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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-04-02Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>CONTENTS
[01] PRESS FREEDOM ACTIVIST'S SON DIES UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCESKirill Simonov, the son of Glasnost Defense Fund head Aleksei Simonov, was found dead on 1 April near his house in Moscow, Russian news agencies reported. According to a spokesman for the Moscow Interior Ministry, the 18-year-old student committed suicide by jumping from an 11-story building, and investigators had found "no signs of violence on his body." However, Aleksei Simonov, who is well-known for his leading role in protecting independent media from government pressure, said he considers his son's death a "politically motivated killing." In 1996, the son of Sergei Grigoryants, a free media advocate and president of the Glasnost civil rights organization, died under similar circumstances. Most human rights activists believed that Grigoryants's son's death was an effort to intimidate his father. VY[02] BEREZOVSKY NEWSPAPER EDITOR SUMMONED BY PROSECUTORS...Igor Zotov, deputy editor in chief of "Nezavisimaya gazeta," was summoned by the Moscow city prosecutor's office to appear on 1 April for questioning in connection with a libel case, RFE/RL's Moscow bureau reported. According to the bureau, the prosecutors have launched a criminal case for libel following the publication of an article in the newspaper last November accusing Moscow city court Chairwoman Olga Yegorova and federal judges Valerii Nikitin and Nikolai Kurdyukov of accepting bribes from former Krasnoyarsk Aluminum head Anatolii Bykov. (Bykov has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder). At the time the article appeared, Zotov was fulfilling the duties of the main editor of the newspaper, which is owned by embattled oligarch Boris Berezovsky; however, the article itself was written by a freelancer, whom prosecutors have been unable to find. Zotov did not appear at the Prosecutor's Office because he has been hospitalized with high blood pressure. JAC[03] ...AS BEREZOVSKY FILM PULLED FROM AIRWAVES IN SIBERIAMeanwhile, Union of Rightist Forces (SPS) leader Boris Nemtsov has sent his own inquiry to the federal Prosecutor-General's Office, arguing that Zotov is being subjected to political persecution. According to Nemtsov, Moscow city prosecutors showed interest in Zotov following an article he wrote on the "Assault on Russia," the film commissioned by Berezovsky to elucidate the FSB's role in four apartment building bombings in Russia in the fall of 1999 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 March 2002). That film was scheduled to be shown in its entirety on the local Novosibirsk television channel TN-4 on 29 March; however, at the last minute a phone call was received from presidential envoy to the Siberian federal district Leonid Drachevskii forbidding the film to be shown, Arkadii Yankovskii, head of the Novosibirsk branch of Liberal Russia, told Ekho Moskvy that day. Also on 29 March, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov had been in Novosibirsk, where he met with Drachevskii and Novosibirsk Governor Viktor Tolokonskii, according to Interfax-Eurasia. JAC[04] JUSTICE MINISTER THREATENS TO TRY KALUGIN, LITVINENKO IN ABSENTIAJustice Minister Yurii Chaika said in Moscow on 2 April that his ministry has grounds to "bring to criminal responsibility" former KGB General Oleg Kalugin and former Federal Security Services (FSB) Lieutenant Colonel Aleksandr Litvinenko, ORT reported. Kalugin currently lives in the United States, while Litvinenko resides in Britain. He said the two men can be tried in absentia, as was the case with (double KGB/MI6 agent) Oleg Gordievskii, who was tried in absentia after defecting to Britain. Meanwhile, the pro-government website strana.ru has published a file of compromising materials on Kalugin, including a picture of him wearing a KGB uniform. VY[05] MOSCOW CELEBRATES FRIENDSHIP ACCORD WITH BAGHDADA large Russian delegation including parliamentarians and heads of the biggest Russian oil companies and banks arrived in Baghdad on 1 April to celebrate the 30th anniversary of a friendship treaty signed between Iraq and the Soviet Union, Prime -TASS and RIA-Novosti reported 1 April. The head of the delegation and former Energy Minister Yurii Shafranik said the contingent represents "not a contribution to the past, but a strong push for future cooperation." In response, Iraqi Vice Prime Minister Tariq Aziz called on "Russia and Europe to make use of the current international situation to form an international coalition supporting Baghdad and their own economic interests by creating an oil pool beyond U.S. control." Meanwhile, Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Aleksii II sent Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein a message expressing his "deep concern over the threat of military action against Iraq," ITAR-TASS reported the same day. VY[06] DUMA GROUPS AGREE TO ASSAULT ON COMMUNISTS' POWER IN DUMAThe leaders of Unity, SPS, Yabloko, and Fatherland-All Russia (OVR) factions, and the People's Deputy and Russian Regions groups met at a closed session on 1 April in which they reached an agreement in principle to redistribute chairmanships of the State Duma's committees, ITAR-TASS reported. The next day, "Kommersant-Daily" published details of the entire plan under which the Communist faction would lose control of eight committees, retaining only two. OVR would pick up two of these committees, SPS another two, Yabloko one, and Russian Regions one. The Agro-Industrial group, an ally of the Communists, would gain two committees and lose one. Neither Unity nor People's Deputy would lose any committees. The State Duma may consider the plan as early as 3 April, according to People's Deputy leader Gennadii Raikov on 1 April. JAC[07] NUMBER OF DRAFTEES DECLINES FASTER THAN ARMY PERSONNEL REDUCTIONThe Russian military's spring draft that began on 1 April is expected to result in a record-low number of 161,000 conscripts, "Vremya novostei " reported on 2 April. Meanwhile, the head of the Defense Ministry's Main Organizational-Mobilization Department, Vasilii Smirnov, told the newspaper that although the army is drafting "all who meet at least the minimal health standards," it will still not be able to conscript the required number of troops. The reasons for this, according to Smirnov, are the demographic gap caused by the falling birth rate and the decline in health experienced by the country in the 1980s, and because 27,000 potential recruits avoided service this year alone. VY[08] NIZHNII GOVERNOR SEEN AS COMPETITOR TO ZYUGANOV..."Novaya gazeta," No. 22, examined the possible Communist Party nominees for the 2004 presidential elections. It argued that most political consultants believe that Communist Party leader Gennadii Zyuganov will never be able to win. Likewise, his rival, State Duma Chairman Gennadii Seleznev, did not make a strong showing in gubernatorial elections in Moscow Oblast in 2000. The weekly noted that People's Patriotic Union of Russia Executive Secretary Gennadii Semigin has recently become a "favorite" of the Kremlin, and deputy presidential administration head Vladislav Surkov regularly lobbies for his interests. But Semigin is also unlikely to win a national election. Therefore, the weekly suggests the party will have to turn to a "red" governor who already has a reputation at the federal level, such as Nizhnii Novgorod Governor Gennadii Khodyrev. Khodyrev has been both a cabinet minister and a State Duma deputy. And according to the weekly, Khodyrev's wife announced the day after her husband's victory that she will stand in the next gubernatorial elections in the region, leaving Khodyrev free to vie against President Vladimir Putin. JAC[09] ...AS CURRENT POLLS SHOWS COMMUNISTS WINNING OVER PRO-KREMLIN PARTY IN DUMA ELECTIONSMeanwhile, a poll conducted among 1,600 Russians nationwide on 26 March showed that the Communist Party would win more than 34 percent of all votes if State Duma elections were held on 7 April, Interfax reported on 1 April, citing the All-Russia Center for Political Studies. Twenty-one percent of respondents said they would vote for Unified Russia. JAC[10] MORE POLITICIANS REACT TO IDEA OF KRASNOYARSK MERGER...Central Election Commission Chairman Aleksandr Veshnyakov said on 29 March that the full absorption of Taimyr and Evenk autonomous okrugs into Krasnoyarsk Krai is possible, but only with "support of the people," according to polit.ru (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 March 2002). However, the next day, Federation Council First Deputy Chairman Valerii Goreglyad said he does not think the practice of enlarging regions will be realized in the short term, Interfax reported. Goreglyad continued that, "For the last 10 years Russia did not build real federalism. The main problem in my view is that Russia tried to use a Western model of federalism, applying it to a Leninist national model." The same day, Leonid Roketskii, representative for Taimyr's legislature in the Federation Council, told the agency that the legislature does not support the "populist" idea of merging the okrug with Krasnoyarsk Krai. JAC[11] ...AS IT IS SUGGESTED THAT LEBED MISHEARD PUTINMeanwhile, the website smi.ru reported that some Russian media have suggested that Lebed may have interpreted too freely the words of President Putin, to whom Lebed attributed the idea for the merger, during his trip to Krasnoyarsk. However, Lebed had apparently been expecting such an announcement, having told an audience in Norilsk last year that the federal government was planning on eliminating all of Russia's 10 autonomous okrugs and one autonomous oblast (see "RFE/RL Russian Federation Report," 3 January and 18 April 2001). JAC[12] NEW STATE DUMA DEPUTY SELECTEDVladimir Basov, a lecturer at the Volga-Vyatskoi Academy of Government Service, won a State Duma by-election held on 31 March in a single-mandate district in Nizhnii Novgorod Oblast, Interfax-Eurasia reported the next day. Basov won 35.66 percent of the votes, compared to 20.38 percent for his closest competitor Alina Radchenko, the coordinator for the noncommercial partnership for Associations of Entrepreneurial Organizations in Russia in Nizhnii Novgorod Oblast. The Duma seat has been vacant since July 2001 when Gennadii Khodyrev was elected governor of Nizhnii Novgorod Oblast. Imprisoned National Bolshevik Party head Eduard Limonov, who was also a candidate, took only 6.56 percent of the vote. JAC[13] EIGHTY DETAINED AS CHECHEN 'SWEEPS' CONTINUEThe search operations that began late last week in Grozny and villages in the Urus-Martan, Shali, and Argun raions resulted in the detention of over 80 suspected Chechen fighters, AP reported on 31 March, quoting an unidentified Chechen administration official (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 March 2002). Meanwhile, a group of gunmen forced their way into the homes in the village of Avtury in Shali Raion of two sisters of slain Chechen politician Adam Deniev and shot them both, Interfax reported. Deniev was killed by an explosion while reading Friday prayers in a television studio one year ago (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 April 2001). LF[14] MOSCOW SEEKS ALTERNATIVE NEGOTIATING PARTNER TO MASKHADOVRussian presidential adviser Sergei Yastrzhembskii told journalists in Moscow on 29 March that the prospects for conducting peace talks with Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov are "not good" in the light of recent videos Yastrzhembskii said Maskhadov has circulated calling for car-bomb attacks on Chechen civilians who collaborate with the pro-Moscow leadership, Interfax reported. Yastrzhembskii added that Moscow is not ruling out dialogue with field commanders who do not target innocent civilians. LFTRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA [15] FORMER ARMENIAN PRESIDENT ENDORSES COMEBACK BID BY FORMER RULING PARTYLevon Ter-Petrossian, who resigned under pressure as Armenian president in February 1998, demonstrated his support on 30 March for the merger of the former ruling Armenian Pan-National Movement, which he headed in the early 1990s, and the 21st Century Party headed by his former national security adviser, David Shahnazarian, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Shahnazarian's daughter is married to Ter-Petrossian's son. Ter-Petrossian refused to answer journalists' questions as to whether he intends to return to active politics (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report,"Vol. 5, No. 9, 7 March 2002). LF[16] DECEASED ARMENIAN PREMIER IMPLICATED IN BEATING COUP SUSPECTSTwo police officers summoned to testify at the trial of former Armenian prison system head Mushegh Saghatelian said on 1 April that former Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian was among senior security officials who beat and tortured them during interrogation in June 1995, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. The two men were detained with some 20 colleagues on suspicion of planning a coup d'etat. They were released after spending several days in detention and never formally charged. Armenian Prosecutor-General Aram Tamazian ordered an investigation into Sargsian's possible involvement in the beatings in what he insisted was an attempt to clear the latter's name (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 and 8 February 2002). Sargsian, who in 1995 was defense minister, was one of the victims of the October 1999 parliament shootings. LF[17] INDEPENDENT ARMENIAN TV STATION LOSES BID TO KEEP FREQUENCYThe independent TV station A1+ faces closure after the entertainment channel Sharm TV, which is reputed to have links to the country's leadership, was named on 2 April as the winner of the tender for the frequency on which A1+ previously broadcast, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27, 28, and 29 March 2002). Shortly before the tender results were announced, President Robert Kocharian again rejected widespread rumors that the Armenian authorities sought to silence A1+, whose news programs were widely regarded as the most objective and impartial of any Armenian television station. A1+ director Mesrop Movsisian said on 2 April he will appeal the "illegal" decision of the nine-man commission that oversaw the tender. LF[18] ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER STATION DIRECTOR RESIGNSSuren Azatian submitted his resignation on 1 April after serving since 1995 as director of Armenia's Medzamor nuclear power plant, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Azatian, who is 56, said he is "very tired and it's time for me to retire." He said that the plant is "in excellent condition," and poses no environmental risk. Azatian opposed compliance with EU demands to shut down Medzamor in 2004. LF[19] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ACCEPTS INVITATION TO CASPIAN SUMMITDuring a telephone conversation on 29 March, Heidar Aliev accepted an invitation from his Turkmen counterpart Saparmurat Niyazov to attend the Caspian summit scheduled to take place in Ashgabat on 23-24 April, Turan reported. But caspian.ru and Mediapress quoted presidential administration official Novruz Mamedov as saying on 29 March that there is no point in convening the summit unless Iran and Turkmenistan modify their respective positions in order to enable all five littoral states to reach some concrete agreement. LF[20] AZERBAIJANI DISPLACED PERSONS DEMAND THAT GOVERNMENT REJECT FURTHER OSCE MEDIATIONAt a meeting on 30 March to mark Azerbaijani Genocide Day, Azerbaijani displaced persons forced to flee their homes during the Karabakh conflict called on the Azerbaijani government to reject any further attempt by the OSCE Minsk Group to mediate a solution to the conflict, Turan reported on 1 April. The displaced persons argued that in the 10 years since it was created the Minsk Group has not taken any real steps to do so. They also demanded that the Azerbaijani authorities make every effort to have the present and former Armenian presidents, Kocharian and Ter-Petrossian, and the current president of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Arkadii Ghukasian, brought to trial for their role in the deaths of Azerbaijani civilians. LF[21] UNHCR RESUMES OPERATIONS IN AZERBAIJANThe office in Baku of the UN High Commission for Refugees has resumed its work after a temporary pause, Turan reported on 29 March (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 and 28 March 2002). Office director Didier Ley told Turan that the closure was not the result of allegations by Chechen refugees that its staff demanded bribes in return for allocating aid, but admitted that its operations could and must be improved. He said that only 60 of a total of 5,400 Chechen families that have registered with the office have been granted the status of refugees, and that only 650 Chechen families are currently receiving financial aid. LF[22] TRIAL OF BANDIT GROUP OPENS IN AZERBAIJAN...The trial began in Baku on 1 April of 23 men who destroyed monuments and attacked police stations in the northern Zakatala and Belokan raions of Azerbaijan in August-September 2001, Turan reported. At the time of their arrest in October, it was reported that the men had been given orders by Armenian intelligence to campaign for the transfer of those two districts to the Russian Federation (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 4, No. 36, 29 October 2001). LF[23] ...AS CIVILIANS, AZERBAIJANI SERVICEMEN CLASH IN GYANDJATwo Azerbaijani servicemen were hospitalized with serious stab wounds after a fight with civilians during the Norouz celebrations in Gyandja, the second-largest city in Azerbaijan, Turan reported on 1 April. Several civilians were also injured. The cause of the altercation is not yet known. The commander of the military unit in question has been demoted. LF[24] GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY, PARLIAMENT PROTEST RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER'S STATEMENT...In a diplomatic note handed to Russia's Ambassador to Georgia Vladimir Gudev on 29 March, the Georgian Foreign Ministry condemned as an attempt to renege on Moscow's international obligations Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov's 29 March statement that the deteriorating situation in Abkhazia may delay the closure of the Russian military bases in Georgia, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 March 2002). The note accused Ivanov of "distorting" the situation in Abkhazia and rejected his suggestion that the U.S. may delay the planned dispatch of military instructors to Georgia. It also expressed the hope that Ivanov's statement reflected his own opinion and not Moscow's official policy. Also on 29 March, the Georgian parliament approved in the first reading a statement drafted by former speaker Zurab Zhvania condemning Ivanov's statement, Caucasus Press reported. LF[25] ...WHILE PRESIDENT DOWNPLAYS ITIn his traditional Monday radio broadcast, President Eduard Shevardnadze said on 1 April that Ivanov's statement should not be "overdramatized," and that it is Russian President Vladimir Putin's stance that is important for Georgia, Caucasus Press reported. Shevardnadze said Putin has convinced him that Russia "will honor its international commitments." LF[26] AGREEMENT REACHED ON GEORGIAN TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM KODORI...At a 29 March session of the UN-sponsored Coordinating Council for the Abkhaz conflict, Georgian and Abkhaz government representatives reached agreement on 95 percent of the text of an agreement under which the Georgian troops deployed in the Kodori Gorge will be withdrawn by 10 April, Caucasus Press reported, quoting Abkhaz Deputy Defense Minister Givi Agrba. The document is to be signed on 2 April. But Tamaz Nadareishvili, chairman of the Tbilisi-based Abkhaz Council of Ministers in Exile, said on 2 April that withdrawal of the Georgian troops will inevitably result in the loss of Georgian control over Kodori. The upper reaches of the Kodori Gorge are the only part of Abkhaz territory under Georgian government control. LF[27] ...AS GEORGIAN PRESIDENT CALLS ON ABKHAZ TO 'COMPROMISE'In his 2 April radio broadcast, President Shevardnadze appealed to the Abkhaz leadership to agree to unspecified compromise to facilitate a settlement of the conflict, Caspian News Agency and Interfax reported. He warned that if Sukhum refused to do so, the UN Security Council would consider alternative, unspecified measures, by which Shevardnadze presumably meant peace enforcement. LF[28] GEORGIA SEEKS TO HONOR DECEASED FORMER PRESIDENTPresident Shevardnadze and the Georgian parliament have both proposed measures to honor the memory of Zviad Gamsakhurdia, who served as Georgian president from May to December 1991, Caucasus Press reported on 29 and 30 March. Opposition Party of National Ideology Chairman Zurab Gagnidze proposed that Gamsakhurdia be reburied in the Mtatsminda cemetery where the country's most illustrious cultural figures are interred, and that one of the city's main squares be renamed after him. Gamsakhurdia's widow Manana Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia expressed gratitude for the proposed official moves to honor her dead husband, but said that "Georgia is not yet worthy" of housing her husband's tomb. Only some 500 people attended a rally she convened in Tbilisi on 31 March, Gamsakhurdia's birthday, in what she termed a bid to unify the Georgian people. LF[29] KAZAKH OPPOSITIONIST TAKES REFUGE IN WESTERN EMBASSYThe EU on 1 April called for a solution to the case of former Pavlodar Oblast Governor Ghalymzhan Zhaqiyanov, one of the cofounders of the Democratic Choice for Kazakhstan opposition movement, who took refuge during the night of 28-29 March in the building in Almaty that houses the French, British, and German embassies to avoid arrest on corruption charges, Reuters reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 March 2002). A statement released in Brussels said the EU "will not allow its representation and the member states' missions to be used as a political platform." ITAR-TASS on 30 March quoted the three ambassadors as saying that they will not force Zhaqiyanov to leave. Zhaqiyanov for his part addressed an open letter to President Nursultan Nazarbaev asking him to end what Zhaqiyanov termed illegal persecution by the law enforcement agencies, AP reported. But Interior Minister Kairbek Suleimenov described Zhaqiyanov as "a primitive criminal," and vowed that he will not succeed in leaving the country, according to Reuters. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry released a statement on 1 April denying that the moves against Zhaqiyanov and other former senior officials were politically motivated, Interfax reported. LF[30] KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS DEPUTIES' STATEMENT...At the 1 April session of the Legislative Assembly (the lower chamber of Kyrgyzstan's parliament), several deputies condemned the appeal to the people of Kyrgyzstan signed on 27 March by 55 of the total 105 members of the legislature not to be "misled" by "intriguers" who seek "to foment tensions," RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 March 2002). The signatories blamed the 17 March clashes in Djalalabad Oblast's Aksy Raion on the "illegal actions" and "political extremism" of those "intriguers," who, they said, coerced the people to resort to "unconstitutional actions." Opposition deputy Tursunbai Bakir uulu told RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau on 30 March that many deputies signed the appeal only under pressure from the government, while filmmaker and opposition deputy Dooronbek Sadyrbaev said on 1 April that the initiative originated with former Communist Party of Kirghizia First Secretary Turdakun Usubaliev. LF[31] ...APPROVES MORE INTERNATIONAL TROOP CONTINGENTSAlso on 1 April, the Legislative Assembly ratified intergovernmental agreements on the temporary deployment on Kyrgyz territory of the Polish, Netherlands, Norwegian, and South Korean troop contingents deployed as part of the international antiterrorist coalition in Afghanistan, ITAR-TASS and RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Muratbek Imanaliev told parliament deputies that the foreign troop presence meets Kyrgyzstan's interests and does not threaten its security. He pointed out that "the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are still active" in eastern and southern Afghanistan. LF[32] TAJIK PRESIDENT APPEALS FOR AID TO COUNTER LANDSLIDE DANGERImomali Rakhmonov traveled on 30 March to the Baipaza hydroelectric power station to assess the situation there, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. The power station is threatened by flooding should a huge mass of loose earth and boulders break away from a mountainside and dam the Vakhsh River (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 and 26 March 2002). In a statement on 31 March, Rakhmonov said the power station is now threatened by a second, even larger landslide that poses a threat not only to Tajikistan but to neighboring countries that would be affected by flooding. He called for international aid to prevent an ecological disaster. LF[33] FUGITIVES ENCAMPED ON TAJIK-AFGHAN BORDER RETURN HOMEThe estimated 12,000 Afghan fugitives who have been encamped for the past 18 months on islands in the Pyandj River that marks the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan have begun to return to their homes with the encouragement of the interim Afghan government, Russian agencies reported on 1 April. The Afghans fled fighting between Taliban and Northern Alliance forces in late 2000, but the Tajik authorities consistently refused to allow them to enter Tajikistan (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 December 2000, and 8 and 23 January 2001). LF[34] TWO MORE SENIOR TURKMEN OFFICIALS SACKEDAt a 1 April cabinet session, President Niyazov signed decrees dismissing Mary Oblast governor Amangeldy Ataev for having allegedly accepted a $10,000 bribe and Food Industry Association Chairman Kakadjan Ovezov, also for accepting bribes, Interfax and turkmenistan.ru reported. Niyazov also on 1 April signed decrees stripping of their awards and demoting to the ranks former National Security Committee Chairman Mukhammed Nazarov, former Defense Minister Kurbandurdy Begendjev, and former Border Guards Service commander Tirkish Tyrmyev (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 March 2002). LFCENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE [35] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT SALUTES BELARUSIANS, RUSSIANS ON UNITY DAYBelarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who also chairs the Supreme State Council of the Russia-Belarus Union, has greeted the two nations on the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia, which is observed on 2 April, Belapan reported. "Six years ago we firmly chose the integration road, and time has proven the correctness of this course," Lukashenka said in his message. "During the past few years we made impressive progress on the way toward consolidating the relations of fraternal friendship and developing mutually advantageous cooperation and comprehensive integration," ITAR-TASS quoted from a congratulatory message sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Lukashenka on the occasion. JM[36] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION NEWSPAPER GETS OFFICIAL WARNINGThe Information Ministry has warned the opposition daily "Narodnaya volya" in connection with "the dissemination of groundless and unsubstantiated statements concerning the president of the Republic of Belarus," Belapan reported on 29 March. On 20 March, "Narodnaya volya" published a text that included the following passage: "Inasmuch as the Belarusian authorities are involved in arms trade, inasmuch as the presidential administration has privatized the most profitable part of Belarusian economy, it is not difficult to realize what money Alyaksandr Ryhoravich wants to launder in Austria." "Narodnaya volya" intends to appeal this warning with the Supreme Economic Court, claiming that the text was not written by its journalists but only reprinted from the website of RFE/RL's Belarusian Service. JM[37] OUR UKRAINE WINS PARLIAMENTARY BALLOT IN NATIONWIDE CONSTITUENCYWith nearly 99 percent of the vote counted, Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine finished first in the nationwide constituency, in which 225 parliamentary mandates were contested under a proportional party-list system, UNIAN reported. Our Ukraine was supported by 23.4 percent of voters, the Communist Party by 20.1 percent, For a United Ukraine by 12.1 percent, the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc by 7.1 percent, the Socialist Party by 7 percent, and the Social Democratic Party by 6.2 percent. Other parties did not overcome the 4 percent voting hurdle to obtain mandates from the party list. It is not clear how many seats Our Ukraine and other blocs will obtain in the new Verkhovna Rada, since vote counting in one-seat constituencies is still in progress. Estimates give Our Ukraine 110-120 seats, while For a United Ukraine may get 100-110 seats. JM[38] OUR UKRAINE TO RUN GOVERNMENT WITH FOR A UNITED UKRAINE?Serhiy Tyhypko, the leader of the influential pro-presidential Party of Regions, told UNIAN on 1 April that a pro-government majority in the new Verkhovna Rada should be created by For a United Ukraine, Our Ukraine, and the Social Democratic Party-united. According to Tyhypko, the majority should consist of center-right forces that could guarantee Ukraine's transition to a market economy. Tyhypko added that he is not ready to join a coalition with the Communist Party (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 2 April 2002). JM[39] OUR UKRAINE LEADER WARNS AGAINST DEMOCRACY SETBACK AFTER ELECTIONFormer Premier Viktor Yushchenko said on 1 April that the Ukrainian parliamentary ballot the previous day was held according to a "donor scenario," under which votes were taken from some parties and blocs and added to others, STB Television reported. He added that Our Ukraine's observers registered some 10,000 violations at polling stations and will prepare lawsuits within the next five days. "There is an impression that Ukrainian democracy will be set back by about four years," Yushchenko noted. JM[40] EUROPEAN MONITORS NOTE PROGRESS, FLAWS IN UKRAINIAN ELECTION DEMOCRACYThe International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) -- which was formed by the OSCE, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament -- said in a preliminary statement in Kyiv on 1 April that the 31 March parliamentary election indicated progress over the 1998 parliamentary ballot toward meeting international commitments and standards but also included major flaws. According to the IEOM, the ballot took place under a significantly improved election law and was efficiently administered by the Central Election Commission. Simultaneously, the IEOM recorded many campaign drawbacks and violations of the election law, including the use of administrative leverage by the authorities for promoting the election bid of the pro-presidential For a United Ukraine bloc (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 2 April 2002). JM[41] CIS, RUSSIAN OBSERVERS SAY UKRAINIAN BALLOT WAS FAIRSome 200 CIS observers said in statement on 1 April that the 31 March parliamentary election was "free, transparent, democratic, and legitimate," ITAR-TASS reported. According to UNIAN, a similar opinion was expressed by election monitors from the Russian State Duma. JM[42] CANDIDATE KILLED ON EVE OF UKRAINIAN BALLOTMykola Shkriblyak, the deputy governor of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast and an election candidate from the Social Democratic Party-united, died of gunshot wounds on 30 March resulting from an attack the previous night by unidentified gunmen, Ukrainian media reported. Governor Mykola Vyshyvanyuk commented that the killing was of "a clearly political character." Rival parties publicly condemned the killing. JM[43] ESTONIAN GENOME FOUNDATION REVEALS INVESTORSEGeen International Corporation, the financier of the Estonian Genome Foundation project, revealed on 1 April that two funds and 17 individuals have invested a total of $2 million for the first stage of the project, ETA reported. The international risk capital funds SEAF CEE Growth Fund and Baltics Small Equity Fund have invested $1.1 million and $400,000, respectively, and private investors from $10,000 to $75,000 each. In the first stage, health data and tissue samples of 10,000 donors will be collected to test the developed model of the project and the security and quality of the processes. Talks are ongoing with new investors in the biotechnology risk capital sector on obtaining an additional $5 million for the second stage of the project. SG[44] LATVIA'S LEGISLATION ALMOST FULLY ALIGNED TO EU NORMSLatvia's European Integration Bureau (EIB) Director Edvards Kusners stated on 1 April that Latvia has coordinated almost all branches of legislation with the norms of European Union law, BNS reported. He noted that laws in the interior and justice spheres require the most coordination because they are the areas developing most dynamically within the EU itself. Kusners said that six months ago 40 legislative acts still had to be coordinated, but their number has decreased, although he did not give a specific figure. The EIB's main tasks are coordinating Latvia's legislation with EU norms, planning the integration process, coordinating assistance from the EU and member countries, as well as informing the Latvian public about the EU. SG[45] LITHUANIA ANNOUNCES MORE FAVORABLE RESULTS FOR 2001The Statistics Department announced on 29 March that it has raised the growth of the country's GDP in 2001 from its January estimate of 5.7 percent to 5.9 percent, ELTA reported. The GDP is now calculated to be 47.96 billion litas ($11.99 billion) or a per capita GDP of 13,752 litas. The state's current account deficit in 2001 declined by 405 million litas from 2000 to 2.29 billion litas, which amounts to 4.8 percent of GDP, or 20 percent less than the 6 percent of GDP in 2000. In 2001, foreign direct investments in Lithuania rose by 14.2 percent and totaled 10.66 billion litas as of 1 January 2002. The largest investments in 2001 came from Denmark (18.6 percent), Sweden (16.1 percent), Estonia (10 percent), Germany (9.2 percent), and the United States (8.3 percent). SG[46] POLISH CABINET EXAMINES POSSIBLE CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES...Prime Minister Leszek Miller told Polish Radio on 2 April that a specially appointed governmental team is currently studying the possibilities for amending the country's constitution. "We have decided to conduct studies...[of primarily] two possibilities: the abolition of the Senate and having the holding of elections in the spring registered as a constitutional norm," Miller said. JM[47] ...DISBANDS 13 CENTRAL AGENCIESPremier Miller on 29 March nominated the heads of four new government agencies set up under an amended government administration law, simultaneously dismissing the chiefs of 13 agencies that are to be closed down, PAP reported. "This is part of our plan to curb administration costs and make government cheaper. We want fewer and simpler administration structures with clearly defined powers," Miller commented. JM[48] POLISH MINISTER WANTS JUDGES TO EXPLAIN DEFENDANTS' ESCAPEJustice Minister Barbara Piwnik said on 29 March that the failure of the Katowice District Court to detain the former owners of the Katowice-based Colosseum consortium pending their trial was a "clear and blatant infringement of the law," PAP reported. On 13 March, the court decided to detain former Colosseum head Jozef Jedruch and his deputy Piotr Wolnicki on charges of defrauding 345 million zlotys ($84 million) from a local power plant. However, the arrest warrants for the two men were not ready before noon the following day, which gave them time to escape. Piwnik has demanded explanations from judges. JM[49] CZECH PRESIDENT CALLS ON KLAUS TO 'LEAVE MY FAMILY IN PEACE'Vaclav Havel on 2 April called on Civic Democratic Party and Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav Klaus to "leave my family in peace," CTK reported. In an interview with the weekend supplement of the daily "Pravo," Klaus earlier said the first lady should not "suddenly play the role of the main charity figure." Havel responded that Klaus was probably alluding to both his late wife Olga, and to his second wife Dagmar, saying: "I shall not defend them and will not explain that these activities did not start 'all of a sudden,' or that both of them spent much time in such activities and have helped thousands of people... I shall only issue a brief call: Mr. Chairman, leave my family in peace, whether they rest in heaven or work on Earth for those alive." MS[50] CZECH GOVERNMENT LAUDS CUBA'S HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRESSAfter sponsoring resolutions against the infringement of human rights in Cuba for the past three years, the Czech Republic's report submitted this year to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva praised Cuba for taking "steps in the right direction," dpa reported on 29 March. In delivering the report, Foreign Minister Jan Kavan said the steps taken so far are "insufficient," but added that "the Czech Republic notes with hope, but also with the maximum degree of caution...indications of a possible improvement." MS[51] FORMER CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER TO RUN FOR UN COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTSFormer Czech Foreign Minister Jiri Dienstbier, who was a dissident under the communist regime, will run for the position of UN high commissioner for human rights, AP and CTK reported on 29 March. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ales Pospisil confirmed that Dienstbier is to be the official candidate of the Czech Republic. If elected, he will replace Mary Robinson, who recently announced that she plans to step down in September. MS[52] CZECH SKINHEAD RECEIVES HEAVY PRISON SENTENCE FOR KILLING ROMVlastimil Pechanec, a skinhead who stabbed a Rom to death in July 2001 was sentenced on 29 March to a 13-year sentence after a court in Hradec Kralove found him guilty of committing a racially motivated crime, CTK and AP reported. The murder took place in a bar in Svitavy, some 160 kilometers east of Prague. Pechanec appealed the verdict. MS[53] PORN PRODUCER RENOUNCES PLANS TO SHOOT FILM AT THERESIENSTADTPorn star and producer Robert Rosenberg has abandoned his intention to shoot a film at Theresienstadt, CTK reported on 29 March, citing the daily "Mlada fronta Dnes" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 March 2002). He said his sponsors "left him" in the wake of the "media campaign unleashed" against him. Rosenberg denied ever having planned to shoot a porno film, saying he had intended to shoot a documentary at the former concentration camp. MS[54] CZECH PREMIER PREDICTS FICO WILL WIN SLOVAK ELECTIONSMilos Zeman on 1 April said he expects Robert Fico, the leader of the Smer (Direction) party, to win the Slovak parliamentary elections in September, CTK reported. Zeman made the statement while responding to questions from students at DePaul University in Chicago, where he was lecturing on the Czech Republic and European integration. Zeman also said that if former Premier Vladimir Meciar returns to power, Slovakia is unlikely to be admitted to NATO. The Czech premier is in the U.S. on a visit aimed at promoting more business links with U.S. companies. He will also pay a visit to Mexico. MS[55] SLOVAKIA REGISTERS NINTH BSE CASESlovak veterinary authorities on 29 March confirmed the country's ninth case of BSE (mad cow disease), AP reported. A 6-year-old cow from a farm in eastern Slovakia tested positive for the disease after being slaughtered. All cattle older than 30 months must be tested after slaughter. MS[56] FIDESZ DEPUTY CHAIRMAN SPARKS OPPOSITION PROTESTSSocialist Party Deputy Chairwoman Katalin Szili on 29 March called on Prime Minister Viktor Orban to dissociate himself from FIDESZ Deputy Chairman Laszlo Kover's 14 March remarks at an electoral gathering in Szombathely, Hungarian media reported. Kover said those who believe that "in the past few decades we have become a people without abilities, unsuitable, and lacking talent," should hang themselves. Kover added: "I would like to ask those who...for years kept repeating this, to at least set a good example." Szili said Kover "should be ashamed and should leave public life," as his remarks are "not conservative, but simply inhuman, not right-wing, but simply evil, and are not about the future, but about a dark past to which no one in this country wishes to return." The opposition Free Democrats also urged FIDESZ Chairman Zoltan Pokorni to apologize. MSZ/MS[57] HUNGARIAN CAMPAIGN MARRED BY ASSAULT, VANDALISM...A young man putting up campaign stickers supporting the opposition Free Democrats (SZDSZ) was beaten and called "a communist" near a bus stop in Budapest's 12th district in the afternoon of 30 March, SZDSZ parliamentary member Istvan Szent-Ivanyi told the MTI news agency. Pedestrians in Hungary's western town of Szombathely spotted a swastika on a Hungarian Justice and Life Party (MIEP) election poster. MIEP's local chapter leader, Tamas Hegedus, reported the incident to the police. Unidentified people on 30 March defaced the entrance of the Vasarosnameny office of the SZDSZ, while a middle-aged man shouting obscenities kicked a middle-aged woman in downtown Pecs. The woman said she was attacked because she wore a rosette in support of the governing coalition, Hungarian media reported. MSZ[58] ...AND BY POLITICKING IN NAME OF ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHLeaflets reportedly explaining "What shall I tell my friends about why I will not vote for the Socialists and Free Democrats?" and "Why shall I vote for the present governing parties?" are being distributed in the Szent Imre hospital in Kaposvar, "Magyar Hirlap" reported on 2 April. The unidentified author of the leaflet tells the Roman Catholic faithful that the FIDESZ-Democratic Forum alliance is closer to his world view. The leaflet also says that the Socialist Party's leadership includes more than 60 people who held leading posts during the communist dictatorship. The commercial RTL Klub TV reported that similar leaflets have been distributed in the churches in the town of Varsany. The priests at the churches could not be reached for comment, the television station reported. MSZ/MS[59] FIDESZ, SOCIALIST CHAIRMEN TO DEBATE IN LIVE BROADCASTFIDESZ Chairman Zoltan Pokorni and his Socialist counterpart Laszlo Kovacs will hold a 110-minute debate at the University of Economics on 4 April that will be broadcast live on Hungarian Television, Hungarian media reported. According to an agreement reached on 29 March, the debate will focus on an evaluation of the past four years and the key tasks facing the future. The two parties will be allowed to delegate 80 persons each to the 400-seat auditorium where the debate will take place. MSZSOUTHEASTERN EUROPE [60] BELGRADE STILL STALLING ON COOPERATION WITH THE HAGUESpeaking to journalists in Belgrade on 1 April, Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic said the federal government has held an "extraordinary session...in which we have brought a unanimous decision that as a member of the UN, we are obliged to fully cooperate with [The Hague-base war crimes tribunal] and have asked all state bodies to fully cooperate. We have also supported the decision made by the Serbian government that also refers to direct cooperation with the tribunal," RFE/RL reported. He did not elaborate except to say that "all state bodies are now obliged to cooperate with the tribunal, which means that [war crimes] investigators must be allowed access to all archives...and to arrest all those indicted," AP reported. The meeting took place after the expiration on 31 March of a deadline imposed by the U.S. Congress for Belgrade to cooperate with the tribunal or lose some $40 million in U.S. aid (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 March 2002). PM[61] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT'S JOKE FOR 1 APRIL?Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said in Belgrade on 1 April that Belgrade first needs a "clear law regulating such cooperation" with the tribunal, AP reported. Observers note that the Belgrade authorities have been stalling on cooperating with the tribunal since they came to power in October 2000, promising but not introducing comprehensive legislation on cooperation. In 2001, the Serbian authorities nonetheless extradited former President Slobodan Milosevic despite the opposition of Kostunica, who regards the tribunal as an anti-Serb instrument of U.S. foreign policy. Most voters appear to agree with him, which explains the reluctance of the Belgrade leadership to make good on statements like the one Svilanovic just made. PM[62] POWELL DEFERS DECISION ON AID CUTOFF TO BELGRADE...State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said in Washington on 1 April that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has deferred ruling on whether Belgrade is cooperating with The Hague, Reuters reported. Reeker noted in a statement that "although Yugoslavia made significant progress with respect to the certification criteria, the secretary has determined that it would be premature to certify at this point. We have communicated our decision to Belgrade authorities, and have reiterated to them our desire to see further progress on certification issues." The progress he referred to was in implementing the rule of law and respecting the peace settlement in Bosnia. An unnamed "U.S. official" said on condition of anonymity that "the authorities in Belgrade know what they need to do. We're not going to tie aid to one person [such as General Ratko Mladic]. We're saying they know what they need to do, and we're waiting for them to do it." PM[63] ...AS SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER PREDICTS EXTRADITIONSSerbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, who generally appreciates the need to cooperate with The Hague, said in Belgrade on 2 April that "it can be expected that the first extraditions will take place" later that same day or on 3 April, AP reported. He did not elaborate. On 1 April, Djindjic called Kostunica's stonewalling "cowardly, hypocritical, and irresponsible." Djindjic stressed that "the duty of the Yugoslav president is to take care of the country's international position. It is obvious that he is not doing his job." Hague chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte has accused Kostunica of responsibility for the sheltering of war criminals, including Mladic (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 30 November 2001). PM[64] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT SLAMS BELGRADE OVER HAGUEMilo Djukanovic told Serbian state-run television on 1 April that he considers it "inexplicable and irresponsible" that Belgrade has not passed legislation on cooperating with the tribunal, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. He warned that Belgrade's failure to meet the conditions set by the U.S. could have serious consequences for both Serbia and Montenegro because of Washington's influence in the World Bank and other international bodies. PM[65] MONTENEGRO SAYS EURO IS ITS SOLE CURRENCYThe Montenegrin Central Bank announced on 1 April that the euro is now the republic's sole legal tender, replacing the German mark, AP reported. Under the recent agreement between Belgrade and Podgorica, Montenegro retains its own currency independent of the Serbian dinar. PM[66] ARRESTED BOSNIAN SERB ARRIVES IN THE HAGUEMomir Nikolic, a former Bosnian Serb army major, arrived in The Hague on 2 April to face war crimes charges stemming from the 1995 massacre of Muslim males in Srebrenica, AP reported. SFOR troops arrested him the previous day in Repovac, near Bratunac, prior to which his indictment had not been made public. NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson said in a statement in Brussels afterward that Nikolic's "detention serves as a warning that there will be no hiding place for anyone accused by the tribunal of those horrific crimes. Let me be crystal clear to those with guilty consciences: you have only two choices -- turn yourself in with dignity, or justice will be brought to you," Reuters reported. In related news, a 30-day deadline set by the Bosnian Serb government for war criminals to surrender came and went on 1 April without anyone having turned himself in, dpa reported. The government had promised to provide bail guarantees for anyone who surrendered voluntarily. PM[67] BOSNIAN FEDERAL ARMY STARTS REDUCTIONSAs part of an effort by the international community to shrink the armies of Bosnia's two entities by about 50 percent, some 8,000 Muslim and Croat soldiers have agreed to leave the military in return for a severance payment of about $4,400, dpa reported. Many men are reluctant to leave the army for fear that they will not be able to find work in a country where unemployment is already very high. The federal army currently has 26,000 men on active duty, while the corresponding figure for the Republika Srpska is 18,000. PM[68] NATO CONTINUES ARMS COLLECTION IN BOSNIANATO spokesman Major Scott Lundy said in Sarajevo on 2 April that peacekeepers collected additional weapons in return for amnesty the previous week as part of a program called Harvest, AP reported. The latest haul included 288 hand grenades, 149 rifle grenades, 416 antipersonnel mines, 61 antitank mines, more than 7,500 rounds of different caliber ammunition, and 21 small arms of various calibers. The program began in 1998. PM[69] UN SACKS TWO BOSNIAN SERB POLICEThe UN police force (IPTF) has removed Milojko Kovacevic from the Visegrad police because of his alleged role in the ethnic cleansing of that town's Muslims in 1992, UN spokesman Stefo Lehmann said in Sarajevo on 2 April. Dpa also quoted Lehmann as saying that Jovan Cokorilo has been sacked as head of the police in Trebinje for failing to prevent violence against local Muslims at a ceremony in May 2001 at which work was begun on rebuilding a mosque. PM[70] CROATIAN ENVOY CALLS ON HERZEGOVINIANS TO ACCEPT CHANGESJosip Vrbosic, who is Croatia's ambassador to Bosnia, appealed to the local Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) to sign a proposed agreement on constitutional changes, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported from Mostar on 2 April. He said that the compromise is "painful," but added that it opens up the prospect of Bosnia's integration into European institutions. Vrbosic was speaking at a ceremony marking the 160th anniversary of the cultural institution Matica Hrvatska. The international community has called for approval of the changes that will make Croats, Muslims, and Serbs politically equal throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 March 2002). The HDZ's goal is to establish a separate Croatian entity in Bosnia, which the international community has called a nonstarter. PM[71] ROMANIAN PREMIER WARNS AGAINST IMPACT OF FOREIGN ELECTIONS ON NATO DECISION...Without naming any country by name, Adrian Nastase warned on 30 March that the elections scheduled in several NATO countries might influence the outcome of the decision on his country's joining of the alliance, Mediafax reported. Nastase said Romania must be careful "not to offer any pretext" for opposing its accession to those who "would not like Romania to be part of NATO." He said he hopes the Romanians "learned a lesson" in 1997, when "an aggressive internal and external image campaign" conducted by the country's leaders at the time contributed to the failure of the bid to join NATO. But he added that the Romanians are "somewhat nervously" awaiting the alliance's decision, and that this expectation "has nearly turned into an obsession." MS[72] ...AND FOREIGN MINISTER WARNS AGAINST 'NATO EUPHORIA'Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, speaking in Athens after a meeting with his counterparts from Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria, said his country and Bulgaria "should not fall prey to a feeling of euphoria" on their improved chances to join the Atlantic alliance, Reuters reported on 29 March. Geoana said that such a feeling would be "premature, counterproductive, and would send the wrong signal, showing that we do not understand that all candidate countries...still have some work to do" to qualify for membership. On 2 April, Geoana was to begin a visit to the U.S. aimed at promoting Romania's NATO membership bid and is scheduled to meet with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and other White House officials on 3 April. MS[73] CLUJ MAYOR CLAIMS CENSUS PLACES HUNGARIAN POPULATION AT UNDER 20 PERCENTUltranationalist Cluj Mayor Gheorghe Funar, speaking as chairman of the local census commission, said on 29 March that census results show that ethnic Hungarians make up 18.45 percent of the city's population, Mediafax reported. As a result, the Magyar minority is not entitled to demand bilingual street signs in Cluj, since it does not meet the 20 percent population requirement established by law, he claimed. MS[74] ROMANIAN OPPOSITION PARTY PROMISES YOUNG CANDIDATE FOR 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONSNational Liberal Party (PNL) Chairman Valeriu Stoica told a forum of Young European Liberals in Sinaia on 30 March that Romania "needs new politicians," and that in the 2004 presidential elections the PNL's candidate will be less than 40 years old, Mediafax reported. He said the candidate will be chosen by the end of this year. MS[75] ROMANIAN PREMIER SAYS BUCHAREST MUST SHOW 'RESTRAINT' ON MOLDOVAN DEVELOPMENTSRomanian Premier Nastase said on 30 March that his government must show "restraint" toward the latest developments in Moldova because it has "no verified information on the exact situation," RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. "We do not know what kind of game is played there, who deals the cards and why," he said. But he added that "it is extremely serious when an ordinary citizen disappears in Europe today, even more serious if that person is a politician, and graver when that politician is a member of the opposition." Nastase also said Romania is interested in seeing Moldova "strengthen its statehood," and in having neighbors where "democracy is stable, consolidated, and where political pluralism, the rule of law, and the values and principles of European democracy are promoted." MS[76] MOLDOVAN PROTESTERS GIVE GOVERNMENT ULTIMATUM...Between 50,000 and 80,000 protesters from all over Moldova attended the Grand National Assembly of Voters in Chisinau on 31 March, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. The gathering approved a resolution calling on the parliament to outlaw within 48 hours any fascist or communist party "and their symbols." They vowed to continue their protest until the government resigns. Popular Party Christian Democratic (PPCD) Chairman Iurie Rosca told the gathering that the Party of Moldovan Communists has "usurped" power and must be overthrown, "but only by peaceful and civilized means." A resolution approved by participants also called on President Vladimir Voronin to resign and for early parliamentary elections. Two separate declarations called for clarifying the disappearance of PPCD Deputy Chairman Vlad Cubreacov, and for the "unconditional withdrawal" of Russian troops from the Transdniester. MS[77] ...CALL FOR SETTING UP ANTICOMMUNIST NATIONAL SALVATION FRONTOther opposition formations, among them the newly established Liberal Party, sent representatives to the demonstration, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Several thousand demonstrators remained in Chisinau's main square overnight, and 2 April reports from Chisinau said they are continuing the protest after having erected tents outside the government's headquarters. On 1 April, the protesters also marched in front of the Russian Embassy in the Moldovan capital. MS[78] CHISINAU DEMONSTRATION ATTENDED BY ROMANIAN SENATORFormer Transdniester prisoner Ilie Ilascu, who is now a Senator representing the Greater Romania Party in the Romanian Senate, attended the 31 March protest demonstration, Mediafax reported. Senate Chairman Nicolae Vacaroiu, quoted by Romanian radio, said Ilascu went to Chisinau "as a private person" enjoying "the rights that any Romanian citizen benefits from." Vacaroiu warned Ilascu, however, that he is not entitled to "speak in the name of the Senate." MS[79] MOLDOVAN TV JOURNALISTS BEAM 'ALTERNATIVE NEWS' IN CITY SQUAREThe strikers' committee at Teleradio Moldova on 29 March began screening in the National Opera Square an uncensored, alternative news program, Romanian radio reported. The committee intends to show during the weeklong protest action footage that was censored by the company's management. MS[80] U.S. AMBASSADOR'S RESIDENCE IN CHISINAU FIRED UPONUnidentified perpetrators fired several shots at the residence of U.S. Ambassador Pamela Smith in Chisinau on 30 March, Romanian radio reported. No one was hurt and police said they are not ruling out "a mere act of hooliganism." MS[81] BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER TO RUN FOR PARTY LEADERSHIPAfter a meeting of the parliamentary group of the National Movement Simeon II (NDSV), Simeon Saxecoburggotski announced on 1 April that he will run for the NDSV's leadership after it is transformed into a party on 6 April, BTA reported. Saxecoburggotski's decision came as a surprise, as he had ruled out such a possibility at the abortive party foundation convention on 26 January. "I decided to put forward my candidacy, because I am a pragmatist and I obey the wish of the majority [of the NDSV parliamentary group's members]," the prime minister said on 1 April. Kemal Eyup, the deputy chairman of the NDSV's coalition partner, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), welcomed Saxecoburggotski's decision. Eyup's counterpart from the opposition Socialist Party (BSP), Georgi Bozhinov, said that he will comment on the news if the prime minister later confirms his April Fools' Day announcement. UB[82] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO CHINASolomon Pasi arrived in Beijing on 31 March and met with his Chinese counterpart Tang Jiaxuan, BTA reported. Tang and Pasi discussed the improvement of bilateral economic cooperation as well as a new visa agreement that aims at relaxing the requirements for Chinese businessmen. The foreign ministers also assessed the possibility of Bulgaria organizing a conference on behalf of the UN Security Council commemorating the first anniversary of the 11 September terrorist attacks on the United States. Bulgaria will take over the presidency of the Security Council in September. UB[83] BULGARIA ADOPTS STRATEGY FOR BANK PRIVATIZATIONFinance Minister Milen Velchev told BTA on 29 March that at least 67 percent of the State Savings Bank (DSK) will be sold to a strategic investor. As a first step toward the privatization of the DSK, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) might acquire between 10 and 15 percent of the DSK's assets. The remaining assets will likely be sold on the stock exchange. The board of directors of the Bank Consolidation Company approved the privatization strategy. The deadline for the selection of a strategic investor is 30 June 2003. Velchev added that it is likely that a foreign consultant will be recruited for the sale. UB[84] CRIME RATE DROPS IN BULGARIAThe crime rate in Bulgaria dropped by 15.9 percent in the first quarter of 2002 compared to the same period in 2001, BTA reported on 1 April, citing a press release issued by the National Police Service. The percentage of crimes solved rose by 6.7 percent, and stood at 40.8 percent of all crimes committed during the quarter. The number of violent crimes solved reached 61 percent, 12 percent more than in the previous year. The press release also underscored the improved security measures for embassies, consulates, and international representations. UBEND NOTE [85] PUTIN'S DESTRUCTIVE UNITYBy Robert CoalsonThe Kremlin-backed political faction Unity ran in the December 1999 State Duma elections under the slogan "Our Unity is our strength." It was a catchy slogan and seemed to work magic, as the hastily formed coalition came out of nowhere to win a convincing victory over the formidable Fatherland-All Russia coalition headed by Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov, St. Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev, and former Prime Minister Yevgenii Primakov. That victory was widely seen as paving the way for Vladimir Putin to take the presidency, which he did two years ago last week. During his presidential campaign, Putin did little to expand on the unity theme. Luzhkov and Primakov withdrew from the presidential contest, saying the process was so biased and undemocratic that they had no chance to compete. The not-so-subtle implication of the idea that "unity is strength" is, of course, that pluralism is weakness. The basic assumption in the pro-Putin camp at that time was that Yeltsin-era Russia had become ungovernable and reversing this trend was the most urgent problem confronting the new administration. In attempting to reassert centralized control, the Putin government has undermined the minimal pluralism that existed in 1999, as well as the limited public support that the values of pluralism enjoyed then. It may be an exaggeration to say that Putin is building an authoritarian system -- or even a "semi-authoritarian system" as political analyst Liliya Shevtsova said last week -- but it can certainly be said that the system he is building does not have openness, checks and balances, or widespread participation as its core values. As a result, although the public is generally satisfied with Putin's achievements, the public malaise with politics has deepened. As political commentator Leonid Radzikhovskii wrote in "Vremya MN" on 26 March, "The president does have extensive support, but the energy level of this support base is low and it's mostly due to mere habit." Putin's striving for "unity" is seen in the tendency to break down the already-feeble system of checks and balances that were established in the previous eight years. On May 17, 2000, for instance, Putin abolished the State Committee for the Environment and transferred its responsibilities to the Natural Resources Ministry, a move that was widely criticized as putting the fox in charge of the hen house. In November 2000, the government nullified a referendum petition on a controversial plan to import spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing. This drive was among the most massive noncommunist public political actions of the post-Soviet period and an expression of at least a certain level of confidence in the nascent democratic processes. But it was nonetheless terminated by bureaucratic fiat without a public word from Putin. Over the last two years, the government has taken many such measures. Most notably, it has considerably weakened the Duma and the Federation Council as bodies capable of exercising control over the government. Writing in "The Moscow Times" two weeks ago, independent Duma deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov noted that long-term, stable modernization is not possible on the basis of "a strengthened and disciplined bureaucracy." "True modernization can only be achieved when society and parliament -- society's main advocate -- start to play a decisive role in policymaking," Ryzhkov wrote. Ryzhkov also noted that the Duma's Audit Chamber is slowly "drifting under the wing of the presidential administration," a tendency that is paralleled by the recent appointment of a former deputy finance minister, Sergei Ignatiev, to head the Central Bank. Ignatiev stated last week that, "We will not insist on an absolutely independent Central Bank." In mid-2001, Russia adopted a controversial Kremlin-inspired law that will significantly reduce the number of political parties. This law is characterized by bureaucratic methods of controlling public political participation, and the main result of it, as was widely predicted by democracy advocates at the time, has been the strengthening and consolidation of the Unity faction, the one party in Russia that enjoys strong bureaucratic backing and has virtually no public support. The Putin administration's handling of the mass media has gained considerable attention. The result here too is clear-- the consolidation of national television in the hands of the state. The Kremlin has carefully manipulated the formation of the new TV-6 and the tender for its broadcasting license with an eye toward exercising control while maintaining the appearance of the station's independence. "[Media Minister Mikhail] Lesin and [head of the presidential administration Aleksandr] Voloshin later briefed Putin on the final arrangement and said he found it acceptable," "The Washington Post" reported on 26 March in its investigation of how the tender for the license was manipulated. "The object, said those familiar with the bid, is to portray the Kremlin as a supporter of a free and open press -- but to ensure that the new operator of a national television station does not repeat the sort of antigovernmental diatribes that turned the owners of NTV and TV-6 into unofficial Kremlin foes." The result of Putin's two-year policy of consolidating control over all branches of power is an illusory stability and democratic political mechanisms that are considerably weaker and more atrophied than they were two years ago, when they were already so weak that the Kremlin was fairly easily able to produce manipulated election results. Putin's ideology of unity seems certain to mean that this destructive, antipluralistic, and potentially destabilizing pattern will continue when circumstances compel him to step aside. Robert Coalson is the editor of "The St. Petersburg Times." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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