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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 222, 99-11-15Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 3, No. 222, 15 November 1999 "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 2, No. 42,21 October 1999).CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT, PREMIER AGREE ON NEW CABINETFollowingconsultations and overnight talks on 12-13 November, President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Aram Sargsian agreed on the composition of the new cabinet, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 13 November. Sargsian endorsed Kocharian's choice of two career police officials, First Deputy Interior Minister Haik Harutiunian and Karlos Petrosian, to head the Interior and National Security Ministries, while in return Kocharian agreed to Minister for Industrial Infrastructures Vahan Shirkhanian's retaining his post. Shirkhanian is believed to have been behind a 28 October demand by senior Defense Ministry officials for the sacking of the interior and national security ministers and of the prosecutor-general. The only other new cabinet appointee is Karen Jshmaritian, who replaces Hayk Gevorgian as industry and trade minister. LF [02] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT POSTPONES VISIT TO TURKMENISTANThepresidential administration announced on 12 November that a visit by President Kocharian to Turkmenistan scheduled for 15-16 November has been postponed, ITAR-TASS reported. The statement noted that Kocharian was to have been accompanied by several government ministers, whose candidacies had not yet been officially confirmed at that time. LF [03] YELTSIN DISCUSSES KARABAKH WITH ARMENIA, AZERBAIJANICOUNTERPARTSRussian President Boris Yeltsin telephoned with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts, Kocharian and Heidar Aliev, on 12 November, Russian agencies reported. Yeltsin and Kocharian discussed bilateral relations, issues related to the latter's 5 November visit to Moscow, and the prospects for resolving the Karabakh conflict, according to Interfax. Yeltsin also assured Aliev of Russia's readiness "to help in every way" to reach a mutually satisfactory solution to that conflict. A spokesman for the Azerbaijani presidential press service said that other topics discussed included the upcoming OSCE summit in Istanbul and Russia's proposed introduction of a "temporary" visa regime for Azerbaijanis wishing to cross the frontier into the Russian Federation. Aliev expressed understanding for that decision, while noting the difficulties it creates for Azerbaijani citizens, according to ITAR-TASS. LF [04] GEORGIA HOLDS RUNOFF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONSRunoffelections took place on 14 November in 24 Georgian constituencies where no candidate obtained the required majority in the 31 October parliamentary poll. Reuters and dpa quoted Central Electoral Commission officials as stating that the voting proceeded without incident. But Caucasus Press reported on 15 November that shooting broke out in Nadzaladevi when an independent candidate who was leading the poll tried to prevent falsification of the vote count aimed at benefiting his rival from the ruling Union of Citizens of Georgia (SMK). The SMK already has a clear majority in the 235-mandate parliament. LF [05] UN CALLS ON GEORGIA, ABKHAZIA TO DEMONSTRATE COMMITMENT TOPEACE PROCESSIn a 12 November statement, the UN Security Council called on the leaders of Georgia and Abkhazia to resume regular contacts with an aim to resolving the breakaway region's status vis-a-vis the central Georgian government and expediting the return of displaced persons, Reuters and AP reported. The statement stressed that such a comprehensive settlement must respect Georgia's territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. LF [06] GEORGIA STEPS UP INTERNAL SECURITY...Georgian ForeignMinister Irakli Menagharishvili told journalists in Tbilisi on 12 November that the Georgian authorities have increased security measures for top officials and for strategic facilities such as the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline, Interfax reported. He said those measures were prompted by an intensification of military activity at Russian military bases in Georgia, particularly the reported arrival at the Vaziani base near Tbilisi of Federal Security Service Alpha troops. Parliament Defense and Security Committee chairman Revaz Adamia said that Alpha troops had been sent to Georgia to carry out sabotage assignments and the assassination of top officials. Defense Minister David Tevzadze said that the Russian troop activity could reflect Russian plans to increase its military presence in Chechnya, according to Interfax. But an FSB spokesman on 13 November denied any Alpha force had been sent to Georgia, Caucasus Press reported. LF [07] ...EXPRESSES SURPRISE THAT RUSSIA IMPOUNDED UNIFORMSGeorgian Defense Minister Tevzadze and President EduardShevardnadze on 12 November both professed to be puzzled over the confiscation by Russian customs officials the previous day of a consignment of military uniforms donated by the U.S. for the Georgian armed forces, Caucasus Press reported. Tevzadze termed the incident "a misunderstanding." Shevardnadze denied that either the consignment contained arms or explosives or it was to be sent from Georgia to Chechnya, according to Interfax. LF [08] KAZAKHSTAN'S PREMIER OUTLINES THREE-YEAR PROGRAMQasymzhomart Toqaev on 12 November submitted to a jointsession of both chambers of the parliament his cabinet's economic program for the period 2000-2002, Interfax reported. He said that by 2002 the government is aiming to increase GDP by 10-12 percent compared with 1999, to cut inflation to 4-5 percent, and reduce the budget deficit to 1.2 percent of GDP. Unemployment is to be brought down from the current 13 percent to 8 percent of the able-bodied population. Toqaev also called for a "serious reform" of budget policy, the liberalization of foreign trade, and cuts in customs duties. He also announced that measures will be taken to legalize the shadow economy which accounts for an estimated 25 percent of GDP, mostly generated by small businesses. LF [09] KAZAKHSTAN DENIES PLANS TO MANUFACTURE CHEMICAL WEAPONSKazakhstan's National Security Committee spokesmanKenzhebulat Beknazarov told Interfax on 12 November that the country does not intend to begin production of either chemical or biological weapons. Speaking in Washington two days earlier, former Kazakh Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin had said that Kazakhstan might use funds allocated by the West for other purposes in order to produce such weapons. LF [10] INTERNET PROVIDER DENIES BLOCKING ACCESS TO KAZAKH OPPOSITIONWEBSITEIn a statement made available to "RFE/RL Newsline," the Internet provider Nursat, which is the largest in Kazakhstan, has formally denied blocking access to the Eurasia Website maintained by the Kazakh political opposition. It also affirmed that it neither condones nor supports any Internet "censorship". Internews's office in Kazakhstan last week quoted an unnamed Nursat technician as saying that access to the Eurasia site would be impossible for an indefinite period for "technical reasons" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 November 1999). LF [11] TYPHOID OUTBREAK IN KAZAKHSTANTwenty-three people have beenhospitalized with suspected typhoid in Almaty over the past three weeks, ITAR-TASS reported on 12 November. The previous day, RFE/RL's correspondent in the former capital reported that police have begun confiscating milk samples from non- registered traders from rural areas who sell milk on the streets in Almaty. It is unclear if contaminated milk is suspected to be the source of the outbreak. LF [12] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT, FINANCE MINISTER AT ODDS OVER MINIMUMWAGEFinance Minister Sultan Mederov outlined the main parameters of the 2000 draft budget to parliamentary deputies on 11 November, Interfax reported. Revenues are set at 10.6 billion soms ($200 million) and spending at 11.7 billion soms, while GDP will total 53.3 billion soms. Agricultural production is expected to grow by 5 percent and industrial output by 1 percent. The government will also earmark $83.6 million toward paying the country's foreign debts (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 November 1999). Mederov said defense spending will be increased by 46.6 percent. But when the debate resumed on 12 November, he rejected as not feasible a demand by deputies to raise the minimum monthly wage from 100 to 150 soms and to increase salaries for doctors and teachers, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. LF [13] UN EXTENDS MANDATE OF OBSERVERS IN TAJIKISTANThe UNSecurity Council on 12 November unanimously approved Secretary General Kofi Annan's request for the extension for a further six months of the mandate of the observer force deployed in Tajikistan, Reuters and AP reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 November 1999). Those observers will monitor preparations for the parliamentary elections scheduled for February. LF [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[14] TRAJKOVSKI LEADING IN MACEDONIAN PRESIDENTIAL RACEMacedonian Premier Ljubco Georgijevski announced on statetelevision on 15 November that with 96 percent of the votes counted, Deputy Foreign Minister Boris Trajkovski has won 53 percent of the vote, compared with 46 percent for his challenger, Tito Petkovski, AFP reported. Petkovski conceded that Trajkovski's 48,000-vote lead cannot be overcome. Petkovski's spokesman, Nikola Popovski, charged that widespread voter fraud had occurred in the western part of the country, which is inhabited by mostly ethnic Albanians. Trajkovski, candidate of the center-right government, said his election offers a "historic chance" for him and the country. No figures were available on turnout. If it falls below 50 percent, then the election is declared invalid. PB [15] TUDJMAN REMAINS IN CRITICAL CONDITIONAn official Croatianmedical communique reported on 14 November that President Franjo Tudjman's condition had stabilized after fresh surgery, Reuters reported. The statement said that "difficulties in the digestive system have been removed." Doctors had said on 12 November that the health of the president, aged 77, was deteriorating after surgery two weeks ago was complicated by peritonitis and internal bleeding. Some Croatian dailies report the president's condition as very grave. Some claim he is on a life-support system. Tudjman's youngest son, Stjepan, said after leaving the hospital that his father is in a better condition than is being reported (see "End Note"). PB [16] CROATIA'S OPPOSITION CALLS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGESDrazenBudisa, the leader of Croatia's opposition Social Liberals, called for changes to be made to the country's constitution to reduce President Tudjman's authority, AP reported, citing Hina. Budisa said "the president has not been capable of running the country for 10 days now, and we know how wide his powers are." Parliamentary speaker Vlatko Pavletic of Tudjman's Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) would act as interim head of state if the president were to die or be declared incapacitated. A presidential election would be held within 60 days. The president's health caused the HDZ to withdraw a motion to dissolve the parliament, allowing the lower house to reconvene for emergencies until its mandate expires on 27 November. PB [17] CROATIA TELLS HAGUE COURT IT IS NOT WELCOMEJustice MinisterZvonimir Separovic said in a letter to Carla del Ponte, the chief prosecutor of the international war crimes tribunal at The Hague, that UN war crimes investigators are not welcome in Croatia, AFP reported. The tribunal wants to send teams into central Croatia to investigate alleged crimes against ethnic Serbs committed during the 1991-1995 war. Separovic said the tribunal has no jurisdiction over Croatia's military operations against the Serbs. PB [18] UN PLANE CRASH IN KOSOVA KILLS ALL ABOARDA UN planecarrying officials from the organization's World Food Program and a number of private humanitarian groups crashed into a mountaintop near the Kosovar town of Mitrovica on 12 November, killing all 24 people onboard, Reuters reported. KFOR commander General Klaus Reinhardt said there is no indication as to the cause of the crash, but he noted that weather conditions were extremely foggy. Most of those killed were Italians. PB [19] ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER WARNS OF FAILURE BY WEST IN KOSOVAVeton Surroi, the publisher of the independent daily "KohaDitore," urged the West on 12 November to provide adequate funds to shore up the police force and the judicial system in the Serbian province, Reuters reported. Surroi, in an address to NATO's Parliamentary Assembly in Amsterdam, said the alliance's intervention in Kosova is at risk of failing if certain needs are not met. He said "serious reconstruction" has not begun and, that as a result, too many people are left idle. Surroi, who has come under fire from hard-line ethnic Albanians for his calls for tolerance toward Serbs, urged the rapid creation of a judiciary system and the involvement of Kosovar political parties in the running of the province. He said the term "multiethnic society" is misunderstood by ethnic Albanians as meaning the "forced cohabitation" that was experienced under Serb rule. He said a "tolerant and just society" would bring the same result. PB [20] SERBIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES CLAIM TO BE UNITED AGAINSTMILOSEVIC...Serbian opposition politicians pledged on 14 November to unite their efforts to force Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic from power, Reuters reported. More than 50 leading opposition activists signed a declaration after a three-day meeting in the Hungarian town of Szentendre that states their main tasks are to form an alliance, oust the current government, and hold free elections. The document also called on the international community to immediately lift sanctions against Serbia. The talks were organized by Yugoslav Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, who also announced that he is willing to become king of Yugoslavia under a constitutional monarchy. Alliance for Change leader Zoran Djindjic attended the talks, as did the leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Bishop Artemije. Serbian Renewal Movement leader Vuk Draskovic did not attend, claiming he feared for his safety. PB [21] ...AS SERBIAN DIASPORA OFFERS CASH FOR HIS OUSTERProminentSerbian expatriates from North America, Europe, and Australia on 13 November offered to give Serbian opposition groups $1 million if they unite and remove President Milosevic from office, AP reported. They also promised to provide access to Western governments and technical advice to the opposition. Opposition leader Zoran Djindjic said the money would be best used to support independent media in Serbia. He said that political parties "should renounce this money" so that it could be given to "organizations which find it even harder to survive in a very poor country." PB [22] MONTENEGRO PASSES AMNESTY FOR DRAFT DODGERSThe Montenegrinparliament adopted a law on 12 November that grants amnesty to anyone who defied orders to join the Yugoslav army during the conflict in Kosova, Reuters reported. The measure was passed unanimously after deputies from the Socialist People's Party, which is loyal to Belgrade, walked out of the chamber. The legislation covers the period from June 1998 to June of this year. A Montenegrin deputy said that some 14,000 people in Montenegro will gain amnesty from the legislation. In other news, Montenegrin Justice Minister Dragan Soc confirmed that Veselin Vlahovic, wanted for war crimes in Bosnia, is in jail in Montenegro. The war crimes tribunal at The Hague has given Bosnia the right to put him on trial in Sarajevo. Bosnian officials said they will request Vlahovic's extradition. PB [23] OFFICIALS AGREE TO FIGHT CORRUPTION, STEP UP SEARCHES INBOSNIAU.S. and Bosnian officials agreed on 14 November to form a commission that will monitor corruption in Bosnia- Herzegovina, AP reported. The agreement was reached after two days of talks in Dayton, Ohio. Bosnian officials also agreed to allow more vigorous searches by NATO peacekeepers for indicted war criminals hiding in Bosnia. PB [24] ALBANIAN, MACEDONIAN PREMIERS HAIL 'NEW BALKANS'Ilir Metaand his Macedonian counterpart, Ljubco Georgievski, held talks in the southeastern Albanian town of Korce on 12 November, dpa reported. Meta said the two agreed they must "work together for the creation of a new Balkans." Meta added that the two countries are eager to make the stability pact for southeastern Europe "a reality." Georgievski said the two countries are working on a bilateral trade agreement and on integrating infrastructure and communications systems. PB [25] ROMANIAN SOCCER OFFICIALS TO MONITOR ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKSRomanian Soccer Federation officials on 12 November decidedto monitor publications owned by the federation's vice president, Dumitru Dragomir, to prevent him from printing anti-Semitic remarks, AP reported. The federation was reacting to a request from FIFA, the international soccer association, which is contemplating a ban on all Romanian soccer squads if Dumitru permits his publications to run any more anti-Semitic or racist remarks. Dumitru's publications have published such remarks in the past. For instance, one article referred to government officials as "dirty Jews" and "Gypsies." VG [26] ROMANIAN STEEL WORKERS PROTEST PRIVATIZATIONMore than 1,500employees of the Petrotrub steel pipe manufacturer blocked a major road in northeastern Romania on 12 November to protest the privatization of their company. The previous day, the Gibraltar-based Tubman International Ltd. signed a deal with the Romanian government to purchase a 70 percent stake in Petrotrub for $42.6 million. The deal calls for Tubman to pay off Petrotrub's debts of about $39 million and lay off about 1,500 of the company's 3,000 employees. VG [27] RUSSIA RESUMES WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS FROM MOLDOVARussia on13 November resumed withdrawing its troops from the breakaway Transdniester region of Moldova, dpa reported. Russian officials gave no indication as to how many troops or how much military hardware will be moved out of the region. Lieutenant-General Valerii Yevnevich told ITAR-TASS on 13 November that the military is loading the "first three of a total of 13 convoys" on 13 November. He said the weapons that are being moved could arm "a medium-sized army in Europe." Russian newspapers noted that Moscow transferred anti-tank rockets from Moldova to Chechnya during the last war there in 1995. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the OSCE is monitoring the troop and weapon withdrawal from Moldova (see also Part 1). VG [28] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT APPOINTS NEW PREMIERPetru Lucinschi on12 November appointed Moldovan Ambassador to Russia Valeriu Bobutac as prime minister. Bobutac replaces Ion Sturza, whose government fell in a no-confidence vote on 9 November (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 November 1999). The new government, which is to be formed by the Popular Front Christian Democratic and the Communists, is to be named this week. Lucinschi picked Bobutac because he was acceptable to both parties. Bobutac served as trade minister from 1986 to 1988, when Moldova was part of the former Soviet Union. He was economic minister from 1992 to 1994 and again in 1997. The president said the new prime minister should "fight corruption and resume good relations with international organizations." VG [C] END NOTE[29] CROATIA AFTER TUDJMANby Patrick MooreThe critical state of President Franjo Tudjman's health suggests Croatia will soon begin a new era. The tasks facing the new leadership will include instituting political change, promoting Euro-Atlantic integration, and raising the standard of living. Tudjman is apparently losing his battle with cancer, which has lasted at least three years. He would be the first of the major figures in the dramatic events in the former Yugoslavia this past decade to die in office. It is ironic that the first of this small group likely to pass on is Tudjman, a life-long athlete and non-smoker. Tudjman's legacy is likely to remain the subject of controversy for a long time to come. To his supporters, he has his place in history as the father of independence and the man who "made Croatia." They argue that he alone had the organizational skills, the contacts to wealthy Croats in the diaspora, and the personal reputation as a nationalist leader to perform three vital tasks: ousting the Communists in the 1990 elections, winning independence the following year, and defeating the ethnic Serb rebels in 1995. To his detractors, Tudjman will remain a tyrant who should have left office long ago, at the very latest following his defeat of the Serbs. A stiff man comfortable only with his trusted inner circle, his military and communist experiences made him authoritarian and intolerant of differing views. His ego and obsession with the trappings of power often made him the butt of jokes. Tudjman may have been the right man to win independence, his detractors would say, but he was not the one to build a democratic, prosperous country integrated into Euro-Atlantic institutions. In fact, post-Tudjman Croatia faces a wide array of problems. The first question is the future of Tudjman's governing Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ), which has dominated politics for nearly a decade. It is the last of the East European mass movements that emerged in the 1980s to bring about the fall of communism. All the others--including Solidarity in Poland and the Civic Forum in the former Czechoslovakia--have broken up into ideologically-based successor organizations. Many observers argue that the time for the HDZ to do likewise is long overdue. They may not have long to wait. At least since Tudjman first underwent cancer surgery in 1996, several prominent subordinates have been jockeying for top positions. These individuals might soon find themselves heads of new political parties that would emerge from the main factions of the HDZ. For example, Foreign Minister Mate Granic might head a moderate party, while the deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, Vladimir Seks, might lead a stringently nationalist organization. Tudjman's aide Ivic Pasalic might become head of a grouping of his fellow Herzegovinians, who form a very powerful interest group in the HDZ. A second issue involves the future of the opposition and its impact on the broader political scene. One reason why the HDZ and Tudjman have held power for nearly 10 years is the ineptitude of the fractious opposition. The two leading opposition parties have formed a coalition, and the four smaller ones have made a pact of their own to fight the elections for the lower house on 22 December. The question is whether they will be able to maintain unity of purpose in a post-Tudjman world. Some observers suggest that the impending fragmentation of the HDZ will lead to a totally new political landscape in which individual factions of the HDZ will combine with what are now opposition parties. Others fear that Tudjman's departure will remove the common enemy to all opposition parties and leave them fighting once again among themselves. In such a scenario, the HDZ would continue to hold on to power as before. This leads to a third issue stemming from the Tudjman era, namely the democratization of political life. Washington and Brussels have made it clear time and again that electoral, minority, and media legislation will have to be brought up to Western standards if Croatia is to become integrated in Euro-Atlantic institutions. Furthermore, Zagreb will have to respect all of its obligations regarding the sovereignty and integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina under the 1995 Dayton peace accord. Croatia, moreover, has a long way to go to raise its standing in the West's estimation. In 1991, Croatia and Slovenia both emerged as independent states. At present, Slovenia seems well on the way to membership in the EU and NATO, while Croatia has fallen behind even such poor Balkan countries as Albania and Macedonia. This state of affairs is unacceptable to the center and left portions of the political spectrum. One may expect any government that they may eventually form to make serious efforts to accommodate Croatia's Western friends on democratization. A closely related issue is privatization. To the extent that it has been carried out at all, it has chiefly benefited people with close ties to the HDZ. There have been loud calls from many sections of society for a thorough investigation into this and other forms of corruption. Furthermore, most Croats have to struggle to make ends meet with monthly incomes of about $450 but with prices on a German level. As far as the majority of the population is concerned, the first priority of a post-Tudjman leadership should be to raise the standard of living, particularly for people with low or fixed incomes. 15-11-99 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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