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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 2, No. 203, 98-10-20Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 2, No. 203, 20 October 1998CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] GEORGIAN INSURRECTION QUASHED...Mutinous Georgian army units retreated to their west Georgian base on 19 October following an artillery exchange with regular army units on the outskirts of Kutaisi, Caucasus Press reported. Three men were killed in that exchange. The regular army troops under the personal command of Defense Minister Davit Tevzadze recaptured the tanks and armored personnel carriers seized by the rebels. The insurgents, meanwhile, released National Security Minister Djemal Gakhokidze, whom they had taken hostage together with two generals and the presidential representative in Imereti. Akaki Eliava, the leader of the mutiny, has fled. LF[02] ...BUT WHAT WAS ITS OBJECTIVE?"Izvestiya" on 20 October quoted Eliava as demanding the resignation of Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze. Eliava told Caucasus Press on 19 October that he was protesting the plundering of Georgia by a corrupt leadership. But Shevardnadze's press spokesman, Vakhtang Abashidze, told the news agency that the rebels were demanding the restoration of what they termed the "legal government" formed by Gamsakhurdia in 1990. Shevardnadze, for his part, claimed that the insurrection was intended to sabotage plans for exporting Azerbaijan's Caspian oil via Georgia. LF[03] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR DIASPORA ENGAGEMENTMeeting on 19 October with a delegation from the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Robert Kocharian expressed gratitude for that organization's assistance since Armenia regained its independence, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. But he also appealed to Diaspora Armenians to share their "experience and capabilities" to promote economic revival, which he characterized as his "number one priority." LF[04] AZERBAIJAN OPPOSITION TO DISCUSS UNITED ACTIONFour of the five Azerbaijani opposition leaders who boycotted the 11 October presidential election may meet soon with three defeated candidates to discuss joint actions, Turan reported on 19 October. The five boycotters and defeated candidate Ashraf Mehtiev issued a statement on19 October condemning gerrymandering and the "usurpation of power" by President Heidar Aliev. They added that they will not recognize the legitimacy of any international agreements signed by Aliev's leadership. Musavat Party chairman Isa Gambar, Democratic Party chairman Ilyas Ismailov, and defeated presidential candidate Nizami Suleymanov all cast doubt on the sincerity of Aliev's 18 October plea for dialogue with the opposition, but at the same time they did not reject that appeal out of hand. LF[05] DEFEATED PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE'S APPEAL REJECTEDThe Azerbaijani Supreme Court has rejected a suit by defeated presidential candidate Etibar Mamedov, refusing even to consider his 20-page statement and accompanying evidence of the alleged falsification of the 11 October vote, Turan reported on 19 October. Mamedov's Azerbaijan National Independence Party plans to hold a march in Baku on 24 October to protest the ruling. LF[06] NEW CHAIRMAN APPOINTED TO TAJIK RECONCILIATION COMMISSIONMuhammed Sharif Himmatzoda has been named chairman of the legal subcommission of Tajikistan's National Reconciliation Commission, ITAR-TASS and Interfax reported on 19 October. Himmatzoda, formerly chairman of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, was chosen by representatives of the United Tajik Opposition. He replaces Otakhon Latifi, who was killed in Dushanbe on 22 September by assailants still at large. BP[07] CRIME INCREASES TAJIKISTANIn the first nine months of 1998, crime more than doubled in Tajikistan, compared with the same period last year, ITAR-TASS reported on 19 October. The increase in the theft of weapons accounts for the growing number of crimes committed with guns or acts of terrorism employing explosives. There has also been an increase in mafia wars and kidnappings. BP[08] KAZAKH OPPOSITIONIST SUFFERS HEART ATTACKPetr Svoik, co- chairman of the opposition movement Azamat, has been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack, RFE/RL correspondents in Almaty reported on 20 October. Svoik was serving a three-day jail sentence for participating in a meeting of the For Fair Elections movement earlier this month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 October 1998). BP[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[09] CONFUSION IN KOSOVAA spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in Prishtina on 19 October that the UNHCR has canceled plans to send out two humanitarian aid convoys from the capital pending a clarification of the military situation on the ground. Serbian spokesmen say that the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK) recently took advantage of the agreement reached by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke to reoccupy lost territory and to attack Serbian police. They add that the security forces are restoring order. At the same time, the Serbian spokesmen deny Kosovar reports that the Serbs are shelling villages. Kosovar officials argue that the Serbs have responded to the killing of four policemen by launching an assault on unarmed civilians (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 October 1998). Western diplomats are unable to "determine which side is telling the truth," the "Washington Post" reported. Diplomats do not agree among themselves whether the movement of the security forces violates the agreement, the "Financial Times" added. PM[10] COOK WARNS UCKBritish Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said on 19 October in London that the UCK has recently committed "several breaches of the cease-fire. Such continuing acts of hostility serve only the interests of those who wish to undermine the political process and return to war.... We have no intention of NATO being conscripted as a sort of air force" for the UCK. PM[11] JOURNALISTS APPEAL TO DEMACIIn Paris, the international organization Reporters without Frontiers appealed on 19 October to Adem Demaci, the political spokesman for the UCK, to do all he can to secure the release of two Tanjug journalists who are believed to have been captured by the UCK (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 October 1998). In Belgrade, the Yugoslav government said in a statement that the disappearance of two men is a "blow to the implementation of the Milosevic-Holbrooke agreement and the agreement on the OSCE verification mission.... It is inadmissible that teams of journalists are being abducted...before the very eyes of the international community." PM[12] YUGOSLAV GENERAL BLAMES POLITICIANS FOR WARGeneral Momcilo Perisic, who is chief of the army's general staff, told the Belgrade daily "Blic" of 20 October that the politicians, not the army, are responsible for the conflict in Kosova. He argued that "the basic problem is that a shadow state has existed [in Kosova] for years.... There are very few politicians" who are willing to admit that they cannot solve the problem and make way for those who can. Perisic added that armies do not make policy and that the mission of the army is to defend the country. He noted that "Serbs have been fighting a war since 1991 and we still have no allies. Not even the Russian Federation has declared itself our ally. We have never been so isolated for so long and we have never [before] been without allies." Perisic concluded that "one doesn't make war against the entire world." PM[13] MACEDONIAN OPPOSITION MAINTAINS ITS LEADLjubco Georgievski, who is the leader of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE), said in Skopje on 19 October that Macedonia has entered a new era by giving victory to VMRO and its ally, the Democratic Alternative, in the previous day's parliamentary elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 October 1998). Spokesmen for the governing Social Democrats (SDSM) replied that Georgievski's initial vote tallies are inaccurate and that the SDSM could still win in the second round on 1 November. Official results are expected shortly. PM[14] BANKING CLERK ADMITS LEAKING TUDJMAN ACCOUNT FIGURESAnkica Lepej, a 23-year veteran employee of the Zagrebacka Banka, said in Zagreb on 19 October that she recently provided the independent daily "Jutarnji List" with information about the account balance of Ankica Tudjman, the wife of President Franjo Tudjman. Lepej said that she could not keep such information secret at a time when public attention is focused on the private wealth of politicians. She faces up to five years in prison if convicted of wrongdoing. Tudjman's office said in a statement that he believed that he was obliged to make public information only about the property he owns, not about his or his wife's bank accounts, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Some opposition politicians suspect that Tudjman's opponents within his own Croatian Democratic Community leaked the information about the bank account to the media. PM[15] ALBANIAN COURT ORDERS MONARCHIST LEADER DETAINEDA Tirana court on 19 October ordered the detention pending trial of Eqerem Spahia, a leader of the monarchist Legality Party, and Sali Shehu, a former Tirana district police chief. The Tirana Prosecutor-General's Office has charged both with organizing and participating in an armed uprising in Tirana on 14 September, ATSH reported. The prosecutor-general has presented photos of Spahia and Shehu among crowds of armed people attacking the office of the prime minister. The prosecutor also submitted a videotape showing Spahia saying on state television that "the government [of former Prime Minister Fatos Nano] is toppled" and that "the situation is under the control of the [opposition coalition] Union for Democracy," (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 September 1998). FS[16] ALBANIAN DEMOCRATS UNCLEAR ON CONSTITUTIONThe Democratic Party's National Council, meeting in Tirana on 19 October, failed to adopt a statement on the draft constitution drawn up by the governing coalition during the Democrats' nearly year-long boycott of the parliament (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 October 1998). The party leadership, however, strongly criticized a recent proposal that any referendum on the constitution be valid regardless of voter turnout. "Albanian Daily News" on 20 October suggested that "the Democrats were upset by the proposal, as it will make it more difficult for them" to count on the defeat of the draft in a referendum owing to a low turnout. Observers noted that the Democrats do not seem to have prepared themselves for a public debate on the draft and have not produced an alternative draft. FS[17] ROMANIAN PRIVATIZATION MINISTER RESIGNSRomanian President Emil Constantinescu accepted the resignation of Sorin Dimitriu on 19 October, Reuters and Rompres reported. Dimitriu, who also resigned as head of the State Ownership Fund, said the reasons for his resignation are "deeper than the apparent dissatisfaction with the campaign against myself and the institutions" that he heads. Dimitriu had often been the subject of criticism from Prime Minister Radu Vasile, who alleged that privatization was moving too slowly. Dimitriu said "to approach privatization as a race against the clock...is dangerous." Constantinescu appointed Vasile as interim privatization minister. PB[18] WORLD BANK OFFICIAL ON AID TO ROMANIAAndrew Vorkink, the World Bank representative for Romania, said on 19 October that the bank is committed to granting Bucharest financial assistance, Rompres reported. Vorkink, speaking after a meeting with Senate President Petre Roman, said the aid is needed to support Romanian programs on restructuring the financial and agricultural sectors in an effort to speed up reforms. Roman said Dimitriu's resignation is a clear signal that privatization must resume in a different way. PB[19] MOLDOVAN PRIME MINISTER PRAISES TIES WITH ROMANIAIon Ciubic said after a meeting with Romanian Foreign Minister Andrei Plesu that close relations between the two countries "give us hope for the future, " Rompres reported on 19 October. Plesu is in Chisinau for the eighth meeting of the Committee for Relations between Moldova and Romania. Plesu said the two men had discussed, among other topics, the countries' respective economic difficulties. Ciubic commented that the working meetings have allowed bilateral relations to "intensify." PB[20] BULGARIA'S RULING PARTY VOWS FURTHER REFORMSDelegates to the ruling Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) party congress in Sofia agreed on 19 October to push for greater economic reforms, Reuters reported. Party leader and Premier Ivan Kostov said "political complacency is unforgivable..., society expects action from us. Our mission is to build the new Bulgaria." The conference, the UDF's first since coming to power in April 1997, approved resolutions calling for rapid privatization, the closing of unprofitable enterprises, bringing laws into line with EU standards, and working to join the EU and NATO. PB[21] COOK IN SOFIA TO SHOW SUPPORTBritish Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, who arrived in Sofia on 19 October, said his trip to Bulgaria is to show Britain's commitment "to the territorial integrity and security" of the Balkan countries, Reuters reported on 20 October. Cook, speaking after a meeting with Prime Minister Kostov, said the two agreed that the instability in Kosova cannot be allowed to "spill over into wider insecurity in the region." Cook said he would like to see Bulgaria join the EU "as soon as possible." He said that Britain and Bulgaria should develop stronger economic ties. PB[C] END NOTE[22] SAKHALIN: WAITING FOR OIL BUT PATIENCE IS RUNNING OUTby Floriana FossatoRussian Prime Minister Yevgenii Primakov has repeatedly underlined the importance of having regional leaders on his side to prevent local tendencies toward independence dividing the country. Sakhalin governor Igor Farkhutdinov, who presides over a region where offshore energy resources are estimated by some experts to rival those of the North Sea, was one of the first governors to hold talks with the new prime minister. The focus of that meeting was almost certainly how to speed up the development of oil and gas projects on Sakhalin as well as how to deal with the threat of social unrest on the Far Eastern island. For despite Sakhalin's great natural wealth, the level of poverty in the region is one of the highest in Russia, with more than a third of the population of 600,000 people officially registered as living below the subsistence line. Farkhutdinov's main aim at the talks would likely have been to forge the same cooperative links with Primakov as he had with the previous Moscow government on a key issue, namely securing the passage through the parliament of legislation guaranteeing the protection of foreign investment in Russia. Since the early 1990s, the Communist-dominated State Duma has put obstacles in the way of laws guaranteeing the protection of foreign investment for consortia and a share of the oil and gas extracted. Those terms are included in the so-called production-sharing agreements (PSA) signed by local authorities and the consortia. Local officials have tried to galvanize the Duma into taking action and are frustrated by the lack of results. Galina Pavlova, director of the Sakhalin local department for offshore oil development, told RFE/RL in a recent interview that "instead of working together, the Duma obstructs everything...; as a result we are, with our own hands, destroying our own possibilities." Farkhutdinov says passage of the necessary laws is a critical issue for Sakhalin if the big foreign oil companies already working there are to remain committed to developing the region's resources. "At a time when foreign capital is fleeing Russia, this is not happening on Sakhalin," he commented. "Sakhalin cannot go on without money, but if we want to overcome this difficult situation and not become a burden for the state, we need legislation even more than financing." Enormous sums of money are at stake. Foreign consortia have said that the first three major projects, called Sakhalin-1, -2, and -3, could result in investments totaling $36 billion. Sakhalin-2, the only project on target so far, is scheduled to begin production next spring. Those prospects, however, could suffer if the Duma decides not to approve a bill amending existing legislation to comply with tax breaks and provisions included in PSA. Meanwhile, Sakhalin-2 managers put on a brave face. Sakhalin's road toward the desired oil and gas wealth has not been an easy one. Vladimir Sorochan, the editor of the newspaper "Sovietskii Sakhalinsk, " said that prospects for oil production, coupled with plans for developing rich gas fields, provoked "euphoria" earlier in the 1990s, when it was thought that there would be cheap energy, jobs, and positive developments for the island. But the situation "has changed radically over the years," Sorochan commented. "People have understood they will have to wait a long time for tangible results," he said, "while hopes of jobs are fading and the governor, instead of improving people's lives in decrepit cities and villages, seems more interested in grandiose plans like the building of an international airport." Farkhutdinov denies those charges. "If the oil projects finally get under way, 20,000 permanent jobs will be created over the years...and an international airport would be a sound investment, if only because every meeting with foreign investors starts with the question: what's your airport like?" The regional administration has also announced that the first $20 million bonus from the Sakhalin-2 project is to be used for urgent construction projects such as a new school or hospital. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russian authorities acknowledged that extraction and production operations in Sakhalin's oil sector required expensive and sophisticated technologies that the country did not have. So they started offering the reserves to consortia dominated by, and often composed entirely of, foreign companies. Foreign oil companies were lured by the prospect of gaining access to offshore oil reserves estimated at 29 million barrels. There is interest also in Sakhalin's vast gas resources. Farkhutdinov told RFE/RL that the development of gas resources would provide cheap energy for the island and would thereby solve the problem of energy cuts owing to the non-payments crisis in the coal sector. That crisis led to the coal miners strikes this summer that paralyzed Sakhalin for weeks. Even more important, said the governor, noting Sakhalin's proximity to Asian markets, energy companies involved in the oil projects, would help build natural gas pipelines running to Japan, South Korea, and China. This is the last in a three-part series on Russia's Far East by Floriana Fossato, an RFE/RL correspondent based in Moscow. 20-10-98 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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