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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 70, 01-04-10
RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 5, No. 70, 10 April 2001
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIA, ROMANIA SIGN DEFENSE COOPERATION AGREEMENT
[02] RUSSIA PRESSURES ARMENIA OVER GAS DEBTS
[03] U.S. PRESIDENT MEETS WITH ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI COUNTERPARTS
[04] KARABAKH ARMY SCHEDULES MILITARY MANEUVERS
[05] BRITISH OIL COMPANY SUSPENDS OPERATIONS AT AZERBAIJANI OILFIELD
[06] BREAKAWAY GEORGIAN REGION ADOPTS NEW CONSTITUTION
[07] KAZAKH OFFICIAL AGAIN DOWNPLAYS OIL EXPORT RISK TO TURKEY
[08] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PARTIES FORMALIZE NEW ALLIANCE
[09] UN DELEGATION TO DISCUSS SANCTIONS AGAINST TALIBAN WITH TAJIK
LEADERSHIP...
[10] ...AS KYRGYZSTAN SEEKS CONTACTS WITH TALIBAN
[11] TAJIKISTAN, CHINA TO EXPAND TRADE, ECONOMIC COOPERATION
[12] UZBEKISTAN PLEDGES COOPERATION WITH IMF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[13] EU WANTS TIMETABLE FOR MACEDONIA BUT NOT FOR MILOSEVIC
[14] EU TOUGHENING STANCE ON MONTENEGRO?
[15] MONTENEGRIN POLITICIANS SLAM INTIMIDATION OF MUSLIMS, ALBANIANS
[16] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT: COALITION 'TOO BUSY' FOR FEUDS
[17] HELICOPTER CRASH IN KOSOVA
[18] FIRST WESTERN BANK OPENS IN SERBIA
[19] FIRST THREE-WAY EX-YUGOSLAV COOPERATION DEAL
[20] BOSNIA'S KLEIN TELLS CROATS TO GET RID OF CROOKS
[21] BOSNIAN SERBS OPEN RESETTLEMENT OFFICE IN SARAJEVO
[22] CROATIAN PARTY CALLS FOR CLEARING THE AIR
[23] OFFICIAL BILINGUALISM RETURNS TO ISTRIA
[24] ROMANIAN PREMIER EVALUATES 100-DAY PERFORMANCE...
[25] ...SAYS CABINET WILL AID EVACUATED TENANTS...
[26] ...REACTS TO RAND CORPORATION REPORT ON NATO ENLARGEMENT...
[27] ...LEAVES FOR SWEDEN VISIT
[28] ILIESCU SIGNALS CHANGE IN PRIBOI AFFAIR
[29] VORONIN, SMIRNOV AGREE TO RESUME NEGOTIATIONS...
[30] ...LEAVING THE MOST COMPLICATED DIFFERENCES ASIDE FOR NOW
[31] FORMER BULGARIAN KING'S PARTY LEADING IN POLLS
[C] END NOTE
[32] There is no End Note today.
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ARMENIA, ROMANIA SIGN DEFENSE COOPERATION AGREEMENT
On 9 April, the final day of an official three-day visit to Yerevan by
Romanian Defense Minister Ioan Mircea Pascu, Armenian and Romanian
representatives signed a new military cooperation program for 2001, Noyan
Tapan and ITAR-TASS reported. Speaking at a press conference with his
Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian after the signing ceremony, Pascu said
the two sides intend to expand the cooperation they embarked upon in 1999,
in particular within the framework of the NATO Partnership for Peace
program. The two ministers also discussed the prospects for expanding
bilateral economic cooperation, and for establishing a direct airlink
between the two countries. LF
[02] RUSSIA PRESSURES ARMENIA OVER GAS DEBTS
Gazprom has slashed gas supplies to Armenia in retaliation to the Armenian
government's failure to pay a $10 million debt for earlier deliveries,
RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 9 April. Gazprom has reportedly set a
deadline of 15 April for repayment of that debt. In early February,
Armenian Energy Minister Karen Galustian reached agreement with Moscow on a
schedule for repayment of debts totaling $23 million for natural gas and
nuclear fuel for the Medzamor nuclear power station (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
29 January and 8 February 2001). That agreement included the repayment
within four months of $9.2 million owed to Gazprom. "Nezavisimaya gazeta"
on 7 April reported that the Armenian government has rejected a proposal
from Moscow to write off Armenia's total $120 million debt and reduce the
price at which Armenia purchases natural gas from Russia, in return for a
50 percent stake in Medzamor. LF
[03] U.S. PRESIDENT MEETS WITH ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI COUNTERPARTS
U.S. President George Bush held separate meetings at the White House on 9
April with Robert Kocharian and Heidar Aliev, urging them both to continue
their efforts to overcome their differences and reach a solution to the
Karabakh conflict. Bush also discussed with Kocharian the prospects for
investment by U.S. companies in Armenia, and with Aliev the development of
Caspian hydrocarbon reserves, an RFE/RL correspondent in Washington
reported. LF
[04] KARABAKH ARMY SCHEDULES MILITARY MANEUVERS
Lieutenant General Seyran Ohanian, who is defense minister of the
unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, announced on 8 April that the
enclave's armed forces will begin three days of military maneuvers on 10
April, RFE/RL's Stepanakert correspondent reported. Ohanian denied any
connection between the exercises and last week's Key West talks on
resolving the Karabakh conflict. The Armenian armed forces chief of staff,
Lieutenant General Mikael Harutiunian, will attend the maneuvers as an
observer. Meeting on 9 April in Stepanakert with Karabakh President Arkadii
Ghukasian, Harutiunian positively assessed the combat readiness of the
Karabakh army. LF
[05] BRITISH OIL COMPANY SUSPENDS OPERATIONS AT AZERBAIJANI OILFIELD
Ramco Energy plc has suspended its operations at the Muradkhanly oil field
southwest of Baku after a test well failed to confirm that the deposit
contains substantial reserves. Natik Aliev, president of Azerbaijan's state
oil company SOCAR, had criticized Ramco on 30 March for failing to fulfill
the terms of the contract it concluded with SOCAR in July 1998 to
rehabilitate the field and expand its output by 50 percent within two
years. LF
[06] BREAKAWAY GEORGIAN REGION ADOPTS NEW CONSTITUTION
In an 8 April referendum, Ossetian voters in the unrecognized Republic of
South Ossetia approved a new constitution that narrows eligibility for the
post of the republic's president, Caucasus Press reported. It also
designates Russian as a state language together with Ossetian, and provides
for the official use of Georgian in districts where Georgians form the
majority of the population. Sixty percent of voters approved those changes.
The Georgian community boycotted the referendum, in which 23,540 of an
estimated 45,000 eligible voters participated. The Georgian parliament had
condemned the referendum as an attempt to sabotage the ongoing search for a
settlement of the conflict between South Ossetia and the central Georgian
authorities, noting that only the president of Georgia has the right to
call such a plebiscite on Georgian territory. LF
[07] KAZAKH OFFICIAL AGAIN DOWNPLAYS OIL EXPORT RISK TO TURKEY
Speaking in Astana on 9 April, Kazakhstan's foreign minister, Erlan Idrisov,
again denied that the export via the Turkish Straits of oil from
Kazakhstan's Tengiz field poses an ecological danger to Turkey, Russian
agencies reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 April 2001). Idrisov noted that
far more tankers travel north through the straits to the Black Sea than in
the opposite direction. He said any attempt by Ankara to impose
"artificial" limits on the traffic of oil tankers through the straits for
"noneconomic reasons" is unacceptable. LF
[08] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PARTIES FORMALIZE NEW ALLIANCE
Nine Kyrgyz opposition parties formally announced on 9 April their
alignment in a new People's Patriotic Movement, Interfax and RFE/RL's
Bishkek bureau reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 March 2001). In a
written statement, the parties defined the objective of the new alliance as
defending democracy and the human and constitutional rights of the
population of Kyrgyzstan. The nine parties aligned in the movement are the
Agrarian-Labor Party, Ar-Namys, Ata-Meken, the Communist Party of
Kyrgyzstan, the Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan, the Erkindik Party,
Kairan-El, the People's Party, and the Republican Party. LF
[09] UN DELEGATION TO DISCUSS SANCTIONS AGAINST TALIBAN WITH TAJIK
LEADERSHIP...
A group of UN experts arrived in Dushanbe on 9 April to discuss with the
Tajik government how to make existing sanctions against the Taliban more
effective, ITAR-TASS reported. Also on 9 April, the first deputy director
of Russia's Federal Border Service, Colonel General Nikolai Reznichenko,
predicted that the Taliban will not launch any incursion into any of the
CIS Central Asian states in the next few years, according to Interfax. But
Reznichenko warned that if the Taliban succeeds in neutralizing the
opposition Northern Alliance, it may then encourage and provide additional
financial and logistical support to opposition movements in Uzbekistan,
Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. If that happens, Reznichenko said, "we can
expect an exacerbation of the situation in the Ferghana valley." LF
[10] ...AS KYRGYZSTAN SEEKS CONTACTS WITH TALIBAN
In a clear bid to minimize the risk of a further incursion into Kyrgyzstan
by Uzbek Islamic militants based in Afghanistan, Omurbek Tekebaev, who is
deputy speaker of the lower chamber of Kyrgyzstan's bicameral legislature,
told journalists on 9 April that he advocates developing "informal
contacts" with the Taliban, ITAR-TASS reported. He also said that
Kyrgyzstan should consider opening an embassy in Pakistan. LF
[11] TAJIKISTAN, CHINA TO EXPAND TRADE, ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Officials from the Tajik Ministry for Trade and Economy and the Chinese
Ministry for Foreign Trade and Economic Relations signed a protocol in
Dushanbe on 8 April establishing a bilateral commission to promote trade
and economic cooperation, ITAR-TASS reported. Meeting in Dushanbe on 4
April, Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov and China's ambassador in Dushanbe,
Yu Hunbin, focussed on the prospects for expanding cooperation in
agriculture, industry, tourism, and power-engineering, Asia-Plus Blitz
reported. Last year, a Chinese corporation expressed an interest in
redeveloping a major uranium-producing complex in Tajikistan in return for
a 49 percent stake in that plant. LF
[12] UZBEKISTAN PLEDGES COOPERATION WITH IMF
In a 30 March letter to IMF Managing Director Horst Koehler, Uzbek
President Islam Karimov affirmed the Uzbek government's commitment to
economic liberalization and cooperation with the fund, Interfax reported on
4 April. On 28 March, the fund's external relations director, Thomas Dawson,
told journalists that the IMF will not replace its permanent representative
in Uzbekistan, Christopher Rosenberg, once he completes his tour of duty.
Dawson said that decision was prompted by the fact that "there just has not
been any progress" by the Uzbek government in fulfilling the conditions set
by the fund, including liberalizing the exchange rate for the som and
moving toward a free-market economy. Rosenberg left Tashkent on 9 April,
according to ITAR-TASS. LF
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[13] EU WANTS TIMETABLE FOR MACEDONIA BUT NOT FOR MILOSEVIC
EU officials in Luxembourg hailed Macedonia as a "potential candidate for
admission" following the signing of its pioneering Stabilization and
Association Agreement on 9 April (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 April 2001). The
EU stressed, however, that time is of the essence for the authorities in
Skopje to enter serious dialogue with representatives of the ethnic
Albanian minority, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported. Swedish
Foreign Minister Anna Lindh and the EU's Chris Patten and Javier Solana
spoke to Macedonian leaders about working out a concrete timetable for
launching reforms. The foreign ministers of the EU member-states agreed not
to set any time deadline for the Belgrade authorities to send former
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to The Hague, Vienna's "Die Presse"
reported. Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner said that trying
Milosevic in Serbia before extraditing him would have an "educational
effect" on the Serbian public. PM
[14] EU TOUGHENING STANCE ON MONTENEGRO?
Ferrero-Waldner said in Luxembourg on 9 April that the 22 April legislative
elections in Montenegro "must not" lead to a referendum on independence,
"Die Presse" reported. She stressed that the EU foreign ministers are
opposed to Montenegrin independence. In recent months, EU officials have
made several public statements that were critical of Montenegrin
aspirations toward independence. But the officials have usually qualified
their remarks by adding that Brussels will respect any democratic decision
of the Montenegrin electorate. Several Montenegrin legislators have told
"Newsline" that they often regard the content and tone of the EU statements
as arrogant. PM
[15] MONTENEGRIN POLITICIANS SLAM INTIMIDATION OF MUSLIMS, ALBANIANS
Several pro-independence politicians, as well as political leaders of the
Muslim and Albanian minorities, took issue with some recent remarks by pro-
Belgrade leader Bozidar Bojovic, "Pobjeda" reported on 10 April. Bojovic
warned Muslims and Albanians not to support Montenegrin independence lest
pro-Serbian Montenegrins make the minorities scapegoats for Podgorica's
eventual break with Belgrade. Politicians and commentators used words such
as "national-chauvinist," "barbaric," and "greater Serbian" to describe
Bojovic's remarks. Some pro-Belgrade politicians previously suggested not
allowing Muslims or Albanians to vote on independence (see "RFE/RL South
Slavic Report," 5 April 2001). Former Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir
Bulatovic blamed his defeat in the 1997 Montenegrin presidential election
on the Albanians and Muslims. PM
[16] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT: COALITION 'TOO BUSY' FOR FEUDS
Vojislav Kostunica denied persistent media reports that the governing
Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition is in danger of splitting
up because of numerous policy differences among its leaders, RFE/RL's South
Slavic Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 April 2001). Speaking in
Belgrade on 9 April, Kostunica said that the coalition has "too many
problems" to deal with to have time for feuds over policy differences,
which, he added, do exist. Among the most pressing problems he cited are
the activities of "Albanian extremists" in Presevo and Kosova, as well as
"separatist" tendencies in Montenegro. PM
[17] HELICOPTER CRASH IN KOSOVA
Two KFOR peacekeepers were killed and five injured on 9 April when a
British military helicopter crashed near Kacanik near Kosova's border with
Macedonia, AP reported. NATO officials ruled out violence as the cause of
the crash, which took place in conditions of bad weather and poor
visibility. PM
[18] FIRST WESTERN BANK OPENS IN SERBIA
Officials of Microfinance Bank (MFB) said in Belgrade on 10 April that they
will offer regular banking services to Serbian customers. These include
savings accounts and safe money-transfers, such as the payment of Western
pensions to Yugoslav workers who have returned home after working abroad.
The bank has branches in Belgrade and Nis, dpa reported. It plans to
specialize in financing small- and medium-sized enterprises, providing
favorable 1- to 36-month business credits. Similar banking activities can
be found in Albania and Kosova. PM
[19] FIRST THREE-WAY EX-YUGOSLAV COOPERATION DEAL
Officials of Croatia's Eurobus, Bosnia's Eurobus-Soko, and Serbia's FAP
agreed in Belgrade on 9 April to jointly manufacture buses, RFE/RL's South
Slavic Service reported. PM
[20] BOSNIA'S KLEIN TELLS CROATS TO GET RID OF CROOKS
The UN's Jacques Klein said in Sarajevo on 9 April that the republic's
Croats should "start thinking where their money is going," AP reported. He
noted that some hard-line leaders of the Croatian Democratic Community
(HDZ) were seen "loading bags of money into a van last week," in the
northern town of Orasje (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 and 9 April 2001). Klein
stressed that "it is time for the Croat people of Bosnia to demand
accountability of their leadership and further call for the prosecution of
criminals who shamelessly steal from them." Alluding to former Yugoslav
President Milosevic, Klein said that "the once-powerful strongman is now
behind bars. I believe strongly that the Bosnian Croats have the courage
and wisdom to do the same" with their dishonest leaders. He warned Croats
not to be fooled by the HDZ's political promises. "The attempt to
unilaterally create a separatist Croat administration in Bosnia is a dead-
end street. Those who tell you otherwise are lying to you." PM
[21] BOSNIAN SERBS OPEN RESETTLEMENT OFFICE IN SARAJEVO
Republika Srpska officials dealing with refugee and resettlement questions
opened an office in Sarajevo to provide legal assistance to Serbs who want
to return to their homes in what is now the Muslim-Croat federation and
Sarajevo canton. Some 24,000 requests for returns of property and 31,644
for apartment residency permits have been received by Bosnian Serb
officials by persons wanting to return to Sarajevo canton, RFE/RL's South
Slavic Service reported. PM
[22] CROATIAN PARTY CALLS FOR CLEARING THE AIR
Zlatko Tomcic, speaker of the parliament and president of the Croatian
Peasants' Party (HSS), said in Zagreb on 9 April that the time has come for
a full discussion on the future of the governing coalition, RFE/RL's South
Slavic Service reported. Seeking an end to public bickering and leaks to
the press, Tomcic called for parties to agree on a code of conduct, a
balance sheet for their first 14 months in office, possible early elections,
and possible changes in the cabinet. PM
[23] OFFICIAL BILINGUALISM RETURNS TO ISTRIA
Led by the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS), the county assembly of Istria
agreed to reintroduce Italian along with Croatian as official languages in
the region, "Novi List" reported on 10 April. Several leading Croatian
politicians charged that IDS is playing politics and unnecessarily
aggravating interethnic tensions, "Vecernji list" reported. IDS President
Ivan Jakovcic said, however, that the measure is sound, "Vjesnik" reported.
He charged that it is the governing Social Liberals and Social Democrats
who are exploiting the issue for political ends. He called on the central
government and President Stipe Mesic to support bilingualism in Istria.
Mesic said that he is all for people speaking many languages, but wonders
whether the timing of the reintroduction of bilingualism was not prompted
by political considerations. PM
[24] ROMANIAN PREMIER EVALUATES 100-DAY PERFORMANCE...
Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, in an interview with Mediafax marking his
first 100 days in office, on 9 April said his government's short-term
program has "by and large" been fulfilled, but the cabinet's program is
largely a long-term one, covering the entire period of its mandate. It is
therefore too early to pass judgment on the extent to which the government
has respected its electoral promises, Nastase said. Among the cabinet's
short-term failures, the premier counted the postponement of introducing a
differential VAT, the struggle against corruption and increasing the
general security of citizens. Nastase said privatization has "taken off"
and that next week the Agricultural Bank will be privatized. He expressed
optimism on the privatization of the Galati-based SIDEX steel-producing
giant. Nastase also said he expects Romania to attract $1.8 billion
annually in foreign investments due to increased international credibility
and "more stable legislation." MS
[25] ...SAYS CABINET WILL AID EVACUATED TENANTS...
Premier Nastase on 9 April also said the government intends to aid tenants
who were evacuated following the return of real estate to former owners and
that "temporarily" sheltering such tenants in apartments formerly used by
foreign diplomats is among the solutions being examined. He also said the
cabinet is preparing a draft law on compensating owners whose properties
could not be restituted, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. MS
[26] ...REACTS TO RAND CORPORATION REPORT ON NATO ENLARGEMENT...
"Romania's chances to join NATO are neither among the largest nor are they
fully absent," Prime Minister Nastase said in reaction to a report on the
organization's further enlargement that was released by the U.S.-based Rand
Corporation. The study said, among other things, that the costs of
admitting Romania and Bulgaria jointly would be smaller than those of
admitting Romania alone. "Even if our chances were to be lacking, we would
have to struggle for admittance," the premier said, adding that "those
looking at us from a satellite and using, for this purpose, binoculars, do
not always know what they are talking about." He commented that "it makes
no sense to fall now into the trap of such reports. When we shall be told
we failed to gain access, we shall start thinking ahead," Mediafax
reported. MS
[27] ...LEAVES FOR SWEDEN VISIT
Premier Nastase said before departing for an official visit to Sweden on 9
April that he will discuss with his hosts the EU's enlargement and "some of
the more delicate problems." Among the latter he included the Romanian debt
to Sweden, saying he intends to discuss ways of liquidating it. The debt
stems from bonds that were not honored by the communist government and from
nationalized Swedish properties, Mediafax reported. MS
[28] ILIESCU SIGNALS CHANGE IN PRIBOI AFFAIR
President Ion Iliescu on 9 April acknowledged that the appointment of
former communist secret police officers, such as Ristea Priboi, to official
positions may negatively impact Romania's chances to join NATO, Mediafax
reported the next day. In an interview with Romanian television, Iliescu
said it is wrong to judge such people "with a bias, and blaming them from
the start." However, he added, their appointment "is also a matter of
[Romania's international] image, and in such cases the national interest
must prevail." Priboi, a former personal adviser to Nastase, has been
appointed chairman of the parliamentary commission overseeing the activity
of the Foreign Intelligence Service. There has been speculation in Romania
about a possible rift between Iliescu and Nastase, but it is unclear
whether Iliescu's statement on Priboi can in any way be viewed as
confirmation of the rift. MS
[29] VORONIN, SMIRNOV AGREE TO RESUME NEGOTIATIONS...
President Vladimir Voronin and separatist leader Igor Smirnov on 9 April
agreed in Chisinau to resume negotiations, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau
reported. "I can see the Transdniester leaders have the political will
necessary for settling the conflict," Voronin said. He added that he and
Smirnov decided to meet once a month and experts representing the two sides
are to meet on a weekly basis. Voronin also said an agreement was reached
to start with "solving the economic and social problems" by unifying
customs and tax legislation, which should lead to the eventual withdrawal
of the peacekeeping forces from the "security zone" that separates the
sides. If this problem is solved, he said, custom posts and other barriers
to the flow of goods, services, and labor can be lifted. Moldova also
agreed to recognize official documents issued by the separatists, and the
sides said they would put an end to the "information war" in the media. MS
[30] ...LEAVING THE MOST COMPLICATED DIFFERENCES ASIDE FOR NOW
Voronin also said the question of Moldova's joining the Russia-Belarus
Union, "was discussed only generally, and we have reached mutual
understanding on it." He did not elaborate. The new Moldovan president also
said the withdrawal of the Russian arsenal "was not discussed today."
Smirnov said Tiraspol "wanted to receive confirmation from Chisinau that
responsibility for the bloody slaughter in the Transdniester in 1992 rests
on the former Moldovan leaders...and we have received such confirmation."
In an allusion to the planned OSCE summit, Smirnov said the problems
between the sides "can be solved only in Chisinau and Tiraspol, and not
elsewhere." The meeting "showed that the views of the new Moldovan
president on the settlement of the conflict largely coincide with our
position, and this is encouraging," he concluded. MS
[31] FORMER BULGARIAN KING'S PARTY LEADING IN POLLS
The recently founded Simeon II National Movement is leading in public
opinion polls released on 9 April, AP reported. A Gallup poll showed the
movement is backed by 45.8 percent of respondents, while a survey conducted
by the Mediana polling institute on behalf of the daily "Trud" showed the
former monarch's party has a backing of 28 percent, with an additional 25
percent considering the possibility. MS
[C] END NOTE
[32] There is no End Note today.
10-04-01
Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org
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