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RFE/RL Newsline, 05-08-10Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF SINO-RUSSIAN ECONOMIC, MILITARY COOPERATIONSpeaking alongside his country's new ambassador to Beijing, Sergei Razov, President Vladimir Putin said on 9 August that Russia and China enjoy a solid foundation for cooperation "in a long historical perspective" and the "volume of bilateral interests is enormous," ITAR-TASS and other media reported. Putin asked Razov to pay particular attention to the development of bilateral economic ties, singling out the work of Russian energy companies in China. Putin mentioned specifically Russian oil and gas supplies to China and bilateral projects that would distribute those supplies to third countries. He also highlighted the importance of mutual cooperation within international and regional organizations, including the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Putin stressed bilateral military cooperation in light of the joint exercises set to begin on 18 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 August 2005). "It will most probably be the largest war game in the history of our relations and will employ the most advanced weaponry from our side and major military contingents on the part of our Chinese partners," Putin said, according to ITAR-TASS. Meanwhile, a convoy of Pacific Fleet ships led by the "Marshal Shaposhnikov" submarine chaser sailed from Vladivostok toward China to participate in the war games, RIA-Novosti reported on 7 August. VY[02] MOSCOW URGES TEHRAN TO HALT URANIUM WORKRussia has urged Iran to stop activities at the Isfahan uranium-conversion facility and return to talks with the UN nuclear watchdog, RTR and other Russian and international media reported. "It would be a wise decision to immediately stop the resumed work and continue close cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] to clear up all remaining questions relating to the Iranian nuclear program," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said, according to ITAR-TASS. Kamynin said that Iran should be able to maintain its suspension of uranium work and return to the international negotiating table in light of Russia's agreement to supply nuclear fuel to the Bushehr facility in southern Iran and related commitments by Tehran. Russia does not think the "situation is irreversible," Kamynin added. Moscow's call is largely in line with stated U.S., EU, and IAEA statements since work at Isfahan was restarted on 8 August. Speaking on Ekho Moskvy on 9 August, Channel One commentator Mikhail Leontiev -- who frequently espouses anti-U.S. positions -- said, "Iran is not a Russian problem." He added, "Proliferation was a common problem in a bipolar world, but now it is an American problem." VY[03] RUSSIA DISTANCES ITSELF FROM SUSPECTS IN UN OIL-FOR-FOOD SCANDALThe Russian Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the case against former UN procurement officer and Russian national Aleksandr Yakovlev, who was arrested on 8 August on suspicion of accepting $1 million in bribes in connection with the UN's discredited oil-for-food program, saying his case has nothing to do with the ministry or any other official state agency, segodnya.ru and other media reported. AP reported that Yakovlev pleaded guilty to several counts of wrongdoing -- including soliciting a bribe and accepting hundreds of millions of dollars -- and faces a possible 60 years in prison; Reuters reported the allegations but no plea by Yakovlev. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stripped Yakovlev of his diplomatic immunity to allow for prosecution. Aleksandr Gorelik, who heads the UN Moscow information center, said on 9 August that while the country is interested in Yakovlev's fate as a Russian citizen, the case does not affect Russian nationals working for the UN, Ekho Moskvy reported. Motherland leader Dmitrii Rogozin told Ekho Moskvy that any UN worker involved in corruption -- whether American, Russian, or other nationality -- should be punished for wrongdoing. VY[04] KHODORKOVSKII HAS PRIVILEGES REVOKED IN WAKE OF MEDIA COMMENTARYConvicted former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovskii was moved on 9 August to a more crowded cell where he has no access to television, a refrigerator, or newspapers, defense lawyer Anton Drel was quoted as saying by regnum.ru. Another Khodorkovskii lawyer, Yulii Schmidt, claimed the move is the authorities' way of punishing his client for a recent contribution to "Vedomosti" on the inevitability of a left-wing rise to power in Russia (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 August 2005), newsru.com reported. Schmidt said he will appeal the cell transfer. VY[05] PUTIN WARNS ALTAI AGAINST POLITICAL INTRIGUEPresident Putin on 9 August warned local leaders against any escalation in the dispute between the executive and legislative branches in Altai Krai following the recent death of Altai Governor Mikhail Yevdokimov, RTR reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 and 9 August 2005). Putin, who was in Barnaul in Altai for Yevdokimov's wake, met with acting Governor Mikhail Kozlov and regional legislative speaker and Yevdokimov political foe Aleksandr Nazarchuk, Channel One and NTV reported. Putin cautioned both men against "under the carpet political intrigues," according to RTR. Putin said he expects "effective joint work [from Kozlov and Nazarchuk] and believe[s] that will be the case." VY[06] FINANCE MINISTER FURTHER EXPLAINS PROPOSED CAPITAL AMNESTYAleksei Kudrin said on 9 August that the fact that individuals disclose hidden assets will not in itself be punishable under his proposed amnesty to repatriate capital, RIA-Novosti reported. "However, if there are other reasons for an investigation -- such as, for instance, a criminal origin of the funds -- an investigation will take place," Kudrin reportedly said. The government has approved a plan to increase the number of Federal Tax Service employees by 14,600, from the current level of 166,000. VY[07] GOVERNMENT MAKES CONCESSIONS TO UNIFIED RUSSIA ON 2006 BUDGET...The supreme council of Unified Russia and Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Zhukov on 8 August reached an agreement on the parameters of the draft federal budget for 2006, RTR state television and TV-Tsentr reported. According to State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, planned budget revenues will now total 5.029 trillion rubles ($177 billion), an increase of 598 billion rubles over the Finance Ministry's initial draft. Planned budget expenditures now total 4.253 trillion rubles, some 322 billion rubles more than the original proposal. Unified Russia leaders had faulted the early budget drafts as calling for an excessive surplus and insufficient spending on investment projects (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 and 25 July 2005). "Vremya novostei" and "Gazeta" on 9 August quoted Gryzlov as saying the budget has passed the "zero reading," a term used to describe the negotiations between government ministers and Unified Russia leaders that commonly occur before legislation is sent to the parliament for consideration. The Finance Ministry is scheduled to submit a draft 2006 budget to the government on 12 August. The government is expected to send the document to the Duma on 26 August. LB[08] ...AND SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES PLANNED FEDERAL AID TO REGIONSMembers of the government, Duma, and Federation Council met on 9 August to discuss the 2006 federal budget and agreed to allocate 426 billion rubles ($15 billion) in assistance to Russian Federation subjects, "Izvestiya" and "Rossiiskaya gazeta" reported on 10 August. That total would be 118 billion rubles, or 38 percent more than the 2005 funding earmarked for the regions. In contrast, the 2005 budget increased assistance to the regions by just 8 percent compared to 2004 levels. According to "Izvestiya," the government expects 20 regions to be "donors" in 2006, contributing more to the federal budget than they receive in return. The regions receiving the most federal aid will be the republics of Daghestan and Sakha (Yakutia), which are each slated to receive 15 billion rubles. Many federation subjects in the North Caucasus will also be among the "poorest" regions. Meanwhile, Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref told journalists on 9 August that the federal government will in 2006 "propose that [Russian Federation] subjects take part in competitions for the right to receive federal budget financing," Interfax reported the next day. By way of example, Gref said the government will hold a competition for regions seeking to establish special economic zones on their territories. LB[09] TOP MOSCOW LEGISLATOR DISMISSES CRITICISM OF NEW ELECTION LAWMoscow City Duma Chairman Vladimir Platonov on 9 August brushed off calls to amend the city's new election law, Interfax and Radio Mayak reported. The Central Election Commission (TsIK) recently asked city authorities to change three provisions in the law: the 10 percent barrier for allocating seats to political parties by proportional representation, the minimum-turnout requirement of 20 percent, and the abolition of the "against all" option on the ballot (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 August 2005). Platonov described concerns expressed by the TsIK as based in politics. He said all of the provisions in question are consistent with federal laws: "Yes, I agree that these are innovations in Russian legislation, but I want to remind you that Moscow has always been ahead of other regions and never was afraid to conduct certain reforms or introduce certain innovations." Platonov is a member of Unified Russia, which is likely to dominate the new city legislature. In contrast, Moscow City Duma deputy Aleksandr Tarnavskii (Party of Life) told Radio Rossii on 9 August that his party believes the changes advocated by the TsIK will make the city elections scheduled for this December "more democratic." LB[10] GOVERNOR TO RESTRUCTURE NIZHNII NOVGOROD EXECUTIVE BRANCHNew Nizhnii Novgorod Oblast Governor Valerii Shantsev has promised to ask the Legislative Assembly to approve a new, streamlined management structure for the region. In an interview published by "Rossiiskaya gazeta" on 10 August, Shantsev criticized as "irrational" the existing system in which the governor's administration is separate from the oblast government's apparatus (just as the presidential administration is separate from the federal government). He pledged to lead the regional government himself and not to have an administration apart from the government's apparatus: "I do not plan to become the president of Nizhnii Novgorod Oblast." Shantsev also promised to abolish the office of first deputy minister and to create a special ministry for investment policy that would be able to respond promptly to investors seeking to do business in the region. Shantsev cited the lack of budget resources as the source of all major problems facing the oblast. He noted that Nizhnii Novgorod's annual revenues total 35 billion rubles ($1.2 billion) for a population of 3.5 million, whereas Moscow takes in 400 billion rubles for a population of 10 million. Boosting budget revenues will be a priority for his government. LB[11] OIL, ALUMINUM MAGNATE COULD BECOME GOVERNOR OF KAMCHATKAPresidential envoy to the Far East Federal District Konstantin Pulikovskii has suggested that the oligarch Viktor Vekselberg could be a candidate for governor of Kamchatka when the current governor's term expires in 2007, Interfax reported on 9 August, citing an interview with Pulikovskii in the weekly "Argumenty i fakty." Pulikovskii praised wealthy businessman Roman Abramovich's work as governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, adding that "We will propose similar candidates in other regions." Pulikovskii noted that three of Abramovich's companies, now registered in Chukotka, pay 80 percent of the taxes collected in the region. Vekselberg is a director of TNK-BP; his other business interests include the aluminum company SUAL. Earlier this year, "Forbes" magazine estimated his net worth at $5 billion (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 March 2005). Meanwhile, the Kamchatka Oblast Council of People's Deputies on 10 August scheduled a referendum on merging with Koryak Autonomous Okrug for 23 October, RIA-Novosti reported. The okrug's legislature has already scheduled a referendum on the merger for the same date. If citizens in both regions approve the merger, the new federation subject will be called Kamchatka Krai. LB[12] CHECHEN LEGISLATURE DEPLORES CLASH IN DAGHESTANMeeting on 9 August, the Chechen State Council adopted an appeal to the peoples of Chechnya and Daghestan expressing concern over a clash three days earlier between residents of two villages in Daghestan's Khasavyurt Raion, regnum.ru reported. A group of young Avars from the village of Moksob attacked Chechens in the village of Novoselskoe, according to regnum.ru on 9 August and "Nezavisimaya gazeta" on 10 August. Some 100 people took part in the ensuing fistfight; there was no recourse to firearms, but up to 20 people were injured and required medical treatment. The statement by the Chechen State Council, several of whose deputies traveled to Daghestan to investigate the incident, expressed concern that the fighting was deliberately provoked in order to "destabilize the situation." It further proposed cooperation with Daghestan's State Council to defuse tensions, regnum.ru reported. LFTranscaucasia And Central Asia [13] OPPOSITIONIST POINTS OUT OMISSIONS IN PUBLISHED TEXT OF ARMENIAN ELECTION LAWFeliks Khachatrian, an opposition member of the Central Election Commission, said on 9 August that the printed version of the amended Election Code sent by the commission to its district subsidiaries omits certain key requirements, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Khachatrian specifically noted the absence from the printed version of one sentence in Article 7 stipulating that election bodies must make public final voter turnout figures by noon the day after the vote. He said that the commission has rejected his demand that the required corrections to the law be published in a separate brochure, and he suggested that the omissions from the printed version of the amended law could result in unintentional violations of the law in the next election. LF[14] ARMENIAN POLLS INDICATE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR DIRECT ELECTION OF YEREVAN MAYORAn opinion poll of some 700 people conducted by the independent organization Vox Populi found that 86 percent of respondents think the mayor of the Armenian capital should be elected by popular vote, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported on 9 August. Only 9 percent expressed approval of the current procedure, under which the mayor is chosen by the country's president, and only 2 percent favor the alternative procedure, proposed in draft amendments to the constitution, under which the mayor would be elected by members of the municipal council (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 August 2005). A similar poll conducted by the news agency Noyan Tapan in late May similarly found mass support for direct elections for the post of Yerevan mayor, Noyan Tapan reported on 9 August. LF[15] TRIAL OF TURKISH SCHOLAR OPENS IN ARMENIAThe trial opened on 9 August at a Yerevan district court of a young Turkish scholar accused of trying to take old books out of the country without the required official permit, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. The scholar, Yektan Turkyilmaz, who spent two months researching Ottoman history in the Armenian state archives, was apprehended in mid-June when trying to leave Armenia, taking with him 88 books, including a 17th-century Bible. Turkyilmaz pleaded not guilty on 9 August, saying he was unaware of the need to obtain official permission to export books published more than 50 years ago. Several Turkish academics have appealed to the Armenian leadership on Turkyilmaz's behalf, as has U.S. Senator Bob Dole (Republican, Kansas). LF[16] POLAND REJECTS AZERBAIJANI PROSECUTOR-GENERAL'S ALLEGATIONSThe Polish charge d'affaires in Baku told Interfax on 9 August that claims made last week by the Azerbaijani Prosecutor-General's Office that members of the opposition youth movement Yeni Fikir traveled to Poland for training in "how to act during possible mass disturbances and rallies" are untrue. The Polish diplomat, whom Interfax did not identify by name, said Yeni Fikir Deputy Chairman Said Nuriev was among 10 Azerbaijanis who attended a workshop in Warsaw on 30 July-5 August. He said that workshop, organized by the European Institute for Democracy, was devoted to democracy and human rights. On 10 August, the website day.az reported that the Georgian police have not yet commented on the Azerbaijani prosecutor-general's allegation that Armenian intelligence agents sought to recruit Yeni Fikir Chairman Ruslan Bashirli in Tbilisi in late July (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 August 2005). LF[17] AZERBAIJANI RULING PARTY OPTS OUT OF DIALOGUE WITH OPPOSITIONThe Yeni Azerbaycan Party (YAP) informed the Civic Unity Party (VBP) on 9 August that while it advocates establishing "normal relations" between pro-government and opposition forces, it cannot participate in any dialogue in which the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AHCP) is represented in the light of that body's treacherous collusion with the Armenians, zerkalo.az reported on 10 August. That statement refers to the AHCP 's purported support for Yeni Fikir. The YAP statement affirmed the party's readiness to participate in any roundtable gatherings from which the AHCP is excluded. VBP Chairman Sabir Rustamkhanly told zerkalo.az that the roundtable his party planned to host on 10 August -- the fourth in a series initiated by YAP in early May -- has been postponed. LF[18] OSCE DEPLORES ATTACKS ON AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITIONAmbassador Maurizio Pavesi, who heads the Baku office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), released a statement on 9 August "strongly condemning" the recent acts of violence against the Baku and Nakhichevan offices of the AHCP, Turan reported. In actions that the AHCP believes were orchestrated by the Azerbaijani authorities, protesters hurled rocks and daubed insulting slogans at the buildings in question to demonstrate their anger at the party's alleged collusion with Yeni Fikir Chairman Bashirli (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 August 2005). Pavesi said he hopes the Azerbaijani authorities "will take all necessary measures to prevent...violent and unauthorized public meetings, which would result in an unjustifiable deterioration" in the political situation in the run-up to the 6 November parliamentary elections. Also on 9 August, two parliamentary deputies representing the AHCP met with Interior Minister Ramil Usubov to discuss the picket by protesters of the AHCP headquarters in Baku, Turan reported. LF[19] GEORGIAN OFFICIAL EXPLAINS NON-PARTICIPATION IN RAILWAY TALKSIrakli Alasania, chairman of the Tbilisi-based Abkhaz government in exile, told journalists in Tbilisi on 9 August that the team of Georgian experts due to travel to Sukhum to participate together with Abkhaz and Russian colleagues in an assessment of the repairs required to render operational the railway from Russia via Abkhazia to Tbilisi failed to do so because the Abkhaz authorities refused entry to three of the nine Georgians who fled Abkhazia during the 1992-93 war, rustavi2.com reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 August 2005). Alasania did not explain what prevented the remaining Georgians from traveling to Sukhum and embarking on the evaluation as agreed. In Sukhum, Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba said the Georgian engineers to whom Abkhazia barred entry have been replaced by others, Caucasus Press reported. Abkhaz Prime Minister Aleksandr Ankvab for his part said that the survey will begin on 10 August as originally planned, apsny.ru reported. Ankvab said the evaluation cannot take place without the participation of Georgian experts as Georgia has all the documentation concerning tunnels along the stretch of railroad in question. LF[20] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PARTY ACCUSES TBILISI MAYOR OF CORRUPTIONThe opposition Labor Party faction within the Tbilisi municipal council has accused Mayor Gigi Ugulava of paying for private visits to Strasbourg, Paris, and Moscow for himself and his wife out of municipal funds, Interfax and Caucasus Press reported on 9 August. President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed Ugulava Tbilisi mayor last month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 July 2005), a move that met with the approval of roughly half of the 500 city residents polled by the weekly "Kviris palitra," according to Caucasus Press on 25 July. LF[21] REPORT CITES INCREASING PRESSURE ON SUSPECTED SPONSORS OF KAZAKH OPPOSITIONKazakh authorities have opened a criminal case against one of the presumed financial sponsors of the opposition in the lead-up to the presidential election tentatively expected in December 2005, Russia's "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 8 August. On 5 August, the deputy head of the Agency for Fighting Economic Crime announced that embezzlement and tax-evasion charges have been filed against businessman Bolat Abilov, fergana.ru reported. Abilov is a former member of the pro-presidential Otan Party who subsequently joined the opposition and recently helped found the opposition bloc For a Just Kazakhstan. Abilov, who owns a chain of stores and a number of other businesses in Kazakhstan, has often been cited as a likely financial sponsor of opposition activities, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported. The newspaper also noted that the financial police have opened a criminal case against businessman Talgat Kozhakhmetov, the brother of opposition leader Asylbek Kozhakhmetov. DK[22] KYRGYZ OFFICIAL SAYS FOUR UZBEK CITIZENS COULD FACE DEPORTATION...Miroslav Niyazov, secretary of Kyrgyzstan's National Security Council, told RFE/R's Kyrgyz Service on 9 August that four of the 15 Uzbek citizens currently detained in Osh could be handed over to the Uzbek authorities. At least 11 of the 15 have received asylum-seeker status, and Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden have expressed a willingness to grant them asylum (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 August 2005). Kyrgyzinfo reported on 9 August that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has granted refugee status to a twelfth Uzbek citizen. Uzbek authorities have accused the remaining three Uzbek citizens of killing a prosecutor in Andijon during violence there on 12-13 May, and Kyrgyz authorities have refused to grant the three asylum-seeker status. A hearing on the case of one Uzbek citizen is set to take place on 11 August in Bishkek, Cholpon Jakupova, head of the NGO Adilet, told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service. International organizations have urged Kyrgyzstan to allow the relocation of all 15 Uzbek citizens, who fled Uzbekistan after violence in Andijon on 12-13 May, to a third country. DK[23] ...AS RIGHTS ADVOCATES SAY UP TO 1,000 UNREGISTERED REFUGEES ARE IN KYRGYZSTANAccording to rights advocates, several hundred unregistered refugees from Uzbekistan who fled violence in Andijon on 12-13 May are currently residing in Kyrgyzstan, fergana.ru reported on 8 August. Edil Baisalov, the head of the NGO coalition For Democracy and Democratic Society, told fergana.ru that his colleagues in southern Kyrgyzstan have established contact with at least 30 unregistered refugees and believe that there are several hundred such refugees. Izzatulla Rakhmatullaev, who heads a human rights NGO in Osh, said his organization is in contact with seven refugees from Andijon in Osh and has identified another 15 near the city. He said the total number of unregistered refugees in Osh, Karasuu, and Uzgen could be as high as 1,000. Baisalov told fergana.ru that the refugees began to hide after Kyrgyz authorities returned 80 refugees to Andijon to Uzbekistan, a figure that contradicts previous statements by Kyrgyz officials. Both Baisalov and Rakhmatullaev said the unregistered refugees are living in difficult circumstances. UNHCR representatives contacted by fergana.ru would not comment on the topic. DK[24] KYRGYZ POLICE OPEN 34 EXTREMISM CASES IN 2005Kyrgyz prosecutors have opened 34 criminal cases and detained 36 individuals on charges of extremism in the first half of 2005, Kabar reported on 9 August. In one case, explosives were confiscated in the city of Osh. Law-enforcement officials noted that the banned extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir has been active, particularly in southern Kyrgyzstan. DK[25] TAJIK OPPOSITION VOICES PROTEST OVER THREATS TO FREE PRESSThree Tajik opposition parties -- the Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, and the Mirhusayn Nazriev-led wing of the Socialist Party -- issued a statement on 9 August expressing concern about limitations on freedom of the press in Tajikistan, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reported. Noting the closure of such independent newspapers as "Ruzi Nav" and "Nerui Sukhan" in the run-up to February 2005 parliamentary elections, the statement said that "political pluralism and freedom of speech, guaranteed by the constitution, have been subjected to pressure and risk over the past few years," Asia Plus-Blitz reported. The statement called on the authorities to create better conditions for the independent press. Hikmatullo Sayfullozoda, a spokesman for the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP), which did not sign the statement, said the IRP agrees that the government has increased pressure on independent media over the last year, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reported. But a representative of the ruling People's Democratic Party told RFE/RL that the IRP newspaper "Najot" is still being published; the spokesman said that the opposition parties were simply trying to portray themselves as persecuted. DK[26] TAJIK POLICE SHUT DOWN HIZB UT-TAHRIR INTERNET CAFE IN CAPITALTajik police have arrested Nurali Mirzoev, an employee at an Internet cafe in Dushanbe, and charged him with membership of the banned Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reported on 9 August. Police also confiscated 32 Hizb ut-Tahrir leaflets and discovered the texts of the leaflets stored on computers at the cafe. DK[27] TAJIK PRESIDENT MEETS IN BANGKOK WITH THAI PREMIERPresident Imomali Rakhmonov met with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Bangkok on 9 August for talks focused on economic cooperation, Tajik Radio reported. The two signed six bilateral agreements on cooperation in trade, investment, the energy sector, tourism, and counternarcotics and counterterrorism efforts, Thai News Agency reported. Rakhmonov's official visit to Thailand is scheduled to last until 12 August. DKEastern Europe [28] BELARUSIAN COURT UPHOLDS OPPOSITIONIST'S INCARCERATION SENTENCEThe Minsk City Court on 9 August dismissed an appeal by opposition politician Andrey Klimau against the sentence imposed on him in June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 June 2005). Klimau was sentenced to 18 months in a correctional-labor colony on charges of disturbing the public peace during an opposition protest he organized in Minsk in March. Since Klimau has already spent three months in a pretrial detention center, where each day is counted as two in executing a sentence of imprisonment, his term was cut to one year. He is expected to be sent to an open-type correctional facility in the near future. JM[29] UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT PRICES KRYVORIZHSTAL AT $2 BILLIONThe Ukrainian government on 9 August set a $2 billion starting price for a 93.02 percent stake in the Kryvorizhstal steel mill, which was sold last year under a disputable privatization tender for $800 to a consortium controlled by oligarchs Rynat Akhmetov and Viktor Pinchuk, Ukrainian and international media reported. Earlier this year the privatization of Kryvorizhstal was annulled by a Ukrainian court (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 June 2005). Bidders in the new privatization tender are also obliged to present an eight-year investment program worth 12 billion hryvnyas ($6 billion). Kryvorizhstal declared earnings of more than $400 million last year. Akhmetov and Pinchuk have lodged complaints against the Kryvorizhstal reprivatization with the Supreme Court of Ukraine and the European Court for Human Rights, both of which are pending. JM[30] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES HIS PREDECESSOR ON BIRTHDAYPresident Viktor Yushchenko on 9 August passed his best wishes to former President Leonid Kuchma on the latter's birthday, Interfax-Ukraine reported, quoting the presidential press service. In a telephone conversation, Yushchenko reportedly wished Kuchma a warm anniversary spent with friends and relatives. Kuchma turned 67 on 9 August. JMSoutheastern Europe [31] CONVICTED BOSNIAN SERB WAR CRIMINAL WILLING GO TO THE HAGUEFormer Bosnian Serb paramilitary leader Milan Lukic told a court in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 9 August that he is willing to face war crimes charges stemming from the 1992-95 Bosnian conflict before the tribunal in The Hague, Reuters and dpa reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 August 2005). A Serbian court has already tried Lukic in absentia for war crimes and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Lukic, who has been on the run for about five years, told the Argentinian court that he wants "to tell the truth and remove this stain upon my life because I've been accused of something I did not do." He agreed to go to The Hague "as soon as possible" and waived his right to possibly contest extradition orders. Lukic will remain in police custody until the paperwork for his extradition has been completed. RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported that there is interest in Bosnia-Herzegovina in asking the tribunal to transfer Lukic's trial to a Bosnian court since the charges involve crimes allegedly committed in Bosnia. Florence Hartmann, spokeswoman for Carla Del Ponte, the tribunal's chief prosecutor, told RFE/RL that it is too early to discuss transferring the case. She added, however, that having Lukic tried in Bosnia remains an option. PM[32] KOSOVA'S GOVERNMENT OFFERS SERBS 'PLAN B' FOR DECENTRALIZATIONKosova's minister for local self-government, Lutfi Haziri, said in Prishtina on 9 August that the government has adopted what he called a "Plan B" for administrative decentralization following the recent rejection of the original pilot project by local Serbian leaders, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 August 2005). Haziri noted that the new plan takes Serbian objections to the first one into account and provides for more flexible boundaries for the new districts. It does not, however, envision the formation of any large districts. Haziri said that he has "harmonized" the views of the governing Democratic League of Kosova (LDK) and the opposition Democratic Party of Kosova (PDK) regarding the original plan and has also discussed the issue with local Serbian leaders in Prishtina and Mitrovica. The government gave Serbian political leaders until 10 August to say whether they will accept the revised plan. If they reject it, the government will revert to its original pilot project. But Oliver Ivanovic, a leader of the Serbian Lists for Kosovo and Metohija, said that Serbian representatives do not recognize any deadline for reaching their decision. PM[33] NGO STUDY SAYS 77 PERCENT OF TRAFFICKED MOLDOVAN TEENAGERS SUFFERED SEXUAL EXPLOITATIONAccording to a study in human trafficking unveiled in Chisinau on 9 August by the La Strada nongovernmental organization, at least 77 percent of young Moldovans aged 15-18 who were trafficked abroad were victims of sexual exploitation, BASA reported. Ana Revenco, head of the La Strada Moldovan branch, said that "the lack of life experience and elementary information regarding the trafficking in human beings makes teenagers very vulnerable and encourages their use in traffickers' networks." Teenagers constituted 15 percent of all individuals trafficked from Moldova in 2001-04, the period covered by the study. "Most children face sexual violence in Russia," the study reads. "Minors who have been victims of sexual violence in Russia say the police whom they asked for help were actually on the side of pimps and traffickers," Eugen Rusu of the Moldovan Prosecutor-General's Office noted during the presentation of the study. According to the Prosecutor-General's Office, some 400 criminal cases were filed in trafficking-related offences and 90 people were convicted in 2004-05. Sentences for human trafficking range from one to 25 years' imprisonment. JMSouthwestern Asia And The Middle East [34] U.S. MARINE, 16 MILITANTS KILLED IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN...A U.S. Marine was killed when his patrol came under small-arms fire in Zabul Province's Deh Chopan District on 8 August, American Forces Press Service (AFPS) reported on 9 August. According to the report, U.S. and coalition aircraft were summoned to the scene and killed up to 16 "enemy forces." Neo-Taliban spokesman Mufti Latifullah Hakimi claimed in a telephone interview with Peshawar-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) on 9 August that four children were killed during the bombing raid. Hakimi said that no militiamen were killed in the fighting and that he has "no details" of U.S. casualties. U.S. military officials said that no civilians were placed at risk during the attack in Zabul, AFPS reported on 9 August. AT[35] NEO-TALIBAN TAKE CREDIT FOR ATTACK ON U.S. FORCES IN SOUTH-CENTRAL AFGHANISTANSpokesman Hakimi said the neo-Taliban destroyed a U.S. military vehicle on 9 August in Ghazni Province, AIP reported the same day. "The Americans suffered loss of life in the attack," Hakimi said. U.S. military sources acknowledged that a vehicle was destroyed by an improvised explosive device in Ghani, injuring two U.S. servicemen, AFPS reported on 9 August. The injured are reportedly in stable condition. AT[36] NEO-TALIBAN WARN FEMALE CANDIDATES IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTANLeaflets have recently been distributed in Faryab Province warning female candidates against running in the September parliamentary elections, the Mazar-e Sharif daily "Sahar" reported on 9 August. The leaflets reportedly bear the signature of Mullah Hasim, who claims to represent the neo-Taliban in the area. Faryab's security commander, Habib al-Rahman Zazy, downplayed the significance of the leaflets, but confirmed that Mullah Hasim is in Faryab. AT[37] AFGHANISTAN NOT CONSULTED ON REFUGEE-EXPULSION DEADLINEEngineer Omarzada, an official at the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad who oversees Afghan refugees, said on 9 August that Pakistan failed to consult Afghanistan regarding a deadline it imposed for the removal of refugees from the Islamabad region, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. Omarzada said that Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao had given assurances that Afghan officials would be consulted before any such deadline was imposed. Sherpao announced on 8 August that Afghan refugees in camps in the Islamabad region and two other locations in Pakistan's tribal agencies will be either repatriated or relocated to other camps between 15 August and 1 September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 August 2005). According to Pajhwak Afghan News, the deadline for the removal of refugees in Islamabad region has been set for 15 September. Sherpao on 8 August said that other "stakeholders involved in the repatriation and relocation process have also agreed to" Islamabad's decision, Associated Press of Pakistan reported. The refugee repatriation or relocation issue has become yet another contentious issue between Kabul and Islamabad. AT[38] CONTRADICTORY REPORTS EMERGE ON DISSIDENT IRANIAN JOURNALIST'S HEALTH...Judiciary spokesman Jamal Karimirad said on 9 August that journalist Akbar Ganji, who has been on hunger-strike for nearly 60 days, has given up his fast, IRNA reported. "He [Ganji] drank water and tea and used a sugar cube," Karimirad said. "If it was called a hunger strike, now it has ended." He said Ganji is in good health. Hospital spokesman Sirus Tabesh had a different perspective. He said on 9 August that Ganji continues to abstain from eating, ILNA reported. "If Ganji's current [health] condition continues as it has, he will be in danger," Tabesh said. "There has been no change in Ganji's condition. He's become neither better nor worse." BS[39] ...AS AUTHORITIES RAID HIS HOMEMasumeh Shafii, Akbar Ganji's wife, has told Radio Farda that personnel from the Tehran prosecutor's office raided her home on the morning of 8 August and confiscated tapes, papers, documents, a computer, and an address book. She claimed that officials handcuffed her to a bed during the inspection of the premises, which they videotaped. She added that telephone service to her and neighboring homes was disconnected. Shafii said the officials who conducted the raid had a warrant from Judge Said Mortazavi, and that she had previously seen them at Milad Hospital, where her husband is located. Female security personnel participated in the raid on the Ganji home. BS[40] IMPRISONED IRANIAN LAWYER'S FAMILY DENIED ACCESSThe wife of an Iranian attorney who was arrested on 30 July has told Radio Farda that judiciary spokesman Jamal Karimirad has said her husband is not being granted access to his lawyers for reasons of national security. Masumeh Dehqan said she had not heard from her husband, Abdolfattah Soltani, for 11 days. She therefore went to Judge Mortazavi's office, and although he was not there she submitted a letter requesting access to Soltani and the return of goods confiscated from her home. Soltani is representing the defendants in a nuclear-espionage case (see "RFE/RL Iran Report," 27 December 2004). BS[41] IRANIAN CABINET SHAPES UPThe Iranian Labor News Agency reported on 9 August that Davud Danesh-Jafari will serve as first vice president to President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, while simultaneously heading the Management and Planning Organization. Another legislator, Seyyed Ahmad Musavi, has been introduced as vice president for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, ILNA reported. Mashhad representative Ali Asgari confirmed this latter choice, Fars News Agency reported. Other prospective cabinet members identified by ILNA, which did not reveal its sources, are Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ejei as intelligence and security minister, Mohammad Jahromi as interior minister, and Hussein Safar-Harandi as Islamic culture and guidance minister. BS[42] IRANIAN PRESIDENT MENTIONS NUCLEAR COUNTERPROPOSALPresident Mahmud Ahmadinejad on 9 August denounced a nuclear proposal that was submitted by the EU last week, IRNA reported. "What the Europeans forwarded to us does not look like a proposal at all," he said. "It is an insult to the Iranian nation. They addressed us as if the Iranian nation was suffering from backwardness and the time was 100 years ago and our country was their colony." Ahmadinejad said the EU was emboldened by Iran's two-year suspension of its nuclear activities and apparently this led to unrealistic expectations. Ahmadinejad said Iran is willing to continue its discussions with the EU, and he will submit his proposal to the EU after forming a cabinet. This will take approximately two weeks. An anonymous diplomat in Vienna told AFP that Iran's written response to the EU proposal was "colorful" and "intemperate." BS[43] INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT IRANPresident George W. Bush said at a 9 August press conference in Crawford, Texas, that Iranian willingness to continue negotiations is a positive development, Reuters reported. But he also said the United States is "deeply suspicious" of Iran's intentions. "It is important for the Iranians to understand that America stands squarely with the EU-3 [Britain, France, Germany], that we feel strongly the Iranians need to adhere to the agreements made in the Paris accord, and that we will be willing to work with our partners and deal with appropriate consequences should they ignore the demands." Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said on 9 August that Moscow has asked Iran to stop the work on uranium conversion that it began the previous day, RIA reported. Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in Biarritz that "we are holding out the hand of friendship," AFP reported. BS[44] IRAQI PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESMAN DISCUSSES CONSTITUTION TALKSKamran al-Karadaghi, spokesman for Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, told reporters in Baghdad on 9 August that talks on the draft Iraqi constitution are progressing and "the general atmosphere is amiable and positive," RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) reported. Al-Karadaghi said that the participants in the 9 August meetings, sponsored by Talabani, are the same representatives who attended the 7 August meeting. The meeting expanded to include later in the day political representatives from parties not taking part in the National Assembly, he added. Three topics were discussed at the meeting, namely, federalism, the distribution of resources, and the elections system. "Everyone affirmed their commitment to the deadline and their care to preserve Iraqi unity," al-Karadaghi said. "They affirmed that Iraqis' choices must be respected." Asked by RFI if a final agreement was expected to be reached on 9 August on the three topics on the agenda, al-Karadaghi responded: "No, because the dialogue only started today.... The discussions are only in their preliminary stages and have not yet entered the stages of agreement or lack of agreement." He went on to tell reporters that "the devil is in the details. So, when they go into the details we will see what happens." KR[45] BAGHDAD MAYOR OUSTED...Baghdad Mayor Ala al-Tamimi was forcibly removed from his position on 8 August when armed men, supported by City Council Chairman Mazin Makkiya, stormed his office and installed Husayn al-Tahhan as acting mayor, RFI reported on 9 August. The council appointed al-Tahhan as acting governor of the Baghdad province just one week ago; he is a member of the Badr Organization, the armed wing of the Shi'ite political party Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). Al-Tamimi told RFI that he wasn't in his office at the time of the takeover, but cited witnesses as saying that about 120 armed men stormed the building with al-Tahhan and Makkiya, whereupon al-Tahhan announced himself as acting mayor. Al-Tamimi claimed that the armed men beat some of the employees. KR[46] ...IN WHAT HE CALLS UNACCEPTABLE MOVEAl-Tamimi told RFI on 9 August that the ouster was unacceptable behavior, although he has no intention of fighting it. "I telephoned the secretary of the Council of Ministers. He confirmed the action was unacceptable and condemnable. It is not [becoming of] the position [of Baghdad governor] to conduct such an action.... This behavior is typical of the era of military coups, an era that Iraq has already departed from, as I [had] hoped. What happened yesterday is a very dangerous development." Al-Tamimi claimed that Husayn al-Tahhan launched a smear campaign against him one week earlier in an attempt to remove him from office. Al-Tamimi attempted to resign from his post last month, citing a lack of budgetary support from the central government (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 July 2005). Government spokesman Laith Kubba confirmed to RFI on 9 August that al-Tamimi's resignation will now be accepted. He added that the Council of Ministers will consider three candidates to fill the position in its next session. Al-Tamimi's interview, titled "Ousted Baghdad Mayor Speaks To Radio Free Iraq, can be found in full on rferl.org. KR[47] PRIME MINISTER'S SPOKESMAN SAYS GOVERNMENT WILL ADD TWO NEW MINISTERSSpokesman Laith Kubba told reporters during a 9 August press briefing in Baghdad that the government will add two new ministers to the cabinet, RFI reported. The positions will hold the rank of state ministers, one for social security affairs, and the other for national dialogue affairs. The social-security affairs minister will be responsible for bringing order to the social-security system. "Currently, Iraq and the government are spending huge amounts of money to achieve this goal, but the way of spending is general and haphazard" and the poorest people receive the lowest benefits, Kubba said. The national-dialogue minister will be responsible for "recreating national unity" by creating dialogue between alliances -- be they ethnic, national, or religious in nature. Kubba also told reporters that the position of human-rights minister remains open, adding that there are currently four candidates -- three women and one man -- for the position. KREnd Note [48] NUCLEAR DECISION-MAKING PROCESS UNDERGOES CHANGES IN IRANBy Bill SamiiRecent announcements from Tehran about new President Mahmud Ahmadinejad making personnel changes in the Supreme National Security Council and the Foreign Ministry raise questions about the future of the country's international relations, generally, and the course of its nuclear decision making, specifically. Such personnel changes could have a visible impact on Iran's negotiations with other countries and in its public facade. In practical terms, however, decision making and policy setting in Iran is very complex, and its consensual nature precludes one person from causing a complete reversal. Supreme National Security Council public-affairs chief Ali Aqamohammadi said on 8 August that Ali Larijani's appointment as Supreme National Security Council secretary will come "soon," the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. He added that the current secretary, Hojatoleslam Hassan Rohani, will stay on as the supreme leader's representative to the council. As Larijani is already the leader's representative to the council, in practical terms he and Rohani are only exchanging jobs. Unconfirmed reports from a news website that is reportedly associated with Ahmadinejad (http://www.khedmat.ir) add that the possible future foreign minister is Ali Akbar Salehi. Salehi is a nuclear physicist who has served as Iran's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He was relieved of his duties in late 2003, when he leaked information about the policy process to the press. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is at the top of the foreign-policy process. According to Article 110 of the constitution, his duties include establishing general policies of the country after consultation with the Expediency Council, and supervising the proper execution of these general policies. According to Article 112, the supreme leader appoints all Expediency Council members. The Supreme National Security Council is the country's top foreign-policy body, according to Article 176, and it determines national security and defense policy within the framework of the general policies specified by the supreme leader. The president chairs the Security Council. Its other members are the speaker of parliament; judiciary chief; chief of the armed forces' Supreme Command Council; the officer in charge of planning and budget; two representatives of the supreme leader; the heads of the Foreign Ministry, Intelligence and Security Ministry, and Interior Ministry; and the top officers from the regular armed forces and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. The supreme leader must confirm Security Council decisions before they can be implemented. In addition to these constitutional, and therefore formal, factors that define the extent of the supreme leader's influence in the foreign-policy process, there are informal institutions that are at least as influential. The most important of these are the Office of the Supreme Leader and the system of leader's representatives. Khamenei uses these institutions to bypass normal bureaucratic methods. As a leader's representative and a member of the Expediency Council, therefore, Ali Larijani has always had a role in the foreign-policy process. His prospective promotion to the position of Supreme National Security Council secretary suggests that he may have a greater influence than before, but he will not be the final arbiter in foreign-policy issues. The nuclear issue is a particularly sensitive one for Iran, and the related policy process in Tehran has undergone significant changes in the last three years. Initially, there were three committees that dealt with the issue -- the primary Council of Heads and the secondary Policymaking Committee, as well as a third committee of relevant experts. The Council of Heads included Hassan Rohani. Members of the Policymaking Committee included cabinet members and the director of the country's Atomic Energy Organization (Gholamreza Aqazadeh-Khoi). Two confidantes of the supreme leader, Ali Larijani and former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, also were members of this committee. The Foreign Ministry was in charge of the Policymaking Committee and expert-level meetings. It also had the lead in negotiations with the IAEA. The major change came after the IAEA's board of governors meeting in September 2003. At that time the board urged Iran to accelerate its cooperation with the agency and remedy failures identified in its resolution. Around September-October 2003 there was talk among the country's foreign-policy elite that one person should have authority over the nuclear issue and all the agencies that deal with it. Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi recommended Hassan Rohani for this job, but Rohani was reluctant to take on this responsibility. Rohani suggested that the Foreign Ministry handle the issue while the Supreme National Security Council provided support. Rohani said later, in an interview that appeared in the 23 July "Kayhan," that both Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Khatami insisted that he take on the new job. He added that he was instructed not to implement changes in the ministerial-level committee, and he said he kept the same negotiating team. The most important decisions continued to be made by the Council of Heads -- for example, whether or not to negotiate with the European Union or cooperate with the IAEA. "In fact, all of the important and strategic principles and decisions that were the foundation of work were ratified in the Council of Heads," Rohani said. "The decisions that were made on the second level, which means in the Committee of Ministers, were also reported to the leader and the president before being executed." Every committee agreed, Rohani said, that the complete nuclear fuel cycle is Iran's "red line." In other words, Iran might be willing to suspend some of its nuclear activities temporarily, but it would never forsake mastery of the fuel cycle -- uranium extraction and enrichment; fuel production; loading the reactor with fuel; and then unloading, reprocessing, and storing the spent fuel. When foreign ministers from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom came to Tehran in October 2003 and called for termination of fuel-cycle related activities, they were rebuffed. Even calls for a long-term suspension were dismissed. In late July 2005, Iranian officials began to discuss the possibility of resuming activities at the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility. Raw uranium is processed into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) at the Isfahan facility. UF6 is a gas that is used in centrifuges to make enriched uranium; the centrifuges are at a facility in Natanz. "We are determined to start operations in Isfahan, and naturally, we know that this has certain costs and we are ready to pay them," Rohani said in an interview that appeared in the 26 July "Kayhan." IAEA inspectors arrived on 8 August to remove the seals and install surveillance cameras. Later that day, according to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), activities at the facility resumed in the presence of the inspectors and Mohammad Saidi, the deputy international affairs chief at Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. Tehran has gone to some effort to show that the decision to resume activities at Isfahan was made regardless of the new president. Supreme National Security Council official Ali Aqamohammadi said in the 27 July "Sharq" that Supreme Leader Khamenei, President Khatami, President-elect Ahmadinejad, and former Prime Minister Mir-Hussein Musavi participated in a meeting on when to resume nuclear activities. Aqamohammadi was more explicit in a 1 August interview with IRNA, saying the decision to resume nuclear activities in Isfahan involved the country's top officials. He cited the same names as before, as well as Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani. Unlike the other officials, Musavi is not known to have a role in setting nuclear policy. Yet he came across as quite the enthusiast, saying on 30 July that current Iranian achievements in the nuclear field are as significant as the nationalization of oil in the early 1950s, Mehr News Agency reported. Musavi praised President Khatami's role in this area, as well as the efforts of Iran's scientists. Ali Larijani has been openly critical of his country's diplomatic contacts with European negotiators, saying they have given away too much in exchange for very little. President Ahmadinejad struck a similar tone in his 6 August inaugural address. He accused "some governments" of "trying to deprive our nation of its inalienable rights," state television reported. "I don't know why some [governments] don't want to understand the fact that the Iranian nation will not be bullied." The prospective foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, has accused the United States of trying to deprive Iran of its perceived right to use nuclear energy. He told the IAEA's board of governors in September 2003 that, "If cooperation has been slow at times...if there have been [a] few incidents of discrepancies...it is all out of one and only one concern: The U.S. intention behind this saga is nothing but to make this deprivation final and eternal," "The Wall Street Journal" reported on 18 March 2005. And when the legislature passed a nonbinding resolution calling on the government to resume developing nuclear fuel, Salehi was quoted as saying, "We need security of supply," "The New York Times" reported on 16 May. "We would like to get energy from all possible sources." These new players in the policy process -- particularly Ahmadinejad -- are likely to be more nationalistically driven than individuals with more longstanding involvement. The discrete nature of policy setting and decision making in Iran suggests that if any dramatic changes do occur, they will not be revealed to the public in the near future. Furthermore, the existence of disagreements is not likely to see the light of day, given restrictions on the media. Therefore, tracking public statements by top officials could be the only way to discern possible changes in Iran's nuclear stance. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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