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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-01-14
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIAN PRESIDENT CONFERS WITH PROSECUTOR-GENERAL USTINOV...
[02] ...AND CHUBAIS
[03] TV-6 RUNS OUT OF EFFECTIVE LEGAL OPTIONS...
[04] ...AS LOOMING LIQUIDATION PROMPTS OUTCRY, CALM...
[05] ...AND AN OFFER THEY CAN'T REFUSE FROM LESIN?
[06] VACANCY CREATED AT HEAD OF DIAMOND COMPANY
[07] AIR FORCE TO GET NEW LEADERSHIP
[08] PROSECUTORS GET CLOSER TO FORMER RUSHAILO CRONY
[09] DUMA TO TURN TO CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY NEXT MONTH
[10] ULYANOVSK APPEALS TO MOSCOW FOR HELP
[11] KRASNODAR FIGHTS AGAINST FLOODING
[12] SMOKING FORBIDDEN IN RUSSIAN PUBLIC AREAS
[13] SECURITY STILL LACKING IN RUSSIAN COAL MINES
[14] INCUMBENT RE-ELECTED IN KABARDINO-BALKARIA...
[15] ...BUT NOT IN ADYGEYA
[16] FORMER INGUSHETIAN PRESIDENT NAMED TO FEDERATION COUNCIL
[17] KARABAKH LEADERS MEET WITH TURKISH JOURNALISTS
[18] AZERBAIJANI DEMONSTRATORS CALL FOR TOUGHER LINE ON KARABAKH...
[19] ...PROTEST CUTS IN SOCIAL ALLOWANCES
[20] U.S. SUSPENDS BAN ON DIRECT AID TO AZERBAIJAN
[21] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER NAMED 'POLITICIAN OF THE YEAR'
[22] GEORGIA FAILS TO ADOPT DECISION ON CIS PEACEKEEPERS...
[23] ...AS RUSSIA CALLS FOR CLEAR DECISION...
[24] ...AND ABKHAZIA AGREES TO UN ENVOY'S CALL FOR RESUMPTION OF TALKS
[25] RUSSIAN MILITARY DENIES PLANS TO CLOSE HQ IN TBILISI
[26] ARRESTED KYRGYZ PARLIAMENTARIAN APPEALS TO PRESIDENT
[27] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT PARTICIPATES IN PHONE-IN
[28] KYRGYZ SHEPHERD SHOT DEAD ON UZBEK BORDER
[29] STATE DUMA SPEAKER STRESSES RUSSIA'S INTERESTS IN TAJIKISTAN, CENTRAL
[30] U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VISITS TAJIKISTAN
[31] BELARUSIAN TRADE UNIONS PROTEST BAN ON CHECK-OFF SYSTEM FOR COLLECTING
[32] MINSK TOUGH ON OSCE MISSION IN BELARUS
[33] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT FORMS POLITICAL PROPAGANDA GROUPS...
[34] ...EXTOLS STABILITY, DEMOCRACY IN BELARUS
[35] UKRAINIAN BLOCS, PARTIES HOLD ELECTION CONVENTIONS
[36] UKRAINE'S SOCIALIST PARTY INCLUDES MELNYCHENKO ON ITS ELECTION LIST
[37] FOR A UNITED UKRAINE OPTS FOR STABILITY
[38] ESTONIAN CENTER HOPES TO COMPLETE COALITION TALKS IN A WEEK
[39] LATVIA RECEIVES POSITIVE EVALUATION FROM NATO EXPERTS
[40] EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT
[41] POLISH PREMIER IN WASHINGTON
[42] TWO POLISH RIGHT-WING PARTIES MERGE
[43] CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER RULES OUT TEMELIN CLOSURE
[44] KLAUS TO LEAD HIS PARTY'S PRAGUE ELECTORAL LISTS
[45] CZECH PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE INSISTS THAT GREGR RESIGNATION IS VALID
[46] SLOVAK NATIONALIST OPPOSITION CHASTISES HUNGARIAN STATUS LAW
[47] SLOVAKIA TO EMULATE CZECH EXAMPLE ON COMPENSATION FOR HOLOCAUST
[48] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS DRAW UP NATIONAL LIST FOR APRIL ELECTIONS...
[49] ...AS DO FREE DEMOCRATS
[50] STATUS LAW CONTINUES TO STIR UP CONTROVERSY IN HUNGARY
[51] KOSOVAR SERBS SEEKING DEAL WITH RUGOVA?
[52] BELGRADE LOYALISTS CELEBRATE IN MONTENEGRO
[53] NEW SERBIAN SECURITY COUNCIL FORMED
[54] IS ATHENS CARRYING SERBIA'S MESSAGE?
[55] NEW U.S. ENVOY FOR BALKANS
[56] CROATIA TO OFFER GUARANTEES TO HAGUE
[57] CROATIA AND BOSNIA TO SEAL POROUS BORDER
[58] PETRITSCH: BOSNIAN SERB MODERATES UNDER THREAT FROM EXTREMISTS
[59] BOSNIAN ARMY VETERANS PROTEST CUTS
[60] CALL FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA
[61] HABSBURG SURPRISE IN BOSNIAN MUSEUM
[62] MACEDONIAN POLICE LIMIT PLANNED RETURNS TO VILLAGES
[63] BRITISH FAMILY CALLS FOR JUSTICE IN MACEDONIAN KILLING
[64] WEATHER CONTINUES TO TAKE TOLL ON ALBANIA
[65] ROMANIAN PREMIER MISTRUSTFUL OF STATUS LAW IMPLEMENTATION
[66] ROMANIA RELEASES DATA ON 2001 INFLATION
[67] PROTESTS AGAINST COMPULSORY RUSSIAN LANGUAGE COURSES CONTINUE IN
[68] ...WITH SUPPORT FROM ROMANIA
[69] NEW OSCE MISSION CHIEF PLEDGES CONTINUATION OF EFFORTS ON TRANSDNIESTER
[70] MOLDOVAN INFLATION FALLS IN 2001
[71] SOFIA MAYOR CHARGED WITH ABUSE OF OFFICE
[72] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT'S FAILURE TO CONSULT
[73] BULGARIA, ROMANIA TO CONTRIBUTE FORCES TO PEACEKEEPERS IN AFGHANISTAN
[74] FORMER ROMANIAN MONARCH HOSTED BY BULGARIAN ROYAL-TURNED-PREMIER
14 January 2002
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIAN PRESIDENT CONFERS WITH PROSECUTOR-GENERAL USTINOV...
Two days after the Prosecutor-General's Office announced it is
investigating the former business activities of presidential
administration head Alekandr Voloshin (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11
January 2002), President Vladimir Putin met with Prosecutor-General
Vladimir Ustinov, Russian agencies reported on 12 January. At beginning
of the meeting, according to Interfax, Putin extended his
congratulations on the Day of the Workers of the Prosecutors' Offices
and made some general comments on how the office has evolved over time.
Other than the professional holiday, sources did not report on the
subject of their discussion. On 11 January, Ustinov told reporters that
his office is investigating 18 corruption cases of federal significance
and that the investigation of the criminal case against Vyacheslav
Aminov, the head of Prominvest company, will soon be completed. Aminov
is reportedly an unofficial adviser to Voloshin. JAC
[02] ...AND CHUBAIS
Also on 12 January, Putin met with Unified Energy Systems (EES) head
Anatolii Chubais. According to Russian agencies, their talks focused on
emergency conditions in certain regions of the country such as
Primorskii Krai and the Far East. Chubais reported that fuel reserves
are above target; however, some municipalities are unable to pay
current bills or old debts for their power usage, such as Ulyanovsk,
Kurgan, and other regions. According to "Izvestiya," Ulyanovsk Governor
Vladimir Shamanov has complained constantly about the indebtedness of
his region, which this year leads a list of poorest regions (see item
below). It owes power suppliers more than 4 billion rubles ($131.3
million), according to the daily. The newspaper also reported without
reference to sourcing that Putin and Chubais discussed the imminent
closure of TV-6. However, the daily reported that it is not known
whether Chubais suggested that Ren-TV, of which EES is a chief
shareholder, might take the place of TV-6. JAC
[03] TV-6 RUNS OUT OF EFFECTIVE LEGAL OPTIONS...
The presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court ruled on 11 January that
TV-6 must be liquidated and rejected a 29 December decision that had
ordered the process to be halted. TV-6 chief shareholder Boris
Berezovsky told Ekho Moskvy radio that he intends to take the case to
Russia's Constitutional Court and if necessary, to the European Court
of Human Rights. But neither court is expected to provide the necessary
legal remedy to halt the formation of a Liquidation Commission.
According to AP, TV-6's lawyers said the station's broadcast license
will be annulled only after liquidation, which by law must take place
within six months of the 27 November 2001 ruling. Meanwhile,
LUKoil-Garant, the minority shareholder that initiated the process of
liquidation against TV-6's parent company, Moscow Independent
Broadcasting Corporation (MNVK), said on 12 January that it will seek
to bid in a tender for MNVK's TV and radio broadcasting rights. JAC
[04] ...AS LOOMING LIQUIDATION PROMPTS OUTCRY, CALM...
The Russian Union of Journalists and National Association of Television
and Radio Broadcasters blasted the presidium's ruling. The Journalists'
Union issued a statement calling the ordered liquidation "not merely an
insulting mockery of common sense, but of any idea of justice and law."
In addition, it said that the case is one of "pure politics." Yabloko
deputy Sergei Mitrokhin linked the decision with two other rulings, the
one against NTV and the recent prison sentence of former military
journalist Grigorii Pasko. He noted that "the haste with which the
Supreme Arbitration Court's Presidium passed the ruling on the
dissolution of TV-6 reinforces concerns that Russia's legal system is
becoming a means of political retribution." However, Media Minister
Mikhail Lesin appeared less concerned. In anticipation of the Day of
the Russian Press on 13 January, he sent a congratulatory message,
noting that "the freedom of the press in our country, the possibility
to express one's point of view, have long stopped being a declaration
and turned into an everyday reality of our life." JAC
[05] ...AND AN OFFER THEY CAN'T REFUSE FROM LESIN?
Last May, Lesin expressed similar optimism about developments in the
Russian media, commenting that the transfer of ownership in NTV had had
a positive effect. Lesin said the shift had succeeded in "reducing the
politicking of the mass media and making them reassess their own
positions on many questions, above all, those regarding their economic
and financial independence" (see "RFE/RL Russian Political Weekly," 14
May 2001). In an interview with "Kommersant-Daily" on 12 January,
Berezovsky charged that Lesin had called TV-6 Executive Director Pavel
Korchagin and suggested that to avoid "further scandals," Lesin would
organize the transfer of shares in the company to the journalists'
collective, but only on the condition that a controlling package not be
given to Berezovsky, Vladimir Gusinsky, or TV-6 General Director
Yevgenii Kiselev. According to Berezovsky, soon afterward presidential
administration head Voloshin followed up with a telephone call to
Information Broadcasting Director Grigorii Krichevskii suggesting that
Lesin's offer should be accepted. JAC
[06] VACANCY CREATED AT HEAD OF DIAMOND COMPANY
With more than 98 percent of the presidential ballot for the Sakha
(Yakutia) Republic counted on 14 January, Alrosa President Vyacheslav
Shtyrov won some 59.4 percent of votes in the 13 January presidential
ballot compared to 34.6 percent for SAPI President Fedot Tumusov,
ITAR-TASS reported. Shtyrov, who won most of the votes during the first
round, was widely expected to beat Tumusov. Turnout was 76.7 percent of
registered voters, which was even more than during the first round.
Lured by the promise of being able to participate in a lottery, many
people came to the republic's capital, Yakutsk -- so many that some
people were refused admission to the polling stations, RTR reported.
"Izvestiya" reported last month that three of the four leading
candidates to replace Shtyrov at the helm of the diamond production
company are from St. Petersburg and include Vladimir Litvinenko, the
rector of the St. Petersburg Mining Institute (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
28 December 2001). JAC
[07] AIR FORCE TO GET NEW LEADERSHIP
Air force commander General Anatolii Kornukov told reporters in Moscow
on 11 January that he is resigning from his post because he has reached
the military's mandatory retirement age of 60, ITAR-TASS reported.
Kornukov said names of several possible successors for his post will
soon be made public. JAC
[08] PROSECUTORS GET CLOSER TO FORMER RUSHAILO CRONY
The Prosecutor-General's Office provided more details about the
criminal case that has been launched against retired Lieutenant General
Aleksandr Orlov, who once worked as an assistant to former Interior
Minister Vladimir Rushailo, ITAR-TASS reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
21 November 2001). (Rushailo is currently secretary of the Security
Council.) Vladimir Kolesnikov, an aide to Prosecutor-General Ustinov,
told reporters on 11 January that Orlov is suspected of interfering in
the management of stocks of the Kochkanar ore plant and of misusing
service cars and official documents. Media reports have also suggested
that Orlov has ties with organized crime (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8
November 2001). JAC
[09] DUMA TO TURN TO CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY NEXT MONTH
State Duma deputies are planning to consider draft legislation on
holding a new constitutional assembly in February, "Izvestiya" reported
on 12 January. According to the daily, there are three competing
versions of the law, one authored by representatives of various
factions and deputies groups, another authored by Union of Rightist
Forces leader Sergei Kovalev, and another drafted by the presidential
administration, which is considered to have the best chance of passage.
In order to be adopted, the bill will have to attract at least 300
votes, which means that for any bill to pass, its supporters will have
to win the votes not only of the pro-Kremlin factions but also at least
some deputies in the Communist group and Agro-Industrial faction, the
daily noted. JAC
[10] ULYANOVSK APPEALS TO MOSCOW FOR HELP
Legislators in Ulyanovsk Oblast's Legislative Assembly have again
appealed to President Putin and the federal government asking them for
help with the region's heating supplies, regions.ru reported on 11
January. Legislators issued an appeal last December that did not result
in the suggestion of any concrete measures. Therefore, deputies have
issued another appeal for the adoption of a quick decision on improving
the supply of heat and electricity to residences, schools, and
hospitals. JAC
[11] KRASNODAR FIGHTS AGAINST FLOODING
Flooding in the southern areas of Krasnodar Krai has forced 1,800
people to evacuate from 900 homes, more than a third of which need to
be completely rebuilt, Russian agencies reported on 14 January. On 12
January, helicopters dropped bombs to break up ice floes blocking a
nearby river to ease the situation, ORT reported, showing residents
wading through flooded streets knee-deep in water. The level of the
Kuban River fell around 19 centimeters overnight to around 181
centimeters, the critical level being 190 centimeters. The weather in
Krasnodar was forecast to remain above freezing, threatening more
flooding, and snow remains at levels of up to 1.5 meters in the region,
ITAR-TASS added. VC
[12] SMOKING FORBIDDEN IN RUSSIAN PUBLIC AREAS
Beginning on 14 January, it was forbidden to smoke in Russian public
transportation facilities; at work; on aircraft during flights of less
than three hours; in enclosed sport facilities; in organizations
specialized in the field of health, education, and culture; and in all
buildings where state institutions are represented, RBK reported.
Article 6 of the federal Law on Limitation of Tobacco Smoking was to be
activated six months following its publication. It is worth noting that
in outlining the dangers of smoking, most Russian news agencies cited
medical statistics from abroad (Canada, China, and India), but none
from the Russian Federation. VC
[13] SECURITY STILL LACKING IN RUSSIAN COAL MINES
Following a methanol leak, a coal mine exploded on 13 January in
Vorkuta, Komi Republic, gazeta.ru reported the same day. Five miners
were killed and 12 others were seriously burned. In the Kemerovo
region, a coal miner died after a mine caved in, RBK added. The two
accidents occurred just a few days after the World Bank closed its Coal
Sector Adjustment Loan on 31 December. Security has long been a concern
for the Russian coal industry, and there has been little progress noted
in this area. The last tragedy in the Kemerovo region was on 25-26
December 2001, when four people died following a methanol explosion,
RBK then reported. Following the December explosions, Kemerovo Governor
Aman Tuleev asked for a security audit of the Kuzbass coal mines. VC
[14] INCUMBENT RE-ELECTED IN KABARDINO-BALKARIA...
Incumbent Valerii Kokov was re-elected on 13 January for a third term
as president of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria with some 87 percent
of the vote, according to preliminary returns cited by ITAR-TASS on 14
January. Lieutenant General Mukhamed Batyrov, a former commander of the
Russian northeastern land forces, came in second with 8.39 percent of
the vote. He was followed by Albert Kozharov, a member of the Moscow
Bar Association who garnered just over 1 percent, Chegem Court Chairman
Ruslan Muracheev, and two other candidates. Voter turnout was estimated
at 85.88 percent of the 503,000-strong electorate. LF
[15] ...BUT NOT IN ADYGEYA
In the Republic of Adygeya, incumbent Aslan Djarimov, who has headed
the republic since 1992, failed in his bid for a third term, polling a
mere 10 percent of the vote on 13 January, Caucasus Press reported.
Khazrat Sovmen, a businessman who heads the Polyus gold-mining cartel,
won some 68 percent of the vote. It is not clear how the remaining
votes were divided among five other candidates, who included Nina
Konovalova, who represents the republic's Slav population, which
accounts for 70 percent of the total population (see "RFE/RL Caucasus
Report," Vol. 4, No. 12, 23 March 2001). LF
[16] FORMER INGUSHETIAN PRESIDENT NAMED TO FEDERATION COUNCIL
Acting President Akhmed Malsagov has named Ruslan Aushev, who
unexpectedly stepped down last month as president of Ingushetia (see
"RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 5, No. 1, 3 January 2002), to represent
Ingushetia on the Federation Council, Interfax reported on 11 January.
Malsagov stressed that Aushev is widely respected both in Ingushetia
and in Moscow, and is thus worthy to represent the republic at the
federal level. LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[17] KARABAKH LEADERS MEET WITH TURKISH JOURNALISTS
Arkadii Ghukasian, the president of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic, told visiting Turkish journalists in Stepanakert on 12
January that he believes the enclave should participate directly,
together with Armenia and Azerbaijan, in talks on resolving the
Karabakh conflict, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Ghukasian said
that any peace accord signed by Armenia and Azerbaijan can take effect
only after it is also approved by the Karabakh leadership. The
journalists also met with the unrecognized republic's foreign minister,
Naira Melkumian, who rejected Baku's repeated offers to grant the
enclave autonomy, arguing that it should have the status of an
independent republic, according to Interfax on 12 January. LF
[18] AZERBAIJANI DEMONSTRATORS CALL FOR TOUGHER LINE ON KARABAKH...
Some 1,300 people participated in a demonstration in Baku on 12 January
organized by the Union of Pro-Azerbaijani Forces that unites four small
left-wing political parties, Western agencies and Interfax reported.
Two of those party leaders, Araz Alizade of the Social-Democratic Party
and Togrul Ibrahiml of Namus, called on the country's leaders to
resign. The participants adopted 10 demands, including that the OSCE
Minsk Group mediation in the Karabakh conflict and the direct talks
between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan both be discontinued,
and that a time limit be set for reaching a settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, according to Interfax. LF
[19] ...PROTEST CUTS IN SOCIAL ALLOWANCES
Police in Baku intervened on 12 January to break up an unsanctioned
protest organized by female activists of the Democratic Party of
Azerbaijan, Turan reported. The activists, whose numbers were variously
estimated at 50-70 or over 500, were protesting the abolition of social
allowances for the poorest strata of the population and demanded the
release of political prisoners. LF
[20] U.S. SUSPENDS BAN ON DIRECT AID TO AZERBAIJAN
U.S. President George W. Bush signed on 11 January a document
suspending Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act that bars direct U.S.
government aid to Azerbaijan, Turan reported. That move is in
acknowledgment of Baku's support for the international antiterrorism
coalition (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 and 31 October 2001). LF
[21] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER NAMED 'POLITICIAN OF THE YEAR'
Opposition Musavat Party leader Isa Gambar was named "Politician of the
Year" with 770 votes for 2001 in a poll conducted by the Azerbaijan
Public Opinion research center, according to Turan on 12 January. In
second place was President Heidar Aliev with 675 votes. LF
[22] GEORGIA FAILS TO ADOPT DECISION ON CIS PEACEKEEPERS...
Georgia's National Security Council failed at its 11 January session to
discuss, let alone reach a decision, on whether to formally demand the
withdrawal of the Russian peacekeeping force deployed under the CIS
aegis in the Abkhaz conflict zone, Caucasus Press reported. Georgian
Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili told journalists after the
session that a decision would be made within two-three days, but
President Eduard Shevardnadze said in his traditional Monday radio
address on 14 January that he cannot call for the withdrawal of the CIS
peacekeepers until the UN has agreed to deploy a replacement force,
which, Shevardnadze continued, it is unlikely to be able to do until
the international antiterrorist operation winds down, according to
ITAR-TASS. On 12 January, the Akhali Abkhazeti (New Abkhazia) Georgian
parliament faction demanded that Shevardnadze be impeached for failing
to act on the parliament's October demand that the CIS peacekeepers be
withdrawn (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 October 2001). But Parliament
speaker Nino Burdjanadze again hinted on 11 January that the Georgian
leadership would agree to the peacekeepers' continued presence provided
their mandate is broadened to enable them to protect the local Georgian
population more effectively, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL
Caucasus Report," Vol. 5, No. 2, 10 January 2002). LF
[23] ...AS RUSSIA CALLS FOR CLEAR DECISION...
Also on 11 January, Russian Federation Council Committee for Security
and Defense Chairman Viktor Ozerov told journalists in Moscow that the
council wants Shevardnadze to come to a decision soon on whether the
peacekeepers' mandate, which expired on 31 December, should be
extended, Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS reported. Ozerov said that
decision will facilitate work on the drafting of a new bilateral
framework treaty on Georgian-Russian relations. LF
[24] ...AND ABKHAZIA AGREES TO UN ENVOY'S CALL FOR RESUMPTION OF TALKS
Abkhazia's Prime Minister Anri Djergenia has yielded to urging by UN
special envoy for Abkhazia Dieter Boden to agree to resume talks with
Georgian government representatives, Caucasus Press and ITAR-TASS
reported. The Abkhaz leadership has insisted for the past two months
that they will return to the negotiating table only after the Georgian
troops currently deployed in the Kodori Gorge are withdrawn (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 14 and 26 November, and 21 December 2001). But
Djergenia insisted that the only issue Sukhum is currently prepared to
discuss with Tbilisi is the withdrawal of those troops, which Georgian
Defense Minister Davit Tevzadze said on 10 January is not on the cards.
LF
[25] RUSSIAN MILITARY DENIES PLANS TO CLOSE HQ IN TBILISI
A senior Russian Defense Ministry official told journalists in Moscow
on 12 January that no decision has been made on disbanding the Tbilisi
headquarters of the Group of Russian Forces in the South Caucasus,
Caucasus Press reported. "Vremya novostei" reported on 11 January that
the headquarters is to be closed within the next six months. LF
[26] ARRESTED KYRGYZ PARLIAMENTARIAN APPEALS TO PRESIDENT
Kyrgyz parliament deputy Azimbek Beknazarov wrote on 12 January to
President Askar Akaev asking him to intervene to ensure that legal
norms are observed in the investigation into his case, RFE/RL's Bishkek
bureau reported. Beknazarov is accused of failing to file criminal
charges for murder against Djaparaly Kamychbekov, who killed a man in
self-defense in 1995 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8 January 2002).
Meanwhile, two more Kyrgyz parliament deputies have joined supporters
of Beknazarov who declared a hunger strike last week to protest his
arrest and demand his release. LF
[27] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT PARTICIPATES IN PHONE-IN
President Akaev participated in a 2 1/2 hour live phone-in broadcast on
the first state TV and radio channels on 11 January, RFE/RL's Bishkek
bureau reported. Akaev answered selected questions from a total of over
3,500 submitted in advance, most of them on general political,
economic, and foreign policy issues. Akaev said Bishkek may extend its
one-year agreement with the U.S. allowing U.S. troops and aircraft the
use of the Manas airport near Bishkek, Reuters reported. But he ignored
questions about arrested parliament deputy Beknazarov, and claimed
there are no problems in relations with Uzbekistan. LF
[28] KYRGYZ SHEPHERD SHOT DEAD ON UZBEK BORDER
Uzbek border guards opened fire on 11 January on three Kyrgyz youths
tending sheep on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border, killing one of them and
wounding a second, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. A criminal
investigation into the incident is underway. LF
[29] STATE DUMA SPEAKER STRESSES RUSSIA'S INTERESTS IN TAJIKISTAN, CENTRAL
ASIA
A State Duma delegation headed by speaker Gennadii Seleznev arrived in
Dushanbe on 11 January and met the same day with President Imomali
Rakhmonov and with Saidullo Khairulloev, chairman of the lower chamber
of the Tajik parliament, Russian agencies reported. Seleznev
characterized Tajikistan as "Russia's direct strategic partner" despite
the lack of a common border between the two states. He again stressed
that Russia considers it essential to strengthen its presence in
Central Asia, expressing concern lest the U.S. tries to parlay the
consent it has received from the Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek governments
to make their military facilities available for six months to
international troops engaged in the international antiterrorism
campaign into a long-term presence in the region. LF
[30] U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VISITS TAJIKISTAN
Meeting on 13 January with a visiting U.S. Congressional delegation led
by Jim Kolbe, President Rakhmonov stressed the importance of economic
aid to bolster political stability and the development of democracy in
Afghanistan, Russian agencies reported. Kolbe told journalists
following his meeting with Rakhmonov that the U.S. is unlikely to
further expand its military presence in Central Asia. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[31] BELARUSIAN TRADE UNIONS PROTEST BAN ON CHECK-OFF SYSTEM FOR COLLECTING
DUES
Some 3,000 trade unionists, mostly miners from the Belaruskaliy potash
fertilizer giant in Salihorsk (Minsk Oblast), rallied at a local
stadium on 11 January to protest the government's directive banning the
previous check-off system for collecting trade union dues at Belarusian
enterprises, Belapan reported. The government on 14 December issued a
directive requiring that union dues be paid by workers themselves
instead of being deducted from their wages by employers. The Federation
of Trade Union of Belarus has denounced this decision as a politically
motivated attempt to suppress the country's labor movement. JM
[32] MINSK TOUGH ON OSCE MISSION IN BELARUS
Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvastou told Belarusian Television on 12
January that unless the mandate of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring
Group in Belarus (AMG) is changed, any further stay of the group in
Minsk will become impossible. According to Khvastou, the OSCE mission
in Belarus failed to observe its mandate last year. Khvastou said the
OSCE's requirements regarding Belarus are more rigorous than those for
other countries. "We cannot accept the situation where we are offered
different conditions for the activities of the OSCE group than
universal ones, which are accepted for such groups in other countries,"
he noted. JM
[33] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT FORMS POLITICAL PROPAGANDA GROUPS...
Alyaksandr Lukashenka has issued a directive providing for the
formation of "information and advisory groups" to conduct mass
propaganda work among the population, Belapan reported on 12 January.
According to the presidential press office, the directive is aimed at
ensuring "people's constitutional right to receive full and
authoritative information about the activities of governmental
agencies, nongovernmental organizations, [as well as] about political,
economic, cultural, and international events." Under the directive,
information and advisory groups are to appear at industrial
enterprises, military units, educational institutions, and residential
neighborhoods at least twice in three months to give briefings on
important political, socioeconomic, and international issues. JM
[34] ...EXTOLS STABILITY, DEMOCRACY IN BELARUS
President Lukashenka said the main political result of his rule in 2001
was the consolidation of Belarus's status as a peace-loving, stable,
and democratic country, Belarusian Television reported on 13 January.
Lukashenka was speaking at a party he organized for foreign diplomats
to celebrate the Orthodox New Year. Regarding his re-election in the 9
September 2001 ballot, which has been declared by European election
monitors as undemocratic, Lukashenka said: "The authorities
demonstrated strength and self-discipline, while the people
[demonstrated] wisdom and consistency. This was an elegant victory." JM
[35] UKRAINIAN BLOCS, PARTIES HOLD ELECTION CONVENTIONS
A number of election blocs and parties held congresses over the past
weekend to approve their election manifestos and list of candidates for
the 31 March legislative ballot, Interfax and UNIAN reported. In
particular, such gatherings were organized by the For a United Ukraine
bloc, the Socialist Party, the Natalya Vitrenko Bloc, the Women for the
Future political association, the All-Ukrainian Leftist Union
"Justice," and the Russian Bloc. JM
[36] UKRAINE'S SOCIALIST PARTY INCLUDES MELNYCHENKO ON ITS ELECTION LIST
A congress of the Socialist Party on 12 January approved its election
list for the 31 March parliamentary election. The list is headed by
Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz and includes former presidential
bodyguard Mykola Melnychenko (No. 15), who is currently in the United
States. In 2000, Melnychenko triggered Ukraine's biggest political
scandal by releasing what he said were records of conversations in the
president's office, which implied President Leonid Kuchma's complicity
in the murder of opposition journalist Heorhiy Gongadze and a host of
other crimes. Referring to a conversation with Melnychenko, Moroz told
journalists that the former presidential security officer will take
part in the election campaign on Ukraine's territory. JM
[37] FOR A UNITED UKRAINE OPTS FOR STABILITY
A congress of the pro-presidential For a United Ukraine bloc on 12
January adopted its election manifesto calling for the preservation of
civic stability and social unity, stable national currency and economic
growth, as well as an increase in real incomes of the population,
Interfax reported. The first five of the bloc's election list are the
bloc's leader and head of the presidential administration, Volodymyr
Lytvyn; the head of the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs,
Prime Minister Anatoliy Kinakh; lawmaker Yekateryna Vashchuk;
director-general of the Mariupol Illicha metallurgical plant, Volodymyr
Boyko; and rector of the National Taras Shevchenko University, Viktor
Skopenko. Lytvyn told the congress that this year's parliamentary
election will be "a catalyst for the birth of a new party system" in
Ukraine "for a long term." JM
[38] ESTONIAN CENTER HOPES TO COMPLETE COALITION TALKS IN A WEEK
Shortly after a party assembly agreed on 13 January to begin
negotiations with the Reform Party, Center Party Chairman Edgar
Savisaar declared that he hopes to complete coalition talks on forming
a new government within a week, ETA reported. Reform Party Deputy
Chairman Meelis Atonen said that his party's board decided the previous
day to begin discussions with the Center Party, but stressed: "We will
not agree to the graduated-rate tax, and we will say 'no' to budget
deficit and excessive costs." A coalition should have at least 51 votes
in the 101-member parliament, but the two parties have only a total of
47 deputies (29 Center Party and 18 Reform Party). SG
[39] LATVIA RECEIVES POSITIVE EVALUATION FROM NATO EXPERTS
During a Planning and Review Process plenary meeting of Defense
Ministry officials and a group of NATO experts on 11 January, NATO
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Issues Gunter Altenburg
praised Latvia's efforts to develop its defense capacities in
compliance with NATO standards, LETA reported. He said the results of
the previous five days of work by the experts will be summarized in an
approximately 200-page report that will be forwarded to NATO member
governments to help assess Latvia's readiness for alliance membership.
Altenburg noted that "Latvia has set out the right goals" in defense
planning, defense structure, staff planning, and other defense-related
spheres. Defense Minister Girts Valdis Kristovskis declared that the
reform of the National Armed Forces will be completed in 2008, and at
this point the greatest attention is being devoted to staff, armament,
equipment, and compatibility with NATO forces. Latvia is the first
candidate country to be evaluated by NATO experts. SG
[40] EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT
The parliament held an extraordinary session on 12 January that, by a
unanimous vote of 98 votes, ratified the bilateral treaty with Great
Britain on evasion of double taxing of income and capital gains,
"Lietuvos rytas" reported on 14 January. The treaty was to have been
ratified at the last session in December, but the vote was postponed
when it became apparent that fewer than the 57 deputies needed for
ratification were present. Great Britain ratified the treaty in
December. Deputies also discussed the veto by President Valdas Adamkus
of the amendments to the law adopted by parliament in December on the
restoration of ownership rights to nationalized real estate (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 21 December 2001), but postponed voting on it until
the next session on 15 January. It is not clear whether the necessary
71 votes to override the veto will be obtained. SG
[41] POLISH PREMIER IN WASHINGTON
Premier Leszek Miller met with U.S. President George W. Bush on 11
January. The meeting was attended by presidential National Security
Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell. "We spoke
about bilateral relations, about the world that has changed after 11
September, about NATO and the problems associated with its expansion,
about our contacts with our neighbors, and about the economy -- how
American investors may support our economy," PAP quoted Miller as
saying. Miller added that both he and the U.S. president expressed
satisfaction at the relations between Russia and NATO. "Summing up, I
can say that I had the opportunity to convince myself what great weight
the United States attaches to cooperation with Poland. The U.S.
government expressed itself very well about the reaction of Poland to
the events of 11 September," Miller added. Miller did not disclose any
details concerning the planned participation of a Polish military
contingent in the U.S.-led antiterrorist operation in Afghanistan. JM
[42] TWO POLISH RIGHT-WING PARTIES MERGE
The Conservative Peasant Party and its political ally, the Polish Party
of Christian Democrats, on 13 January merged into the Conservative
Peasant Party-New Poland Movement, which seeks to become an integration
core for the country's split right wing, Polish media reported. The new
party is led by lawmaker Artur Balazs, who won his parliamentary
mandate on the Civic Platform (PO) election ticket but with a group of
followers subsequently refused to join the PO (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9
November 2001). JM
[43] CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER RULES OUT TEMELIN CLOSURE
In an interview with the Austrian weekly "Profil," Jan Kavan, said on
13 January that the nonbinding referendum due to begin the next day in
Austria on the closure of the Czech Republic's Temelin nuclear power
plant will in no way influence the Czechs' decision on the plant, but
warned that the plebiscite could have "negative consequences" for the
relations between the two countries, CTK reported. Kavan said Prague
has never accepted the view that "only a closed Temelin is a safe
Temelin," and is determined to introduce the technological improvements
agreed upon with Vienna. Kavan also said that regardless of the outcome
of 2002 parliamentary elections, no Czech government is likely to agree
to a demand to close down the plant. Deputy Premier Vladimir Spidla
said on 12 January that the government decided to postpone until March
an exercise designed to test the plant's safety to avoid its taking
place at the same time as the Austrian referendum, saying such a
situation would be "unfortunate." Meanwhile, on 12 January the plant
renewed tests at full 1,000-megawatt capacity, after having been forced
to briefly shut down the day earlier due to a malfunction (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 11 January 2002). MS
[44] KLAUS TO LEAD HIS PARTY'S PRAGUE ELECTORAL LISTS
Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman Vaclav Klaus will head the
electoral lists of his party in the June 2002 parliamentary elections,
CTK reported on 12 January. He was elected to the position at an ODS
regional meeting in Prague, garnering the support of 82 out of 95
members present. His chief rivals will be Social Democratic Party
Deputy Chairwoman Petra Buzkova and Freedom Union-Democratic Union
Chairwoman Hana Marvanova. MS
[45] CZECH PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE INSISTS THAT GREGR RESIGNATION IS VALID
Jan Matulik, a member of the Czech Presidential Office's Law
Department, on 11 January said that the 8 January letter in which
Industry and Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr offered to quit his post is
a "valid resignation," CTK reported. Prime Minister Milos Zeman refused
to accept the resignation and said Gregr had only offered to quit his
post and did not resign as such (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 January
2002). Matulik said one day earlier that, according to constitutional
provisions, the resignation letter is not valid since it was not
addressed to the country's president. Presidential spokesman Ladislav
Spacek said that only President Havel can decide on the resignation's
validity, and that Havel "would appreciate it if the constitutional
provisions were observed." The Presidential Office's Law Department
said the premier must forward the resignation to the president and has
no right to decide himself whether or not to reject it. MS
[46] SLOVAK NATIONALIST OPPOSITION CHASTISES HUNGARIAN STATUS LAW
Slovak National Party Deputy Chairman Viliam Oberhauser on 11 January
submitted to the parliament a draft law prohibiting the implementation
of the Hungarian Status Law in Slovakia, CTK reported. Oberhauser said
the bill has the support of all parliamentary formations except the
Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK). The draft bill says the Status Law
infringes on international legislation, threatens Slovakia's
sovereignty, interferes in its internal affairs, and contravenes the
provisions of the basic treaty between the two countries. Real Slovak
National Party Chairman Jan Slota said on 12 January that his formation
will propose in the parliament that the bilateral treaty with Hungary
be abrogated, since the Status Law revives the "idea of a Greater
Hungary." Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan, speaking on Slovak radio on 12
January, rejected Slota's proposal and said the dispute with Budapest
over the law must be solved in a "civilized manner," and through a
bilateral agreement. Deputy Premier Pal Csaky, who is an SMK member,
said on the same program that the dispute can be solved "within 48
hours" provided the sides display the "political will to do so."
Although Csaky did not mention the Romanian precedent by name, the
solutions he proposed are very similar to the compromise reached
between premiers Viktor Orban and Adrian Nastase last month. MS
[47] SLOVAKIA TO EMULATE CZECH EXAMPLE ON COMPENSATION FOR HOLOCAUST
VICTIMS?
Csaky told journalists on 11 January that he hopes a "breakthrough"
will be achieved in 2002 on the still unsolved problem of compensating
Jewish victims of the holocaust in Slovakia, CTK reported. He said he
will submit a proposal to the government in March or April and that
before doing that he intends to study the "Czech model" for
compensating Holocaust victims. Csaky heads a governmental commission
set up last year to deal with the matter. In July 2000, a fund was
established in the Czech Republic for that purpose. The fund is managed
by the Federation of Jewish Communities and the government provided 300
million Czech crowns (some $8.3 million) for the purpose of
compensating survivors of the Holocaust and for paying compensation for
property that was confiscated and can no longer be returned. MS
[48] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS DRAW UP NATIONAL LIST FOR APRIL ELECTIONS...
The National Council of the opposition Socialist Party (MSZP) formally
decided on 12 January that Peter Medgyessy, its candidate for prime
minister, will head the party's national list in the April general
elections, Hungarian media reported. Medgyessy is followed by MSZP
Chairman Laszlo Kovacs, Deputy Chairwoman Katalin Szili, and former
Prime Minister Gyula Horn. Medgyessy told the National Council that the
next government will be based on the principles of proficiency,
democracy, and decency. Rejecting claims that the party program
promises too much, Medgyessy said it reflects the fact that "there are
many problems and much to do." In other news, MSZP parliamentary member
Matyas Szuros, who briefly served as provisional president of Hungary
before the 1990 elections, will run as an independent candidate in the
upcoming parliamentary elections. He told MTI that the MSZP no longer
trusts him but he does not want to withdraw from public life. Katalin
Szili said Szuros has burned his bridges with the party as a result of
his sharp criticisms of its leaders. MSZ
[49] ...AS DO FREE DEMOCRATS
Opposition Free Democratic Party Chairman Gabor Kuncze was unanimously
elected on 12 January by the party's National Council as its candidate
for prime minister and head of its national list, Hungarian media
reported. Kuncze later declared that the big question of the April
general elections is whether Hungary can return to the path on which it
set out at the change of regime in 1989, or whether the practices of
the past 3 1/2 years will continue -- namely the "elimination of the
democratic system" as well as "the incitement of hatred and the theft
of public funds." He said the Free Democrats will run independently in
the elections, offering "a liberal alternative," and want to play a
role in running the country following the elections. MSZ
[50] STATUS LAW CONTINUES TO STIR UP CONTROVERSY IN HUNGARY
In an interview with "Nepszabadsag" on 12 January, Medgyessy said
Hungary needs "wages ensuring job security and a predictable future,"
which he said are threatened by the memorandum of understanding signed
with Romania regarding the Status Law. The government should have
conducted an impact study before signing the document, Medgyessy added.
In related developments, during a debate in parliament's Foreign
Affairs Committee on 11 January Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi did not
rule out the possibility of amending the Status Law. Martonyi denied
that the memorandum signed with Romania could have an adverse effect on
the Hungarian labor market, saying the memorandum removed a potential
source of tension in Hungarian-Romanian relations. The opposition Free
Democrats said an amendment to the law is necessary and they will
initiate a special session of parliament later this month. For their
part, the Socialists said the provision in the memorandum stipulating
that ethnic Hungarian communities cannot be supported without the
permission of Romanian authorities is "a betrayal" of ethnic
Hungarians. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[51] KOSOVAR SERBS SEEKING DEAL WITH RUGOVA?
Sokol Djordjevic, who is one of the 22 deputies in the Kosovar
parliament from the Serbian Povratak (Return) coalition, said in Strpce
on 12 January that ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova must speak
with the Belgrade authorities if he wants Povratak's support "in
setting up institutions" in Kosova, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 January 2002).
Rada Trajkovic, who heads the Povratak faction, met in Belgrade with
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. Trajkovic said she and other
deputies will meet with Djindjic, Yugoslav President Vojislav
Kostunica, and other Belgrade officials dealing with Kosova on 14
January to discuss Povratak's future strategy. Trajkovic said that her
coalition will vote for Rugova for president only if he promises to
serve all citizens and to ensure a normal life for everyone in the
province. It is not clear if Povratak has dropped its previous demand
that Rugova renounce independence for Kosova as a precondition for
Povratak's support. On 12 January, U.S.-mediated talks between top
Kosovar political leaders failed to agree on a president and
government. PM
[52] BELGRADE LOYALISTS CELEBRATE IN MONTENEGRO
An unspecified number of supporters of close ties with Serbia
celebrated New Year's Eve according to the Orthodox Julian calendar in
Podgorica on 13 January, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported. No incidents were reported at the party, which took
place amid portraits of Slobodan Milosevic, Radovan Karadzic, General
Ratko Mladic, and World War II Serbian nationalist leader Draza
Mihailovic. Police had banned all public celebrations on security
grounds and pro-independence groups agreed to respect the ban. Artists'
and youth groups slammed both sides of the political divide for turning
the Orthodox New Year's into a political event (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
7 January 2002). PM
[53] NEW SERBIAN SECURITY COUNCIL FORMED
The Serbian government has formed a Security Council consisting of the
prime minister, the police chief, and five or six unspecified
additional individuals, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported on 13 January. The new body will meet daily to discuss
the work of the security services, Djindjic said. PM
[54] IS ATHENS CARRYING SERBIA'S MESSAGE?
On his recent visit to Washington, Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis
told U.S. President George W. Bush that the U.S. should reduce its
presence in the Balkans to a symbolic level and "use the Europeans" to
keep peace there, AP reported on 11 January. Greece's EU partners
involved in Balkan peacekeeping, however, want the Americans to remain
visible and involved. U.S. policy is that America and its allies "went
in together and will go out together." But Kostunica and those
politically close to him want the U.S. to eliminate or reduce its
presence in the Balkans and limit its role to giving money (see "RFE/RL
Balkan Report," 18 September 2001). PM
[55] NEW U.S. ENVOY FOR BALKANS
James Holmes will shortly replace James Pardew as the U.S. special
envoy for the Balkans, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported on 12 January. Holmes has experience in the Balkans --
particularly in regard to Bosnia and Croatia -- and is currently U.S.
Ambassador to Latvia. PM
[56] CROATIA TO OFFER GUARANTEES TO HAGUE
The government decided on 12 January that Deputy Prime Minister Goran
Granic will offer guarantees to The Hague-based war crimes tribunal
that General Rahim Ademi will return for his trial if he is allowed to
return to Croatia in the meantime, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 December 2001).
On 13 January, Defense Minister Jozo Rados said Ademi can return to his
job at the chief inspectorate of the Croatian army if the court allows
him to go home. Ademi voluntarily went to The Hague in 2001. PM
[57] CROATIA AND BOSNIA TO SEAL POROUS BORDER
Croatian and Bosnian authorities agreed in Zagreb on 11 January to shut
149 illegal crossings on their common border in an effort to curb human
trafficking, dpa reported. PM
[58] PETRITSCH: BOSNIAN SERB MODERATES UNDER THREAT FROM EXTREMISTS
A shadowy group calling itself the Gavrilo Princip organization
recently sent a letter from Belgrade containing death threats to
several moderate Serbs living in the Muslim-Croat federation, Deutsche
Welle's Bosnian Service reported on 5 January. On 13 January, Wolfgang
Petritsch, who is the international community's high representative in
Bosnia, expressed support for Mirko Pejanovic of the Serbian Civic
Council in Sarajevo and for others targeted, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service reported. Petritsch stressed that there is
"no room for such extremists in democratic and multiethnic societies."
Gavrilo Princip was the Serbian student who assassinated Austrian
Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914. It is not clear who or
what stands behind the organization bearing his name, or if it indeed
exists. Some observers have suggested recently that extremists in
Bosnia have increasingly come to feel threatened and perhaps driven to
acts of desperation. PM
[59] BOSNIAN ARMY VETERANS PROTEST CUTS
Veterans of the mainly Muslim Bosnian army that fought in the 1992-1995
war met in Sarajevo on 12 January to protest planned cuts in benefits,
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. They
demanded an end to the planned changes, the resignation of the minister
responsible for them, an end to evictions of veterans from homes
belonging to others, and a solution to problems pertaining to Bosnian
army veterans from areas now in the Republika Srpska. Beriz Belkic, who
is the Muslim member of the joint presidency, took part in the meeting.
He said that the veterans seek a "just solution." PM
[60] CALL FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA
The League of Independent Social Democrats called on citizens and
institutions to demand more transparency and accountability in the
privatization process lest those close to power and influence reap
unfair advantage, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported from Banja Luka on 12 January. PM
[61] HABSBURG SURPRISE IN BOSNIAN MUSEUM
Museum staff members have discovered an unknown formal portrait of
Austrian Emperor Franz Josef in a storeroom of the National Art Gallery
in Sarajevo, dpa reported on 12 January. The whiskered emperor is shown
in a blue parade uniform with his medals. The painting will be restored
and put on display as part of Bosnia's cultural heritage.
Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia between 1878 and 1918. Since the
collapse of communism, many Bosnians have come to regard the Austrian
period as one of peace and progress. PM
[62] MACEDONIAN POLICE LIMIT PLANNED RETURNS TO VILLAGES
Multiethnic police returned to only three out of eight villages they
had planned to enter on 11 January, Reuters reported. Unfriendly
villagers kept them out of four of the remaining settlements, while
snow and ice blocked their way to the fifth. An unnamed government
official told the news agency that "we need a couple more days to build
up confidence" before entering those villages where the inhabitants
were less than welcoming. Hard-line Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski
refuses to meet Albanian villagers' demand for an end to checkpoints on
several roads. In related news, dpa reported from Kumanovo that at
least one former guerrilla commander denied that a purported recent
document from the rebels represents the thinking of the National
Liberation Army (UCK) (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 January 2002). PM
[63] BRITISH FAMILY CALLS FOR JUSTICE IN MACEDONIAN KILLING
The family of British sapper Ian Collins, who was killed in August 2001
by unidentified rowdies, has appealed to the Macedonian people for
justice in finding and punishing his killers, Reuters reported from
Skopje on 11 January (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 December 2001). The
Macedonian authorities recently dropped charges against several
teenagers suspected of hurling a concrete block or stone at his
vehicle. His wife noted that he was the only casualty in the NATO
disarmament mission to Macedonia. PM
[64] WEATHER CONTINUES TO TAKE TOLL ON ALBANIA
On 12 January, the government announced power cuts to areas except
those worst affected by the cold and snow, AP reported from Tirana (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 9 January 2002). Freezing temperatures have meant
more demand for power at a time when water reserves for hydroelectric
plants have often turned to ice. On 7 January, the government declared
a state of emergency in parts of northeast Albania. Trucks and
helicopters have been bringing food to the areas worst affected. Five
people have died from the cold, Reuters reported. PM
[65] ROMANIAN PREMIER MISTRUSTFUL OF STATUS LAW IMPLEMENTATION
Adrian Nastase on 11 January said the government has set up a
commission to monitor the implementation of the memorandum signed last
month with Hungary on the Status law, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau
reported. The commission includes representatives of the Foreign,
Interior, and Public Administration Ministries, and must "hinder the
affecting of Romanian interests." He said he does not wish to
"interfere" in the ongoing electoral campaign in Hungary, but
statements have been made in the neighboring country that indicate that
the memorandum signed by himself and Premier Viktor Orban is being
interpreted "in bad faith." Nastase singled out an unnamed Hungarian
politician who allegedly told representatives of ethnic Hungarians who
met in Budapest last week that "it would be easier for a camel to pass
through the eye of a needle than for a Romanian to come to work in
Hungary." Nastase also called on the prefects to be on guard against
any attempt by ethnic Hungarian organizations to issue Hungarian ID
cards. Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR) Chairman Bela
Marko said on 13 January that "special territorial bureaus" will begin
gathering applications for such cards on 21 January, but added that the
bureaus will "function within the limits" of the memorandum signed by
Nastase and Orban and make only "recommendations" to Hungarian
authorities. MS
[66] ROMANIA RELEASES DATA ON 2001 INFLATION
The annual inflation rate in 2001 was 30.3 percent, according to data
released by the National Institute of Statistics on 11 January,
Mediafax reported. The rate was slightly higher than the 30 percent
inflation predicted by the Finance Ministry at the end of the year. It
is also higher than the 25-27 percent forecast by the cabinet upon
taking office, but considerably lower than the 40.7 percent registered
in 2000. Cabinet estimates for the 2002 rate are 22 percent. MS
[67] PROTESTS AGAINST COMPULSORY RUSSIAN LANGUAGE COURSES CONTINUE IN
MOLDOVA...
The protests against the introduction of compulsory Russian-language
courses continued in Chisinau on 11 and 13 January, RFE/RL's bureau in
the Moldovan capital reported. Protest gatherings took place on 12 and
13 January in Soroca as well, and on 11 January a meeting in support of
the protesters was held in Barboi, in Edinet County. Popular Party
Christian Democratic Leader Iurie Rosca said on 11 January that the
number of those participating in the protests in Chisinau has fallen
because of police harassment. Rosca said police searched the homes of
those who spoke on previous days, and he warned that Moldova is about
to be transformed in a "police state." On 11 January, the chief of the
Chisinau police asked the parliament to lift the immunity of those
deputies who participated in previous demonstrations for deliberately
violating the law by holding the protest in an unauthorized place. The
request can only be met in mid-February, when parliament is due to
resume its session. Rosca also addressed a letter to the state
Teleradio-Moldova company, protesting against the "distorted" manner in
which the events are being covered. On 11 January, Premier Vasile
Tarlev issued a statement expressing "indignation" at the fact that the
demonstrators in the capital's main square were chanting "We Are
Romanians!" MS
[68] ...WITH SUPPORT FROM ROMANIA
On 12 January, the extraparliamentary Romanian Union of Rightist Forces
expressed in a press release its "solidarity" with the Chisinau
protesters, saying it watches their "patriotic struggle with hope and
emotion," Romanian radio reported. The same day, Cluj nationalist Mayor
Gheorghe Funar called on Premier Nastase to support the protest, and
said meetings of solidarity with the Chisinau protesters "against the
Russification of the territory between the Prut and Dniester [rivers]"
will be held in Cluj on 15 January, when the birth date of national
poet Mihai Eminescu will be commemorated. Rosca also said he has
received "moving words" of encouragement from Social Democratic Party
Senator Adrian Paunescu. The Civic Alliance Movement said the Moldovan
government's decision transforms the country's "Romanian majority into
a minority in its own country," and that Romanian civil society must
help "the efforts of Romanians beyond the Prut to safeguard their
national identity." The movement also said the government must use its
influence to make the authorities in Chisinau "renounce their intention
to bring about the re-Sovietization of Moldovan schools." A group of
Moldovan students studying in Bucharest also expressed solidarity with
the protest and called on the Romanian authorities to act against the
"neo-Soviet action of the Chisinau government," adding that "the time
of [mere] enthusiasm and patriotic poetry recitals is over." MS
[69] NEW OSCE MISSION CHIEF PLEDGES CONTINUATION OF EFFORTS ON TRANSDNIESTER
David Swartz, the new chief of the OSCE's mission to Moldova, told
parliamentary speaker Evgenia Ostapchuk on 11 January that the
organization will continue to make all necessary efforts to bring about
a settlement of the Transdniester conflict, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau
reported. Swartz also expressed "satisfaction" with the way Russia is
implementing the agreements of the November 1999 OSCE Istanbul summit.
Ostapchuk said Moldova is ready to grant the separatist region a "large
degree of autonomy," provided Tiraspol renounces "the idea of two
states." MS
[70] MOLDOVAN INFLATION FALLS IN 2001
The annual rate of inflation in 2001 was 6.3 percent, only one-third of
the rate in 2000, when it was 18.4 percent, Flux reported on 11
January, citing data released by the government's Department for
Statistics and Sociology. MS
[71] SOFIA MAYOR CHARGED WITH ABUSE OF OFFICE
Sofia Mayor Stefan Sofiyanski was charged on 11 January with
"malfeasance in office" and later released on a bail of 10,000 leva
($4,566), BTA reported the same day. The charges pertain to a Eurobond
loan issued in 1999, and Sofiyanski denies that he abused his office by
failing to secure the earlier approval of the loan by the Sofia City
Council. Reports in the media said the investigation was prompted by
pressure from the leaders of the Union of Democratic Forces, from which
Sofiyanski resigned in late 2001 to form his own party. MS
[72] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT'S FAILURE TO CONSULT
WITH HIM
President-elect Georgi Parvanov on 11 January criticized the cabinet
for having failed to consult with him on changes in the country's
military doctrine and on the Defense and Armed Forces Act approved by
the cabinet one day earlier, BTA reported. Parvanov said that while he
understands the need for military reform to bring the country's forces
into line with NATO requirements, the decision to remove the National
Intelligence Service and the National Bodyguard Service from the armed
forces system has created a "legislative vacuum" pertaining to these
bodies. Parvanov is to take office on 22 January. Outgoing President
Petar Stoyanov commented that if he had considered the decision "wise,"
he would have recommended it during his tenure. Stoyanov added that he
feels his constitutional prerogatives are "running out" for him to call
a National Security Council meeting to challenge the cabinet's
decision. MS
[73] BULGARIA, ROMANIA TO CONTRIBUTE FORCES TO PEACEKEEPERS IN AFGHANISTAN
Bulgaria and Romania are the only two former communist countries that
will contribute troops to the 5,000-strong International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, AFP reported on 11 January. In
the first three months of its functioning, the force is to be led by
Great Britain. It will be fully deployed by mid-February. Defense
Minister Nikolai Svinarov, quoted by BTA on 11 January, said Bulgaria
will provide a decontamination shower facility. Romania earlier
announced that it will provide police forces and a transport plane to
ISAF. MS
[74] FORMER ROMANIAN MONARCH HOSTED BY BULGARIAN ROYAL-TURNED-PREMIER
Former King Michael of Romania, accompanied by his wife, Queen Ana, his
eldest daughter Princess Margaret, and her husband Prince Radu, paid a
private visit on 12 and 13 January to Bulgaria at the invitation of
Simeon Saxecoburggotski, himself a former monarch who became premier
after winning the 2001 parliamentary elections, BTA and Romanian radio
reported. Mihai drove from Bucharest to Sofia himself. Saxecoburggotski
hosted the visiting Romanian royal family at the Tsarska Bistritsa
palace in Borovets, south of Sofia. Asked what Michael's opinion of him
is, Saxecoburggotski told journalists: "He thinks I am a good patriot."
MS
END NOTE
There is no End Note today.
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