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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 190, 99-09-29Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 3, No. 190, 29 September 1999CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIAN CLERICS PROTEST GOVERNMENT PRESSURE OVER NEWCATHOLICOSSix Armenian archbishops on 28 September issued a "pastoral appeal" expressing concern that senior members of the government are supporting a specific candidate for the post of Catholicos, Noyan Tapan reported. That post has been vacant since the death of Garegin I in late June. The appeal said such intervention calls into doubt "the moral and legal process" of electing a new catholicos. On 25 September, Archbishop of Artsakh Parkev Martirosian, one of the six signatories to the appeal, told RFE/RL that government officials told two of the other signatories who the Armenian leadership's preferred candidate is, but he declined to divulge that candidate's identity. AP on 28 September quoted Martirosian as saying that Garegin Nersisian, archbishop of the Ararat Diocese, which includes Yerevan, is the government's favorite for the post. Presidential spokesman Vahe Gabrielian has denied any official interference in the election process, AP added. LF [02] ARMENIA, RUSSIA TO CONTINUE DEFENSE INDUSTRY COOPERATIONRussian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on 28 Septemberapproved a draft Russian-Armenian agreement on continuing the present production and specialization of firms engaged in the development, production and testing of weapons and materiel, ITAR-TASS reported. LF [03] U.S. CALLS ON AZERBAIJAN TO RESUME KARABAKH TALKS...U.S.Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has written to Azerbaijan's President Heidar Aliev urging him to agree on a declaration of principles for the resumption of talks under the OSCE's aegis on resolving the Karabakh conflict, Reuters and AFP reported on 28 September. Albright said she believes it is possible to agree on a date and venue for the resumption of those talks before the November OSCE summit. She added that the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic should also be represented at those talks. The talks have been deadlocked for almost one year owing to Baku's rejection of the most recent peace plan, proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group. Albright has also written to Armenian President Robert Kocharian welcoming the latter's dialogue with Aliev, Interfax reported on 28 September, quoting presidential spokesman Gabrielian. LF [04] ...TO DISMAY OF OPPOSITIONOpposition party leaders toldTuran on 28 September that they consider Albright's proposals detrimental to Azerbaijan's national interests. Azerbaijan National Independence Party Chairman Etibar Mamedov argued that if the Karabakh Armenians are brought into the negotiating process, then Yerevan should withdraw. He claimed that the Azerbaijani leadership is planning to conduct a referendum on the Karabakh peace settlement simultaneously with the 12 December municipal elections. He did not elaborate. Azerbaijan Popular Front Party chairman Abulfaz Elchibey termed Albright's proposals "unacceptable," noting that they make no mention of four UN resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Armenian forces from occupied Azerbaijani territory. Musavat Party Chairman Isa Gambar argued that if representatives of the Karabakh Armenian population are brought into the peace talks, then representatives of the region's expelled Azerbaijani population should also be included. LF [05] GEORGIA PROTESTS DETENTION OF DEFENSE MINISTRY OFICIALS INADJARIASpeaking at a press conference in Tbilisi on 28 September, a Georgian Defense Ministry spokesman condemned the 5 September arrest in Adjaria of two Georgian Defense Ministry officials, Caucasus Press reported. He added that the arrest was intended to discredit the central Georgian authorities in the runup to the 31 October parliamentary elections. The "Batumi alliance" of five political parties, including the Union of Revival of Adjar Supreme Council Chairman Aslan Abashidze, is considered the most serious challenger to the ruling Union of Citizens of Georgia in that poll. Lawyers for the two men said that legal procedures were violated in the course of charging them with possession of drugs. Adjar authorities claim the two officers infiltrated the Adjar Republic in order to destabilize the situation there. LF [06] GEORGIAN OFFICIALS DENY BASAEV PLANNING TO WINTER IN SVANETISenior Georgian frontier guard and intelligence officialstold Caucasus Press on 28 September there is no truth to Russian military intelligence reports that Chechen field commander Shamil Basaev plans to move his headquarters to the western Georgian mountain region of Svaneti for the winter. Those reports claim that Basaev has already sent envoys to the region for talks with the separatist "Free Svaneti" organization, which has agreed to the temporary Chechen presence. Iveri Chkheidze, governor of the Kodori valley in Svaneti, told Caucasus Press that no such separatist organization exists. He said the Russian reports were intended to create a pretext to increase the Russian military presence in Abkhazia, which borders on Svaneti. LF [07] GEORGIA SEEKS TO EXTRADITE SUSPECT IN PRESIDENTIALASSASSINATION BIDGeorgian security services are negotiating with their counterparts in North Ossetia over the extradition to Georgia of Nugzar Khuchua, who they believe participated in the February 1998 unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, ITAR-TASS reported. Khuchua is also suspected on involvement in the bomb attack on Vladikavkaz central market in March 1999 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 September 1999). LF [08] KAZAKHSTAN'S PARLIAMENT APPROVES BUDGET IN FIRST READING...Ano confidence vote in Prime Minister Nurlan Balghymbaev's government was averted on 28 September when Constitutional Court Chairman Yuri Kim ruled that the 25 September decision by both chambers of the parliament to reject the cabinet's proposed draft budget for 2000 was invalid, ITAR-TASS reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 September 1999). Kim explained that the required majority vote was not achieved. The parliament then voted on 28 September to approve the main budget indicators for revenues and spending as well as pegging the deficit at 3 percent of GDP. Balghymbaev told deputies after the vote that Kazakhstan is over the worst of its budget crisis and that there is "a good chance" that the economic situation will improve, according to Interfax. LF [09] ...BUT IMF REPORTEDLY SKEPTICALInterfax on 28 September,however, quoted an unnamed senior Kazakh official as saying that the IMF believes that the draft's tax revenue target is unrealistic and should be lowered by $100 million. That target is 23.3 percent higher than the corresponding figure for 1999. LF [10] LEADING KAZAKH OPPOSITION PARTY RETHINKS ELECTION TACTICSLeading members of former Premier Akezhan Kazhegeldin'sRepublican People's Party of Kazakhstan told journalists in Almaty on 28 September that the party is withdrawing its list of 10 candidates to contest the seats in the lower chamber of the parliament to be allocated on a proportional basis, Interfax and Reuters reported. They said the reason for the move is that the Central Electoral Commission refused to register Kazhegeldin, whose name topped the list, as a candidate. Another 20 candidates from the party who plan to run in the 10 October elections in single-mandate districts may withdraw to protest "strong pressure" from the authorities, they added. But Central Electoral Commission Chairwoman Zaghipa Balieva told RFE/RL on 29 September that a letter submitted by the party informing the commission of its decision to withdraw its list is inadequate. She noted that a written request by the party leadership must be submitted no later than 10 days before the poll. LF [11] NEW FIGHTING IN KYRGYZSTANKyrgyzstan's Security CouncilSecretary-General Bolot Djanuzakov told journalists in Bishkek on 28 September that a group of the militants who are holding 13 hostages in southern Kyrgyzstan attacked a government post during the night of 27-28 September but retreated after government troops counterattacked, RFE/RL's bureau in the capital reported. Also on 28 September, Prime Minister Amangeldy Muraliev convened a cabinet meeting to assess the readiness of government bodies to provide support for a military operation against the militants, according to ITAR-TASS. Uzbekistan's Defense Minister Khikmatulla Tursunov told journalists in Tashkent on 28 September that Uzbekistan has been informed of the militants' location and movements and is ready to launch operations against the rebels at any time, according to Interfax. Tursunbek Akunov, who has mediated between the militants and the Kyrgyz leadership, arrived in Pakistan on 28 September for talks with Taliban representatives aimed at securing the hostages' release. LF [12] UZBEKISTAN SEEKS TO TIGHTEN SECURITYThe Uzbek governmentpress service reported on 28 September that the cabinet has adopted a special resolution introducing additional security measures both in Tashkent and the provinces, Interfax reported. Those measures include additional passport checks and barring access to cellars and attics. On 20 September, the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan issued a press release reporting the construction of a vast concentration camp for Uzbek Muslims sentenced for their religious belief. LF [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[13] TWO DEAD IN EXPLOSION AT MARKET IN KOSOVATwo Serbs werekilled and at least 40 people wounded when two rifle- propelled grenades landed in a crowded market outside Kosovo Polje on 28 September, AFP reported. NATO-led peacekeeping forces in Kosova (KFOR) arrested four people suspected of being involved in the attack. Local Serbs, who make up the majority of the people in the area, blockaded a road between the town and Prishtina's airport to protest what they say is a lack of security. Bernard Kouchner, head of the UN mission in Kosova, said "this outrageous attack against innocent civilians puts in danger all efforts at building democracy in Kosovo." Stanimir Vukicevic, head of a Yugoslav government liaison with KFOR, said "this extremely inhuman act of madness is the consequence of KFOR and [the UN mission's] tolerant and benevolent attitude toward the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army." PB [14] THACI REASSURES TURKISH MINORITYKosovar Albanian leaderHashim Thaci told a group of ethnic Turks on 28 September that they are welcome in Kosova and will help build a "free and democratic Kosova," the Albanian news agency ATA reported. Thaci made his comments in the village of Mamusha, near Prizren, which has an ethnic Turkish majority. Thaci said that Mamusha's "sons will join the protective troops of Kosova." Thaci said during a meeting with officials in the village that his goal is to establish a mission at the UN and allow the Kosova Protection Corps to participate "in NATO mechanisms in the framework of [its] Partnership for Peace" program. PB [15] DOLE SAYS INDEPENDENCE COULD BE ATTAINEDIn Washington,former U.S. Senator Bob Dole told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 28 September that if Kosovar leaders hold free elections, renounce violence, and move toward a market economy, "then I believe independence will be forthcoming and should be," AP reported. Dole criticized the U.S. for not "acting against [Yugoslav President Slobodan] Milosevic much earlier." Dole served as an envoy to Kosova for President Bill Clinton earlier this year. At the White House, Clinton said "what we have supported for Kosovo and what we continue to support is autonomy." PB [16] LARGE RALLY IN NIS AS THOUSANDS PROTEST ACROSS SERBIABetween 15,000-20,000 people gathered in Serbia's second-largest city, Nis, on 28 September to call on President Milosevic to resign, the Beta news agency reported. Some 20 opposition rallies were held throughout Serbia the same day. Only 10,000 or so turned out in Belgrade, far fewer than the 55,000 who demonstrated on 25 September. Speaking in Nis, Alliance for Change leader Zoran Djindjic said "the Serbian system cannot be altered by talks, only by action." He derided Milosevic for "ruining the country" over the last decade. Organizers said a march on Milosevic's home in the Belgrade district of Dedinje will be held on 29 September. Police, who until now have kept a low profile at Belgrade rallies, are expected to try to prevent the march as they did during protests in 1991 and in 1996-1997. PB [17] MILOSEVIC MAKES RARE APPEARANCE TO REOPEN REFINERY...President Milosevic made a rare appearance on 28 September tospeak at the reopening of an oil refinery in Pancevo that was destroyed by NATO air strikes, AP reported. Milosevic told company officials and employees that "in a year, two, or three, things will be better." He said "throughout these seven years of sanctions and even during the time of the brutal bombings we have been achieving [constant] progress." Milosevic was accompanied by Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, Serbian Premier Mirko Marjanovic, Serbian parliamentary speaker Dragan Tomic, and other officials. PB [18] ...AS SERBIAN PATRIARCH URGES HIM TO GO TO THE HAGUESerbianOrthodox Patriarch Pavle said on 28 September that President Milosevic should "resign peacefully so that people who enjoy the trust of the world can step in," Pancevo Radio reported. Pavle, speaking in the Kosovar town of Gorazdevac, said "it is clear at the moment that it is as if we are in a prison, behind a wall. There are no political, economic, or social ties with any other country." Pavle said he "would rather die...than [be] a true war criminal and have them say I'm a hero." PB [19] UN ENVOY TO BALKANS SAYS BOSNIA TOO DEPENDENT ON AIDCarlBildt said in Washington on 28 September that Bosnia- Herzegovina has been given too much unconditional aid by the West, Reuters reported. Bildt said he fears that the Bosnian economy would collapse if foreign aid were to be withdrawn. Bildt also criticized Bosnian leaders, saying "they have not been willing to undertake economic reforms. We have not been sufficiently tough with them." In other news, Alija Izetbegovic, the Muslim member of Bosnia's presidency, said upon returning from a trip to the Middle East on 28 September that it "was first and foremost a visit to friends of Bosnia- Herzegovina." He said the visit did not violate any rules of the presidency. PB [20] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT PROPOSES COOPERATION WITH CROATIAArpadGoencz, speaking in Zagreb on 28 September, pledged greater cooperation between his country and Croatia and praised the situation of ethnic Hungarians in Croatia, MTI reported on 28 September. Goencz told Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa in Zagreb that cross-border cooperation between Hungarian and Croatian regions should be developed. He also praised state support for ethnic Hungarian communities in Croatia. Matesa said he is hopeful that a free trade agreement between the two countries will be signed soon. Goencz also met with representatives of six Croatian opposition parties during his two-day visit. PB [21] ALBANIA RATIFIES COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONVENTION ON MINORITIESAlbania formally ratified the Council of Europe Convention onthe protection of ethnic minorities on 28 September, ATA reported. Albania's ambassador to the Council of Europe, Fotaq Andrea, handed the ratification documents to Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer in Tirana. The convention demands that members "ensure an effective equality between minorities and the majority, to ensure the necessary conditions for developing culture and preserving the identity of national minorities." Albania's ethnic Greeks constitute the country's largest minority, accounting for 3 percent of the population. PB [22] NATO FORCES CONDUCT EXERCISES IN ALBANIATroops from NATO'sAlbanian Force 2 (AFOR 2) began exercises in Albania on 28 September, ATA reported. The exercises are being held in conjunction with the Defense Ministry in Tirana and are code- named Caravan of Friendship 99. They are aimed at promoting communication and infrastructure capacities in rural areas of the country. Also on 28 September, Albania's defense minister, Luan Haidaraga, met with the commander of the German contingent in Kosova, General Freidrich Riechman. They discussed cooperation between AFOR 2 and Albanian forces as well the situation in Kosova. PB [23] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT VISITS FRANCEFrench President JacquesChirac told his visiting Romanian counterpart, Emil Constantinescu, that France will push to have Romania invited to accession negotiations with the EU at the December summit in Helsinki, according to a Rompres report cited by the BBC. The two presidents emphasized the warm historical relations between their two countries. Constantinescu called on French companies to invest in Romania, noting that his country's economy is steadily improving in several areas. Chirac added that trade between the two countries has been growing by an average of 30 percent every year. France is Romania's chief trading partner and main source of foreign investments. VG [24] TWO LEGISLATORS QUIT ROMANIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTYSenator RaduAlexandru and Deputy George Serban on 28 September announced their resignation from the Democratic Party (PD). Alexandru said he has "reached the limits of humiliation and nonsense imposed by the entire PD leadership and especially by PD President Petre Roman," Romanian Radio reported. VG [25] EU TO GIVE CREDIT, AID TO MOLDOVABy the end of this year,the EU will provide Moldova with a 15 million euro ($15.7 million) credit line and humanitarian assistance totaling 2.2 million euros, Infotag reported on 28 September. Timo Summa, the head of an EU delegation visiting Moldova, said the previous day that he is satisfied with the Moldovan government's efforts to continue the reform process. In other news, Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Sturza and Romanian Defense Minister Victor Babiuc attended a ceremony to officially open a new border crossing linking the Moldovan village of Costesti to the Romanian village of Stinca. The new crossing is part of a transport corridor that will link Turkey with Europe. VG [26] BULGARIAN PREMIER COMMENTS ON NUCLEAR PLANTIvan Kostov saidhe does not think the Soviet-made Kozloduy nuclear power plant will become a stumbling block to Bulgaria's entry into the EU, according to a BTA report cited by the BBC. Kostov said the time-frame for the closure of four reactors at the plant will be set within a month. He said the decision will be partly based on whatever financial support the country receives for the closures. Kostov added that he is satisfied with Bulgaria's discussions on the issue with the European Commission. In other news, the cabinet on 28 September held a special meeting to discuss a plan to reform the Bulgarian military. VG [C] END NOTE[27] LUKASHENKA PREFERS MONOLOGUEBy Jan MaksymuikThe OSCE-mediated talks between the authorities and the opposition in Belarus seem to be nearing an end even without having really begun. That, at least, is the perception of commentators in Belarus's independent press, based on President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's 16 September meeting with the leaders of power ministries and law enforcement bodies and subsequent developments. At that meeting, Lukashenka took advantage of the public anxiety that followed the blasts in Moscow and Volgodonsk, in southern Russia, by ordering his subordinates to take tough security measures to prevent terrorist attacks in Belarus. According to Lukashenka, Belarus faces a threat not from elements in Russia but from domestic "extremists" and "nationalists" who intend "to destabilize" the situation in Belarus. In particular, Lukashenka ordered the border guards and customs officers to monitor the border so that "a mouse could not creep through it." He demanded that the authorities of Minsk and other cities identify venues where "all kinds of oppositionists and other scum" can hold demonstrations; protests in all other locations were to be banned. Lukashenka demanded that within the next three days, the state-controlled media inform the public both at home and abroad where "Belarusian nationalists" find money "to destabilize" the situation in Belarus. And he also ordered his administration to close down those newspapers that "assail state officials" without good reason, pointing to an allegedly libelous article about State Security Secretary Viktar Sheyman in the opposition newspaper "Naviny." The disappearance of opposition politician Viktar Hanchar several hours after the 16 September meeting is seen as an ominous indication of events to come in Belarus as a result of Lukashenka's instructions. As deputy chairman of the opposition Supreme Soviet and organizer of the alternative presidential elections in May, Hanchar fell into the category of domestic "extremists." The opposition regard Hanchar's disappearance as a kidnapping organized by the authorities to intimidate political opponents of the current regime. Hanchar was to have presided over a Supreme Soviet session on 19 September at which the opposition delegation to the talks with the authorities was to have been approved. Shortly after Hanchar's disappearance, law officers seized property belonging to "Naviny" and the author of the allegedly defamatory article about Sheyman, without waiting for a court order. Sheyman duly filed suit against "Naviny," demanding exorbitant damages (under Belarusian economic conditions) totaling 15 billion Belarusian rubles ($52,000).Two days later, a Minsk court ruled in Sheyman's favor. "Naviny", which turns a monthly profit of some $2,700, now faces closure. Western ambassadors to Minsk who expressed their concern over Hanchar's disappearance met with Lukashenka's response that they should look for Hanchar in the West before alluding to any sinister goings-on in Belarus. Echoing a high-ranking official in the presidential administration, official media said Hanchar staged his disappearance in order to gain more publicity. But as protests have increased around the globe, Minsk has launched an investigation into both Hanchar's disappearance and that of former Interior Minister Yury Zakharanka in May. The latest developments in Belarus highlight some unanswered questions about Lukashenka's regime and the attitude of Western democracies toward it. First, was Lukashenka's declaration to enter into a dialogue with the opposition really sincere? Or was he perhaps acting on a political calculation--as some Belarusian commentators suggest--to "simulate" negotiations in order to gain legitimacy for himself and his government in the West? "I have few illusions that we will be able to conduct talks with Lukashenka. He prefers to give endless monologues," Stanislau Bahdankevich, head of the opposition United Civic Party, noted in mid-August. Judging from developments since then, Bahdankevich was right. Second, has the OSCE--the proponent of political dialogue in Belarus--any leverage to make that dialogue happen? The answer again appears to be "no." Lukashenka's regime has not created any conditions for a "favorable political climate," as requested by the Belarusian opposition ahead of the OSCE-mediated talks. Those conditions included access to the state-run media for the opposition and the release of former Premier Mikhail Chyhir and other political prisoners. In fact, the political climate in Belarus has become even more oppressive than was the case before the preparations for the dialogue began. Third, what should be done by the West to promote democracy in Belarus, which is overtly defying Western political and moral values? Belarus offers embarrassing and puzzling proof of a regime in Europe that suppresses political opponents and tramples on human rights while enjoying a substantial measure of popular support and remaining virtually unpunished in the international arena. Unlike Turkmenistan, which engages in similiar practices with impunity, Belarus has no strategic reserves of natural gas. In this context, any Western response to Lukashenka's latest challenge will reflect not only the measure of his credibility in the international arena. It will also attest to the West's commitment to promoting democracy where it is so sadly lacking and so desperately needed. 29-09-99 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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