say is a
17-member organization in the Czech Republic have been taken into
custody. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison. BW
[45] SLOVAK PRESIDENT BELIEVES HE DISPELLED U.S. CONCERNS
President Rudolf Schuster said following a meeting with U.S. President
George W. Bush that he dispelled the Bush administration's concerns
about Slovakia's post-election path, SITA reported on 7 June.
Presidential spokesman Jan Fule said after the 30-minute talk that the
United States emphasized the need for political stability in Slovakia
after the elections. Schuster said he gave Bush an independent view of
the situation, while Bush stressed that Slovakia must have a government
before the NATO summit in November and that Washington must view that
government as trustworthy. AS
[46] U.S. PRESIDENT RECOGNIZES SLOVAK ARMY REFORMS
President Bush congratulated Slovak Defense Minister Jozef Stank on the
progress Slovakia has made in reforming its armed forces and in
shouldering its share of responsibility in Europe and around the world,
SITA agency reported on 8 June. Stank, who was accompanying President
Schuster on his U.S. visit, said the United States is satisfied with
the professional preparedness of the Slovak Army. Stank also met with
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and other senior U.S.
officials, who reportedly praised a Slovak cabinet decision to deploy
an engineering corps to Afghanistan (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 June
2002). U.S. officials further highlighted the joint Czech-Slovak
battalion operating in Kosova. AS
[47] NATIONALIST GROUP SAYS IT IS BEING 'THROTTLED' AMID SLOVAK DECLINE
Leaders of the nationalist Matica Slovenska, a self-styled cultural
organization, sought to mobilize the public against the alleged
national, social, and political decline of the country, CTK and SITA
reported on 9 June. About 300 members attending the group's 17th
meeting of Slovaks in southern Slovakia signed a petition decrying the
sale of national property, "permanent discrimination of against the
majority population," and "diversion throughout the Slovak Republic."
Chairman Jozef Markus complained that the current government rarely
talks about the state, statehood, or sovereignty. He charged that
Matica Slovenska is being "throttled" because its state subsidies have
been cut by 90 percent. AS
[48] SLOVAK CURRENCY HITS 20-MONTH LOW DESPITE ECONOMIC GROWTH
The Slovak currency took a beating last week, falling by about one
crown to 44.61 crowns to the euro, SITA reported on 9 June. The cross
rate for Czech crowns also broke records last week, the agency noted.
Industrial growth in April, meanwhile, exceeded forecasts at 7 percent
year-on-year and hit a six-month high, SITA reported on 9 June.
Analysts said the growth in industrial output accompanied an increase
in mining and minerals extraction as well as an April increase in the
production of motor vehicles. AS
[49] FIDESZ CHAIRMAN ASSAILS 'RETURN TO KADAR ERA'
FIDESZ Chairman Zoltan Pokorni said on 8 June that the social
philosophy of the "paternalistic [Janos] Kadar era" has returned and is
reflected in the new government's program, Hungarian media reported.
Pokorni said the government is trying to "give a little bit to everyone
to keep their mouths shut." He was reacting to the package of measures
approved by the cabinet one day earlier, which will be submitted for
parliamentary approval to fulfill campaign promises made by the
Socialists. Pokorni dismissed as "a lie" claims that the previous
government overspent before leaving office, saying the current cabinet
has a 320-billion-forint (over $1.2 billion) surplus. MS
[50] ORBAN SAYS PARTIES ARE LOSING POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE...
Former Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on 7 June that the Alliance for
the Nation should start rallying its forces ahead of the autumn local
elections, Hungarian media reported. Addressing a forum of the "civic"
(polgari) groups from Szabolcs County, Orban said he hopes that by
autumn more people will realize that while political parties still
matter, they have lost their former significance. He added that,
following their electoral defeat, rightwing forces realized they should
think less in terms of parties and more in terms of "polgari forces."
Reacting to Orban's statement, Democratic Forum Chairwoman Ibolya David
-- who is Orban's chief ally in the opposition bloc -- told MTI that
the idea of relegating parties to the background is "an interesting
thought," but that it is risky to speed up the process and that she
does not really know what Orban means by it. The daily "Magyar Hirlap"
commented that Orban wants to prove that 60 percent of Hungary's
population supports the nationalist right and added that the former
prime minister is keeping the right wing "ready to jump," since he
believes there is a chance of early parliamentary elections. MS
[51] ...AND SUPPORTS DRIVE FOR RECOUNT
In a letter made public on his website on 8 June, Orban expressed
support for a drive to collect signatures to force a recount of the
votes cast in the April parliamentary elections. He said the right has
acknowledged its electoral defeat but must now become convinced by the
recount that the defeat reflects the actual ballot. "There is only a
hairsbreadth's difference between parties that won seats in the
parliament and those that failed to do so, as well as between the
parliamentary majority and the minority," he said. MS
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[52] EX-POLICE CHIEF GUNNED DOWN IN SERBIAN CAPITAL...
Unidentified gunmen killed Major General Bosko Buha outside Belgrade's
Hotel Jugoslavija in the early hours of 10 June, RFE/RL's South Slavic
and Albanian Languages Service reported. Buha was chief of the Belgrade
riot police under former President Slobodan Milosevic, but ordered his
men not to attack the opposition during the October 2000 protests that
led to Milosevic's fall. Buha then became a top security official in
the Serbian Interior Ministry. He was one of several one-time Milosevic
loyalists who entered into secret talks with the opposition in the days
and weeks before the October protests. His killing is one of several
gangland-style murders of prominent Serbs or Montenegrins in recent
years. Most of those crimes remain unsolved. PM
[53] ...AS LEADERS CALL FOR CRACKDOWN ON CRIME
Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic said that Buha's murder
constitutes a "most serious threat" to the country's security, AP
reported from Belgrade on 10 June. He added: "After all of Yugoslavia's
troubles of the past years, the one true danger to this country today
is from organized crime." Dragan Jocic, who is a senior official of
President Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), called
the murder an "attack upon the state" and demanded that the authorities
take a tougher stance on organized crime. Under Milosevic, there were
often close links between politicians, the security forces, the
business community, and the criminal underworld. More recently,
supporters of Kostunica and Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic have accused
each other of having similar links. PM
[54] KOSTUNICA'S PARTY NAMES SERBIAN SHADOW CABINET
On 8 June, the DSS named a shadow cabinet for the Serbian government,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. The
government is headed by Djindjic and made up of members of the
Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition, to which the DSS
nominally belongs. Several observers pointed out that this is a rare --
if not unique -- case of a party naming a shadow cabinet to a
government in which it is nominally represented. Djindjic said that he
would welcome a return of the DSS to the government, but is not sure if
their ministers would be better than the ones he has now. The shadow
cabinet is headed by DSS's parliamentary faction head Dragan Marsicanin
and includes 11 additional members. There are no foreign or defense
portfolios in the Serbian government or in the shadow cabinet. PM
[55] MACHINE-GUN PHOTO CONTINUES TO HAUNT KOSTUNICA
Former Kosovar guerrilla leader Shukri Buja has told the war crimes
tribunal in The Hague that all important Serbian politicians had their
own paramilitary units in Kosova, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported on 8 June. He showed those present at
Milosevic's trial a well-known 1998 photo of a grinning Kostunica
holding a machine gun. Kostunica, who has criticized the idea of
inviting former guerrillas to testify in The Hague, said that the photo
was taken during the visit of "some village watchmen" when "someone
gave [me] the gun to look at." Kostunica stressed that Buja's charge is
unacceptable because it "is less than a step away from condemning the
entire [Serbian] nation and from the thesis of collective Serbian
guilt" for the four wars launched by Milosevic between 1991 and 1999
(see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 17 May 2002). Deutsche Welle's Bosnian
Service reported on 9 June that many Serbian leaders did have
paramilitary forces, the best known of which were those of Vojislav
Seselj and Zeljko Raznatovic Arkan. PM
[56] DRASKOVIC THREATENS MASS PROTESTS
Vuk Draskovic, who heads the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), told a
crowd of several thousand in Novi Sad on 8 June that he will organize
roadblocks unless early Serbian parliamentary elections are held,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported (see
"RFE/RL South Slavic Report," 6 June 2002). He did not give a time
frame. Draskovic criticized the Djindjic government for "selling off
state property and driving citizens to the brink of ruin." He also
charged that the government is betraying national interests, which will
lead to independence for Kosova by the end of 2002. Draskovic was once
the most powerful opposition leader in Serbia. He refused to join DOS
in 2000, and the SPO has no seats in the current parliament. PM
[57] MILOSEVIC'S PARTY SET TO SPLIT?
Mihajlo Markovic, who is the former vice president of Milosevic's
Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and its chief ideologue, announced a
special congress of that party for 23 June, RFE/RL's South Slavic
Service reported from Belgrade on 8 June. He said that delegates will
be elected in 65 districts. The purpose of the congress will be to
"democratize and carry out the moral renewal" of the SPS. But at the
party headquarters, officials said that Markovic represents only an
"informal group" and a "phantom congress." "Vesti" wrote on 10 June
that the SPS might now be heading for the split that many have
considered inevitable since Milosevic's fall and subsequent extradition
to The Hague. In the 1960s and 1970s, Markovic was known as one of
former Yugoslavia's most innovative Marxist political philosophers and
was linked to the Praxis Group of progressive thinkers. He subsequently
became an ardent Serbian nationalist and theoretician of the SPS. PM
[58] SOLANA WARNS SERBS AND MONTENEGRINS NOT TO WASTE TIME
EU foreign and security policy chief Javier Solana arrived in Belgrade
on 10 June to encourage Serbian and Montenegrin leaders not to lose any
more time in preparing a constitution for the new loose union between
the two republics, AP reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 and 6 June
2002). After meeting with Solana, Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister
Miroljub Labus said that talks between Serbian and Montenegrin
officials on a draft constitution will continue, and that the document
could be ready as early as the end of July, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service reported. PM
[59] KOSOVA SERBS TO RETURN ON THEIR OWN
Some 5,000 Kosova Serbs assembled in Kraljevo on 8 June and vowed to
return to their homes on their own if no organized program is offered
them by 15 September, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported. They called for a "return en masse regardless of the
cost." They said they will hold the UN civilian administration in
Kosova (UNMIK), the UN, the EU, and other unnamed institutions of the
international community responsible for their fate. PM
[60] RUGOVA RE-ELECTED PARTY LEADER
Kosova President Ibrahim Rugova was unanimously re-elected head of the
Democratic League of Kosova (LDK) in Prishtina on 8 June, RFE/RL's
South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. He said that he
will place renewed emphasis on the protection and integration of the
province's ethnic minorities. Also at the congress, delegates called
for making 12 June a national holiday. On that date in 1999,
international forces entered Kosova and effectively ended Serbian rule.
PM
[61] APPEALS FOR CALM AFTER KILLING IN PRESEVO VALLEY
Authorities in the area of the Presevo Valley bordering Kosova and
Macedonia have called for calm following the killing of Agim Agushi, an
ethnic Albanian, near Miratovac, AP reported from Belgrade on 10 June.
A Yugoslav soldier has been suspended from duty pending an
investigation of the incident (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 June 2002). PM
[62] WASHINGTON STEPS UP DIPLOMATIC EFFORT TO BREAK ELECTION-LAW
DEADLOCK IN MACEDONIA
Talks on 7 June between Macedonia's political leaders under the
auspices of U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia Lawrence Butler and U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones to ensure passage of key
election legislation failed, "Utrinski vesnik" reported. U.S. special
envoy James Holmes is expected to arrive in Skopje on 11 June to
continue the effort. Legislative approval has been blocked since the
Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) requested that parliament
adjourn its session on 31 May (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 and 14 May and
3 June 2002). Points at issue include the languages to be used on
ballots as well as the nomination procedure for election commission
members. UB
[63] ROMANIAN TRADE UNIONS, GOVERNMENT SPEED UP NEGOTIATIONS
Labor leaders and government representatives have been negotiating
since 7 June on wage hikes and reduced taxation, Romanian media
reported. Late on 9 June, union leaders and Labor Minister Marian Sarbu
agreed on 24 of the unions' 32 demands. According to the agreements,
next year the monthly minimum wage will be raised to 2.5 million lei
(about $75) and state employees will receive a 3 percent increase in
real wages, Romanian Radio reported on 10 June. While Sarbu was
confident an agreement will be reached on all disputed points later
today, union leaders made no comments. Labor leaders have announced a
marathon protest in Bucharest for 11 June. ZsM
[64] ROMANIAN LIBERALS BLAST PREMIER OVER REMARK AIMED AT
MULTINATIONALS
National Liberal Party leaders in a 7 June press release criticized
Premier Adrian Nastase for suggesting that multinational companies do
not pay taxes in Romania, Romanian media reported. The National
Liberals dubbed Nastase's declaration a "political gaffe" that shows
the government "is not capable of understanding Romania's economic
priorities or the necessities of economic reform." During a 6 June
roundtable organized by the Economist Group in Bucharest, Nastase said
many of the large companies in Romania "use different options to avoid
paying taxes." He did not mention any companies specifically. Asked if
such statements do not deter foreign investors, he said it is good that
every party's position on the subject is well known. ZsM
[65] EU WARNS MOLDOVAN LEADERS ABOUT STATE BROADCASTER...
The leader of an EU delegation visiting Chisinau on 8 June, Spanish
Secretary of State for European Affairs Ramon de Miguel, warned
Moldovan authorities that failure to implement resolutions of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) "will have
catastrophic consequences both for the current government and the
citizens," Flux reported. He added that during the delegation's talks
with local authorities, he had the impression they are aware of such
consequences. As a result, he said, "we must let the government assume
responsibility for what it is doing." De Miguel said the delegation's
visit is a "crucial moment" for the future of EU-Moldovan relations.
PACE on 24 April called on the Moldovan government to transform
state-owned television into public television by the end of July (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 6 May 2002). ZsM
[66] ...WHILE VORONIN CONFIRMS MOLDOVA'S DESIRE TO JOIN EU
Meeting with the same EU delegation in Chisinau on 7 June, Moldovan
President Vladimir Voronin reiterated his country's desire to join the
EU, Flux reported. He added that local authorities wish to fulfill all
commitments necessary for improving relations with the EU and its
members. Also meeting with the EU delegation, ruling Party of Moldovan
Communists parliamentary group leader Victor Stepaniuc said the EU
representatives insisted on local authorities registering the
Bessarabian Metropolitan Church. He said the Bessarabian and the
Moldovan Orthodox Church should start a dialogue to find "a compromise"
for dividing their property. He added, however, that he considers it "a
great stupidity" to "divide the church on ethnic" criteria. ZsM
[67] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS RE-ELECT PARTY LEADER...
The 45th congress of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)
re-elected Sergey Stanishev as party chairman with almost 95 percent of
the votes, BTA reported. Stanishev has headed the party since November,
when chairman Georgi Parvanov resigned after winning the presidency.
Stanishev, a 36-year-old Moscow-educated historian and specialist in
international relations, also heads the BSP's parliamentary group. In
his report to the party congress, Stanishev said the BSP's main goals
will be winning the next local and parliamentary elections. He named
the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) as a
potential coalition partner, "Dnevnik" reported. The congress also
elected the 155 members of the party's Supreme Council. UB
[68] ...WHO DOES NOT RULE OUT SOCIALIST PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT
Reacting to a proposal made by Deputy Party Chairman Rumen Ovcharov on
6 June that the BSP consider joining the government of Prime Minister
Simeon Saxecoburggotski, Stanishev told the congress that he does not
rule out this possibility, "Dnevnik" reported. "The BSP can join the
government only on the basis of a clear program, with consistent
priorities, and with a clear definition of rights and responsibilities
within a coalition," Stanishev said. Ovcharov's proposal failed to
spark a debate on the issue at the congress, as he had hoped (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 7 June 2002). UB
[69] BULGARIAN CUSTOMS SEIZES 80 KILOGRAMS OF HEROIN
Customs officers seized more than 80 kilograms of heroin at the border
checkpoint of Malko Tarnovo on the Turkish-Bulgarian border on 8 June,
BTA reported. The drugs were found under the floor of a
Bulgarian-registered van. Agents found 35 kilograms of heroin at the
same checkpoint one week ago. UB
END NOTE
[70] There is no End Note today.
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