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RFE/RL Newsline, 07-08-15
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA LAUNCHES TERRORISM PROBE AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT
[02] INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR SAYS JOURNALIST SHOULD NOT BE KEPT IN
PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL
[03] EX-ADMIRAL WANTS MORE SHIPS FOR NORTHERN FLEET
[04] WILL GERMANY INCREASE ITS ENERGY DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIA?
[05] MILITANT LEADER'S EX-WIFE APPEALS TO PUTIN
[06] SENTENCED WAR VETERAN CONDEMNS 'VIOLENCE' BY ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES
[07] AZERBAIJANI JOURNALISTS SUBMIT REPEAT REQUEST FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM
[08] TAJIK PRESIDENT VISITS AZERBAIJAN
[09] GEORGIAN INTERIOR MINISTER REJECTS RUSSIAN ALLEGATION
[10] KAZAKHSTAN BUYS STAKE IN U.S. NUCLEAR FIRM FROM JAPANESE COMPANY
[11] KAZAKH OFFICIAL HOPES FOR REVERSAL OF AUSTRIAN EXTRADITION RULING
[12] KAZAKH ELECTION BODY REJECTS PRELIMINARY OSCE FINDINGS
[13] KYRGYZ GREEN PARTY VOWS TO APPEAL LEADER'S PRISON SENTENCE
[14] YOUNG JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION FORMED IN TAJIKISTAN
[15] FORMER TURKMEN MUFTI PLEDGES TO 'SERVE ESTEEMED PRESIDENT'
[16] BELARUS WANTS EASIER EU TRAVEL RULES
[17] UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION BLOC PUSHES FOR REGISTRATION OF ELECTION
CANDIDATES
[18] UKRAINIAN COURT IMPRISONS TWO SERGEANTS FOR KILLING RECRUIT
[19] SERBIAN PRESIDENT CONDEMNS KOSOVA'S JUSTICE SYSTEM
[20] ETHNIC ALBANIANS ANGERED BY SECURITY MEASURES IN SOUTHERN SERBIA
[21] SERBIAN JOURNALIST RECEIVES DEATH THREAT
[22] EUFOR WARNS AGAINST HASTY EXIT FROM BOSNIA
[23] OSCE CONCERNED AT SECURITY IN BOSNIAN PRISONS
[24] MACEDONIA MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF SEPARATIST CONFLICT
[25] ALBANIAN MINERS GO ON STRIKE AFTER ANOTHER DEATH
[26] AFGHAN INSURGENTS RELEASE TWO FEMALE SOUTH KOREAN HOSTAGES
[27] BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY DEFENDS COMMITMENT IN AFGHANISTAN
[28] AFGHANISTAN ESTABLISHES COPYRIGHT ENFORCEMENT BOARD
[29] AFGHAN LOWER HOUSE AUTHORIZES PRISONER-EXCHANGE AGREEMENT WITH
IRAN
[30] UN TO HELP BUILD HOMES FOR 10,000 RETURNING AFGHAN REFUGEES
[31] OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE IRANIAN BORDER GUARDS' SHOOTING OF AFGHANS
[32] MINISTRY SAYS IRAN EXAMINING RECENT NEGOTIATIONS WITH U.S.
[33] IRANIAN MINISTER FORESEES COMPUTERIZED ELECTIONS...
[34] ...AS GUARDIANS COUNCIL APPOINTS ELECTION SUPERVISORS
[35] PROSECUTOR URGES TIGHT CONTROLS OF IRAN'S BORDERS
[36] IRAQ'S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER HOLDS SECURITY TALKS IN JORDAN
[37] IRAQI TRIBAL CHIEFTAINS ASSASSINATED
[38] U.S., IRAQI FORCES LAUNCH OPERATION NORTHEAST OF BAGHDAD...
[39] ...AND ROUND UP INSURGENTS LINKED TO SHI'ITE MILITIA
[40] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 Volume 11 Number 149
Russia
[01] RUSSIA LAUNCHES TERRORISM PROBE AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT
The Prosecutor-General's Office, the Federal Security Service (FSB),
the Interior Ministry, and the Emergency Situations Ministry launched
an investigation after an explosion late on August 13 derailed the Neva
Express train running from Moscow to St. Petersburg, RFE/RL's Russian
Service reported. Doctors arrived on the scene within 20 minutes of the
derailment, which took place near the village of Malaya Vishera in
Novgorod Oblast. In a statement, Russian Railways said 25 people were
hospitalized after the accident, and 35 others received treatment at
the scene. Officials of the Prosecutor-General's Office says it
believes the explosion was caused by a homemade bomb with the power of
about 2 kilograms of TNT. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion
before the train derailed. On August 14, FSB Director Nikolai Patrushev
called President Vladimir Putin, who is visiting the Republic of Tyva
(Tuva), to brief him on the incident and the investigation, RIA Novosti
reported. Putin has personally taken charge of the investigation,
kommersant.com reported. Patrushev told reporters that "we have been
able to significantly reduce the...number of terrorist attacks.
Nevertheless, the threat of extremism and terrorism has not been
removed once and for all," Interfax reported. RIA Novosti noted that if
the train had been going faster, it could have been thrown from a
bridge, which would have led to a far greater number of casualties.
There is no indication as to who may have planted the bomb. Chechen
President and resistance commander Doku Umarov said five months ago
that the Chechen resistance does not target Russian civilians. PM
[02] INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR SAYS JOURNALIST SHOULD NOT BE KEPT IN
PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL
Yury Savenko, the president of Russia's Independent Psychiatric
Association, told RFE/RL's Russian Service on August 13 that there is
no basis to confine opposition activist and independent journalist
Larisa Arap to a psychiatric hospital, where she has been held near
Murmansk since early July (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 30 and 31, and
August 1 and 10, 2007). He stressed that Arap's condition has never
posed any threat "to herself or to other people." Savenko and his
colleagues examined Arap last week. Arap claims authorities placed her
in the hospital in retaliation for a statement she gave to a newspaper,
alleging that patients at a psychiatric clinic were beaten and sexually
abused. Her family maintains that she is being forcibly held and
drugged. PM
[03] EX-ADMIRAL WANTS MORE SHIPS FOR NORTHERN FLEET
Senator Vyacheslav Popov said on August 13 that the Northern Fleet
needs more ships, Interfax reported. Popov's statement followed recent
remarks by Navy commander Admiral Vladimir Masorin that the Russian
fleet should have a "permanent presence" in the Mediterranean Sea, as
it did in Syria during the Cold War (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 11 and
August 3 and 7, 2007). Popov, who is a former commander of the Northern
Fleet, said that "all of the Northern Fleet's bases, including the main
base at Severomorsk, are north of the Arctic Circle...so there is no
need to build additional bases there" in response to Canada's plans to
expand its military presence in the Arctic (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
August 3 and 13, 2007). Popov added that the new ships should not be
small frigates but "blue-water frigates and destroyers, as well as
nuclear-powered submarines." PM
[04] WILL GERMANY INCREASE ITS ENERGY DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIA?
The Russian daily "Kommersant" reported on August 13 that Russia could
double its coal exports to Germany by 2018, when that country plans to
close its last coal mines because of high costs. The German firm RAG
has already opened talks with three Russian suppliers for up to 50
million tons of coal per year, in addition to what Germany currently
imports from Russia, which would mean $1.3 billion in additional income
for Russian exporters. Russia's total coal exports to Western Europe
currently stand at about 50 million tons annually, most of which goes
to Germany and Britain. The daily noted that Russian coal exports to
Germany entail high shipping costs, which help make Australian and
South African coal more competitive than the Russian product on the
German market. PM
[05] MILITANT LEADER'S EX-WIFE APPEALS TO PUTIN
Zukhra Tsipinova, who was married for five years to Anzor Astemirov
(aka Amir Seyfulla), now a leader of the so-called Kabardino-Balkaria
jamaat, has written to President Putin, Russian Prosecutor-General Yury
Chaika, and presidential human-rights commission Chairwoman Ella
Pamfilova to protest continued victimization and harassment by the
police and security services, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported on August 13.
Tsipinova explained that she married Astemirov, then a "law-abiding
citizen," in 2000 and divorced him in 2005, since when she has been
unaware of his whereabouts. She said she learned of Astemirov's
putative involvement in militant activities, including the October 2005
attacks on police facilities in Nalchik (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report,"
October 17 and November 14, 2005) only from the media. She remarried in
May 2007 and moved with her new husband to Adygeya. Her husband was
arrested five days later, and security officials have said they will
release him only if she divulges Astemirov's whereabouts. Tsipinova
asked Putin to intervene on her behalf and that of her six-year-old
son, who has been expelled from several kindergartens because of his
father's terrorist reputation. On August 2, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported
that the Interior Ministry of the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic has
offered a reward of 3 million rubles ($117,354) for information leading
to Astemirov's capture. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[06] SENTENCED WAR VETERAN CONDEMNS 'VIOLENCE' BY ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES
Lebanese-born Karabakh war veteran Zhirayr Sefilian, who was sentenced
last week to 18 months' imprisonment for possession of a pistol
presented to him as a gift by the former commander of the armed forces
of the unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," August 7, 2007), on August 13 described as "violence" his
treatment during the eight months since his arrest in December 2006,
RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Sefilian warned the Armenian
authorities that "violence begets violence," and warned that he and two
colleagues sentenced with him will not "remain silent" during the
run-up to next year's presidential election. Sefilian was acquitted of
plotting to overthrow the Armenian leadership in the run-up to the May
2007 parliamentary ballot, but his former comrade-in-arms Vartan
Malkhasian received a two-year prison term on the same charge. LF
[07] AZERBAIJANI JOURNALISTS SUBMIT REPEAT REQUEST FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM
Nine journalists from the twin newspapers "Gyundelik Azerbaycan" and
"Realny Azerbaijan" submitted on August 13 to the U.S. Embassy in Baku
individual requests for political asylum, day.az reported. In June, 18
journalists from the two papers submitted to several Western embassies
in Baku a collective request for political asylum abroad (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," July 13, 2007). LF
[08] TAJIK PRESIDENT VISITS AZERBAIJAN
Accompanied by several government ministers, Emomali Rahmon arrived in
Baku on August 13 on a two-day official visit, Russian and Azerbaijani
media reported. Following talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham
Aliyev, Rahmon told journalists that the two countries plan to raise
bilateral trade turnover from last year's level of $131 million to $500
million, and that Azerbaijan will send a group of experts to Tajikistan
to prospect for oil. Aliyev said Azerbaijan has plans for investment in
Tajikistan, but did not elaborate. The two presidents signed a joint
declaration registering their shared position on economic integration
and bilateral and regional cooperation, according to day.az. Also
signed were intergovernmental agreements on trade; avoiding dual
taxation; science and technology; education; and communications. Rahmon
also met on August 14 with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade
and parliament speaker Oktai Asadov. LF
[09] GEORGIAN INTERIOR MINISTER REJECTS RUSSIAN ALLEGATION
Vano Merabishvili dismissed on August 13 as "horsefeathers" the
allegation made two days earlier by Russian First Deputy Prime Minister
Sergei Ivanov that Georgia "staged" the August 6 incident in which a
military aircraft dropped or jettisoned a missile on a village west of
Tbilisi, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 13,
2007). The television station Rustavi-2 quoted Minister for Conflict
Resolution Davit Bakradze on August 13 as attributing Ivanov's comment
to his "personal hatred" of Georgia. Also on August 13, a commission of
international experts began their investigation into the missile
incident, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. Meanwhile, the Georgian delegation
to the OSCE released a lengthy statement stressing that Russia has not
yet responded to Tbilisi's request for an explanation of the missile
incident. It noted the emergence of "a clear and present danger to
Georgia's sovereignty" and suggested that the incident portends "a
well-planned military operation against Georgia." It underscores
Tbilisi's expectation that the OSCE will "express its resolute position
on this issue and spare no efforts to prevent a dangerous escalation of
events that would pose a threat to Georgian and wider European
security." LF
[10] KAZAKHSTAN BUYS STAKE IN U.S. NUCLEAR FIRM FROM JAPANESE COMPANY
Mukhtar Dzhakishev, the head of Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan's state
nuclear-fuel company, announced on August 13 that Kazatomprom has
purchased a 10 percent stake in the U.S. nuclear firm Westinghouse from
Japan's Toshiba Corporation, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. According to
an agreement signed in Almaty by Dzhakishev and Toshiba executives
Atsutoshi Nishida and Norio Sasaki, Kazatomprom will pay Toshiba $540
million to secure the stake in Westinghouse, which specializes in the
construction of nuclear power plants. Toshiba recently concluded an
agreement with Kazatomprom to engage in joint nuclear-plant
construction projects involving the transfer of uranium-processing
technology from Toshiba and Westinghouse to Kazakhstan (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," July 10 and 16, 2007). During a visit to Kazakhstan in May,
Japanese Trade and Industry Minister Akira Amari announced that Japan
plans to import up to 40 percent of the uranium it uses from Kazakhstan
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 2, 2007). RG
[11] KAZAKH OFFICIAL HOPES FOR REVERSAL OF AUSTRIAN EXTRADITION RULING
Kazakh Interior Ministry spokesman Baghdat Kozhakhmetov said on August
13 that "there are still chances" for a successful challenge to
Austria's refusal to extradite Rakhat Aliev, the former son-in-law of
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. At
a press conference in Astana, Kozhakhmetov said Kazakhstan intends to
challenge the Austrian court's ruling by bringing an "appeal to a
higher court, as well as international courts." A court in Vienna
earlier in the month ruled against the extradition request for the
return of Aliev, who until recently served as the Kazakh ambassador to
Austria (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 9, 2007). The spokesman added
that Kazakh officials are "perplexed" by the court ruling and vowed to
"secure Aliev's extradition," noting that "if Aliev tries to go to
another country using his documents, he will be detained and handed
over" to the Kazakh Interior Ministry. Aliev faces criminal charges of
corruption, money laundering, and kidnapping in Kazakhstan (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," June 4, 6, 13, and 19, 2007). RG
[12] KAZAKH ELECTION BODY REJECTS PRELIMINARY OSCE FINDINGS
The Kazakh Central Election Commission on August 13 posted a formal
document refuting criticism issued earlier this week in an interim
pre-election report by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions
and Human Rights (ODIHR) election-monitoring mission, according to
Interfax-Kazakhstan. The commission's 26-point response specifically
disputed the ODIHR mission's portrayal of Kazakh President Nazarbaev's
recent regional tours as an effort to persuade local residents to vote
for the ruling Nur Otan party, arguing that the report distorts events.
The commission also noted that the president spoke in his capacity as
"leader of the [Nur Otan] party," which "does not go against Kazakh
law," and argued that "the president did not call on citizens to vote
specifically for the Nur Otan party, but for a political party which
would meet their personal interests and those of the whole society and
the country." The response closed by stressing that "in any democratic
country, the head of state has the right to directly address members of
the party that he leads." Kazakhstan is holding elections on August 18
for seats in the lower house of the Kazakh parliament, or Mazhilis. RG
[13] KYRGYZ GREEN PARTY VOWS TO APPEAL LEADER'S PRISON SENTENCE
In a statement released in Bishkek, the leadership of Kyrgyzstan's
Green Party vowed on August 13 to appeal a Bishkek district court's
ruling that sentenced party leader Erkin Bulekbaev to 10 days in
prison, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Bulekbaev, a television
journalist, was arrested on August 10 while filming a police operation
at the Issykul Investbank building in Bishkek (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
August 13, 2007). The arrest of Bulekbaev, who is also a member of the
opposition United Front for a Worthy Future for Kyrgyzstan, triggered a
small demonstration on August 11 by protesters accusing the Kyrgyz
authorities of overreacting and demanding Bulekbaev's immediate
release. RG
[14] YOUNG JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION FORMED IN TAJIKISTAN
Tajik media-rights activist Amrullo Nizomov announced on August 13 in
Dushanbe that a new organization of journalists has been formed to
"serve as a bridge" between "young student journalists" and the Tajik
media, Asia-Plus reported. Nizomov added that the new group, called the
Organization for Developing Young Journalists, has been formally
registered with the Tajik Ministry of Justice and received an official
endorsement from the Journalists' Union of Tajikistan. Nizomov said
"the main goal of the organization is to unite young journalists," and
that it also seeks to "organize meetings between young people and
professional journalists to try to help them with employment at
national media outlets," and plans to "issue a monthly newspaper, which
will publish young authors." The announcement comes one day after Tajik
media-rights groups and journalists urged President Emomali Rahmon not
to sign a new media law that would authorize courts to jail journalists
for up to two years if they are found guilty of libel or insults in
their writing (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 13, 2007). RG
[15] FORMER TURKMEN MUFTI PLEDGES TO 'SERVE ESTEEMED PRESIDENT'
In an interview on Turkmen Television on August 13, Turkmenistan's
former chief Islamic cleric, or mufti, Nasrullah ibn Ibadullah,
expressed gratitude for a recent presidential pardon repealing a 2004
sentence imprisoning him for 22 years on charges of treason. The
60-year-old Ibadullah, who served as the chief mufti from 1996 to 2003,
pledged to "work and serve" the Turkmen people and the country's
"esteemed president," Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. He also said that he
accepted a post as an adviser to the state Council for Religious
Affairs immediately after his August 10 pardon (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
August 10, 2007). Ibadullah was a strident critic of late President
Saparmurat Niyazov, and openly clashed with him over the death
sentences handed to people convicted in secret trials for their alleged
involvement in a purported assassination attempt against Niyazov in
2002. RG
Eastern Europe
[16] BELARUS WANTS EASIER EU TRAVEL RULES
Andrey Hiro, the head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry's consular
department, told journalists on August 13 that Belarus hopes the
European Union will enter talks with Minsk in the near future on easier
two-way travel, Belapan reported. Hiro said Minsk unilaterally
simplified visa rules for EU nationals "as much as possible" three
years ago, but the EU's response to the move did not satisfy the
Belarusian side. In particular, Hiro pointed out that an EU citizen can
obtain a Belarusian entry visa upon arrival at a Minsk airport, whereas
Belarusian nationals can get a visa to a country participating in the
Schengen agreement only by applying to that country's embassy. JM
[17] UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION BLOC PUSHES FOR REGISTRATION OF ELECTION
CANDIDATES
Some 2,000 supporters of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) rallied in
front of the Central Election Commission (TsVK) offices in Kyiv on
August 13, urging the top election body to register the list of BYuT
candidates for early parliamentary elections on September 30, Ukrainian
media reported. The TsVK refused to register the BYuT party list last
week, arguing that it does not include the exact addresses of the
candidates (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 13, 2007). The BYuT claims
that Ukraine's election legislation does not require that political
parties supply the full addresses of their candidates. A district court
in Kyiv is expected to rule on the controversy on August 14. President
Viktor Yushchenko, in a statement publicized on August 13 by his aide
Maryna Stavniychuk, urged the TsVK to "return voluntarily" to the issue
of registering the BYuT candidates, without waiting for a court
decision. The TsVK has 15 members -- seven nominated by the president
and eight by the ruling coalition of the Party of Regions, the
Socialist Party, and the Communist Party. The eight TsVK members
nominated by the ruling coalition issued a statement on August 13
slamming the BYuT for "gross, overt pressure" and "groundless
accusations." JM
[18] UKRAINIAN COURT IMPRISONS TWO SERGEANTS FOR KILLING RECRUIT
A military court in Zhytomyr has sentenced one military sergeant to
seven years and another to five years in prison, finding them guilty of
killing a recruit, Oleksandr Rybka, at a military training center in
Chernihiv Oblast, Interfax-Ukraine reported on August 14. The court
also ruled that the military unit to which Rybka was drafted has to pay
200,000 hryvnyas ($40,000) to his mother and $50,000 hryvnyas to his
sister in compensation. Rybka had served in the army for just 20 days.
Shortly after he took his oath of enlistment on November 27, 2006,
Rybka was kicked to death by the two 20-year-old sergeants. Ten days
before his death, Rybka reportedly sent a letter to his mother, asking
her to help get him out of the army. JM
Southeastern Europe
[19] SERBIAN PRESIDENT CONDEMNS KOSOVA'S JUSTICE SYSTEM
The failure of authorities in Kosova to capture the killers of two
Serbian boys in the four years since their murder is "proof that Kosovo
is not ready to be democratic," the Serbian news agency FoNet quoted
Serbian President Boris Tadic as saying in a statement issued on August
13 to mark the anniversary of the crime. The victims, Ivan Jovovic and
Pantelija Dakic, were among a group of boys who came under fire while
they were swimming in a river near the village of Gorazdevac in western
Kosova. Four others were injured. Tadic urged the UN Mission in Kosova
(UNMIK) and Kosovar Albanian leaders to halt what he described as the
spread of extremism in Kosova. A reward of 1 million euros ($1.36
million) offered by UNMIK failed to lead to the killers' capture.
According to a report by the Serbian broadcaster B92 on August 13, the
Kosovar police say they have taken statements from 75 people and
searched 100 houses during their investigations. AG
[20] ETHNIC ALBANIANS ANGERED BY SECURITY MEASURES IN SOUTHERN SERBIA
A leading ethnic-Albanian party in Serbia's Presevo Valley warned on
August 11 that Belgrade's decision to tighten security in the southern
region after a spate of shootings risks antagonizing the local
population and destabilizing the region. Mitat Saqipi, a spokesman for
the Democratic Party of Albanians (PDSh), the leading party in the
valley's largest town, Presevo, told the Kosovar news service
KosovaLive that the measures are fostering a sense of insecurity and
fear in the local community. Serbia on August 9 stepped up patrols
along a stretch of Serbia's border with Kosova that runs through the
valley. Belgrade has not disclosed other details of its security
measures. "The situation as it is reminds one of an emergency situation
even though no emergency has been declared," Saqipi said. The
heightened security measures follow a police clash with an armed group
that robbed cars traveling on a road leading into Kosova (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," August 7, 2007). One person was killed in that clash. Three
other local Albanians were killed in early August in two separate
incidents that local police said at the time had no political motive.
"The incidents could have political implications because of the
sensitivity of the area and we want to act to prevent that," a Serbian
government official, Rasim Ljajic, told Serbian media on August 9.
Presevo, which borders Kosova and is overwhelmingly populated by ethnic
Albanians, was the site of an insurgency in 2001, two years after NATO
intervened to halt the separatist conflict in Kosova. Ljajic also
called for greater coordination with international forces stationed in
Kosova, saying that "only joint cooperation and partnership make sense
in such a situation." AG
[21] SERBIAN JOURNALIST RECEIVES DEATH THREAT
The head of a regional branch of Serbia's Radio-Television TNT, Stefan
Cvetkovic, said on August 9 that he has received an anonymous death
threat. There was no indication as to the reason for the threat, but
according to the broadcaster B92, Cvetkovic described it as "a
continuation of threats being aimed at me; everything is done with the
intention of frightening me and trying to make me stop publishing
documentation and arguments about criminal activity." Cvetkovic said he
previously received milder threats from police officers who were fired,
in his words, after "they were seen snorting a white, powdered
substance." Cvetkovic, who works in the northern border town of Bela
Crkva, said he does not know if the police have launched investigations
into any of the incidents. Local media report that one governing party,
G17 Plus, has condemned the threats against Cvetkovic. Also on August
9, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) criticized
the Serbian authorities for failing to provide information about
investigations into the murders of journalists Radislava Vujasinovic in
1994, Slavko Curuvija in 1999, and Milan Pantic in 2001, B92 said in a
separate report. The dangers faced by journalists in Serbia were
highlighted once more in April when the home of a prominent journalist,
Dejan Anastasijevic, was attacked with a grenade (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," April 16 and May 4, 2007). Police swiftly arrested and then
released several men. There has been no information about the
Anastasijevic case since. The daily "Politika" on August 13 reported
that a survey commissioned by NUNS found that journalists in Serbia
consider their profession to be risky, poorly respected, politicized,
censored, very badly paid, and corrupt. AG
[22] EUFOR WARNS AGAINST HASTY EXIT FROM BOSNIA
The commander of EU peacekeeping forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rear
Admiral Hans-Jochen Witthauer, has warned Brussels against a hasty
withdrawal of troops. The Serbian news agency Tanjug quoted him as
telling Austrian reporters on August 12 that he "would be very
cautious" about changing troop levels. EUFOR's mission was scaled back
this spring from about 6,000 to 2,500 troops, a move that the EU and
Witthauer said reflected greater stability in the country (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," February 28, March 14, April 4, and May 22, 2007).
Subsequently, in May, Witthauer described Bosnia as being "in a state
of heightened political uncertainty," but added that "not a single
incident or problem that cropped up in the past few years has provoked
significant reactions." Witthauer has previously identified reforms of
Bosnia's constitution and its various police services as prerequisites
for greater stability there (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 10, 2007).
AG
[23] OSCE CONCERNED AT SECURITY IN BOSNIAN PRISONS
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on
August 10 expressed concern at "serious weaknesses and loopholes" in
the country's criminal justice system following the escape of a
prisoner on August 7. Milorad Milakovic, an ordinary criminal, was
temporarily free "on leave" when he escaped. Earlier this year, a
convicted war criminal, Radovan Stankovic, escaped while being taken
from prison to a local dentist, and a suspected terrorist, Branko
Zelenika, escaped while being taken to a detention center (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," May 29 and June 1, 2007). Neither has been recaptured. All
three were in the Bosnian Serb-dominated Republika Srpska at the time.
The OSCE noted that "the rules for leave have been recently tightened
in the cases of those convicted of war crimes or of trafficking in
narcotics," and said that the rules should also be restricted for those
convicted of human trafficking, one of the crimes for which Milakovic
was jailed. The OSCE added that Bosnia should cooperate more closely
with other countries to prevent prison breaks. AG
[24] MACEDONIA MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF SEPARATIST CONFLICT
Macedonia's political parties on August 13 noted in a subdued manner
the sixth anniversary of the peace deal that ended a six-month conflict
with ethnic-Albanian separatists. In a statement carried by the news
agency MIA, the governing parties, which include two ethnic-Albanian
parties, underlined their commitment to the "full implementation" of
the peace deal, the Ohrid Agreement. The deal boosted the rights of
ethnic-Albanians and set up a framework for them to become more
integrated into Macedonian society. In comments carried by the news
agency Makfax, Radmila Sekerinska, the leader of the opposition Social
Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), on August 13 praised the
agreement for restoring peace and stability in the country, but added
that "because of the bad situation in parliament, there is still no
official position as to how we will treat this day." Two
ethnic-Albanian parties boycotted parliament for nearly four months
this year in large part because of the government's alleged failure to
act on the Ohrid Agreement (see "RFE/RL Newsline," January 29 and May
22 and 29, 2007). "Unfortunately, the quarrels are becoming louder as
to whether the Ohrid Treaty is fully realized or not, and how we should
end that chapter of Macedonian history," Sekerinska said. One of the
lawyers who helped draft the agreement, Vlado Popovski, told MIA on
August 12 that 70 percent of the agreement has been implemented, and
said that "significant progress has been made in terms of the equitable
representation of non-majority communities." Full implementation of the
agreement is a key condition for Macedonia's potential NATO and EU
membership. Macedonia hopes NATO leaders will decide in April 2008 to
invite it to join the alliance. In a statement carried by the news
agency MIA on August 6, the U.S. ambassador in Macedonia, Gillian
Milovanovic, said Macedonia has made "big progress" since 2001. AG
[25] ALBANIAN MINERS GO ON STRIKE AFTER ANOTHER DEATH
Work at Albania's largest mine ground to a halt on August 13, as miners
went on strike following the second fatal accident this summer. The
news service Balkan Insight said one man, a union leader, died in the
accident on August 11 at the Bulqiza mine in northern Albania. Over 600
miners gathered at a rally on August 13 to demand better safety
conditions and to call for a 50 percent pay hike and proper contracts.
The victim, Zamir Hysa, had reportedly written to Prime Minister Sali
Berisha just days before his death asking the government to force the
mine's owners, the Swiss-Russian consortium Darfo, to improve
conditions at the mine. In June, another accident at the mine caused
two deaths and brought miners out on strike for weeks. Thirty went on
hunger strike, with four eventually being hospitalized in critical
condition. Darfo representatives initially said the two died as a
result of negligence, but two company engineers were subsequently
arrested for failing to adhere to safety regulations. Another accident
at the mine earlier this year cost one miner his life. Bulqiza produces
chromium, Albania's largest export in the communist era and still a
major source of income for the country. AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[26] AFGHAN INSURGENTS RELEASE TWO FEMALE SOUTH KOREAN HOSTAGES
Taliban militants on August 13 handed over two female South Korean
hostages, both reported to be ill, to the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) after 25 days of captivity, the Times Online
reported. The afgha.com web site reported that Taliban militants
dropped off the two women, identified as Kim Kyung-ja and Kim Ji-na, in
the Andar district in Ghazni Province near the site where 23 South
Korean Christian aid workers were kidnapped last month (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," July 21, 2007). The women were then brought to ICRC
representatives by a tribal elder involved in brokering the deal, which
came after lengthy negotiations between government officials and the
Taliban. The details of the exchange are unknown, although the ICRC
confirmed in a statement that it played a key intermediary role in the
negotiations, AFP reported. The Taliban captors killed two male
hostages after negotiations stalled in July. JC
[27] BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY DEFENDS COMMITMENT IN AFGHANISTAN
Defense Secretary Des Browne on August 13 defended Britain's military
presence in Afghanistan, arguing that a "long-term commitment" is vital
to preventing the emergence of terrorist training camps, "The Guardian"
reported. Browne praised U.K. forces for doing an "exceptionally good
job" and credited the 7,700 troops in Afghanistan with ensuring the
"best future" for a country plagued by decades of violence. Browne
acknowledged the discouraging growth of poppy production, believed to
be funding the Taliban insurgency in the south. He added that a main
challenge for British troops is helping to build sustainable
communities and local governments capable of maintaining the progress
made by foreign troops in defeating the rebels, the BBC reported.
Browne's remarks follow the death of another British soldier on August
11. JC
[28] AFGHANISTAN ESTABLISHES COPYRIGHT ENFORCEMENT BOARD
An Afghan official announced on August 13 that the government has
established a copyright enforcement board, in a significant step for
intellectual-property rights in a country struggling to the maintain
rule of law, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. Mohammad Yousaf Rajabi, the
head of policy and legal affairs at the Ministry of Commerce, told
Pajhwak that the board is tasked with registering intellectual
property, including patents for inventions, copyrights, and trademarks,
in an effort to prevent violations by "unscrupulous elements." The
board, which will be inaugurated on August 15, will include members of
the Supreme Court, representatives from the Science Academy at Kabul
University, and officials from the ministries of justice and foreign
affairs. Copyright violations and other intellectual-property
infringements are common in Afghanistan. A draft law on
intellectual-property violations has been sent by the Ministry of
Commerce to the Ministry of Justice for evaluation. JC
[29] AFGHAN LOWER HOUSE AUTHORIZES PRISONER-EXCHANGE AGREEMENT WITH
IRAN
Justice and Judicial Commission Secretary Muhammad Sarwar Jawadi said
on August 13 that Afghanistan's lower house of parliament, the Wolesi
Jirga, has approved a recently signed prisoner-exchange agreement with
Iran, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. Jawadi told reporters that the
19-point agreement allows for the transfer of prisoners to relatives or
government authorities in their home countries. The majority of Afghans
imprisoned in Iran have been arrested for petty crime and sentenced to
less than five years in prison, Jawadi said. Afghanistan's
parliamentary commissions on justice, judiciary affairs, and
international affairs, whose officials deliberated the details of the
agreement with Iranian officials last year in Tehran, approved the
accord before passing it on to the Wolesi Jirga. Iran's parliament has
already approved the agreement. The agreement must be adopted by
Afghanistan's Meshrano Jirga, or upper house, before it can take
effect. JC
[30] UN TO HELP BUILD HOMES FOR 10,000 RETURNING AFGHAN REFUGEES
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on August 13
announced it will assist in constructing new homes for nearly 10,000
exiled Afghan families returning home, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. At
a press conference in Kabul, UNHCR spokesman Nadir Fahard said the
refugees, returning primarily from Pakistan and Iran, will receive the
aid through the UN's Shelter for Refugees program, which provides
refugees across the country with the construction materials and tools
necessary to build houses in their home districts. Fernando Arocena,
head of the International Organization for Migration, voiced concerns
over the security situation in Afghanistan's southern provinces of
Farah and Nimroz, where refugees returning from Iran often face
violence in addition to unemployment, lack of shelter, and food
shortages. On August 10, the UNHCR requested an additional $10 million
from international donors to cover the costs of repatriating
approximately 400,000 Afghan refugees this year. JC
[31] OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE IRANIAN BORDER GUARDS' SHOOTING OF AFGHANS
Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Bahin told Radio Farda
on August 13 that ministry officials and diplomats from Iran's
consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, are investigating the fatal shooting
of Afghan nationals by Iranian border guards. Four young Afghans were
reportedly gunned down on August 11 as they tried to cross into Iran
from Herat. Radio Farda cited regional police official Rahmatullah Safi
as saying that the bodies were recovered on August 13, and that Afghan
border police lodged a formal protest over the deaths with Iranian
security and police officials. VS
[32] MINISTRY SAYS IRAN EXAMINING RECENT NEGOTIATIONS WITH U.S.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini says Iran is examining
the results of recent talks between U.S. and Iranian diplomats in
Baghdad, as well as conversations between Iran's top nuclear negotiator
Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, ISNA reported
on August 13. Speaking on Iranian television, Hosseini said a fourth
round of Iranian-U.S. talks on Iraqi security will likely take place at
the same level as the third round, held on August 6 among specialist
diplomats below the level of ambassador. He said that during three
rounds of talks this year with U.S. envoys, Iran pointed out the
"duties" of occupying forces in Iraq, as well as the "roots" of the
violence there and potential solutions. He said Iran's intention is to
help bring security to Iraq, adding that "there is no horse-trading"
between Iran and the United States during the security talks. Hosseini
said deputies to Larijani and Solana will resume nuclear talks on
August 20, ISNA reported. VS
[33] IRANIAN MINISTER FORESEES COMPUTERIZED ELECTIONS...
Interior Minister Mustafa Purmohammadi said ministry officials met in
Tehran on August 13 with members of the Guardians Council, the body
that supervises elections and must confirm results, to discuss using
computerized voting in parliamentary elections set for March 14, 2008.
Purmohammadi said ministry officials and Guardians Council members
agreed in principle on computerized elections, but will meet again to
discuss technical details. He said the ministry intends for voters to
use their national identity numbers -- printed on identity cards --
instead of using birth certificates, adding that this would reduce
queues and prevent fraud. Purmohammadi said candidates might also be
able to register through a web site, allowing the authorities to
investigate their backgrounds in line with the law and exchange
relevant information on aspiring candidates through the site. He added
that the ministry is still working on the precise details of the new
procedures. Purmohammadi said about 140-150 state officials, some 30 of
whom are from the Interior Ministry, have so far resigned from their
positions in order to run for parliamentary seats. VS
[34] ...AS GUARDIANS COUNCIL APPOINTS ELECTION SUPERVISORS
The Guardians Council has appointed five of its own members as the
central election supervisory board tasked with coordinating the
nationwide oversight of elections next March, council spokesman Abbas
Ali Kadkhodai told the press in Tehran on August 12. The central board
will comprise Kadkhodai himself, Guardians Council Secretary Ayatollah
Ahmad Jannati, Hojjatoleslam Sadeq Larijani, Hojjatoleslam Abbas Kabi,
and Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, IRNA reported. VS
[35] PROSECUTOR URGES TIGHT CONTROLS OF IRAN'S BORDERS
Prosecutor-General Qorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi has urged Iranian
security, judicial, and police officials to remain vigilant in
combatting organized crime, cross-border trafficking, and international
terrorism, "Kayhan" reported on August 13. Dorri-Najafabadi called for
tighter controls at Iran's borders, and for illegal arms and ammunition
to be confiscated nationwide. He said that "sustained" security in Iran
depends on a tough response to arms trafficking, which he said is
"mainly rooted outside the country's borders." He urged international
bodies to help fight arms traffickers and international terrorists "not
with slogans but with action," by collaborating with national
governments. VS
[36] IRAQ'S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER HOLDS SECURITY TALKS IN JORDAN
National security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i met with Jordanian
security officials in Amman on August 13, international media reported.
Al-Rubay'i said the main purpose of his trip was to coordinate security
and intelligence with Jordanian officials and to find ways to alleviate
the suffering of displaced Iraqis living in the kingdom. "We are trying
to ease the suffering of the Iraqis regarding the issue of their
residency permits, passports, visas, finding ways for economic support,
and extending humanitarian assistance to those who are in need of
assistance," he said, Al-Iraqiyah television reported on August 13.
Al-Rubay'i described Jordan as a "main ally" in the fight against
terrorism adding that he will share "political and security files" with
the Jordanian security services during the two-day meeting, Al-Arabiyah
television reported. Meanwhile, Iraqi government spokesman Ali
al-Dabbagh told Al-Arabiyah in an August 13 interview: "Jordan is
exposed to dangers coming from Iraq. Jordan is also worried about
terrorist acts and terrorist groups that currently use Iraq as a base
to move to neighboring states." He said the government hopes the talks
with Jordan will eventually lead to greater security cooperation with
neighboring Syria. KR
[37] IRAQI TRIBAL CHIEFTAINS ASSASSINATED
Unidentified gunmen killed a chieftain from the Al-Jubur tribe in
Kirkuk on August 13, Al-Sharqiyah television reported. Sheikh Muhsin
Abdallah Hasan al-Sabil al-Juburi was killed in the attack, while his
daughter and brother were injured. Al-Juburi was reportedly killed
because of his close ties to the U.S. military. Meanwhile, a chieftain
from the Al-Dulaym tribe was killed outside his home in Al-Fallujah on
August 13. Security sources told Al-Sharqiyah that Sheikh Fawwaz Saddah
Sarih, chieftain of the Albu Khalifah tribe, was attacked and killed by
masked gunmen. Tribal leaders from the Al-Ghazalat tribe in Al-Najaf
announced that they have formed an armed force to fight Al-Qaeda in the
Al-Nukhayb district of Al-Najaf, after four tribesmen were abducted
there in recent days, "Al-Zaman" reported on August 13. KR
[38] U.S., IRAQI FORCES LAUNCH OPERATION NORTHEAST OF BAGHDAD...
Some 16,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops launched Operation Lightning Hammer
on August 13 to target Al-Qaeda and other insurgent cells operating in
the Diyala River valley, according to an August 14 press release by the
U.S.-led coalition. The operation falls within the coalition's Phantom
Strike operation. The operation began with a late-night air assault on
targeted locations to capture or kill Al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgents,
the statement said. "Our main goal with Lightning Hammer is to
eliminate the terrorist organizations throughout the MND-N
[multinational division-north] and show them that they truly have no
safe haven -- especially in Diyala," said Major General Benjamin Mixon,
the commander of Task Force Lightning and MND-N. KR
[39] ...AND ROUND UP INSURGENTS LINKED TO SHI'ITE MILITIA
Meanwhile, U.S. and Iraqi forces in central and southern Iraq have
announced in recent days the arrest of several high-level insurgents
from Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Imam Al-Mahdi Army. Iraq Army and
U.S. Special Forces detained an unidentified high-value Al-Mahdi Army
"special groups facilitator" in an August 12 raid, the U.S.-led
coalition announced on August 14. The suspect allegedly launders money
through a humanitarian organization that he operates, and uses the
funds to recruit foreign fighters, traffic weapons from Iran to Iraq,
and train Al-Mahdi Army militiamen. Twelve Al-Mahdi insurgents,
including a brigade commander, battalion commander, two company
commanders, and one leader of an extrajudicial killing cell, were
detained in an August 13 raid in Baghdad. Coalition forces also
captured a key financier of the "special groups" forces, which are
apparently Shi'ite militiamen linked to Iran's Islamic Revolution
Guards Corps' Quds Force. The special groups insurgents are suspected
of killing Iraqi citizens, directing attacks against coalition forces,
and promoting sectarian violence, an August 13 press release stated.
Computers and documents were also seized in the raid. Six other
Al-Mahdi Army insurgents were detained in an August 12 Iraqi-U.S.
special-forces operation in Baghdad. KR
End Note
[40] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY.
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