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RFE/RL Newsline, 06-12-20
CONTENTS
[01] FINNISH EU PRESIDENCY HAS REGRETS ABOUT RUSSIA, BELARUS
[02] VISITS HIGHLIGHT RUSSIA'S INFLUENCE IN MIDDLE EAST
[03] SIX NUCLEAR REACTORS SHUT DOWN IN MOSCOW
[04] FRIEND OF PUTIN 'TAKES OVER' REN-TV
[05] PROSECUTORS WANT EX-MAYOR TO FACE CHARGES DESPITE 'SETTLEMENT'
OVER FIVE DEATHS
[06] IS RUSSIA-TATARSTAN TREATY IN JEOPARDY?
[07] ANOTHER MUSLIM CLERGYMAN ASSAULTED IN NORTH CAUCASUS
[08] U.S. DIPLOMAT ADMONISHES AZERBAIJAN
[09] COUP CHARGES AGAINST AZERBAIJANI EX-MINISTER DROPPED
[10] AZERBAIJANI NEWSPAPER, POLITICAL PARTY APPEAL EVICTIONS
[11] GEORGIAN, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS EXCHANGE BARBS
[12] UNRECOGNIZED STATES APPEAL FOR INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
[13] KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT RESIGNS
[14] NEW KYRGYZ SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY NAMED
[15] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT CALLS FOR END TO 'IMMUNITY' FOR U.S. TROOPS...
[16] HUMANITARIAN AID TO TAJIKISTAN DECLINES IN 2006
[17] TAJIK PRESIDENT REPLACES SUGHD PROVINCE MAYORS
[18] FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTER OFFERS FUNDS TO REBUILD TAJIK AIRPORT
[19] BELARUS OPENS ELECTION CAMPAIGN FOR LOCAL COUNCILS
[20] UKRAINIAN PREMIER COMPLAINS ABOUT LACK OF PRESIDENTIAL COOPERATION
[21] OPPOSITIONIST OFFERS HELP IN RESOLVING 'FULL-SCALE POLITICAL
CRISIS' IN UKRAINE
[22] COUNCIL OF EUROPE COMMISSIONER SAYS AIDS, CORRUPTION, XENOPHOBIA
UKRAINE'S MAIN PROBLEMS
[23] SERBIAN PARTY OFFICIAL SAYS NO DEAL REACHED TO KEEP PREMIER IN
POWER
[24] SERBIAN DIPLOMAT SAYS BELGRADE CAN'T HELP DETAINED BOSNIAN SERBS
IN U.S.
[25] SERBIAN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCES TRANSIT OF NATO TROOPS
[26] SWEDISH MAN CONVICTED OF BOSNIAN WAR CRIMES
[27] MOLDOVA AND RUSSIA REPORTEDLY AGREE TO GAS DEAL
[28] NEO-TALIBAN COMMANDER DISCUSSES STRATEGY IN AFGHANISTAN
[29] FIVE ENGINEERS KIDNAPPED IN SOUTH-CENTRAL AFGHANISTAN
[30] AFGHAN GENERAL DETAINED FOR SPYING FOR PAKISTAN
[31] KABUL DAILY ASSAILS DRUG BARONS
[32] IRANIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY ANNOUNCES SOME POLL RESULTS
[33] IRANIAN REFORMIST SATISFIED WITH NATIONWIDE POLL RESULTS
[34] A REFORMER AND A CONSERVATIVE TO ENTER IRANIAN PARLIAMENT
[35] STUDENTS FEAR BACKLASH OVER PROTESTS IN TEHRAN
[36] FORMER IRAQI MINISTER ESCAPES FROM PRISON
[37] MEMOS SHOW FORMER IRAQI LEADER ORDERED CHEMICAL ATTACKS
[38] IRAQI RED CRESCENT CLOSES OFFICES IN BAGHDAD
[39] IRAQI PRESIDENT CALLS ISTANBUL CONFERENCE 'DANGEROUS'
[40] NEW U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY WARNS AGAINST FAILURE IN IRAQ
[41] IRAQI TURKOMANS THREATEN TO BOYCOTT KIRKUK REFERENDUM
[42] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Volume 10 Number 233
Russia
[01] FINNISH EU PRESIDENCY HAS REGRETS ABOUT RUSSIA, BELARUS
Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, summing up the Finnish EU
Presidency in a speech to the European Parliament in Brussels on 18
December, said that he is "not altogether sure that Russia is heading
in the right direction," eu2006.fi reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
October 23, 24, and 26, and November 13 and 27, 2006). He noted that
"one of Finland's priorities was to strengthen the EU's policy towards
Russia.... At the informal [October] summit in Lahti, we had a good
discussion with Russian President [Vladimir] Putin, and the EU
succeeded in speaking with one voice to Russia.... Russia is important
for the EU [and] we are bound together by many ties, but it is fair to
say that certain trends in Russia give us cause for concern.... We need
to see a firmer commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and the
market economy. We do not want Russia to go in an authoritarian
direction. We are fully entitled to be concerned at the way things are
going in Russia." Vanhanen added that "the construction of Europe is a
work in progress while there are still democratic black holes like
Belarus so close by. A disgrace to Europe. There should not be any such
places left in Europe." Germany succeeds Finland in the rotating
presidency on January 1. The Foreign Ministry, which is controlled by
former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democratic Party (SPD),
has drafted a plan independent of Chancellor Angela Merkel and her
Christian Democratic Union (CDU-CSU). The ministry seeks to promote
German and EU ties to Russia on the basis of an expanding network of
interrelationships (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 20 and December 1,
2006). PM
[02] VISITS HIGHLIGHT RUSSIA'S INFLUENCE IN MIDDLE EAST
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Moscow on December 18 on a
two-day "working visit" for discussions on the Middle East with
President Putin, news agencies reported. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad
Siniora recently traveled to Moscow to solicit Russian support in
setting up an international tribunal to investigate the February 2005
assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who
opposed Syrian influence in Lebanon (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September
7, 2006, and "RFE/RL Iran Report," December 13, 2006). ITAR-TASS noted
on December 18 that "Russia backs the idea of forming the tribunal but
opposes its being used for pressure on Damascus." The news agency also
reported that Assad's trip to Russia is "in the focus of attention of
Arab media" on December 18. ITAR-TASS quoted the Beirut daily
"Al-Safir" as saying that the Siniora and Assad visits "reflect the
objective reality that Russia has become the main player in the Middle
East and can considerably ease tension in a region that is full of
conflicts." During his recent visit, Siniora invited the head of the
Russian Council of Muftis, Ravil Gainutdin, to visit Lebanon and help
stabilize the situation there, Interfax reported on December 18. PM
[03] SIX NUCLEAR REACTORS SHUT DOWN IN MOSCOW
Six of the 12 reactors at Moscow's Kurchatov Research Institute for
Nuclear Energy have been shut down and a seventh will soon also cease
operation, RIA Novosti reported on December 18, citing Nikolai
Ponomaryov-Stepnoy, a vice president of the institute. He noted that
uranium is being removed from three of the six closed reactors and that
the remaining three "pose no threat to human health." He added that
some unspecified "areas at the institute are radioactively
contaminated. The areas that were significantly contaminated with
radiation have been already cleared by the specialists of the
institute." According to mosnews.com, Moscow is the only capital in
Europe with nuclear reactors operating on its territory. Russian
ecologists have repeatedly called for the removal of all nuclear
research reactors from the city to prevent radiation and health risks.
PM
[04] FRIEND OF PUTIN 'TAKES OVER' REN-TV
The daily "Kommersant" and news.ru reported on December 19 that the
Abros Capital company, which is controlled by Yury Kovalchuk through
the St. Petersburg Rossiya Bank, recently took an unspecified but
apparently majority share of REN-TV. On December 18, the new board of
directors elected Lyubov Sovershaeva of Abros as its head. The daily
and website describe Kovalchuk as "a close friend" of President Putin
and note that Sovershaeva was a colleague of Putin's in the early 1990s
in the St. Petersburg municipal administration. Rossiya Bank is the
biggest holder at federal TRK Petersburg TV, the paper noted. The
Paris-based nongovernmental organization Reporters Without Borders
recently called attention to the extent to which the Russian state and
state-run corporations have taken over virtually all of the most
important electronic media and much of the print media as well, greatly
limiting the amount of independent news and information available to
the public (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 14, 2006). PM
[05] PROSECUTORS WANT EX-MAYOR TO FACE CHARGES DESPITE 'SETTLEMENT'
OVER FIVE DEATHS
The Prosecutor's Office of Stavropol Krai demanded on December 19 that
the Kochubey Raion Court sentence Igor Tarasov, a former mayor of
Pyatigorsk, in connection with a car accident in August in which five
people died, news.ru reported. Tarasov earlier reached an "out-of-court
settlement" with three survivors of the accident for a total of
$114,000. The court ended its hearing on December 18 after the
settlement was announced. The prosecutors charged on December 19 that
the seriousness of the accident nonetheless necessitates a court
verdict. PM
[06] IS RUSSIA-TATARSTAN TREATY IN JEOPARDY?
Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov told journalists on December
18 that he will urge the upper house not to ratify the power-sharing
treaty between the federal center and the Republic of Tatarstan that
President Putin submitted to the State Duma last month, "Nezavisimaya
gazeta" reported on December 19 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 9,
2006). The Duma has not yet ratified it. Mironov argued that the treaty
is not only unnecessary in light of the clear division of powers
outlined in the Russian Federation constitution, but "politically
dangerous." Presidential envoy to the Volga Federal District Aleksandr
Konovalov argued during a meeting last week in Ufa with the presidents
of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, Mintimer Shaimiev and Murtaza Rakhimov,
that such treaties are obsolescent, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on
December 14. Rakhimov recently tasked his administration with drafting
a treaty comparable to that between the federal center and Tatarstan.
Writing in "The Moscow Times" on November 14, Nikolai Petrov construed
that treaty as proof that some federation subjects "are more equal than
others." LF
[07] ANOTHER MUSLIM CLERGYMAN ASSAULTED IN NORTH CAUCASUS
Three masked men broke into the Cherkessk home of Ismail-hadji
Bostanov, deputy mufti of the Karachayevo-Cherkessia Republic, during
the night of December 15-16 and shot and stabbed him before fleeing,
according to caucasustimes.com as reposted on December 18 by
kavkazweb.net. It was the fifth such attack this year on a Muslim
cleric in Karachayevo-Cherkessia: an imam was fatally stabbed in
Karachayevsk in August, and one week later a retired clergyman was
attacked and killed in his own home. On December 18, the republic's
parliament voted to convene an emergency session to which Interior
Minister Nikolai Osyak will be summoned to face a vote of no
confidence, kavkaz.memo.ru reported. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[08] U.S. DIPLOMAT ADMONISHES AZERBAIJAN
Barry Lowenkron, who is an adviser on democracy and human rights issues
to the U.S. Secretary of State, met in Baku on December 18 with
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and President Ilham
Aliyev to discuss bilateral cooperation, day.az and zerkalo.az reported
on December 18 and 19 respectively. Lowenkron also visited the grave in
a Baku cemetery of murdered opposition journalist Elmar Huseynov, where
he publicly called on the Azerbaijani authorities to comply with their
international commitments in the field of human rights and,
specifically, to arrest and bring to trial those who killed Huseynov,
zerkalo.az reported. Huseynov was shot dead in the stairwell of his
apartment building last year (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 3, 2005). LF
[09] COUP CHARGES AGAINST AZERBAIJANI EX-MINISTER DROPPED
The charges of plotting a coup d'etat brought in October 2005 against
former Health Minister Ali Insanov have been dropped, day.az and
zerkalo.az reported on December 18 and 19 respectively. Insanov,
together with two former lower-level ministry officials, still faces
charges of bribery, abuse of his official position, and
misappropriation of state property. According to Insanov's lawyer, he
suffers from serious health problems and can walk only with difficulty.
Azerbaijan's Appeals Court rejected last month Insanov's appeal against
the extension by six months of his pre-trial detention (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," January 5, 7, and 30, February 8 and 28, March 15, and
November 3, 2006). LF
[10] AZERBAIJANI NEWSPAPER, POLITICAL PARTY APPEAL EVICTIONS
The leader of the progressive wing of the Azerbaijan Popular Front
Party, the editor of the daily newspaper "Bizim yol" and the head of
the independent journalists' organization Yeni Nesil have filed suit
with Azerbaijan's Economic Court to demand compensation for damage to
their property sustained during the forced eviction by police of all
three organizations from the premises they rented in central Baku,
day.az reported on December 18 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 27,
2006). LF
[11] GEORGIAN, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS EXCHANGE BARBS
In a December 18 interview with Interfax, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov enumerated action by Georgia that he claims have
exacerbated bilateral relations, including violating or reneging on
previously signed agreements, verbal attacks on the Russian
authorities, provocations against Russian peacekeepers deployed on
Georgian territory, and attempts to "mobilize the West against us by
alleging imminent aggression by Russia." Lavrov expressed concern that
the Georgian authorities have "clearly decided" to use force against
the unrecognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and he
appealed to the Georgian leadership to abandon its "anti-Russian
policy." Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili for his part told
journalists in Tbilisi on December 18 that the normalization of
bilateral relations is contingent on Russia recognizing that
neighboring states have the right to select those principles on which
they wish to build their statehood. Georgia has selected "those
principles on the basis of which the whole democratic community is
built, particularly Europe," Bezhuashvili added. LF
[12] UNRECOGNIZED STATES APPEAL FOR INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
Meeting in Moscow on December 18, the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly that
unites parliamentarians from Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Moldova's
Transdniester Republic appealed to the international community to
recognize as legal and valid the outcome of referendums held in recent
months in which voters affirmed their support for independent
statehood, regnum.ru reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 18 and
November 13, 2006). They stressed the importance of the right of
nations to self-determination, and condemned what they termed "violent"
and "inadmissible" actions against their citizens by the Georgian and
Moldovan leaderships. The assembly also drafted a joint statement, to
be discussed at its next session, rejecting demands for the withdrawal
of the Russian peacekeepers currently deployed in the three conflict
zones and their replacement by an international contingent, the
Georgian television station Rustavi-2 reported on December 18. LF
[13] KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT RESIGNS
The government of Prime minister Feliks Kulov submitted its resignation
on December 19, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported, and President
Kurmanbek Bakiev accepted it. Kulov said the government decided to
resign in order to accelerate the holding of parliamentary elections.
Kyrgyzstan held parliamentary elections in 2005, but the new
constitution adopted in November includes changes to the structure of
the parliament, raising the number of seats from 75 to 90 and the
method for electing deputies, which will be done by party lists instead
of the single-mandate system. "The most important thing now is that in
order to push through reforms, there is a need to elect a new
parliament," Kulov said. DW
[14] NEW KYRGYZ SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY NAMED
President Kurmanbek Bakiev issued a decree on December 18 appointing
Osmonali Guronov secretary of Kyrgyzstan's Security Council,
akipress.org reported. Guronov, who occupied the post of interior
minister until his dismissal in early November (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 7, 2006), replaces Alik Orozov, who had headed the Security
Council since Miroslav Niyazov's resignation (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
October 10, 2006). DK
[15] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT CALLS FOR END TO 'IMMUNITY' FOR U.S. TROOPS...
Speaking on Kyrgyz television on December 18, Kurmanbek Bakiev said
that U.S. service personnel "who commit offenses on our soil and cause
injuries to Kyrgyz citizens should assume responsibility under our
laws," Interfax-AVN reported. Bakiev noted that he has asked the
Foreign Ministry to develop "amendments to the intergovernmental
agreement concluded between Kyrgyzstan and the United States under
which U.S. troops enjoy diplomatic immunity." A U.S. serviceman shot a
Kyrgyz citizen dead at the U.S. air base at Manas Airport on December 6
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 7, 2006). The U.S. Embassy in Bishkek
issued a statement on December 18 saying that the U.S. serviceman
involved in the shooting incident will face legal action "taken in
accordance with the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice and
applicable regulations," AP reported. Also on December 18, U.S.
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch presented a diplomatic note to Kyrgyz
authorities stating that U.S. servicemen in Kyrgyzstan do not enjoy
"immunity" from prosecution for crimes committed in Kyrgyzstan, but are
rather under U.S. jurisdiction, Kabar reported. DK
[16] HUMANITARIAN AID TO TAJIKISTAN DECLINES IN 2006
The total amount of humanitarian aid Tajikistan received in the first
11 months of 2006 reflect a more than $10 million decline compared to
last year, Interfax reported on December 18, citing data from the
country's State Statistics Committee. Humanitarian aid from January to
November totaled $63.1 million compared to $75.3 million in 2005. The
report listed humanitarian aid donors -- in order of percentage
contribution -- as the United States (51.8 percent), Russia (11.2
percent), Latvia (10.2 percent), Kazakhstan and Germany (4.8 percent
each), the Netherlands (2.5 percent), Iran (2.1 percent), China (1.9
percent), Lithuania (1.4 percent), and the United Arab Emirates (1
percent). DK
[17] TAJIK PRESIDENT REPLACES SUGHD PROVINCE MAYORS
Imomali Rakhmonov signed a decree on December 18 replacing the mayors
of six cities in Tajikistan's northern Sughd province, Avesta reported.
Olimjon Jalolov was removed as head of the provincial capital Khujand
and replaced by Muhammadjon Mamadkhonov. The heads of a number of
provincial districts were also replaced. DK
[18] FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTER OFFERS FUNDS TO REBUILD TAJIK AIRPORT
Michele Alliot-Marie met with President Rakhmonov in Dushanbe on
December 18 to discuss cooperation between the two countries' defense
ministries, Tajik Radio reported. Alliot-Marie said that France's
Defense Ministry can allocate 7 million euros ($9.16 million) in grants
and 17 million euros in favorable loans to rebuild the Dushanbe
airport, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. She said, "The funds can be used to
build a new terminal as well as to reconstruct the parking lot." DK
Eastern Europe
[19] BELARUS OPENS ELECTION CAMPAIGN FOR LOCAL COUNCILS
Campaigning began in Belarus on December 15 for the January 14
elections to local councils (soviets), Belapan reported on December 18,
citing Mikalay Lazavik, secretary of the Central Election Commission
(TsVK). The elections are held on three levels: for village, district
and city, and regional councils. The TsVK has registered 23,791
candidates to compete for 22,658 seats. Lazavik said that candidates
should print their campaigning materials only in Belarus and only with
state money -- each candidate will receive 31,000 rubles ($14.5),
124,000 rubles, and 248,000 rubles to campaign on the village,
district, and regional level, respectively. "If candidates use their
personal money or funds from foreign sponsors in their campaigns," they
will be disqualified, Lazavik warned. Amendments to the Electoral Code
also oblige candidates to obtain local government permission for public
meetings with voters. The election campaign will overlap with early
voting, which begins a few days before the elections. AM
[20] UKRAINIAN PREMIER COMPLAINS ABOUT LACK OF PRESIDENTIAL COOPERATION
Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said on December 18 that the
Presidential Secretariat is avoiding working with the government on the
state budget for 2007, Interfax reported. President Viktor Yushchenko
recently vetoed the 2007 budget bill and proposed that parliament amend
it to incorporate suggestions from the Presidential Secretariat.
"Regretfully, over the past weekend the Finance Ministry was working
without the participation of the Presidential Secretariat," Yanukovych
said. "I don't want us to build policy [based] on speculation about who
loves the people the most -- I would rather that we did proper work and
then the citizens appreciated it," he added. AM
[21] OPPOSITIONIST OFFERS HELP IN RESOLVING 'FULL-SCALE POLITICAL
CRISIS' IN UKRAINE
Yuliya Tymoshenko, the head of the eponymous opposition bloc in the
Verkhovna Rada, offered on December 18 to help resolve what she
described as the "full-scale political crisis" in Ukraine, Interfax
reported the same day. "The opposition wants to take a specific role --
to be the initiator of the settlement of the crisis," Tymoshenko said.
She cited the absence of a 2007 budget and "complete chaos in the law
enforcement bodies" as signs of a crisis, adding that the Interior
Ministry is "at war with the Presidential Secretariat" over the
positions of deputy ministers. Tymoshenko urged Verkhovna Rada speaker
Oleksandr Moroz to call a meeting of caucus leaders where the
opposition could suggest ways to resolve the crisis. She also urged
Prime Minister Yanukovych and President Yushchenko to join the talks.
AM
[22] COUNCIL OF EUROPE COMMISSIONER SAYS AIDS, CORRUPTION, XENOPHOBIA
UKRAINE'S MAIN PROBLEMS
Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human
rights, has said that Ukraine's main problems are the spread of AIDS,
corruption in the justice system, and xenophobia, Interfax reported on
December 18. Hammarberg recently visited Ukraine in order to study the
human rights situation. The full report by the Council of Europe Human
Rights Committee will appear in April 2007. Hammarberg advised the
Ukrainian government to cooperate with nongovernmental organizations in
trying to counter the spread of AIDS as well as protecting HIV-infected
people. He added that cracking down on corruption in the courts will
restore the public's confidence in the justice system. Xenophobia,
according to Hammarberg, requires changing Ukrainian legislation to
provide for harsher punishments for hate crimes. AM
Southeastern Europe
[23] SERBIAN PARTY OFFICIAL SAYS NO DEAL REACHED TO KEEP PREMIER IN
POWER
Dusan Petrovic, vice president of the Democratic Party (DS), said on
December 18 that no deal has been reached with Vojislav Kostunica to
keep him in office as prime minister after Serbia's January 21
elections, B92 and FoNet reported the same day. Petrovic told the daily
"Blic" that the DS, which is led by President Boris Tadic, will propose
its own candidate for prime minister after the elections. "We will not
give any names before the elections, because we do not deal with
functions but with taking over responsibilities," Petrovic said. He
added that the DS is prepared to lead a coalition of pro-European
parties that excludes the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) and the Serbian
Socialist Party (SPS). There has been speculation among political
analysts about a deal between Tadic's DS and Kostunica's Serbian
Democratic Party (SDS) that would keep Kostunica as prime minister. BW
[24] SERBIAN DIPLOMAT SAYS BELGRADE CAN'T HELP DETAINED BOSNIAN SERBS
IN U.S.
A Serbian diplomat in Chicago has told the daily "Vesti" that Belgrade
cannot intervene in the case of Bosnian Serb immigrants arrested in the
United States, AKI reported on December 18. U.S. authorities arrested
26 Bosnian Serbs last week on suspicion they kept secret their military
past when they entered the United States as refugees (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," December 15, 2006). Some of the arrested are being
investigated for participating in the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre,
Reuters reported on December 16. The Serbian consul in Chicago, Desko
Nikitovic, said Serbia can't help the detainees because most are
Bosnian citizens. "Unfortunately, this is a huge operation in which
only Bosnia-Herzegovina can intervene with Washington. No one needs to
spoil the relations between our two countries, which have been
improving," Nikitovic told "Vesti," according to AKI. BW
[25] SERBIAN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCES TRANSIT OF NATO TROOPS
Deputy Foreign Minister Bratislav Djordjevic announced on December 16
that the first transit of NATO troops will pass through Serbia in
January, B92 and Beta reported the same day. "We're talking about the
transit of the logistics units for the NATO operations in Kosovo and
Bosnia," Djordjevic told the daily "Blic." "For the time being, there
will be no landing of aircraft at the Belgrade airport, but NATO planes
will be using our airspace," he added. Djordjevic said that in late
2006 or early 2007 Serbia and NATO will sign a technical arrangement
detailing the exact routes and the manner in which NATO convoys will
move through the country. Serbia joined NATO's Partnership for Peace
program last week and the alliance was scheduled to open a liaison
office in Belgrade on December 18 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 15,
2006). BW
[26] SWEDISH MAN CONVICTED OF BOSNIAN WAR CRIMES
A Swede who served as a mercenary in a Croatian militia unit during
Bosnia-Herzegovina's 1992-95 war was convicted in Sweden of war crimes
on December 18, AP reported the same day. The Stockholm District Court
found Jacky Arklov guilty of abusing and torturing prisoners. The court
did not hand down a prison sentence because Arklov is already serving a
life term for killing two police officers in Sweden. It did, however,
order him to pay between 70,000-425,000 kronors ($10,100- $62,000) to
11 victims. "This is the first time in modern times that a person has
been convicted in a Swedish court of violating international law," the
court said in a statement. BW
[27] MOLDOVA AND RUSSIA REPORTEDLY AGREE TO GAS DEAL
Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Zinaida Greciani and Russian Education
and Science Minister Andrei Fursenko announced on December 18 that
Moscow and Chisinau have reached a long-term gas deal, RBC reported the
same day. Greciani and Fursenko are co-chairmen of the Russian-Moldovan
commission on trade and economic cooperation. The deal provides for a
gradual increase in the price of natural gas to European levels by
2011. Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev said on December 14 that
Chisinau expected to sign a long-term contract with Russia's Gazprom by
December 25 that would maintain the current $160 per 1,000 cubic meters
price for natural gas (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 15, 2006). BW
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[28] NEO-TALIBAN COMMANDER DISCUSSES STRATEGY IN AFGHANISTAN
Mullah Abdullah Sarhadi, who claims to be a close associate of former
Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, said his movement's goal from its
"beginning" has been "the establishment of an Islamic system and the
supremacy of the Koran," Dubai-based Geo News Television reported on
December 17. Speaking with Geo from an unspecified location, Sarhadi
said the Taliban are "ready to confront the infidels of the entire
world." According to Sarhadi, after a sluggish beginning the Taliban
are now fighting "the enemy very steadfastly...waging guerrilla
warfare" in every subdistrict, district, and province of Afghanistan.
Because of Taliban activities, "the Americans, the Jews, and Christians
are now winding up their occupation" of Afghanistan. According to
Sarhadi, Mullah Omar has appointed leaderships in each district who are
responsible for supervising military operations and acting as his
representatives. On a personal note, Sarhadi added that when the
Taliban regime was facing defeat in late 2001, he was captured in
northern Afghanistan and eventually transferred to the U.S. detention
facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Sarhadi did not disclose when he was
released from U.S. detention. AT
[29] FIVE ENGINEERS KIDNAPPED IN SOUTH-CENTRAL AFGHANISTAN
The Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement issued on December 18
in Kabul that five engineers working for the Rural Development and
Rehabilitation Ministry were abducted by unknown kidnappers in Ghani
Province on December 17, the Peshawar-based Afghan Islamic Press
reported. A search operation is under way to find the missing persons.
Mullah Mohammad Anas Sharif, purporting to be the Taliban commander in
Ghazni, claimed responsibility for kidnapping the engineers, saying
that their fate will be decided by the Taliban leadership, Pajhwak
Afghan News reported on December 18. According to Sharif, the five are
being investigated regarding their positions in the Afghan government
and their past activities. AT
[30] AFGHAN GENERAL DETAINED FOR SPYING FOR PAKISTAN
General Khair Mohammad was detained recently on charges of spying for
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), AFP reported on December
18. An unidentified spokesman for the Afghan national intelligence
agency told AFP in Kabul on December 18 that Khair Mohammad has been
arrested "over an act of treason," adding that the general has
"confessed to working for ISI." According to the spokesman, the general
worked in the Afghan Defense Ministry and provided ISI agents
information about the ministry's structure and names and contact
numbers of high-ranking officials. Khair Mohammad reportedly also
provided information about Western military headquarters in Kabul. The
general allegedly met with ISI agents three times in the Pakistani city
of Peshawar and also maintained "regular" contact with a diplomat at
the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul. Khair Mohammad has reportedly confessed
to receiving thousands of dollars from his handlers. AT
[31] KABUL DAILY ASSAILS DRUG BARONS
The government-run daily "Anis" said in an editorial on December 18
that drug traffickers are the "main and real enemies" of Afghanistan.
"Thanks to their boundless illegal wealth, [drug lords] have penetrated
the highest levels of the government structure" and "have established
relations with senior government officials," the commentary added.
Counterterrorism and counternarcotics strategies "will not succeed"
unless the Afghan government and NATO forces take joint action "to
arrest" the drug lords "and bring them to justice," "Anis" asserted.
According to the commentary Afghans, while hearing about the arrest of
drug lords, have not witnessed any trials of the "members of the drug
mafia." If noted drug lords "along with their powerful supporters" are
brought to justice, "Anis" wrote, Afghans will truly "trust their
government." While Afghanistan's narcotics problem has worsened lately,
NATO has tried to sidestep the issue, leaving the Afghans to deal with
an overwhelming situation, the daily wrote. AT
[32] IRANIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY ANNOUNCES SOME POLL RESULTS
The Interior Ministry announced on December 18 definitive results of
elections in Tehran for the Assembly of Experts, the body that oversees
the office of Iran's supreme leader, IRNA reported. It named the 16
candidates with the most votes, IRNA reported, without specifying if
there are 16 seats for Tehran, and thus, if all gained a place in the
86-seat assembly. Ex-president and Expediency Council chief Ayatollah
Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani was first in the Tehran constituency, with
just over 1.56 million votes. He was followed by Ayatollah Mohammad
Emami-Kashani, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Meshkini, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi,
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi,
Hojatoleslam Hassan Rohani, and Ayatollah Qorban Ali Dorri-Najafabadi.
All of these men are currently members of the assembly and all are
considered conservatives. The media have interpreted hard-line
Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi's results -- with just under 880,000 votes -- as
a show of preference for the more moderate positions represented by
Rafsanjani, who suffered notable losses in previous parliamentary and
presidential elections. Hussein Marashi, a member of the Executives of
Construction, a party associated with Rafsanjani, told ISNA on December
17 that Rafsanjani's decisive election will boost domestic unity and
Iran's international credibility, showing the world that "people who
think rationally and have roots...still enjoy good public
acceptability" in Iran. VS
[33] IRANIAN REFORMIST SATISFIED WITH NATIONWIDE POLL RESULTS
Safdar Husseini, the reformist coalition's provincial campaign
coordinator, said in Tehran on December 18 that reformers have thus far
won most seats for municipal councils in the country's 22 provinces,
ILNA reported. He said that of 1,524 people who had definitely won
council seats in 265 cities and towns by December 18, 605 are
reformers, 438 "fundamentalist" or conservative, 52 from the Sweet
Scent of Service -- the list of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's allies
-- and 429 are independent. But he said many independents have
"reformist leanings" but ran as independents due to "local
considerations and the atmosphere in the provinces," ILNA reported. He
said reformers could work with them. He cited a list of provincial
winners from the respective factions, distinguishing between
"fundamentalist" conservatives and presidential allies. He said the
"government list appeared in all towns and provinces with the
government's name...so we can examine [the rejection of] this list as a
phenomenon." He said the various polls have shown a "reformist outlook"
in most votes. Husseini was a finance minister in the second government
of President Mohammad Khatami. VS
[34] A REFORMER AND A CONSERVATIVE TO ENTER IRANIAN PARLIAMENT
Conservative Hasan Ghafurifard and reformist Soheila Jelodarzadeh were
elected members of parliament for Tehran constituencies in midterm
polls on December 15, ISNA reported on December 18. Ghafurifard was
elected with 801,452 votes and Jelodarzadeh with 529,307 votes, beating
conservative Asadollah Badamchian, who was third with just under
295,000 votes, IRNA reported. Jelodarzadeh was a member of the last,
reformist-dominated parliament. Ghafurifard told ISNA the real winners
are "the people" and the loser "the West," which he said is pressuring
Iran. He said he owed his election to "making contact" with electors in
the Tehran suburbs of Islamshahr and Shahr-i Rey, and that he would
voice their concerns more forcefully in parliament. VS
[35] STUDENTS FEAR BACKLASH OVER PROTESTS IN TEHRAN
Students from Tehran's prestigious Amir Kabir University are concerned
that officials or state agents will take retaliatory action against
students who protested and heckled when President Ahmadinejad spoke at
the university last week, RFE/RL's Radio Farda and "The Guardian"
reported on December 16 and 18 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 12,
2006). Yashar Qajar, a member of the university Islamic Student
Association, told Radio Farda on December 16: "I think harsh measures
may be taken," not just by university disciplinary bodies but also
through the courts. "The Guardian" stated on December 18 that some
protesting students have gone into hiding in fear for their lives.
These include one student who brandished a placard calling Ahmadinejad
a fascist, and three others who burned his picture. They fear they are
being sought out by unspecified agents or militants from the Ansar-i
Hizbullah, a group known for its violent disruption of liberal and
reformist gatherings. The daily upped its estimate of demonstrating
students during the presidential speech from 50 or 60 to "hundreds,"
apparently citing witnesses. The president, it added, citing an unnamed
witness, was visibly distressed by the display of hostility. VS
[36] FORMER IRAQI MINISTER ESCAPES FROM PRISON
Former Iraqi Electricity Minister Ayham al-Samarra'i escaped from
prison on December 17, the MENA news service reported on December 18.
Faris Karim, deputy head of Iraq's Public Integrity Commission, said
that al-Samarra'i escaped with the assistance of members of a foreign
security company he hired to protect him before his arrest.
Al-Samarra'i was electricity minister in former Prime Minister Iyad
Allawi's cabinet, and was convicted in October on corruption charges
and sentenced to two years in prison. He is accused of squandering $2
billion in public funds for contracts to rebuild Iraq's electrical
infrastructure. This was his second attempt to escape from police
custody. In October, a few days after his conviction, he fled but was
later apprehended at the Baghdad International Airport carrying a
Chinese passport. Several Iraqi politicians rejected the reports of
Samarra'i's escape; instead, they accused U.S. forces of storming the
prison and freeing him, Al- Baghdadiyah satellite television reported
on December 18. Al-Samarra'i is a dual U.S.-Iraqi citizen. SS
[37] MEMOS SHOW FORMER IRAQI LEADER ORDERED CHEMICAL ATTACKS
During the December 18 session of the Anfal trial, Iraqi prosecutors
presented documentary evidence demonstrating that former Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein ordered the use of chemical weapons against
the Kurds, international media reported the same day. One document was
a 1987 memo by Iraqi intelligence seeking authorization from Hussein to
use mustard and sarin gas against the Kurds. It also refers to the use
of "special ammunitions," a term prosecutors claim referred to chemical
weapons. Another memo showed that Hussein ordered military intelligence
to study the possibility of a "sudden strike" using chemical weapons
against Iranian and Kurdish forces. An internal memo by Iraqi military
intelligence confirmed that it had received approval from Hussein's
office for a strike using special ammunitions and that no strike would
be made without first informing the president. Hussein and six
co-defendants are accused of killing up to 180,000 Kurds in the 1980s.
SS
[38] IRAQI RED CRESCENT CLOSES OFFICES IN BAGHDAD
The Iraqi Red Crescent Society announced on December 18 the suspension
of its work and the closure of its offices in Baghdad, international
media reported the same day. On December 17, armed gunmen wearing Iraqi
Army uniforms stormed the organization's headquarters in Baghdad and
seized around 30 aid workers (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 18,
2006). "We have frozen or stopped temporarily activities in Baghdad,
but this is not affecting civilian needs. This was logical because our
main staff is still kidnapped," Iraqi Red Crescent Society
Secretary-General Mazin Abdallah said. Meanwhile, the MENA news service
reported on December 18 that around 17 of the abducted relief workers
have been released. Abdallah said 13 aid workers, two visitors to the
group's office, and two guards belonging to the Dutch Embassy were
released. SS
[39] IRAQI PRESIDENT CALLS ISTANBUL CONFERENCE 'DANGEROUS'
President Jalal Talabani on December 17 harshly criticized the
Conference for the Sunni Arabs of Iraq that was held in Istanbul on
December 13-14, describing it as "a conference that incites sectarian
tensions," "Al-Adala" reported. Talabani found it strange that "on the
one hand Turkey is calling on Iraq and Kurdish leaders to fight the
Kurdistan Workers Party [PKK], while at the same time convening a
conference that calls on its participants to fight and inciting
sectarian violence." The conference brought together approximately 100
prominent Sunni intellectuals, politicians, and activists from Iraq,
Saudi Arabia, and various other Muslim countries. The aim of the
conference was to garner wider support for Iraq's Sunni Arab population
in the midst of the current sectarian violence. SS
[40] NEW U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY WARNS AGAINST FAILURE IN IRAQ
At his official swearing in on December 18, new U.S. Defense Secretary
Robert Gates warned that failure in Iraq would be a "calamity,"
international media reported the same day. "Failure in Iraq at this
juncture would be a calamity that would haunt our nation, impair our
credibility, and endanger Americans for decades to come," he said.
Gates said he intends to go to Iraq soon to get "unvarnished" views
from U.S. military commanders and to see what can be done to improve
matters. President George W. Bush praised Gates, calling him "the right
man" for the challenges of Iraq and the wider fight against terrorism.
Gates served as CIA director from 1991 until 1993, during the
administration of former President George Bush. SS
[41] IRAQI TURKOMANS THREATEN TO BOYCOTT KIRKUK REFERENDUM
The Iraqi Turkoman Front announced on December 15 that it will not
participate in the Kirkuk referendum, slated to take place sometime in
2007, if conditions continue to worsen, "Zaman Online" reported on
December 17. During a visit to Ankara, front leader Sadettin Ergec said
that Turkoman and Arab groups in the oil-rich city will not participate
in the expected referendum or census if the "normalization" of Kirkuk
is not achieved. Ergec said the demographic makeup of the city has been
altered, adding that UN and Iraqi authorities recorded 12,000 people
being forced to leave Kirkuk, while 227,000 Kurds have flooded the city
to vote. The normalization process is a three-step plan to reverse the
"Arabization" policy of former President Hussein. During the 1980s and
1990s, thousands of Kurds, Turkomans, and Christians were expelled from
the city and replaced with Arab settlers. Ergec said that the ethnic
divisions and the Kurdish strategic interest in Kirkuk have the
potential to turn the city into a major battlefield. SS
End Note
[42] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
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