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RFE/RL Newsline, 06-12-13
CONTENTS
[01] SHELL REPORTEDLY SET TO YIELD CONTROL OF SAKHALIN-2 TO GAZPROM
[02] IS SAKHALIN-2 PART OF MUCH BIGGER PICTURE?
[03] U.S. REPORTEDLY INVESTIGATING KREMLIN LINKS IN STEEL DEAL
[04] PUTIN AIDE SAYS MURDER CASE HAS HARMED RUSSIA
[05] RUSSIAN NEWSPAPER DEPLORES NEGATIVE WESTERN MEDIA COVERAGE
[06] CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST SIBERIAN MAYOR TO GO AHEAD
[07] VERDICT IN KARACHAYEVO-CHERKESSIA MURDER TRIAL POSTPONED
[08] ARMENIA'S KARABAKH WAR VETERANS CONVENE CONGRESS
[09] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION DEFENDS ARRESTED EX-COMMANDER
[10] BAN ON AZERBAIJANI TV STATION 'TEMPORARILY' SUSPENDED
[11] FORMER AZERBAIJANI MINISTER'S PROPERTY CONFISCATED
[12] GEORGIAN APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS SENTENCES IN CASE OF SLAIN BANKER
[13] KYRGYZ POLICE CLAIM TO HAVE BROKEN UP EXTREMIST CELL IN CAPITAL
[14] TURKMEN LEADER DISCUSSES GAS PROJECTS
[15] PROTESTS OVER SHORTAGES REPORTED IN UZBEK CITY
[16] EUROPEAN DELEGATION ARRIVES IN UZBEKISTAN
[17] KAZAKH ENVOY PRAISES IMPROVEMENT IN KAZAKH-UZBEK TIES
[18] HAS IMPRISONED BELARUSIAN OPPOSITIONIST ENDED HUNGER STRIKE?
[19] BELARUS ACCUSES WASHINGTON OF INTERFERENCE IN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS
[20] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VETOES 2007 BUDGET BILL...
[21] ...AND TELLS KYIV MAYOR TO REVISE UTILITY-RATE HIKES DOWNWARD
[22] SERBIAN PREMIER PRAISES RUSSIA FOR STAND ON KOSOVA
[23] SERBIAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS NATO INVITATION START OF NEW ERA
[24] SERBIA SEIZES LARGE AMOUNT OF CONTRABAND DIESEL OIL AT BORDER
[25] RADICAL PARTY'S DEPUTY LEADER SAYS HUNGER STRIKE HELPS PARTY
[26] MONTENEGRO ASKS WORLD COURT TO EXEMPT IT FROM GENOCIDE LAWSUIT
[27] TRANSDNIESTRIAN LEADER WINS FOURTH TERM
[28] AFGHAN, IRANIAN OFFICIALS DISCUSS JUDICIAL COOPERATION
[29] TALIBAN SPOKESMAN REJECTS AFGHAN-PAKISTANI JIRGAS
[30] SUSPECTED TALIBAN MILITANTS REPORTED KILLED IN AIR STRIKE
[31] NEW REPORT CRITICIZES PAKISTANI PACTS WITH MILITANTS
[32] RUSSIAN NUCLEAR CHIEF VISITS IRAN
[33] IRANIAN NUCLEAR OFFICIAL SAYS BUSHEHR PLANT FACES CASH SHORTAGE
[34] GULF STATES EXPRESS CONCERN OVER IRANIAN NUCLEAR PLANT
[35] TEHRAN STUDENTS DISRUPT PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH
[36] IRAQI BA'ATH PARTY REJECTS U.S. REPORT
[37] IRAQ, SYRIA OPEN EMBASSIES IN BAGHDAD, DAMASCUS
[38] IRAQI PREMIER CALLS FOR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN IRAQ COMPACT
[39] U.S. HELICOPTER MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING, 18 INJURED
[40] SHI'ITE MILITIA ATTACKS SUNNI ARABS IN BAGHDAD
[41] GUNMEN STEAL $1 MILLION FROM IRAQI CENTRAL BANK
[42] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
Tuesday, December 12, 2006 Volume 10 Number 228
Russia
[01] SHELL REPORTEDLY SET TO YIELD CONTROL OF SAKHALIN-2 TO GAZPROM
Royal Dutch Shell will cede control of the Sakhalin-2 gas field to
Russia's state-owned monopoly Gazprom following months of Kremlin
pressure to do so, international media reported on December 12. Shell
officials declined on December 11 to comment on the media reports, and
Gazprom officials told reporters that they are still studying Shell's
recent proposals. Shell currently owns 55 percent of the Sakhalin-2 gas
production-sharing agreement (PSA) in Russia's Far East, while Japan's
Mitsui and Mitsubishi control 25 and 20 percent, respectively. Shell's
recent offers reportedly involve granting Gazprom at least 50 percent
control of the project, including shares from all three foreign
companies. Japanese media reported on December 12 that Mitsui and
Mitsubishi have made offers that "follow the lead" of Shell. News.ru on
December 12 cited the Russian dailies "Vedomosti" and "Kommersant" as
suggesting that Gazprom probably will pay cash for its acquisitions in
Sakhalin-2 at a generous discount over the real value. Russian
authorities have been threatening for several months to cancel some key
permits at Sakhalin-2 after Shell announced the cost of the project
would double and Russian officials said that Shell is guilty of
numerous violations of Russian ecological legislation (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," September 22 and 27, October 5 and 19, and December 7,
2006). Oleg Mitvol, who is deputy head of the Natural Resources
Ministry's Federal Service for the Oversight of Natural Resources Use
(Rosprirodnadzor), announced on December 12 that he will file lawsuits
in March against unspecified Sakhalin-2 subcontractors, Interfax
reported. Observers suspect, however, that Moscow's real concern is not
the environment -- which many Russian firms are known not to respect --
but rather a desire to renegotiate the PSAs in order to include Russian
state monopolies like Gazprom and Rosneft. On December 12, Britain's
"The Daily Telegraph" wrote that "the move by the Kremlin [to take over
Sakhalin-2] will be seen as a sign that Russia will no longer tolerate
foreign investors controlling strategic assets." Britain's "The Times"
noted that "Russia wins with the hard line." Germany's "Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung" wrote that "Shell has apparently bowed to pressure
from the Kremlin." PM
[02] IS SAKHALIN-2 PART OF MUCH BIGGER PICTURE?
On December 11, the daily "Kommersant" reported that President Vladimir
Putin chaired a meeting of the Security Council on December 9, which
allegedly dealt with "restoring order to state policy on oil and gas
production on Russia's shelf," which includes the Sakhalin-2 project.
The daily added that "the meeting focused on the state's ability to
consolidate its forces for the purpose of extracting and developing
this wealth," and concluded that "the practice of using [PSAs] for
shelf fields is inconsistent with Russia's national interests." The
council reportedly concluded that "Gazprom, Rosneft, and Zarubezhneft
are likely to be instructed to work on creating a unified state-owned
company to handle production on Russia's shelf." It is not clear if or
when these recommendations might be put into practice. Putin has
favored the creation of large state-run corporations in key branches of
the economy, which Andrei Illarionov, who is a former Putin economics
adviser, and the "Financial Times" of June 19 described as a "corporate
state." PM
[03] U.S. REPORTEDLY INVESTIGATING KREMLIN LINKS IN STEEL DEAL
The U.S. Treasury's Committee on Foreign Investment is planning to
investigate Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich's links to the Kremlin
before deciding whether to approve the $2.3 billion sale of Oregon
Steel to the steel maker Evraz Group, which he controls, Britain's
"Financial Times" reported on December 11. Abramovich, the
Kremlin-appointed governor of Siberia's remote Chukotka Autonomous
Okrug, is generally considered politically close to the Kremlin, and
reportedly Russia's richest man (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 21,
2006). In Washington, a Treasury spokeswoman declined to comment,
saying that they do not discuss their reviews, "The Moscow Times"
reported on December 12. The "Financial Times" cited Daniel Lucich, a
former deputy assistant treasury secretary, as saying that the U.S.
authorities want to know whether Evraz "is owned, controlled, or
influenced by a Russian or other government interest." The paper did
not say when the review will take place. If the deal goes ahead, it
will be the largest Russian takeover of a U.S. firm, the British daily
added. PM
[04] PUTIN AIDE SAYS MURDER CASE HAS HARMED RUSSIA
Igor Shuvalov, who is a top Kremlin aide and was President Putin's
chief planner for the July Group of Eight (G8) industrialized
countries' summit in St. Petersburg, told Britain's Channel 4
television on December 11 that the imbroglio surrounding the recent
apparent murder in London of British citizen and former Russian Federal
Security Service (FSB) agent Aleksandr Litvinenko has caused "untold
damage" to the Russian leadership (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 7,
8, and 11, 2006). Shuvalov stressed that those who carried out the
killing sought to harm Russia's image abroad. He argued that the murder
"was planned to harm Russia's image by someone who wouldn't want
[President] Putin to proceed very successfully." Shuvalov noted that
Russia "started the year as president of the G8 with not an easy time,
after Ukraine complained we raised gas prices. Now we are finishing the
year with this case, and people are always asking the same questions.
This is happening because someone is interested in pursuing this image
in the West that Russia...is still the Soviet Union." PM
[05] RUSSIAN NEWSPAPER DEPLORES NEGATIVE WESTERN MEDIA COVERAGE
On December 9, the Russian daily "Trud" wrote that "the rousing
anti-Russian chorus in the Western media is reminiscent of the late and
unlamented Cold War era. British newspapers are setting the tone. In
connection with the murder of [critical journalist] Anna Politkovskaya
and the Litvinenko poisoning, there have been open accusations against
Russia's leadership, its special services." The paper added that "the
American media aren't far behind. 'The Wall Street Journal' ran a
leading article headlined 'Russia - the Enemy.' Richard Holbrooke,
likely to become the next secretary of state if the Democrats win the
[2008] presidential election, wrote an article about Russian
imperialism in Georgia -- an article that went far beyond the bounds of
decency. There hasn't been a single positive word about Russia in the
American media for months." "Trud" added, however, that "the latest
outbreak of Russophobia [is promoted by Russian exiles and limited
largely to] the Anglo-Saxon countries, the Baltic states, and Poland."
The paper noted that "if we look at the results of worldwide opinion
polls, we find that the image of Russia and its leadership is just
about the best on the planet. Much better than the image of the United
States or Britain." PM
[06] CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST SIBERIAN MAYOR TO GO AHEAD
A Tomsk district court announced on December 11 that Mayor Aleksandr
Makarov has been suspended from his post pending the outcome of a
criminal case against him on corruption charges, news.ru and ITAR-TASS
reported. Makarov was detained on December 6 and suffered a heart
attack during a search of his office. Doctors say that he no longer
requires hospitalization. Makarov was first elected mayor in 1996 and
subsequently reelected three times. He is charged with extorting about
$115,000 in real-estate scams, accusations that he denies. The
authorities have been waging a nationwide anticorruption drive for
months. Critics charge, however, that corruption is so rampant in
Russia that the few cases involving officials actually charged might be
based on ulterior motives, such as removing politically problematic
people from office. On November 1, Makarov and an unspecified number of
town council members sent an open appeal to President Putin to protest
proposed federal legislation that would effectively abolish the duties
of Russia's mayors and would subordinate local administration to the
regional governors. Putin has had the right to appoint governors since
late 2004, but the elected mayors retain much power and influence in
their respective cities and towns. Among the sponsors of the
legislation to abolish mayoral duties was a State Duma deputy from
Tomsk (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 2 and December 7 and 8, 2006).
PM
[07] VERDICT IN KARACHAYEVO-CHERKESSIA MURDER TRIAL POSTPONED
The verdict in the trial of 16 men accused in connection with the
murder of a parliament deputy and six other people in October 2004 has
been postponed from December 18 to December 25 in view of the huge
amount of paperwork involved, regnum.ru reported on December 11,
quoting a Karachayevo-Cherkessia Supreme Court official. The
defendants, who include Ali Kaitov, President Mustafa Batdyev's former
son-in-law, are accused of shooting parliament deputy and local
businessman Rasul Bogatyryov and six of his friends during the night of
October 10-11, 2004, and burning their bodies. Relatives of the seven
victims protested in August what they termed efforts by the defense to
drag out the proceedings and secure an acquittal (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 10 and 12, 2004, and August 24, 2006). LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[08] ARMENIA'S KARABAKH WAR VETERANS CONVENE CONGRESS
The Yerkrapah Union of Yeterans of the Karabakh War held its seventh
congress in Yerevan on December 9, Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Armenian
Service reported on December 11. Addressing participants, Union
Chairman and Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant General Manvel
Grigorian said the union will not participate as a political force in
the 2007 parliamentary elections, and he stopped short of pledging
support for the candidacy of Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian in the
2008 presidential ballot. Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, who was
elected a member of the union's expanded 65-member governing board,
similarly stressed that the Yerkrapah "is an organization that is not
affected by conflicts between political forces," Noyan Tapan reported.
But a second deputy defense minister, Lieutenant General Artur
Aghabekian, implied that the union will indeed support Sarkisian's
anticipated presidential bid. And former Prime Minister and opposition
Hanrapetutiun party Chairman Aram Sargsian, whose late brother Vazgen
founded the Yerkrapah union, told delegates that it would be "a
mistake" for the union to distance itself from politics rather than "to
think about [what is best for] this country," as Vazgen Sargsian
advocated doing, Noyan Tapan reported. LF
[09] ARMENIAN OPPOSITION DEFENDS ARRESTED EX-COMMANDER
More than a dozen Armenian opposition parties, including Sargsian's
Hanrapetutiun, former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian's Orinats
Yerkir, the People's Party of Armenia, the National Democratic Union,
and the Union for Self-Determination, issued a statement on December 11
condemning as reminiscent of the 1937 purge launched by Soviet leader
Josef Stalin the arrest late on December 9 of Zhirair Sefilian, the
Lebanese-born commander of the Shushi battalion during the Karabakh
war, RFE/RL's Armenian Service and Noyan Tapan reported on December 11
and 12, respectively (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 11, 2006).
Meanwhile, the press service of Armenia's National Security Service
issued a statement on December 11 saying that it has accumulated
"irrefutable evidence" that the newly formed Armenian Volunteer League
Sefilian established planned to mount an armed insurrection during the
parliamentary elections due in the spring of 2007. LF
[10] BAN ON AZERBAIJANI TV STATION 'TEMPORARILY' SUSPENDED
The ANS TV and radio channels may resume broadcasting "temporarily" as
of midday on December 12, Nushiravan Magerramli, chairman of the
National Council for TV and Radio, told a press conference in Baku on
December 11, zerkalo.az and echo-az.com reported on December 12. ANS
broadcasting was suspended on November 24 due to alleged violations of
relevant legislation (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," December 1, 2006).
Magerramli attributed the decision to permit ANS to resume broadcasting
to pressure of public opinion and "recommendations" from President
Ilham Aliyev, who on November 29 said he hoped ANS and Magerramli's
agency would reach an agreement "within the framework of the law" (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," December 1, 2006). It remains unclear whether U.S.
officials with whom President Aliyev's wife Mehriban met during her
visit to Washington last week raised with her the ongoing erosion of
media freedom in Azerbaijan. A tender for the frequencies on which ANS
used to broadcast will take place as planned, Magerramli said on
December 11. He also said that ANS is not entitled to claim
compensation for damage inflicted to its equipment when broadcasting
was forcibly suspended on November 24. LF
[11] FORMER AZERBAIJANI MINISTER'S PROPERTY CONFISCATED
An Azerbaijani court has given the green light for the confiscation of
former Economic Development Minister Farhad Aliyev's property, even
though the investigation against him has not been completed and he has
not been tried and found guilty of any crime, day.az and zerkalo.az
reported on December 12, citing a judiciary official. The
Prosecutor-General's Office has also barred the sale of any property
belonging to Aliyev's relatives. Aliyev was arrested in October 2005
and charged with plotting a coup d'etat. He has rejected those charges
as politically motivated and continues to protest his innocence. LF
[12] GEORGIAN APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS SENTENCES IN CASE OF SLAIN BANKER
The Georgian court of appeals upheld on December 11 the seven- and
eight-year prison sentences handed down five months ago to four senior
Interior Ministry officials found guilty of the death in January 2006
of banker Sandro Girgviliani, Caucasus Press reported. On December 8,
the court rejected an appeal by lawyer Shalva Shavgulidze, representing
Girgvliani's relatives, to examine evidence rejected by the Tbilisi
City Court that could clarify the role played in Girgvliani's killing
by other, more highly placed ministry officials. Girgvliani's family
now plans to take the case to Georgia's Supreme Court. Girgvliani was
found dead on the outskirts of Tbilisi after a public altercation in a
bar with senior ministry personnel and Tako Salakaya, the wife of
Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 7 and
14 and July 7 and 13, 2006). LF
[13] KYRGYZ POLICE CLAIM TO HAVE BROKEN UP EXTREMIST CELL IN CAPITAL
Bishkek police chief Moldomusa Kongantiev told the news agency 24.kg on
December 11 that law-enforcement officials have broken up a cell of the
banned extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir in Kyrgyzstan's capital. Police
arrested three individuals and confiscated a quantity of what they
described as extremist literature, including 230 fliers, nine
brochures, and 19 audio discs. "The threat posed by international
religious extremism and terrorism has risen sharply, and it requires
decisive and urgent measures," Kongantiev commented. DK
[14] TURKMEN LEADER DISCUSSES GAS PROJECTS
Valery Golubev, deputy head of Russia's Gazprom gas monopoly, held
talks with Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov in Ashgabat on December
11, official Turkmen news agency TDH reported. The two men examined
plans to jointly explore and develop hydrocarbon fields and discussed a
project to build a new gas pipeline along the shore of the Caspian Sea
from Kazakhstan to Russia. Also on December 11, Niyazov held talks with
Vadim Chuprun, Ukraine's first deputy fuel and energy minister, and
Eduard Rossel, the governor of Sverdlovsk, an industrial region of
Russia. TDH reported both visitors assured Niyazov of their willingness
to cooperate "fully" with Turkmenistan. DK
[15] PROTESTS OVER SHORTAGES REPORTED IN UZBEK CITY
Protests have taken place in the Uzbek city of Andijon in recent days
over reported shortages of natural gas and power, ferghana.ru reported
on December 11. On December 9, 50 women blocked Bobur Prospect
demanding that their homes be heated, uznews.net reported. According to
the report, Andijon Governor Ahmad Usmanov met with the protesters and
promised to ensure gas supplies to their homes. But an unidentified
protester told ferghana.ru that gains are often temporary. "After our
protests on the city's streets, electricity is provided efficiently for
a time and the natural gas pressure is normal," the demonstrator said,
adding, "But after a bit, they turn off the gas and electricity again
and problems start." Ferghana.ru also reported on December 11 that
gasoline for automobiles is in short supply in Andijon, sparking price
increases. DK
[16] EUROPEAN DELEGATION ARRIVES IN UZBEKISTAN
A European Union delegation arrived in Tashkent on December 11 for
talks with Uzbek officials about the government's violent suppression
of unrest in May 2005 in the eastern city of Andijon and the human
rights situation in the country, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reported. A
Foreign Ministry spokesman told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that the
delegation was scheduled to meet with officials at the
Prosecutor-General's Office, but he provided no further details. Pierre
Morel, the EU's special representative for Central Asia, told RFE/RL's
Uzbek Service that the weeklong mission will go to Andijon and is
"composed of 14 experts, including specialists in judicial, police, and
human rights affairs." Morel noted that one month ago Uzbekistan agreed
to discuss last year's Andijon events with EU officials and start a
human rights dialogue with the bloc. Morel stressed that the current
visit is "not an investigation" into the Andijon unrest. Uzbek
authorities claim that 187 people -- mostly security officers -- died
in Andijon after opponents whom they describe as foreign-sponsored
religious fundamentalists took control of the city, which lies in the
Ferghana Valley. Rights activists in turn accuse Uzbek troops of
killing hundreds of unarmed civilians while reestablishing control over
the city. DK
[17] KAZAKH ENVOY PRAISES IMPROVEMENT IN KAZAKH-UZBEK TIES
Askar Myrzakhmetov, Kazakhstan's ambassador to Uzbekistan, told
journalists in Tashkent on December 11 that 2006 witnessed an upturn in
Kazakh-Uzbek economic relations and high-level bilateral meetings,
Interfax reported. Myrzakhmetov noted that bilateral trade volume grew
136 percent in the first 11 months of 2006, totaling $580 million. He
also said that Kazakh investments in the Uzbek economy came to $75
million in the first half of 2006. Myrzakhmetov also pointed to visits
by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev to Uzbekistan in March (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," March 21, 2006), and by Uzbek President Islam
Karimov to Kazakhstan in September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 5,
2006), as signs of improving ties between the two countries. DK
Eastern Europe
[18] HAS IMPRISONED BELARUSIAN OPPOSITIONIST ENDED HUNGER STRIKE?
An unidentified Interior Ministry official told RFE/RL's Belarus
Service on December 11 that earlier the same day imprisoned opposition
activist Alyaksandr Kazulin decided to end his 53-day hunger strike and
began to drink juice (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 11, 2006).
Meanwhile, Iryna Kazulina, the prisoner's wife, told RFE/RL's Belarus
Service that she was not allowed to see her husband. Kazulina said she
is not sure whether her husband ended his fast or, if so, whether he
did it voluntarily. "I traveled 600 kilometers -- 300 kilometers to the
Vitsba-3 [correctional facility] and 300 kilometers back -- to give my
husband documents that in my opinion could provide grounds for him to
withdraw from the hunger strike," Kazulina said. "But I was not allowed
to meet with him even for five minutes or even to speak to him by
phone. I was forced to go back, and when I returned to Minsk,
[journalists] from Belapan called me and asked, 'Do you know that your
husband is withdrawing from his hunger strike?' I answered I would be
happy if that was true. But since I was not allowed [to see him] and I
was sent back, I cannot believe them until I hear my husband's voice."
JM
[19] BELARUS ACCUSES WASHINGTON OF INTERFERENCE IN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry expressed hope in a statement on
December 11 that the U.S. government will refrain from "discriminatory
measures" against Belarus, Belapan reported. The statement came on the
day when the U.S. Senate passed a bill titled the Belarus Democracy
Reauthorization Act of 2006. Last week the bill, which provides for
sanctions against the Belarusian government and authorizes funding for
democracy-building activities in the country in 2007-08, was endorsed
by the U.S. House of Representatives (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December
11, 2006). "What causes regret is that the Congress is heading down the
old track and continues interfering into internal political processes
in Belarus unceremoniously by openly declaring its intention to finance
the activities of certain political forces in our country," the Foreign
Ministry stated. JM
[20] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VETOES 2007 BUDGET BILL...
President Viktor Yushchenko has refused to sign the 2007 budget bill
that was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada last week (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," December 7, 2006) and proposed that parliament amend it,
Ukrainian media reported on December 11. Arseniy Yatseniuk, first
deputy head of the Presidential Secretariat and the presidential
representative in the government, is to present Yushchenko's budgetary
proposals to parliament. Ivan Bokiy, head of the Socialist Party's
parliamentary caucus, told journalists on December 12 that Yushchenko's
veto on the 2007 budget bill is a "stab in the state's back,"
Interfax-Ukraine reported. The Verkhovna Rada needs at least 300 votes
to override the presidential veto. JM
[21] ...AND TELLS KYIV MAYOR TO REVISE UTILITY-RATE HIKES DOWNWARD
President Yushchenko has advised Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyy to
reconsider his recent decision to increase housing and utility tariffs
as of December 1 by more than threefold (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
December 8, 2006), Interfax-Ukraine reported on December 12. "Of
course, I as the president could not allow the living standards of
hundreds of thousands of Kyiv residents to worsen sharply," Yushchenko
said in a statement. "I also instructed the city head to reduce the
rates for residents of the capital who live in old houses.... If the
Kyiv administration refuses to agree with my proposals, I will issue a
decree annulling the inflated rates." JM
Southeastern Europe
[22] SERBIAN PREMIER PRAISES RUSSIA FOR STAND ON KOSOVA
Vojislav Kostunica on December 11 praised Russia's pledge to use its UN
Security Council veto to preclude any Kosova solution that is not
acceptable to both Belgrade and Prishtina (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
December 6, 2006), B92 and Beta reported the same day. "Russia has a
principled stand, and it will not allow the...Security Council to
breach the UN Charter and thus allow the destruction of the existing
states and the redrawing of the existing borders," Kostunica said. "One
thing is completely clear...Albanians cannot create their second state
on the territory of Serbia," he added. Kostunica's foreign-policy
adviser, Vladeta Jankovic, meanwhile, said that there is "no reason to
fear that Russia might back down from its principled position regarding
Kosovo." Earlier this month, Kosovar Prime Minister Agim Ceku visited
Moscow to try to make the case for independence to Russian officials
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 1 and 4, 2006). BW
[23] SERBIAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS NATO INVITATION START OF NEW ERA
Zoran Stankovic said on December 11 that NATO's decision to invite
Serbia into its Partnership for Peace program shows that Belgrade has
moved beyond its troubled past with the Western alliance, B92 reported
the same day. Speaking at a reception for foreign ambassadors and
defense attaches in Belgrade, Stankovic said the invitation also
demonstrates that NATO recognizes the progress Serbia has made on
military reform. "Our citizens must be aware that the Defense Ministry
is the engine, not the brakes of the Euro-Atlantic integrations
process," the defense minister said. At its summit in Riga in November,
NATO invited Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina to join
Partnership for Peace (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 30 and December
7, 2006). BW
[24] SERBIA SEIZES LARGE AMOUNT OF CONTRABAND DIESEL OIL AT BORDER
Serbian officials announced on December 11 that they have seized 35
tanker trucks with 264,172 gallons of diesel oil allegedly being
smuggled into the country, UPI reported the same day. In a joint
action, customs, police, and tax officials stopped the trucks at the
southern Serbian town of Pirot near the Bulgarian border, UPI quoted an
unidentified tax official as saying. The diesel oil, which has an
estimated market value of $1 million, was incorrectly declared at
customs as crude oil needed for paint production. It was actually going
to be distributed to filling stations across the country, Serbian media
reported. BW
[25] RADICAL PARTY'S DEPUTY LEADER SAYS HUNGER STRIKE HELPS PARTY
The Serbian Radical Party's (SRS) deputy chief, Tomislav Nikolic, said
his party will receive an electoral boost from SRS leader Vojislav
Seselj's hunger strike at the International Criminal Tribunal for
former Yugoslavia (ICTY), AKI reported on December 11. Seselj, who is
on trial for war crimes, ended his hunger strike late on December 8
when the ICTY agreed to allow him to defend himself and to have
conjugal visits, AP reported the same day. He began his hunger strike
on November 11 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 13 and December 5, 6,
7, and 8, 2006). Nikolic said that what he called Seselj's "Hague
victory" will help the SRS enter the campaign for the January 21
general elections with a "new vigor." BW
[26] MONTENEGRO ASKS WORLD COURT TO EXEMPT IT FROM GENOCIDE LAWSUIT
Montenegro has asked the International Court of Justice to exempt it
from a genocide lawsuit in which it is accused as part of its former
union with Serbia, AP reported on December 9. Bosnia-Herzegovina filed
the civil case against Serbia and Montenegro before the court in The
Hague (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 28, March 8 and 16, May 25, and
November 21, 2006). "Montenegro can no longer be the prosecuted party
in this trial, because the legal successor of the former union is only
Serbia," state prosecutor Vesna Medenica told AP. In May, the court's
16 judges finished hearing both sides' closing arguments and withdrew
for deliberations. The court has yet to issue a verdict. Montenegro
declared independence from Serbia in June following a referendum (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," June 5, 2006). BW
[27] TRANSDNIESTRIAN LEADER WINS FOURTH TERM
According to official results released on December 11, Transdniestrian
President Igor Smirnov easily won a fourth term in the separatist
region, international news agencies reported the same day. Smirnov
received 82 percent of the vote, while communist candidate Natalia
Bondarenko came in second with 8 percent, dpa reported, citing the
Infotag news agency. Some 65.4 percent of Transdniester's 400,000
eligible voters cast ballots in the December 10 election. "With this
result, the [Transdniester] people have expressed their choice to go
forward toward economic development, in unison with Russia," Smirnov
said in a victory speech. In a statement issued on December 11, the
Moldovan government called on the international community not to
recognize the election result. BW
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[28] AFGHAN, IRANIAN OFFICIALS DISCUSS JUDICIAL COOPERATION
Afghan and Iranian officials met in Tehran on December 10 to discuss
ways to increase cooperation in legal and judicial affairs to improve
security in the region, IRNA reported on December 11. Seyed Hossein
Alemi Balkhi, head of the Afghan parliament's Judicial Committee, met
with the chairman and members of the Iranian parliament's Legal and
Judicial Committee. Both sides acknowledged the cultural commonalities
of the neighboring countries and agreed on the need to increase their
cooperation on legal affairs. The Iranian representatives hoped the
meeting would boost implementation of previously signed judicial
agreements. Balkhi expressed his desire for the mutual exchange of
experience in judicial and legal matters, and the creation of legal
research centers. CJ
[29] TALIBAN SPOKESMAN REJECTS AFGHAN-PAKISTANI JIRGAS
Purported Taliban spokesman Sayed Tayeb Agha on December 11 rejected
the possibility of Taliban participation in the jirgas, or councils of
tribal elders, that have been proposed by the Pakistani and Afghan
presidents, Reuters reported the same day. Officials in Kabul and
Islamabad have suggested the proposed jirgas might help stem violence
in Afghanistan. "Such jirgas are aimed at protecting American interests
only," Agha told Reuters, "The Taliban will not take part in any jirga
in the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan, because such jirgas
or meetings have no significance." There are well over 40,000 foreign
troops in Afghanistan, under NATO or U.S. command. According to
Reuters, government leaders from both Afghanistan and Pakistan have
said that "at least moderate elements" of the Taliban should be
included in these talks to end the violence. CJ
[30] SUSPECTED TALIBAN MILITANTS REPORTED KILLED IN AIR STRIKE
Police in the western Farah Province announced that at least nine
Taliban fighters were killed on December 10 when a U.S.-led air strike
hit the militants' hideout in the Balabuluk district, AFP reported on
December 11. A police official quoted by AFP said that "we knew for a
while that these Taliban had entered this district with an evil aim to
sabotage the highway" that links the western cities of Herat and
Helmand. CJ
[31] NEW REPORT CRITICIZES PAKISTANI PACTS WITH MILITANTS
An International Crisis Group report issued on December 11 warns that
security pacts between Pakistani officials and pro-Taliban militants
have served to strengthen militants who oppose the Afghan government,
Reuters reported the same day. The Brussels-based group's report notes
that Pakistan launched military operations in 2004 to prevent militants
from taking refuge in several tribal areas along the Afghan border,
known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA); but after
suffering heavy losses of troops in clashes in the region, Pakistan
later forged agreements with militants in North and South Waziristan to
end the violence. The report claims that such pacts have emboldened
pro-Taliban forces and increased cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.
"The state's failure to extend its control over and provide good
governance to its citizens in FATA is equally responsible for
empowering the radicals," the report says, and advises Pakistan to
strengthen the rule of law in the region to stem further militancy. CJ
[32] RUSSIAN NUCLEAR CHIEF VISITS IRAN
Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) head Sergei Kiriyenko
was in Tehran on December 11, where he met with Iranian counterpart
Gholamreza Aqazadeh and Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki, IRNA
reported. Mottaki said at a joint press conference that Iran maintains
its right, in accordance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
(NPT), to make nuclear fuel for a civilian energy program, but might
still consider a Russian proposal to produce fuel with Russia, in
Russia. He said a joint Iranian-Russian economic cooperation committee
that met the same day in Tehran is meanwhile examining ways to expand
mutual economic and energy cooperation. Kiriyenko said Iran's nuclear
dossier must be resolved exclusively through diplomatic means, and that
Russia's positions on the dossier "have always been stable and will
remain so and will not change," IRNA reported. He said Iran and Russia
have excellent propects for cooperation in the fields of energy,
industrial manufacturing, transportation, and the construction of the
Bushehr nuclear plant on Iran's Persian Gulf coast. VS
[33] IRANIAN NUCLEAR OFFICIAL SAYS BUSHEHR PLANT FACES CASH SHORTAGE
The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Gholamreza Aqazadeh,
told a joint news conference with Kiriyenko in Tehran on December 11
that Russia is facing "financial problems" as it seeks to complete the
Bushehr plant and "wants us to give financial assistance beyond our
commitments," IRNA reported. "Iran is ready to help [Russia] to resolve
the Bushehr plant's financial problems, but this is not a commitment,"
Aqazadeh said. He said the plant will be completed on time, and that
Russia will send fuel for it in the Persian month ending on March 20,
2007, as planned, Fars and IRNA reported. Aqazadeh said the two sides
reviewed a September 26 agreement on the plant's timely completion.
Kiriyenko said that although construction is progressing, there are
problems that include financing and the timely transfer of equipment,
"especially equipment made in third countries." He said Russia has not
in any way altered its commitment to complete the plant, and "Moscow
will make every effort to make the plant operational." Kiriyenko added
that members of his team would remain in Tehran on December 12 to
discuss outstanding issues, IRNA reported. VS
[34] GULF STATES EXPRESS CONCERN OVER IRANIAN NUCLEAR PLANT
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members are concerned by Iran's nuclear
program and the construction of the Bushehr plant in southern Iran, and
will consider their own joint nuclear program in the future, the
"International Herald Tribune" reported on December 11. The GCC
concluded a two-day meeting in Manama, Bahrain, on December 10 and
ordered a feasibility study to examine the development of a joint
program for the bloc of six oil-producing states that comprise the GCC.
The newspaper interpreted the statement as an expression of
dissatisfaction with Iran's nuclear program. Persian Gulf states have
in the past expressed concern over the environmental impact of the
plant at Bushehr. The "International Herald Tribune" quoted Dubai-based
analyst Abdelaziz Sager as saying that the decision is also a message
to the West that "Gulf countries will develop their own nuclear
program" if the West effectively allows Iran to develop its program.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Husseini said in Tehran
on December 10 that the Bushehr plant has the "most advanced equipment"
to assure its security, and suggested that Gulf states send inspectors
to check this, "Aftab-i Yazd" reported on December 11. VS
[35] TEHRAN STUDENTS DISRUPT PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH
Students from Tehran's Amir Kabir University heckled and shouted at
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad when he came to speak at their university
on December 11, while scuffles broke out between his supporters and
opponents, RFE/RL's Radio Farda and Iranian news agencies reported the
same day. The university, formerly known as a polytechnic school, is
among Iran's most reputable higher-education institutions. The
president was scheduled to speak to students bussed in from the Imam
Hussein and Imam Sadiq universities at an assembly hall at Amir Kabir,
but students from the local university arrived early and filled much of
the hall. Scuffles ensued between some of those students and
presidential partisans, including student members of the Basij, a
state-sponsored militia. As the president mounted the podium, students
shouted, "Death to despotism," "Death to the dictator," and "Get lost,
liar," and some burned pictures of Ahmadinejad, Radio Farda and
advarnews.com reported. Ahmadinejad accused them of taking money from
foreign powers and the United States, but said he would respond to them
"kindly." He interrupted his speech three times, advarnews.com
reported, and it was not clear whether he finished it. VS
[36] IRAQI BA'ATH PARTY REJECTS U.S. REPORT
The outlawed Iraqi Ba'ath Party has rejected the U.S. Iraq Study
Group's report, describing it as an unsuccessful recipe for coping with
the situation in Iraq, Al-Sharqiyah television reported on December 11.
The party said that the most important part of the report "is based on
presenting a progressive solution, which starts with preparing
political and military alternatives and ends with an attempt to remain
in Iraq in the form of military presence outside cities for an
undetermined period." In response to the report, the party called for
an escalation in resistance operations aimed at placing two options
before the United States: defeat or negotiations with the resistance on
certain conditions. The party also said it did not approve any dialogue
with the United States outside Iraq, explaining that those who attended
meetings held in Amman, Jordan, recently did not represent the Ba'ath
Party in any way. London's "The Sunday Times" reported on December 10
that three people representing the majority of the Iraqi insurgency
have broken off talks with the United States in Jordan after two months
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 11, 2006). SS
[37] IRAQ, SYRIA OPEN EMBASSIES IN BAGHDAD, DAMASCUS
Two simultaneous celebrations were held on December 11 in Iraq and
Syria to mark the reopening of the Iraqi Embassy in Damascus and the
Syrian Embassy in Baghdad, Al-Sharqiyah reported the same day. The
reopening of the respective embassies marked a resumption in official
diplomatic ties between the two countries after 26 years. Iraqi Deputy
Foreign Minister Muhammad Haj Humud presided over the reopening of the
embassy in Damascus and called the occasion a joyous one for both the
Iraqi and Syrian people. "It is only the beginning of strong relations
between two fraternal peoples, who were temporarily parted by
uncontrollable factors. Now, there is a mutual and serious desire by
the two sides that the relations between them be based on support,
partnership, and walking together along one path," he said. SS
[38] IRAQI PREMIER CALLS FOR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN IRAQ COMPACT
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called on December 10 for a greater
international presence in the International Compact for Iraq, KUNA
reported on December 11. Al-Maliki said he hopes the conference will
take practical steps toward assisting Iraq's economy and helping it
solve its debt problems. He stressed that reducing Iraq's debt, which
was mostly accumulated under former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein,
would enable the country to improve services. Al-Maliki praised Japan
for releasing the first tranche of a loan worth $1.6 billion. The
International Compact for Iraq is a U.S. initiative to create economic
and political milestones that Iraq promises to meet in exchange for
pledges of foreign investment and support. Countries involved in the
compact are expected to meet sometime in January or February. SS
[39] U.S. HELICOPTER MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING, 18 INJURED
The U.S. military announced on December 11 that a U.S. Marine Corps
CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter carrying 21 passengers made an
emergency landing in the Al-Anbar Governorate, injuring 18. In a
statement, the military said that the emergency landing did not appear
to be the result of any hostile action, but stressed that the incident
was under investigation. On December 3, a U.S. Marine Corps CH-46
helicopter with 16 people on board crashed in the same region, killing
four U.S. soldiers (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 5, 2006).
Meanwhile, on December 11, an improvised explosive device killed three
U.S. soldiers in northern Baghdad, the U.S. military announced the same
day. The military said the soldiers were on late-night combat patrol
when the bomb exploded. The three deaths raised the number of U.S.
troops who have died in December to 46. AP reported that the deaths
brought the total to 2,934 U.S. military personnel killed since the
U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. SS
[40] SHI'ITE MILITIA ATTACKS SUNNI ARABS IN BAGHDAD
Suspected members of radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Imam
Al-Mahdi Army went on a rampage on December 9 in the religiously mixed
district of Al-Hurriyah in northern Baghdad, "Al-Zaman" reported on
December 11. Residents of Al-Hurriyah said members of the Shi'ite
militia targeted Sunni Arabs and killed several women and children, and
forced more than 200 people to flee from their homes. They said the
attacks took place in the presence of Iraqi Army units, who did nothing
to protect the victims. Residents in the district took to the streets
on December 10 to protest the attack and demand greater protection from
the Iraqi government. SS
[41] GUNMEN STEAL $1 MILLION FROM IRAQI CENTRAL BANK
Armed gunmen wearing Iraqi military uniforms on December 11ambushed a
security vehicle transporting money to the Iraqi Central Bank in
Baghdad and stole $1 million, AFP reported the same day. A source at
the Iraqi Interior Ministry said the security vehicle was on its way
from a local bank to the Iraqi Central Bank in central Baghdad when it
was stopped by around 20 gunmen. SS
End Note
[42] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
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