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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 153, 01-08-14Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 153, 14 August 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIA, RUSSIA STAGE JOINT MANEUVERSArmenian army troops and Russian forces from the Russian military base in northern Armenia held three days of joint exercises from 7-10 August, Noyan Tapan reported. The maneuvers involved some 1,000 Armenian servicemen, over half of them officers. A second round of exercises was planned for 13-18 August. Armenian Chief of Army General Staff Lieutenant General Mikael Harutiunian expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the first round of maneuvers, which an Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman told AFP are intended "to see how smoothly our staff could cooperate in conducting defense operations." LF[02] AZERBAIJAN WARNS IT MAY SHOOT DOWN INTRUDING AIRCRAFTGeneral Ravil Rzaev, the commander of Azerbaijan's air force, told journalists in Baku on 13 August that the country's air defense forces will shoot down Iranian and other foreign aircraft that violate Azerbaijan's airspace "if the life of our citizens is endangered," Turan and Interfax reported. He said the air force is on war alert. Iranian aircraft have penetrated Azerbaijani airspace almost daily over the past week. Also on 13 August, opposition Musavat Party Chairman Isa Gambar argued that the Azerbaijani government should "either suppress Iran's aggression" or lodge a formal complaint with international organizations. LF[03] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT CONDEMNS SLUR ON TOP ISLAMIC CLERICPresident Heidar Aliev on 13 August condemned as "a blow to the nation's morals" an article recently published in the independent newspaper "Etimad" that contains an unflattering allusion to Azerbaijan's senior Islamic clergyman, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allakhshukur Pashazade, Turan and Interfax reported. Aliev called for sanctions to be imposed on the paper. According to RFE/RL's Baku bureau, the article in question, entitled "Isa Gambar and the Two Armenians," claimed that Armenian journalists were unable to elicit any response from Gambar to their questions, even when they asked "Is Pashazade an Armenian?" The Spiritual Board of Muslims of the Caucasus, which Pashazade heads, has brought a libel suit against the paper's editor, Etibar Mansaroglu, whom other newspaper editors have urged to apologize to Pashazade. Pashazade himself last week rejected a call by Muslims in Daghestan to kill Mansaroglu for having insulted him. He said such disputes should be solved "in a civilized way." LF[04] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION ALARMED BY RISE IN PEACETIME DEATHS OF CONSCRIPTSAn article published on 13 August in the opposition newspaper "Yeni Musavat" and circulated by Groong expresses concern at what the party perceives as a sharp rise in fatalities among army conscripts, especially during their first few days in the ranks. The article quotes Musavat first deputy Chairman Vurgun Ayyub as claiming that the government systematically hushes up any criticism of the armed forces. Also on 13 August, Turan reported the most recent such death, of a conscript who had just returned from leave for which he had been constrained to pay 300,000 manats ($64). The agency cited unconfirmed estimates that at least 10 conscripts inducted into the armed forces this spring have died. LF[05] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT REJECTS PROPOSED ANTICORRUPTION BILL...Having affirmed repeatedly in recent years that "we must destroy corruption before corruption destroys Georgia," President Eduard Shevardnadze on 13 August gave a negative assessment to the draft bill unveiled last week by Justice Minister Mikhail Saakashvili (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 August 2001) that would require government officials to prove that they acquired assets legally. Describing the draft bill as encroaching on the presumption of innocence, Shevardnadze argued that if passed, it could trigger numerous court cases against senior officials by persons simply aiming to discredit them, according to Prime News, as circulated by Groong. He added that he sees no reason for a redistribution of private property, adding that the concept of "taking away from the rich and giving to the poor" is inapplicable, according to Interfax. LF[06] ...AS OPPOSITION POLITICIAN ESTIMATES FINANCIAL DAMAGEA total of $8 billion has been embezzled in Georgia over the past decade, of which some $6 billion has been transferred to foreign bank accounts, according to Liberal Economy Party Chairman Beso Djugheli, as quoted by the daily "Akhali taoba" on 14 August. Djugheli said Saakashvili's draft bill is "uncivilized," but that there is no other way to return illegally acquired capital to the state. "If the law enables us to regain at least half of that sum, we will consider it a great achievement," Djugheli said. LF[07] FORMER GEORGIAN ARMY COMMANDER SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS FOR JAILBREAKA Tbilisi court on 13 August sentenced Colonel Loti Kobalia, who served as commander of the Georgian army under President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, to an additional six years in prison for his attempt last fall (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 October 2000) to escape from the Tbilisi jail where he is serving a 20-year sentence for treason, murder, and other serious crimes, Caucasus Press reported. LF[08] KAZAKH PREMIER SLAMS TOP BRASS OVER AMMUNITION DEPOT BLAZEQasymzhomart Toqaev told journalists in Kyzyl-Orda Oblast on 13 August that the thousands of artillery shells that exploded during a blaze at an ammunition storage area in Qaraghandy Oblast last week (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 August 2001) should have been dismantled "long ago." He said the Qazakhmys copper giant had offered to purchase the copper casings of the shells, and blamed unnamed senior military commanders for failing to pursue that option. The shells had been stored at the Qaraghandy depot for over a decade, having been brought there from Armenia in 1989 and from Afghanistan following the Soviet military withdrawal from that country. LF[09] WORLD BANK TO SCALE DOWN LENDING TO KYRGYZSTAN?Members of a World Bank delegation that visited Bishkek last week hinted that the bank may go back on a pledge to help finance the Complex Development Program for 2001-2010, Kyrgyz presidential administration official Kubat Kanimetov told RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau on 13 August. That program was drafted between 1999-2001 with input from the World Bank. Kanimetov said the Kyrgyz economy and national currency are now stable and the country no longer needs foreign economic aid. LF[10] TAJIK PRESIDENT WANTS GREATER ROLE FOR SMALL BUSINESSMeeting in Dushanbe on 11 August with Tajik businessmen (the first such meeting in the past 10 years), President Imomali Rakhmonov reminded them of their duty to pay taxes on time, and urged them to create new jobs in the industrial, agricultural, and service sectors in order to help reduce poverty and increase the general standard of living, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 13 August. But an article published on 3 August in the Tajik newspaper "Vremya i dengi" noted that Tajik businessmen are confused and concerned at the recent implementation of changes in the charging of VAT that they fear may hamper both imports and exports. Businessmen also complain of inadequate state support and protection, and of bureaucratic obstacles. LF[11] TURKMEN PRESIDENT LASHES OUT AT AZERBAIJANI COUNTERPART...In a statement released on 13 August by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, Saparmurat Niyazov reproached the Azerbaijani leadership for "irresponsible" actions he claimed are intended "to drive a wedge" between the Caspian littoral states, Turan reported. "Unilateral proposals that have not been agreed with partners and which are dictated by short-term priorities and sometimes by private ambitions...do not facilitate achieving a reasonable compromise," the statement said. LF[12] ...TELEPHONES WITH PUTINAlso on 13 August, Niyazov discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Azerbaijan's strained relations with both Turkmenistan and Iran, and bilateral cooperation, especially in the export of Turkmen natural gas, Russian agencies reported. LF[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[13] NATO GETS READY FOR MACEDONIANATO military experts are slated to arrive in Skopje on 14 August to finalize a plan for disarming ethnic Albanian rebels of the National Liberation Army (UCK), RFE/RL reported. The Atlantic alliance is preparing to deploy a 3,500-man force to Macedonia on a 30-day mission called Essential Harvest to collect and destroy the weapons. Most rebel leaders say they will respect the agreement, even though they were not included in the talks (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 August 2001 and "End Note" below). It remains to be seen whether they will indeed disarm, and, if they do, whether 30 days will be sufficient to complete the task. Critics charge that Essential Harvest will prove to be the start of a much longer and complicated mission, which is unlikely to win the backing of many NATO member states. In Crawford, Texas, U.S. President George W. Bush said that the insurgents "need to lay down their arms so we can implement the deal." PM[14] MACEDONIAN CEASE-FIRE PROVING EVASIVE?Government forces and the UCK clashed near Tetovo, Kumanovo, and near the border with Kosova hours after the deal was signed on 13 August, RFE/RL reported. A lasting cease-fire and an agreement by the rebels to disarm are the main preconditions for deployment of the NATO troops. Under Western diplomatic pressure, the government recently declared a unilateral cease- fire (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 August 2001). NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson said in Skopje on 13 August there are hopes of brokering a sustainable cease-fire "in the next few days." He stressed that a sustainable cease-fire must be in place before NATO troops can be sent. He declined to estimate when the deployment could begin. After returning from Skopje to Brussels, he briefed NATO ambassadors to make sure that they have the information they need to make a decision on deployment and to contact their respective governments. PM[15] UN WELCOMES MACEDONIAN PACTIn a statement issued in New York on 13 August, the UN Security Council welcomed the signing of a peace agreement by Macedonia's political parties and urged that it be carried out immediately, RFE/RL reported. The council endorsed the Macedonian government's efforts to resolve the dispute with its ethnic Albanian minority. The UN body also urged ethnic Albanian leaders to publicly renounce violence and condemned the actions of what it called "extremist groups." The statement called on all parties to respect the cease-fire to allow the framework agreement to take hold. Secretary- General Kofi Annan, in a separate statement, said he hopes the agreement will prove to be the basis for a stable political settlement and restore calm. He said the use of violence by any party to seek further political gains or undermine the agreement is unacceptable. PM[16] MACEDONIAN AGREEMENT OFF TO ROCKY STARTThe Macedonian authorities staged the 13 August signing ceremony in Skopje in a low-key setting and did not provide the glitzy media event that Western envoys had hoped for, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 August 2001). Following the signing, Arben Xhaferi, who heads the Democratic Party of the Albanians (PDSH), held a press conference in Albanian to emphasize that Albanian is now an official language of Macedonia. He said that everyone must now "get used to that fact." When a translation was provided only into English and not into Macedonian, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski walked out. President Boris Trajkovski said that he would like to forget the incident as soon as possible. PM[17] WESTERN LEADERS WARN ALL SIDES IN MACEDONIASpeaking in Skopje on 13 August, EU security policy chief Javier Solana said: "To the leaders, with all due respect, with all my respect, I would like to tell them that we may sign an infinite number of agreements. If there is no leadership to move the agreements into practice, nothing [will be] done," RFE/RL reported. U.S. envoy James Pardew echoed his remarks, saying: "Now its up to the leaders and the parliament to do the right thing for their people and implement fully this agreement." In Washington, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said: "All sides must fully support the cease-fire and fully observe the cease-fire. To that extent we utterly condemn the recent attacks by extremists. There is absolutely no justification and no excuse for this type of action by the armed extremists of Macedonia. We urge the government forces to act with restraint... At the request of the Macedonian government, NATO is preparing to assist with the voluntary disarmament of ethnic Albanian insurgents." PM[18] 'SOUR GRAPES' FROM SERBIAN PRIME MINISTERZoran Djindjic told Austrian Television on 13 August that the lesson of the settlement in Macedonia is that "violence pays," the BBC's Serbian Service reported. He added that the Albanians have received a generous deal, and that now the "only oppressed group in Europe" are the Serbs of Kosova. PM[19] FIRST ORGANIZED RETURN OF SERBS TO KOSOVAThe UNHCR said in Belgrade on 13 August that KFOR troops have escorted a convoy of 54 Serbs to their home village of Osojane in northwestern Kosova as a "test case," Reuters reported. UNHCR representative Eric Morris said: "The challenge now is not only for the international community but for all communities in Kosovo to make this return safe and sustainable." PM[20] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT'S OFFICE DENIES LINK TO MURDERPresident Vojislav Kostunica's office sent documents to the public prosecutor in Belgrade on 13 August regarding talks between murdered security officer Momir Gavrilovic and Kostunica's staff shortly before Gavrilovic's death, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 August 2001). Kostunica's office said that it is "difficult to believe" that there was a link between those talks and the killing of Gavrilovic. PM[21] SUMMER FIRES AFFECT CROATIA, MONTENEGROAuthorities in southern Dalmatia declared a state of emergency on 13 August after fires backed by strong winds destroyed hundreds of acres of pine, underbrush, vineyards, and olive groves, AP reported from Zagreb. Residents of a village near Sibenik were urged to leave their homes as a precautionary measure. Four suspected arsonists were arrested in the Dubrovnik area. Firemen have been battling a fire near Knin for nearly two weeks. In the Montenegrin resort of Budva, several hotels were evacuated as fires blazed nearby. There were no casualties, "Danas" reported. The Podgorica daily "Vijesti" noted that General Nebojsa Pavkovic, who heads the army General Staff, and Admiral Radomir Grujic, who commands the navy, inspected the region. PM[22] INFIGHTING CONTINUES AMONG ROMANIAN PEASANTISTSMeeting ahead of its extraordinary congress that was to open on 14 August, the National Peasant Party Christian Democratic's (PNTCD) National Steering Committee on 13 August rejected the appeal of former PNTCD Secretary- General Calin Catalin Chirita and former PNTCD First Deputy Chairman Vasile Lupu against their exclusion from the PNTCD. The committee validated all disciplinary decisions adopted by the party after 7 July, and implicitly the exclusion of former PNTCD Chairman Andrei Marga from the party. Marga was expelled from the PNTCD by the party's local Cluj branch on 25 July. The committee also approved changes to the party's statutes and leadership structure. Also on 13 August, in a letter addressed to the organizers of the rival PNTCD extraordinary congress scheduled for 17-19 August, Marga called for setting up a new "party of reformers," which should be "a formation of clean and responsible people," as well as "an efficient party of overt modernization and Europeanization." MS[23] MOLDOVAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REJECTS OPPOSITION'S APPEALThe Constitutional Court rejected an appeal by the opposition Popular Party Christian Democratic (PPCD) against the recently approved border treaty with Ukraine, Infotag reported on 13 August. The PPCD said the treaty is unconstitutional because it infringes on the provision for the indivisibility of Moldovan territory. It said that by agreeing to yield to Ukraine an eight-kilometer section of the Odessa-Reni highway that passes through Moldovan territory in exchange for a 430-meter coastal strip on River Danube, the government "betrayed the interests of the state and the people." The court ruled that the government has not yet published the text of the treaty in the official newspaper "Monitorul oficial," having only published the law on border adjustments. It said the appeal against the treaty cannot be heeded until the treaty is fully published in the newspaper. MS[24] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT WILL SEEK RE-ELECTION 'REGARDLESS' OF RULING COALITION SUPPORT...President Petar Stoyanov said on 13 August in Razgrad, northern Bulgaria, that he is determined to seek a second term in office regardless of whether the parties that make up the ruling coalition endorse his candidacy or not, BTA reported. So far, only the opposition Union of Democratic Forces has said it will endorse Stoyanov, who will run as an independent in the ballot scheduled for autumn 2001. Stoyanov described as "electoral folklore" media reports that the National Movement Simeon II (NDSV) will endorse him in the elections. Although invited, neither politicians from the NDSV nor the Movement for Rights and Freedoms attended Stoyanov's electoral rally. MS[25] ...PRAISES MACEDONIAN AGREEMENTStoyanov on 13 August told BTA that the agreement signed the same day in Skopje between the conflicting parties is "a very important step toward achieving a lasting peace." But he added that this was "just the first step, " which must be followed not only by approval of the agreement by Macedonia's parliament, but above all by "the restoration of the old spirit of coexistence" in that country. Stoyanov said this necessitates efforts "not only on the part of Macedonian society, its citizens and political parties, but also on the part of both Macedonia's neighbors and the international community." MS[26] BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER OPPOSED TO FULL ACCESS TO COMMUNIST SECRET POLICE FILESInterior Minister Georgi Petkanov said on 12 August during a talk show on Bulgarian Radio that he is opposed to "full access" to the files of the former communist secret police by the commission that has been set up to research and analyze the archives of the Bulgarian State Security organization, BTA reported. Petkanov said that although the parliament established in 1994 that the archives are not a state secret, the terms and conditions for access have not yet been regulated. He said the commission "wants to have too many powers, which the law does not entitle it to." The commission's deputy chairman, Evgenii Dimitrov, replied in a fax to BTA that the commission wants access to the Interior Ministry's files in order to research such chapters in the secret police activities as the labor camps set up during the 1946-1958 enforced collectivization, supervision of the creative intelligentsia, the anti-Turkish minority campaigns, and other aspects. MS[27] BULGARIAN AGRICULTURE MINSTER SAYS FOREST FIRE CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGESAgriculture Minister Medmed Dikme on 13 August said wildfires in southern Bulgaria have destroyed some 13,200 hectares of forest over the last couple of days, BTA reported. The fires are threatening to spread across the border into neighboring Greece, AFP reported on 12 August. MS[C] END NOTE[28] MACEDONIA: A TIME FOR TRUTHBy Patrick MooreMacedonia faces tough challenges in the weeks and months ahead. It must simultaneously implement sweeping constitutional reforms, work for an end to the insurgency, and experience a national election campaign. No one is under any illusions that the political settlement signed on 13 August will provide an instant end to the young country's problems. An illustration of the difficulties came at a press conference right after the signing, when Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski walked out to protest Albanian political leader Arben Xhaferi's speaking in Albanian -- now an official language -- without a Macedonian translation. But the leaders of the two main ethnic Macedonian parties and the two largest ethnic Albanian parties have put their signatures on the agreement hammered out in Ohrid the previous week. The mainstream political leaders have thereby accepted responsibility for implementing it. This means that the Macedonians accept an improvement in the legal status of the Albanian language, an increase in the role of the Albanian minority in the police force, and an extension of the Albanians' rights to higher education in their mother tongue and to the use of their national symbols. It means that the Albanians, having obtained more rights, accept that Macedonia is their state, and that the Macedonians believe the "constitutional question" is settled. Whether this indeed proves to be the case depends first and foremost on ending the insurgency. The immediate issue is setting up and maintaining an effective cease-fire. The main obstacle to this is the presence of rough- and-ready elements in both major ethnic groups who have had a taste of the power that comes from guns and may be reluctant to go back to quieter pursuits. They may also be tempted to expand the territorial boundaries that they have set up in the recent fighting. Most observers have suggested that the Macedonian military and police will be able to control the Macedonian paramilitaries. But it is not clear if that will always be the case when the "paramilitaries" -- who intimidate or brutalize local Albanians -- are also members of the armed or security forces. On the other side, perhaps the biggest question is whether Xhaferi of the Democratic Party of the Albanians (PDSH) and Imer Imeri of the Party of Democratic Prosperity (PPD) can ensure that the various commanders of the National Liberation Army (UCK) will observe a pact that they did not help negotiate directly. A further problem is the possible presence of rogue armed Albanian elements. But it is difficult to imagine shadowy guerrilla bands posing a threat for long if the mainstream political leaders and UCK commanders pool their efforts to make the political settlement work. A more serious, if long-term, military issue will be the temptation for political and military leaders on either side to try to turn the much- awaited NATO presence to their own advantage. The Atlantic alliance maintains that its role will be to collect and destroy the UCK's weapons once a cease-fire is in place, and that Operation Essential Harvest will last about 30 days. But is it too far-fetched to imagine that elements on the Macedonian side may try to involve NATO in dealing with real or imagined violations of the cease-fire by the UCK? And might some individuals or groups on the Albanian side come to view NATO as a shield, "protecting" the territories the UCK has recently taken and ethnically cleansed? This leads to the third main set of problems facing Macedonia, namely political ones in the run-up to legislative elections that will take place in early 2002 at the latest. Several observers have suggested that the campaign has already begun and point to the frequent posturing and militant rhetoric by Georgievski of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE) as the best example. Indeed, Georgievski seems to be seeking to win as much of the Macedonian vote as possible by playing on voters' fears more than on their hopes. Branko Crvenkovski's Social Democrats (SDSM) have taken a more moderate approach to winning Macedonian votes. They may also be counting on making themselves attractive as coalition partners to the Albanian parties and to the international community as the "more reasonable" element among the Macedonians. The electoral contest will bring to the fore a number of problems that have bedeviled the political scene in recent months. One is the question of leadership and the tendency of some politicians to engage in inflammatory rhetoric rather than take a more statesman-like approach. A second matter is the unmistakable degree of hatred present on both sides of the ethnic divide. Will political leaders try to channel voters' energies into more constructive directions, or will vote-hunters try to capitalize on fears and hatreds? One thing, at any rate, is clear: the leaders of the four main parties have committed themselves in writing to making the settlement work. If the agreement proves to be just one more "Balkan scrap of paper," blame will lie not only with the men with the guns or the bigots in the cafes. 14-08-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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