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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 114, 99-06-11

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>

RFE/RL NEWSLINE

Vol. 3, No. 114, 11 June 1999


CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

  • [01] ARMENIAN DEFENSE CHIEF NAMED PRIME MINISTER
  • [02] GEORGIA, ARMENIA, IRAN TO COOPERATE IN FIGHTING CRIME
  • [03] YEREVAN SAYS ITS WEAPONS DON'T THREATEN OTHERS
  • [04] RICH-POOR GAP INCREASES IN ARMENIA
  • [05] DEBAKEY SAYS ALIEV IN GOOD HEALTH
  • [06] BAKU SEES NO CHANGE IN ARMENIA'S POSITION
  • [07] BAKU SAYS IRAN HAS INCREASED ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES
  • [08] NEW AZERBAIJANI GAS FIELD LARGER THAN EXPECTED
  • [09] TBILISI SEES SUPPORT FOR 'INTERNATIONALIZING' ABKHAZ PEACE PROCESS
  • [10] GREECE TO PRESENT WARSHIP TO GEORGIA
  • [11] NAZARBAEV MARKS FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF NEW CAPITAL
  • [12] KAZAKHSTAN DENIES VIOLATING ANTI-DUMPING ACCORD
  • [13] KAZAKHSTAN FAILS TO HELP REPATRIATES
  • [14] BOMB DAMAGES TAJIK TOWN
  • [15] TURKMENISTAN VISA LAW BLOCKS DEPARTURE OF 51

  • [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

  • [16] BALKAN STABILITY PACT LAUNCHED
  • [17] KOSOVA PEACE PROCESS ON TRACK
  • [18] NATO BUILDUP IN MACEDONIA CONTINUES
  • [19] MILOSEVIC CLAIMS VICTORY
  • [20] ARTEMIJE TELLS SERBS TO STAY
  • [21] CLINTON PRAISES KOSOVA POLICY
  • [22] CHIRAC: FRANCE SAVED BELGRADE BRIDGES
  • [23] ALBANIA, SLOVENIA EXPRESS CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM
  • [24] AUSTRALIAN DOCTOR SAYS UCK TROOPS WERE 'CANNON FODDER'
  • [25] GERMANY PLEDGES AID TO ALBANIA
  • [26] TWO KILLED IN ATTACK ON OSCE VEHICLE IN ALBANIA
  • [27] ARBOUR TO LEAVE HAGUE COURT
  • [28] SEPAROVIC RELEASED FROM CROATIAN POLICE DETENTION
  • [29] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES ACCESS TO COMMUNIST POLICE FILES
  • [30] WORLD BANK APPROVES ROMANIAN LOAN
  • [31] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT MEETS TRANSDNIESTER LEADER
  • [32] MOLDOVAN POLITICIAN SENTENCED FOR INSULTING OFFICIAL
  • [33] BULGARIA NEGOTIATING LOGISTIC SUPPORT AGREEMENT WITH NATO
  • [34] BULGARIA PRIVATIZES FOUNDRY FOR $1

  • [C] END NOTE

  • [35] THE APPROACHING END OF THE 'PARTY OF POWER'

  • [A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

    [01] ARMENIAN DEFENSE CHIEF NAMED PRIME MINISTER

    Government sources in Yerevan told RFE/RL that Defense Minister Vazgen Sarkisian, whose Miasnutyun alliance won the 30 May parliamentary elections, has been appointed prime minister by President Robert Kocharian. The appointment is to be announced later on 11 June. The names of other members of the new cabinet have not yet been announced. PG

    [02] GEORGIA, ARMENIA, IRAN TO COOPERATE IN FIGHTING CRIME

    The foreign ministers of Georgia, Armenia, and Iran signed a memorandum in Tbilisi on 10 June committing their countries to work together to control illegal drugs and money laundering, the Georgian news agency Iprinda reported. Under the terms of the agreement, the three will hold annual meetings, exchange information, and train one another's specialists in these areas. PG

    [03] YEREVAN SAYS ITS WEAPONS DON'T THREATEN OTHERS

    Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian said in Tbilisi on 10 June that his country has every right to purchase weapons for its national security, Prime-News reported. But he insisted that the weapons it possesses do not pose a threat to Georgia. PG

    [04] RICH-POOR GAP INCREASES IN ARMENIA

    The UN Development Program announced on 10 June that living standards for most Armenians have deteriorated over the last several years and that the gap between the wealthy and the poor has increased, Armenpress reported. The average monthly salary in Armenia is now $27. PG

    [05] DEBAKEY SAYS ALIEV IN GOOD HEALTH

    U.S. heart surgeon Michael DeBakey told ITAR-TASS on 11 June that Azerbaijani President Haidar Aliev has made excellent progress in recovering from his 29 April surgery and is now in good health. DeBakey, who acknowledged that he has not seen Aliev since the surgery, said he based his assessment on conversations with Aliev's doctors. PG

    [06] BAKU SEES NO CHANGE IN ARMENIA'S POSITION

    Vafa Guluzade, Azerbaijani President Aliev's chief foreign policy adviser, told the Turan news agency on 10 June that he does not believe that the election of former communist leader Karen Demirchian as speaker of the Armenian parliament will produce significant changes in Yerevan's approach to foreign policy. He added that "one can expect changes in Yerevan's attitude to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict only when Russia's influence on Armenia declines." PG

    [07] BAKU SAYS IRAN HAS INCREASED ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES

    Azerbaijan's Security Ministry told Reuters on 10 June that Tehran has increased its espionage effort against Baku and that Iranian agents are seeking to weaken the Azerbaijani republic. The Iranian Embassy denied the charges. PG

    [08] NEW AZERBAIJANI GAS FIELD LARGER THAN EXPECTED

    President Aliev said on 10 June that test wells at the Shakh Deniz oil field suggest that this field contains almost twice as much gas as predicted, Reuters reported. The Azerbaijani leader said that there may be 700 billion cubic meters of gas in the field, instead of the 400 billion cubic meters estimated. PG

    [09] TBILISI SEES SUPPORT FOR 'INTERNATIONALIZING' ABKHAZ PEACE PROCESS

    Georgian State Minister Vazha Lordkipanidze on 10 June said that Tbilisi's ambassador in Brussels has found support for adopting the "Kosovo pattern" for a resolution of the Abkhaz dispute, Prime-News reported. According to the Caucasus Press news agency, among those supporting this view are the U.S. and German ambassadors. PG

    [10] GREECE TO PRESENT WARSHIP TO GEORGIA

    The Greek Defense Ministry will present a warship and other military equipment to Georgia in two weeks or so, Caucasus Press reported on 10 June. The same day, Tbilisi officials noted that Russia has slowed or even stopped its promised withdrawal of frontier troops from Georgia. PG

    [11] NAZARBAEV MARKS FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF NEW CAPITAL

    Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev on 10 June participated in celebrations marking the first anniversary of the shift of his country's capital from Almaty to Astana, Interfax-Central Asia reported. He said that "much has changed" in the new capital over the last year and that it "will become the administrative center of the country and the cultural and scientific center of our state." PG

    [12] KAZAKHSTAN DENIES VIOLATING ANTI-DUMPING ACCORD

    Viktor Yazikov, an official of Kazakhatomprom, told Interfax- Kazakhstan on 10 June that his country has not violated an agreement on ending an anti- dumping investigation concerning uranium exports to the West. Yazikov said that charges to this effect reflect an effort by Washington to promote the interests of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation. PG

    [13] KAZAKHSTAN FAILS TO HELP REPATRIATES

    According to prosecutors in Kazakhstan, the government has failed to provide sufficient funds to help those who have returned to the country from other republics but who do not have the status of refugees, Asia-Plus reported. More than 175,000 such people came to Kazakhstan between 1991 and the end of 1998. As a result, the authorities have set a quota of only 500 families for all of 1999. PG

    [14] BOMB DAMAGES TAJIK TOWN

    An explosion in Tursunzade on 10 June caused extensive property damage but claimed no casualties, Reuters reported on 11 June. Local officials said there is no indication that the latest bombing is linked to the country's long-running civil war. PG

    [15] TURKMENISTAN VISA LAW BLOCKS DEPARTURE OF 51

    According to Interfax on 10 June, the new mandatory visa regime set up by Ashgabat on 8 June has already prevented 51 people from flying out of the Turkmen capital to Moscow. Acquiring the necessary documentation will take "at least a month," the news agency said. PG

    [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [16] BALKAN STABILITY PACT LAUNCHED

    Foreign ministers of the G-8 countries and their counterparts from several southeastern European countries agreed in Cologne on 10 June to establish a long-term program to promote stability in the Balkans. Three "working tables" will deal with democracy and human rights, economic development, and security, respectively, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported. German Foreign Minster Joschka Fischer stressed that the EU will play the key role in promoting regional stability, the "Berliner Zeitung" wrote. The EU will be the main source of funds for the project, the goal of which is to prevent conflicts and integrate southeastern Europe with the rest of the continent. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said that the main task facing the region now is to provide "the people with bread and work," Deutsche Welle reported on 11 June. PM

    [17] KOSOVA PEACE PROCESS ON TRACK

    NATO supreme commander General Wesley Clark confirmed on 10 June in Brussels that Serbian forces have begun withdrawing from Kosova under the terms of the recent agreement between NATO and Belgrade (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 June 1999). NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana then ordered a suspension of air strikes against Yugoslav targets. In New York, the UN Security Council passed a resolution that includes a peace plan for Kosova and provides a mandate for the KFOR peacekeeping force. That mandate will enable refugees and displaced persons to return safely to their homes. China abstained from voting. PM

    [18] NATO BUILDUP IN MACEDONIA CONTINUES

    U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright arrived in Skopje on 11 June to meet with key NATO and Macedonian officials. Elsewhere, hundreds of U.S. troops continued to arrive in Macedonia from Albania (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 June 1999). French and U.K. troops are expected to be the first NATO troops to enter Kosova, probably on 11 or 12 June. The U.K. will supply KFOR with some 12,000 troops based in Prishtina. Germany's contingent will be 8,500-strong and headquartered in Prizren. Some 7,000 French soldiers will be stationed in Kosovska Mitrovica in the north. A U.S. contingent of 7,000 will have its headquarters in Gjilan, near the Macedonian border. Some 2,000 Italians will be based in Peja. It is not yet clear what Russia's role will be in the peacekeeping operation (see Part I). PM

    [19] MILOSEVIC CLAIMS VICTORY

    Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic began a televised address on 10 June with the words: "Happy peace to us all!" He maintained that "we never gave up" Kosova and that Serbian sovereignty over the province has been preserved. He added that "the people are the heroes." Milosevic argued that the UN ended the crisis and that troops stationed in Kosova will [be there] under a UN mandate. He added that "we have shown that our army is invincible. I am sure it is the best army in the world." PM

    [20] ARTEMIJE TELLS SERBS TO STAY

    Serbian Orthodox Archbishop Artemije, who is the leading Serbian cleric in Kosova and a critic of Milosevic, said in a statement to Orthodox priests on 10 June that they should tell their parishioners not to leave Kosova. He stressed that the Serbs can "lose" Kosova only if they themselves leave it, Vatican Radio reported. Momcilo Trajkovic, who is a political leader of Serbs in Kosova and an ally of Artemije, recently told a rally in Prishtina: "We ask for the protection of the international community so we can stay in our homes. Revenge is not a solution [to] the crisis." PM

    [21] CLINTON PRAISES KOSOVA POLICY

    U.S. President Bill Clinton said in a televised address on 10 June that NATO "did the right thing...the right way" in handling the crisis in Kosova. He noted that "aggression against an innocent people has been contained and is being turned back." The president stressed that NATO remained united throughout the crisis and that "we also preserved our critically important partnership with Russia." The president noted, as have several other Western leaders in recent days, that Serbia will receive no reconstruction aid as long as Milosevic remains in power. PM

    [22] CHIRAC: FRANCE SAVED BELGRADE BRIDGES

    French President Jacques Chirac said in a televised interview on 10 June that France had a veto power over "every single" NATO air strike against Yugoslav targets and that it often exercised that right over U.S. objections. He added that he and other unnamed French officials used their veto to prevent attacks on Belgrade's bridges and to limit the number of strikes against targets in Montenegro, particularly on the coast. Chirac argued that Milosevic "surrendered." The French president added: "It is very difficult to say why a tyrant gives in. It was very difficult for [Milosevic] to continue resistance.... [In the end he made] an unconditional capitulation. He clearly was banking on direct or indirect support from Russia, which he did not get," Chirac concluded. PM

    [23] ALBANIA, SLOVENIA EXPRESS CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM

    Albanian Prime Minister Pandeli Majko said in Tirana on 10 June that "the deployment of NATO troops in Kosova is one of the most significant achievements in establishing [ethical] values in Europe since World War II." He added that "like everyone else, we are waiting to see developments. If Milosevic remains in power, anything is possible," he concluded. His visitor, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek, noted that the peace process will be complicated and problems will arise. He added: "We all hope today is the first day of a new era for this region and that the war now will really stop," Reuters reported. PM

    [24] AUSTRALIAN DOCTOR SAYS UCK TROOPS WERE 'CANNON FODDER'

    Dr. Craig Jurisevic, who is an Australian physician of Slovenian origin, told Reuters in Kukes on 11 June that the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK) soldiers he has been treating in his emergency surgical station were "basically cannon fodder and they're fed up.... If this cease-fire doesn't hold, there will be many more avoidable deaths" among the Kosovar guerrillas. Jurisevic argued that the troops do not have a sufficient number of officers with them in the field. "They're sitting there being shelled daily. They have orders not to make an offensive and not to fire back so as not to annoy the Serbs," Jurisevic added. PM

    [25] GERMANY PLEDGES AID TO ALBANIA

    Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, who is minister for development assistance, said in Bonn on 10 June that Germany will provide nearly $20 million in aid to Albania. She noted that Albania will play a key role in the Balkan stability pact. She made her remarks after meeting with Albanian Minister for Economic Cooperation and Trade Ermelinda Meksi. PM

    [26] TWO KILLED IN ATTACK ON OSCE VEHICLE IN ALBANIA

    Unknown persons fired on an OSCE security vehicle in the lawless Bajram Curri region on 10 June, killing the driver and a technician. A third man was wounded. All five occupants were Albanians. Daan Everts, who heads the OSCE mission in Tirana, condemned the attack as a "ruthless act of violence, " Reuters reported. PM

    [27] ARBOUR TO LEAVE HAGUE COURT

    Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on 10 June named Louise Arbour, who is the chief prosecutor at the Hague-based war crimes tribunal, to fill a vacancy on Canada's Supreme Court. She has served just over two years of a four-year term at The Hague. The UN Security Council will choose her successor. Observers noted that a change in leadership at the tribunal at a time of crisis in the Balkans could make it difficult for the court to assert its role in investigating war crimes and prosecuting those who committed them. PM

    [28] SEPAROVIC RELEASED FROM CROATIAN POLICE DETENTION

    Police in Zagreb released Miroslav Separovic from detention on 10 June after failing to find any evidence in a search of his flat to substantiate charges that he leaked confidential documents to the press (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 June 1999). A spokesman for the prosecutor's office of Zagreb county said, however, that his office will conduct its own investigation of the charges against Separovic, who is a former director of the Croatian Intelligence Service. PM

    [29] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES ACCESS TO COMMUNIST POLICE FILES

    The Chamber of Deputies on 10 June voted by 244 to 13 to approve a law on access to the files of the former secret police. Senator Constantin Ticu- Dumitrescu, who initiated the law, said he is "profoundly disappointed" by the legislation because civil society representatives are not included on the body that will supervise such access and because the files will not be transferred to that body. He noted that many categories defining those obliged to declare links to the Securitate have been added to the law, making it "inoperable." Dumitrescu criticized the narrow definition of "informer" and the fact that active diplomats and those still employed by the Romanian intelligence service are exempt from having to reveal their links. He said he hopes the law will be improved by the commission that will mediate between its text and that approved by the Senate. MS

    [30] WORLD BANK APPROVES ROMANIAN LOAN

    The World Bank on 10 June approved a $300 million loan to promote the restructuring of the private sector and another $25 million loan for "technical assistance" in that reform. The same day, the government decided it will not extend beyond 30 June the validity period for the offer to Bell Helicopters Textron to take over the IAR aircraft company in Brasov. The cabinet said it cannot meet Bell's condition for governmental guarantees of $2 billion for the purchase of helicopters produced under license for the Romanian army. The cabinet also decided to accept the IMF- requested moratorium on the law offering incentives to investors. Finally, representatives of the government and teacher unions said they have reached an agreement that will end the ongoing teachers' strike. They said, however, that the agreement will be publicized only after approval by the unions' councils. MS

    [31] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT MEETS TRANSDNIESTER LEADER

    Petru Lucinschi met in Chisinau on 10 June with the leader of the separatist breakaway region, Igor Smirnov, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau and Infotag reported. The two leaders first spoke alone and were later joined by Prime Minister Ion Sturza and Smirnov's deputy, Viktor Sinev. Lucinschi told journalists that the encounter was "fruitful and covered a broad scope of problems." In this context, he mentioned the implementation of earlier accords, speeding up the negotiation process on the breakaway region's status, the withdrawal of Russian forces and their weapons, and finding solutions to economic problems and energy problems. Also discussed was the case of the "Ilascu group," which is being detained in Tiraspol. Lucinschi said that ways to secure the group's liberation are being sought. Smirnov said he does not think Lucinschi "may order the bombing" of the Transdniester and that he backs his initiative to change the system of government to a presidential one. MS

    [32] MOLDOVAN POLITICIAN SENTENCED FOR INSULTING OFFICIAL

    Valeriu Matei, deputy chairman of the Moldovan parliament and leader of the Party of Democratic Forces (PFD), has been ordered to pay General Nicolae Alexe, chief of the government's Department for Fighting Organized crime, the equivalent of 100 minimum monthly wages. The Chisinau Municipal Tribunal found Matei guilty of having insulted Alexe during a search of the premises of a company with which the PFD has close links (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 31 March 1999), Flux reported on 9 June. MS

    [33] BULGARIA NEGOTIATING LOGISTIC SUPPORT AGREEMENT WITH NATO

    Deputy Foreign Minister Konstantin Dimitrov told BTA that Bulgaria is negotiating with NATO an agreement about extending logistic support to NATO peacekeepers transiting its territory, AP reported. Transportation Minister Wilhelm Kraus confirmed that NATO experts are in Bulgaria, studying the country's transport infrastructure (see also "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 June 1999). MS

    [34] BULGARIA PRIVATIZES FOUNDRY FOR $1

    The Kremikowzi foundry outside Sofia was privatized on 10 June for the symbolic sum of $1, dpa reported. The Bulgarian company Daru Metals and its Italian partner, Marccigalia, acquired a 71 percent stake in the foundry at that price. Daru metals is assuming 462 billion leva ( $247 million) of the foundry's debts, while the Bulgarian state will cover the remaining 183 billion leva. Under the deal, the buyers will also guarantee 8,708 jobs at the foundry. MS

    [C] END NOTE

    [35] THE APPROACHING END OF THE 'PARTY OF POWER'

    By Paul Goble Economic failures, geopolitical isolation, and electoral experience are combining to bring an end to the rule of the "party of power, " one of the most characteristic features of the post-communist transition in the former Soviet republics.

    An amorphous and non-ideological group consisting of a non-party president, a politicized bureaucracy, and a depoliticized government closely linked to non-official groups, the party of power serves as a buffer between Communists on the left and nationalists on the right in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Moldova, and other post-Soviet states.

    At the present time, the party of power, both as a concept and a reality, still dominates the political landscape. But as Vladimir Bruger writes in the 26 May issue of the Moscow newspaper "Nezavisimaya gazeta-Sodruzhestvo, " its days may be numbered because of forces beyond its control. He suggests that it is likely to be replaced by a politicized politics and a more pragmatic political style.

    The first such force working against the continued dominance of the "party of power" in these countries is the continuing if not accelerating collapse of their economies. Because the parties of power have justified their remaining in office by pointing to the evils that either the nationalists or Communists may bring, they have often escaped public attack even if they have not received much public support.

    But as the economic situation in these countries has deteriorated, the parties of power no longer can make that argument work to their advantage. "In contrast to ideology or PR," Bruger writes, "economics demands an accounting for everything that is done and not done." And ever more people and politicians are deciding that the alternatives denounced by the party of power may in fact not be worse than the incumbents.

    The second force undermining the continuation of this form of governance is the changing geopolitical position of these countries. Immediately after the collapse of communism, the first post-Soviet governments--which included second- level party nomenklatura officials as well as a thin stratum of reformers--expected that the West would not only provide substantial aid but would work to integrate these countries into Western organizations.

    Neither has happened, at least as far as the population can see, Bruger notes. As a result, ever more people in these countries are prepared to consider supporting parties of the left or the right advocating policies that can be variously described as committed to self-reliance or going it alone.

    And the third force is the growing electoral experience of both politicians and the population in these states. The parties of power were able to coopt many politicians, and these ideologically based leaders were all too willing to be coopted--because the party of power had all the power--and all too willing not to challenge the bases of the party of power because they hoped eventually to use its levers themselves.

    One distinguishing characteristic of this tendency, Bruger notes, is that in both Russia and Ukraine, the political parties that form the parliamentary majorities in parliament have accepted the designation of opposition and have behaved as such.

    But that pattern is beginning to change as a result of the pressures of electoral politics. Some of those now aspiring to office were earlier cast out of the party of power and have since changed their views. After being fired as Russian premier, Viktor Chernomyrdin's political party adopted a very different stand on the constitutional arrangements that have allowed the Russian party of power to control all decision-making.

    Even more important, as the populations of these countries gain experience with elections, those politicians who hope to win support are now being forced to distance themselves from the failings of those currently in power. Thus, as Bruger points out, Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov immediately declared that his new party "cannot be held responsible for everything that was done before us." None of this necessarily sounds an immediate death knell for the parties of power. The authoritarian traditions of these countries mean that many leaders, even those who head more ideologically based parties, prefer the informal and backroom dealings that the parties of power have practiced over the last few years. And in the past, the parties of power have shown their ability to manipulate the media and the political system during elections and successfully maintain their positions of power by portraying their opponents as more dangerous than themselves.

    But economic collapse, international isolation, and experience with elections have fragmented the parties of power in all these countries, Bruger notes, thus reducing their ability to respond to challenges. That makes it ever more likely that over the next decade, the current "party of power" system will give way to a more ideologically and interest-based politics.

    That may produce bad things as well as good, Bruger concludes. But he adds that it will at least mean that the post-communist transition will enter a new phase, one that will put still more distance between where these countries will be and where they were in the communist past.

    11-06-99


    Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
    URL: http://www.rferl.org


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