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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-05-10
CONTENTS
[01] CHECHEN PRESIDENTIAL REPRESENTATIVE CONDEMNS KASPIISK BOMBING...
[02] ...AS RUSSIAN ENVOY SAYS IT IS TOO EARLY TO LAY BLAME ON
[03] ...AS FORMER KGB COUNTERINTELLIGENCE CHIEF CALLS FOR SEALING OFF
[04] RUSSIA AND U.S. CREATE JOINT GROUP TO FIGHT NUCLEAR TERRORISM
[05] ANALYST EXPLAINS PUTIN'S POPULARITY...
[06] ...AND PREDICTS MORE SMOOTH SAILING
[07] INTERIOR MINISTRY INVESTIGATES CORRUPTION AMONG SLAVNEFT
[08] LEGISLATOR CLAIMS ARREST WAS POLITICAL
[09] ENVOY SPEAKS IN FAVOR OF FEWER REGIONS
[10] MOSCOW LAUNCHES BOEING-MADE COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE...
[11] ...RESUMES SUPPLIES OF URANIUM TO U.S.
[12] DEFENSE MINISTRY ON THE HUNT FOR YOUNG OFFICERS
[13] ARMENIAN EMBASSY IN LONDON DAMAGED BY BOMB
[14] U.S. TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON ARMENIAN, MOLDOVAN FIRMS OVER TIES
[15] OIL EXPORT RESUMES VIA AZERBAIJAN-GEORGIA PIPELINE
[16] AZERBAIJANI COURT SENTENCES CHECHEN
[17] GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER DOUBTS AL-QAEDA IN PANKISI
[18] KAZAKH JOURNALIST ARRESTED
[19] HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS SLAM SENTENCING OF FORMER KYRGYZ
[20] KYRGYZ REGIONAL GOVERNOR ARGUES CASE FOR CEDING TERRITORY TO
[21] ...AS OPPONENTS OF BORDER CONCESSIONS PLAN PROTESTS
[22] UZBEKISTAN MOVES TOWARD ABOLISHING PRESS CENSORSHIP
[23] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT LEADS VETERANS ON V-DAY ANNIVERSARY
[24] VETERANS IN KYIV MARCH TO COMMEMORATE V-DAY...
[25] ...WHILE IN KHARKIV THEY TUSSLE WITH POLICE
[26] KYIV, WASHINGTON REPORTEDLY INVESTIGATING SALE OF UKRAINIAN RADARS
[27] RUSSIAN BUDGET CUTS TO FORCE ESTONIA TO REINFORCE BORDER
[28] LATVIA ABOLISHES LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR CANDIDATES
[29] LITHUANIAN CARGO HAULERS REQUEST INTERNATIONAL HELP AGAINST
[30] POLISH HEALTH MINISTER SURVIVES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE
[31] FORMER POLISH MINISTER INDICTED OVER ACCUSATION OF FORMER PREMIER
[32] CZECH LOWER HOUSE APPROVES GRIPEN FIGHTERS PURCHASE...
[33] ...OVERRIDES PRESIDENTIAL VETO ON CZECH RADIO COUNCIL...
[34] ...AND EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR JEWISH CLAIMS FOR 'ARIANIZED' ARTWORK
[35] CZECH 'MEIN KAMPF' PUBLISHER HONORED FOR CIVIC COURAGE
[36] LE PEN TELLS CZECHS TO BEWARE OF EU
[37] SLOVAK PREMIER REVIEWS COALITION'S ACHIEVEMENTS AND FAILURES
[38] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS, FREE DEMOCRATS APPROVE LINE-UP OF NEW
[39] KUNCZE TO HEAD HUNGARIAN FREE DEMOCRAT'S PARLIAMENTARY GROUP
[40] MEDGYESSY SPEAKS ON THE BENES DECREES
[41] SEVEN KILLED IN HUNGARIAN BANK ROBBERY
[42] ANTITERRORISM CONFERENCE OPENS IN ZAGREB...
[43] ...AND A BALKAN CONFERENCE BEGINS IN LJUBLJANA
[44] SLOVENIA SELLS PART INTEREST IN LEADING BANK
[45] STABILITY PACT COORDINATOR SEEKS DECISION IN MACEDONIAN NAME
[46] STEINER CLASHES WITH KOSOVA PARLIAMENT OVER POWERS...
[47] ...AS POLICE DISPERSE DEMONSTRATORS
[48] GREEK-YUGOSLAV RELATIONS ON THE AGENDA
[49] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER: COOPERATION WITH THE HAGUE IS AT ITS
[50] BERLUSCONI HAILS BELGRADE'S PROGRESS
[51] KIDNAPPINGS ARE NOW BIG WITH CRIMINALS IN SERBIA
[52] NATO TO CUT REGIONAL FORCES
[53] WORLD BANK SUSPENDS LOAN NEGOTIATIONS WITH ROMANIA
[54] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS ADOPTION BAN TO LAST UNTIL END OF 2002
[55] MONUMENT HONORING U.S. SOLDIERS UNVEILED IN BUCHAREST
[56] BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VISITS GREECE
[57] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT LIMITS WATER CONSUMPTION
[58] There is no End Note today.
10 May 2002
RUSSIA
[01] CHECHEN PRESIDENTIAL REPRESENTATIVE CONDEMNS KASPIISK BOMBING...
In a 10 May statement posted on chechenpress.com, Akhmed Zakaev, who is
Chechen deputy prime minister and President Aslan Maskhadov's personal
representative, condemned the organizers and perpetrators of the
explosion that ripped through a Victory Day parade in Kaspiisk the
previous day. Zakaev expressed condolences in the name of the Chechen
government. Referring to media speculation that Chechens were
responsible for the blast, Zakaev stressed that Maskhadov has issued
instructions to his men not to engage in military operations in
neighboring North Caucasus republics. He added that the Chechen side
condemns any military action directed against the civilian population.
The death toll from the explosion has risen to 41, including 17
children and 19 service personnel, and Daghestan's State Council has
declared 10 May a day of mourning. LF
[02] ...AS RUSSIAN ENVOY SAYS IT IS TOO EARLY TO LAY BLAME ON
CHECHENS...
Russian presidential envoy to the Southern Federal District Viktor
Kazantsev traveled to Kaspiisk on 9 May in the wake of the bomb
explosion, as did Federal Security Service Director Nikolai Patrushev
and Daghestan State Council Chairman Magomedali Magomedov, Russian
agencies reported. Kazantsev said on his arrival in Makhachkala that
those who planned and carried out the bombing "are not humans. They are
beasts," ITAR-TASS reported. But Kazantsev added that it is premature
to assume that the perpetrators were Chechens. Magomedov discussed the
disaster in a telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin on 9
May. On 10 May, ITAR-TASS quoted an unnamed Daghestan security service
official as saying that the detachment of field commander Rapani
Khalilov may be responsible for the bombing. Khalilov, who was born in
Daghestan, reportedly participated in the incursion into Daghestan in
August-September 1999 masterminded in defiance of Maskhadov by Chechen
field commander Shamil Basaev. The news agency also quoted Patrushev as
saying that several people were detained in connection with the
explosion, although he declined to provide any information about them.
LF
[03] ...AS FORMER KGB COUNTERINTELLIGENCE CHIEF CALLS FOR SEALING OFF
CAUCASUS
A former chief of the KGB Third Main Directorate for Military
Counterintelligence, Aleksandr Zhardetskii, said that the explosion in
Kaspiisk is a demonstration of the "strength and range of Chechen
fighters...despite the death of [notorious field commander] Khattab"
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 and 29 April 2002), pravda.ru reported on 9
May. Admiral Zhardetskii added that in his opinion "everything that is
happening in all the North Caucasus originates from Moscow," and he
would advise President Putin to "carefully purge his apparatus."
Furthermore, he also would advise Putin to "to seal off the Caucasus
from bordering foreign territories, especially Georgia and Azerbaijan."
VY
[04] RUSSIA AND U.S. CREATE JOINT GROUP TO FIGHT NUCLEAR TERRORISM
U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Russian Atomic Energy
Minister Aleksandr Rumyantsev announced at a joint press conference in
Washington on 9 May that they have agreed to tighten the security of
radioactive material and to create a joint group to combat nuclear
terrorism, Russian and Western news agencies reported. According to
Abraham and Rumyantsev, the group will create a registry of potential
sources of fissile materials that might enable terrorists to make
so-called "dirty" nuclear weapons. Such weapons do not have the
explosive yield of other nuclear weapons, but are designed to maximize
the spread of dangerous radiation and can be made from more easily
obtainable materials. The potential sources of material for such
weapons could include medical equipment using radioactive isotopes and
compact nuclear electrical-power generators, Reuters reported. VY
[05] ANALYST EXPLAINS PUTIN'S POPULARITY...
In an article in "Rossiiskaya gazeta" on 8 May, Boris Makarenko of the
Moscow-based Center for Political Technologies argues that one
explanation for President Putin's high public-opinion rating is that
"he is unchallenged." "People do not see any other figures in whom they
can place their hopes for a better life," Makarenko wrote. In addition,
Putin is favored because people believe that in 1999, Putin "saved
[Russia] from the threat of terrorism and restored the nation's
self-esteem at least to some extent." JAC
[06] ...AND PREDICTS MORE SMOOTH SAILING
In contrast to some other analysts, Makarenko does not believe that
Putin faces any serious threats or challenges anytime soon. The most
serious danger that Putin faces, according to Makarenko, over the next
two years is a "slowing down of the positive trends of economic
development" (see "RFE/RL Russian Political Weekly," 28 January 2002).
At the same time, Makarenko suggests that "at some stage there will be
the problem of properly establishing the reforms [that] Putin has been
conducting for two years now," since Russia "always finds it harder to
establish reforms and implement laws than to adopt them." But he
concludes, "I am sure that Putin has enough in reserve for the first
term." JAC
[07] INTERIOR MINISTRY INVESTIGATES CORRUPTION AMONG SLAVNEFT
LEADERSHIP
The Moscow Territorial Main Directorate of the Interior Ministry (GUVD)
has opened criminal investigations against two vice presidents of the
Russian-Belarusian oil producer Slavneft, Russian news agencies
reported on 8 May. Yurii Sukhanov and Dmitrii Perevalov are being
investigated on allegations of abuse of office, fraud, and embezzlement
in a probe that was initiated following the discovery of serious
financial violations during an audit by the State Duma's Audit Chamber.
"Kommersant-Daily," however, noted on 8 May that the opening of the
investigation coincided with an extraordinary general shareholders
meeting that is expected on 13 May to elect a new company president.
Sukhanov had been considered a leading candidate for the post. The
State Property Committee owns a controlling share of the company, and
the Belarusian Economy Ministry controls nearly 11 percent. VY
[08] LEGISLATOR CLAIMS ARREST WAS POLITICAL
In an interview with RFE/RL's St. Petersburg correspondent on 8 May,
St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly Deputy Aleksei Kovalev described
the circumstances surrounding his 23 April arrest. Kovalev was arrested
on suspicion of accepting kickbacks with regard to a case launched by
prosecutors in 1998. According to Kovalev, however, the case was
manufactured in order to show deputies from the opposition what could
happen to them. Kovalev, who is a member of the Union of Rightist
Forces, said that he was singled out because he has no money or
protectors, and that he was grateful to the public, which objected to
his incarceration. An unnamed representative of the Northwest Regional
Prosecutor's Office, which oversees the work of the municipal
prosecutor's office that arrested Kovalev, was quoted by Interfax as
saying, "[We are] going to look into the question of whether taking
such a serious measure against the lawmaker was reasonable." JAC/RC
[09] ENVOY SPEAKS IN FAVOR OF FEWER REGIONS
After conducting a series of meetings with officials in Krasnoyarsk,
presidential envoy to the Siberian Federal District Leonid Drachevskii
told reporters on 9 May that he does not believe that the process of
joining Krasnoyarsk Krai with Taimyr and Evenk Autonomous Okrugs should
be stopped, despite the recent death of krai Governor Aleksandr Lebed,
strana.ru reported. "There should be fewer than 89 [federation
subjects]. It is simply inexpedient from the point of view of
administration," he said. Drachevskii also welcomed the decision of
acting Krasnoyarsk Governor Nikolai Ashlapov not to participate in
upcoming gubernatorial elections. "I believe that elections in the krai
will be carried out appropriately [with such] a guarantee of the
independence of the krai executive authorities." JAC
[10] MOSCOW LAUNCHES BOEING-MADE COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE...
The press office of the Russian Space Defense Forces announced that it
successfully launched on 8 May the U.S. telecommunications satellite
"Direc-TV," which is designed to render digital-television signals for
North America, RIA-Novosti reported on 8 May. The satellite, which was
made by Boeing, has 48 transponders and should serve at least 15 years.
VY
[11] ...RESUMES SUPPLIES OF URANIUM TO U.S.
Russia resumed supplies of low-grade uranium recovered from
decommissioned nuclear warheads to the United States, according to
Atomic Energy Minister Rumyantsev, the Agency of Military News and
Finmarket reported on 8 May. The uranium, which will be reprocessed for
use as fuel in nuclear-power plants, is part of a 20-year contract
under which Russia will supply the United States with 500 tons of
processed, weapons-grade uranium in exchange for $500 million. At the
end of January 2001, Moscow suspended supplies in a dispute over U.S.
efforts to reduce the price of the overvalued uranium. However, Russia
has since reached agreement with Washington and the deliveries have
been resumed. VY
[12] DEFENSE MINISTRY ON THE HUNT FOR YOUNG OFFICERS
The Defense Ministry is preparing a raft of new measures directed at
bolstering the armed forces, lenta.ru reported on 9 May. According to
the website, military officials are planning to increase the term of
service for graduates of military academies from five to 10 years. In
addition, the ministry is considering the possibility of concluding
five-year contracts with students of the civilian higher education
institutions that have military departments. Military officials believe
that these measures would help resolve the problem of providing the
armed forces with enough younger officers. JAC
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[13] ARMENIAN EMBASSY IN LONDON DAMAGED BY BOMB
A bomb exploded at the Armenian Embassy in London early on 9 May,
causing damage to the building but no casualties, according to the
Armenian News Network, as cited by Groong. No group or person has
claimed responsibility for the blast. LF
[14] U.S. TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON ARMENIAN, MOLDOVAN FIRMS OVER TIES
WITH IRAN
The U.S. will impose sanctions in accordance with the 2000 Iran
Nonproliferation Act on unnamed companies in Armenia, China, and
Moldova that have supplied weapons technology to Iran, U.S. State
Department spokesman Richard Boucher told journalists in Washington on
9 May, dpa reported. But Boucher stressed that the sanctions do not
extend to the Armenian and Moldovan governments, which he praised for
their efforts in the field of nonproliferation. On 8 May, Reuters
quoted an unnamed senior U.S. official as saying that the Armenian and
Moldovan companies involved may be a "front" for Russian entities. LF
[15] OIL EXPORT RESUMES VIA AZERBAIJAN-GEORGIA PIPELINE
Shipments of Azerbaijani Caspian oil via the Baku-Supsa export pipeline
resumed on 9 May, Caucasus Press reported on 10 May. The shipment of
oil was suspended on 6 May after thieves damaged the pipeline in
western Georgia, causing the leakage of some two tons of crude (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 7 May 2002). Police have arrested two local
residents in connection with the incident, Caucasus Press reported on
10 May. LF
[16] AZERBAIJANI COURT SENTENCES CHECHEN
A Baku district court sentenced Chechen Isa Vakhaev to four years'
imprisonment on 8 May for falsely informing Azerbaijani intelligence
agencies in October 2001 that Chechen fighters were planning a
terrorist attack against the U.S. Embassy in Baku, Turan reported.
Vakhaev reportedly hoped to obtain a visa for the United States. LF
[17] GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER DOUBTS AL-QAEDA IN PANKISI
Following a meeting in Washington on 7 May with U.S. Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Georgian Defense Minister Lieutenant General
David Tevzadze told journalists that he considers it most unlikely that
any members of Al-Qaeda have taken refuge in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge,
Caucasus Press reported on 10 May. He pointed out that in order to
reach Georgia, Al-Qaeda members fleeing Afghanistan would have to cross
at least six countries and the Caspian Sea, but added that "you cannot
rule anything out." U.S. charge d'affaires in Tbilisi Philip Remler had
suggested three months ago that the Chechen contingent in Pankisi could
include individuals with ties to Al-Qaeda (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12
February 2002). That hypothesis prompted the United States to launch a
new antiterrorism training program for the Georgian military. But the
"Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported on 19 April that Western
intelligence agencies consider the claims of an Al-Qaeda presence in
Pankisi "absolute rubbish." LF
[18] KAZAKH JOURNALIST ARRESTED
Bakhytkul Makimbai, who is a correspondent for the independent
newspaper "Sol-Dat," was arrested on 8 May outside the Uzbek Embassy in
Almaty, where several dozen Kazakh students had congregated to stage an
unsanctioned protest against the unresolved border dispute between
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan over the villages of Baghys and Turkestanets,
Deutsche Welle's Russian Service and the press service of the
Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan reported. Police pressured the
protesters to disperse after less than half an hour and detained
several of them. LF
[19] HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS SLAM SENTENCING OF FORMER KYRGYZ
OFFICIAL
The New York-based International League for Human Rights has written to
Kyrgyzstan's President Askar Akaev condemning as "yet another unlawful
step taken by your government" the new 10-year sentence handed down on
8 May to former Vice President Feliks Kulov, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 May 2002). "There is reason to
believe that Feliks Kulov has been targeted for political reasons, ever
since he founded the Ar-Namys Party and decided to run in the
presidential elections of 2000," the letter continued. In Bishkek,
Topchubek Turgunaliev, who is president of the Institute for Human
Rights, and Kyrgyz Human Rights Committee Chairman Ramazan Dyryldaev
likewise both condemned the new sentence as politically motivated. On 9
May, some 100 supporters of Kulov blocked the main highway through the
village of Baitik on the outskirts of the capital to protest the
sentence on Kulov, rising unemployment, and delays in paying wages and
pensions, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. They called for Kulov's
acquittal and for Akaev to resign. LF
[20] KYRGYZ REGIONAL GOVERNOR ARGUES CASE FOR CEDING TERRITORY TO
CHINA...
Askar Salymbekov, who is the governor of Naryn Oblast on the
Kyrgyz-Chinese border, told RFE/RL on 9 May that the Kyrgyz parliament
ought to ratify the 1999 border agreement under which Kyrgyzstan cedes
some 95,000 hectares to China in order to preserve good relations with
that country, which will become "a world power" in the 21st century. He
also pointed out that the Kyrgyz people do not use the mountainous area
in question, and that failure to ratify the agreement could create
problems for the estimated 150,000-strong Kyrgyz minority in China. LF
[21] ...AS OPPONENTS OF BORDER CONCESSIONS PLAN PROTESTS
Totu Sydykova, a member of the public committee on state borders, said
in Bishkek on 9 May that her committee will organize hunger strikes and
protest demonstrations if the parliament complies with President
Akaev's request and ratifies the border agreement with China by the end
of this month, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz bureau reported. Sydykova said the
committee has proof that the territory in question has always belonged
to Kyrgyzstan. She added that any parliament deputies who vote in favor
of ratifying the agreement are "traitors." LF
[22] UZBEKISTAN MOVES TOWARD ABOLISHING PRESS CENSORSHIP
Erkin Komilov, who headed Uzbekistan's agency for protecting state
secrets, was compulsorily retired on 7 May in a move that local
journalists believe heralds the liberalization of the press, Deutsche
Welle's Russian Service reported. At the same time, the State Committee
for the Press redefined the functions of the agency for protecting
state secrets, which will no longer be empowered to cut or demand
changes in press articles. Deutsche Welle's Tashkent correspondent
noted that since the beginning of this year, Komilov and his colleagues
cut 15 articles from the government newspaper "Pravda Vostoka" alone.
LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[23] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT LEADS VETERANS ON V-DAY ANNIVERSARY
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on 9 May led a traditional march of
World War II veterans in downtown Minsk to commemorate the 57th
anniversary of Victory Day, Belarusian media reported. Addressing the
veterans, Lukashenka said Belarus is now "a truly sovereign and
independent state, with its own policy, economy, culture, and
traditions." He added, "We will not let anybody talk to us from a
position of strength." JM
[24] VETERANS IN KYIV MARCH TO COMMEMORATE V-DAY...
Some 3,000 veterans, led by Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko and
Verkhovna Rada speaker Ivan Plyushch, marched in downtown Kyiv on 9 May
to celebrate Victory Day, Interfax reported. According to official
data, Ukraine has 4.57 million World War II veterans. President Leonid
Kuchma, who laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the
morning, subsequently visited the grave of his father in Novgorod
Oblast, Russia, where he died as a Soviet soldier in 1944. JM
[25] ...WHILE IN KHARKIV THEY TUSSLE WITH POLICE
Dozens of veterans scuffled with police in Kharkiv during the solemn
wreath-laying ceremony at a local war memorial on 9 May, 1+1 Television
reported. Veterans and local officials showed up near the memorial at
approximately the same time but the officials, cordoned off by police,
were the first to lay wreaths. The irked veterans, according to the
report, "at first were only chanting protest slogans, but soon decided
to apply their old combat skills and attempted to take the memorial by
storm." JM
[26] KYIV, WASHINGTON REPORTEDLY INVESTIGATING SALE OF UKRAINIAN RADARS
TO ETHIOPIA
Yevhen Marchuk, the secretary of Ukraine's Council of National Security
and Defense, told UNIAN on 9 May that the Ukrainian and U.S. sides have
begun independent checks of the contract whereby Kyiv sold three
Kolchuga air-defense radar systems to Ethiopia. Last month, media
reports alleged that in 2000 President Kuchma approved a sale of $100
million worth of air-defense radar systems to Iraq in contravention of
UN sanctions. Kyiv officially dismissed these allegations, asserting
that the only country Ukraine has ever sold Kolchugas was Ethiopia (see
"RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 23 April 2002). Last
month, the Israeli newspaper "Ha'aretz" suggested that Ethiopia could
have been only an intermediary link in the delivery of the Ukrainian
radars to Iraq. JM
[27] RUSSIAN BUDGET CUTS TO FORCE ESTONIA TO REINFORCE BORDER
Estonian Border Guard Chief of Staff Colonel Aare Evisalu said that
Russian border officials have informed Estonia that financial
reductions will force Russia to give up its maintenance of the wire
fence built in 1994-96 and of the cleared stretch of land along the
border, and to cut personnel, "Postimees" reported on 10 May. He said
that this will require Estonia to deploy 200 more Border Guards along
its border with Russia, acquire additional sensors and infrared
cameras, and improve the mobility of its guards. Evisalu noted that
according to Finnish standards, equipping one kilometer of border with
modern equipment would cost 3.1 million kroons ($180,000) and the
Estonian-Russian border is 130 kilometers long. He also mentioned that
some of the border stations have clearly inadequate living facilities.
SG
[28] LATVIA ABOLISHES LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR CANDIDATES
The parliament approved on 9 May by a vote of 67 to 13, with four
abstentions, amendments to the parliamentary election law abolishing
the requirement that candidates must have the highest level of
Latvian-language proficiency, BNS reported. Similar amendments to the
local council election law were passed by a vote of 71 to 13, with
three abstentions. The negative votes were cast by deputies of the
right-wing For the Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK and the left-wing Union
of Social Democrats. The amendments were proposed by President Vaira
Vike-Freiberga and had been mentioned at times as a condition for
Latvia's membership of NATO. OSCE High Commissioner on National
Minorities Rolf Ekeus and the U.S. government immediately welcomed the
passage of the amendments. SG
[29] LITHUANIAN CARGO HAULERS REQUEST INTERNATIONAL HELP AGAINST
RUSSIAN SANCTIONS
Algimantas Kondrusevicius, the president of the Lithuanian National
Motor Carriers Association (LINAVA), appealed on 9 May to the
Secretary-General of the International Road Union (IRU) Martin Marmy
for help in resolving a dispute with Russian customs authorities, ELTA
reported. Noting that Russia is planning to renew on 15 May the
requirement that all Lithuanian cargo-hauling trucks traveling through
Russia have a police escort, he asked Marmy to be a mediator by
convening a meeting of Russian and Lithuanian customs officials with
representatives of LINAVA, IRU, and the Russian trucking association
ASMAP. Kondrusevicius wrote that his organization has done everything
in its power to ensure that compensations for violations of
international transit-system regulations be paid as quickly as possible
when such claims were backed by documentation. He also mentioned that
the promises given to Russia by a group of Lithuanian truckers that all
Russian claims will be paid were not discussed with LINAVA and have no
legal basis. SG
[30] POLISH HEALTH MINISTER SURVIVES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE
The Sejm voted 235 to 125, with 50 abstentions, to reject a motion of
no confidence in Health Minister Mariusz Lapinski on 9 May, PAP
reported. The motion was initiated by the opposition Civic Platform,
Law and Justice, and the League of Polish Families. The voting followed
a heated debate in which opposition deputies accused Lapinski of
incompetence, being responsible for the drive toward centralizing
control over the health care sector, and disregarding the opinions of
medical experts. "The minister will share and distribute money [for
health care] in his office all by himself. To whom? It's easy to guess
since the minister at all times emphasizes his allegiance to the
[ruling] Democratic Left Alliance," deputy Elzbieta Radziszewska from
the Civic Platform argued. The Sejm needs at least 231 votes to dismiss
a cabinet member. JM
[31] FORMER POLISH MINISTER INDICTED OVER ACCUSATION OF FORMER PREMIER
Prosecutors in Warsaw have indicted former Interior Minister Andrzej
Milczanowski for revealing state secrets in the parliament in December
1995 when he accused then-Prime Minister Jozef Oleksy of being a source
of information for Soviet and Russian intelligence services, PAP
reported on 9 May. If convicted, Milczanowski could face up to five
years in prison. No details of the indictment have been released. In
early 1996, Oleksy resigned the post of prime minister after the
Military Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the spying
allegations against him, and found that he had not committed any
crimes. Milczanowski also found himself under investigation as to
whether he exceeded his official duties by publicly accusing Oleksy of
espionage and revealing state secrets, but that probe was discontinued
in 1998. Following Oleksy's court appeal, the investigation of
Milczanowski was resumed in March 2000. JM
[32] CZECH LOWER HOUSE APPROVES GRIPEN FIGHTERS PURCHASE...
The Chamber of Deputies on 9 May approved the government-proposed bill
for financing the purchase of 24 Jas-39 supersonic fighter jets, CTK
reported. The deal is to cost more than 60 billion crowns ($1.8
billion), and is to be financed by revenues from privatizing state
enterprises and a 33 billion crown loan from a state bank. Of the
deputies in attendance, 98 supported the bill and 89 voted against it.
Along with deputies from the ruling Social Democratic Party (CSSD), the
bill was supported by the Christian Democratic Party (except former
Defense Minister Vilem Holan), six deputies from the Freedom
Union-Democratic Union, and two lawmakers representing the Communist
Party of Bohemia and Moravia. Observers say the bill is likely to
encounter strong opposition in the Senate. MS
[33] ...OVERRIDES PRESIDENTIAL VETO ON CZECH RADIO COUNCIL...
The Chamber of Deputies on 9 May overrode the veto cast by President
Vaclav Havel on the law on the Czech Radio Council, CTK reported. Out
of 185 deputies in attendance, 135 voted for the government-sponsored
bill, most of them from the CSSD and the Civic Democratic Party. MS
[34] ...AND EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR JEWISH CLAIMS FOR 'ARIANIZED' ARTWORK
The Chamber of Deputies on 9 May also voted to extend to 2006 the
deadline for claims for the return of works of art that were
confiscated by the Nazis from Czech Jews during the country's 1938-1945
occupation, CTK reported. The previous deadline was 2002. The amendment
was passed at the initiative of the Czech Jewish Communities'
Federation, whose secretary, Tomas Kraus, said many of those entitled
to its provisions were not aware of their right to file claims. MS
[35] CZECH 'MEIN KAMPF' PUBLISHER HONORED FOR CIVIC COURAGE
Michal Zitko, the Czech publisher of a translation of Adolf Hitler's
"Mein Kampf," was awarded a prize on 9 May for civic courage in
defending the rights and freedom of citizens, CTK reported. The prize
was awarded to Zitko by the Prague-based Karel Havlicek Borovsky
Institute, which has close ties to the Young Conservatives civic
association. The institute's chairman, Milan Hamersky, told CTK that by
publishing Hitler's book Zitko was protecting freedom of expression in
the country. Hamersky also said that the institute he heads has asked
President Havel to pardon Zitko, who was fined and given a three-year
suspended sentence for his deed. The institute also awarded Premier
Milos Zeman a so-called "anti-prize" for "contempt of other people
[and] their opinions, for not respecting court rulings, and for
permanently harming Czech political culture." MS
[36] LE PEN TELLS CZECHS TO BEWARE OF EU
French far-right National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, in an
interview with the daily "Lidove noviny" on 9 May, advised the Czechs
to delay joining the EU, CTK reported. "If you enter the European house
now, you will be exposed to a pernicious influence and will lose your
souls. Your wallets as well," Le Pen said. He said the Czechs should
wait "until we manage to transform the European institutions and
establish a Europe of the nations. Such a Europe will allow all of its
members to safeguard their independence, their specific character, [as
well as their different] human and cultural wealth." He also said that
he had hoped to receive 30 percent in the French presidential runoff,
but that he had underestimated "the strength of the attacks [on me] by
a Soviet-style campaign...based on defamation of myself and my party."
MS
[37] SLOVAK PREMIER REVIEWS COALITION'S ACHIEVEMENTS AND FAILURES
Mikulas Dzurinda, addressing an intellectual forum in Bratislava on 9
May, admitted that most of the promises made to the electorate before
the 1998 elections have not been fulfilled, but said his cabinet has
taken the country to the doorstep of NATO and the European Union, CTK
reported. Dzurinda said that breaking the international isolation
Slovakia was pushed into by the previous Vladimir Meciar government "is
proof that we were successful at home, that we have results." Dzurinda
admitted that, although wages have not doubled as was promised four
years ago, they did rise by 40 percent. He said four-fifths of the
promised 14,000 new flats will be built by the end of the cabinet's
term. The premier admitted that unemployment is now 5 percent higher
than in 1998, although the coalition he heads promised a drop of 10
percent when it took over. MS
[38] HUNGARIAN SOCIALISTS, FREE DEMOCRATS APPROVE LINE-UP OF NEW
GOVERNMENT
Socialist prime-ministerial candidate Peter Medgyessy and Free Democrat
Chairman Gabor Kuncze on 9 May announced that their parties have agreed
on all the fundamental details of a future coalition government,
Hungarian media reported. According to the agreement, the Free
Democrats would head four ministries in the new government, including
education, information technology and communications, environmental
protection, and a newly merged Economy and Transport Ministry. The
number of ministries would be cut from the current 17 to 15. The posts
of PHARE funds and secret services minister will be abolished, while
the activities of the Transport Ministry and the Social and Family
Affairs Ministry will be transferred to other ministries. Two new
ministries would be established, namely information technology and
communications, and labor and employment. Regional development,
religious affairs, the Office for Ethnic Hungarians Abroad, and tourism
will be placed under the supervision of the Prime Minister's Office,
"Magyar Hirlap" reported. MSZ
[39] KUNCZE TO HEAD HUNGARIAN FREE DEMOCRAT'S PARLIAMENTARY GROUP
Free Democrat Chairman Kuncze was unanimously elected on 9 May as his
party's parliamentary group leader, Hungarian media reported. The
parliamentary group will elect its deputy leaders and decide on
committee seats after the Free Democrats conclude the current coalition
talks with the Socialists. MSZ
[40] MEDGYESSY SPEAKS ON THE BENES DECREES
"The Benes Decrees that resulted in the deportation of Germans and
Hungarians from postwar Czechoslovakia were unjust," CTK on 9 May
quoted Peter Medgyessy as saying in an interview with the German
magazine "Focus." However, the debate on the decrees should be led by
historians, not politicians, Medgyessy said, adding that he prefers to
deal with the future rather than with the past. Medgyessy also
criticized outgoing Premier Viktor Orban for having brought up the
subject of the decrees in the recent election campaign in Hungary. "The
Benes Decrees are too serious an issue to be discussed in the election
battle," Medgyessy concluded. MSZ
[41] SEVEN KILLED IN HUNGARIAN BANK ROBBERY
Seven people were killed and one person was critically injured when two
men with automatic pistols robbed a branch of Erste Bank on 9 May in
the small town of Mor, some 60 kilometers west of Budapest. The two men
indiscriminately opened fire on bank clerks and waiting customers
alike, resulting in the bloodiest bank robbery in Hungarian history.
Within an hour of the incident, police set up roadblocks and sealed the
county's main roads and highways, while thousands of uniformed police
and plainclothes detectives were mobilized nationwide to catch the two
men. With the help of the bank's security cameras, police identified
the two robbers, both of whom are wanted for past crimes. National
Police commander Peter Orban offered a 10 million forint ($37,000)
award to anyone providing important information on the two men. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[42] ANTITERRORISM CONFERENCE OPENS IN ZAGREB...
More than 60 parliamentary speakers and deputies from across Europe
gathered in the Croatian capital on 10 May for a two-day conference on
combating terrorism, dpa reported. The sponsor is the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, which holds a large meeting on a
timely theme every two years. Croatian parliamentary speaker Zlatko
Tomcic said the conference will make "an important contribution to the
international fight against terrorism, which in today's highly
globalized world poses a direct threat to basic democratic values."
Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan stressed Croatia's determination in
the fight against terrorism, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported. PM
[43] ...AND A BALKAN CONFERENCE BEGINS IN LJUBLJANA
An international journalists' gathering opened in the Slovenian capital
on 10 May, the BBC reported. The meeting will focus on the role of
media and the free market in postcommunist countries. The British
broadcaster said in a commentary that it is testimony to how far the
Balkans have come in recent years that a conference devoted to "normal
and every-day" topics like the media is taking place, without any
discussion of possible future hostilities in the region. Among those in
attendance are several presidents: Croatia's Stipe Mesic, Milo
Djukanovic of Montenegro, Macedonia's Boris Trajkovski, and Zivko
Radisic, who heads the Bosnian joint presidency, RFE/RL's South Slavic
and Albanian Languages Service reported. PM
[44] SLOVENIA SELLS PART INTEREST IN LEADING BANK
The government agreed on 8 May to sell Belgium's KBC Bank 34 percent
stake in Nova Ljubljanska Banka, the country's largest, AP reported
from Ljubljana on 8 May. KBC will have the right to expand its share to
50 percent, but not before 2005. The proceeds will go toward servicing
the public debt. Slovenia has been highly reluctant to give up
controlling interest in its major banks. By contrast, Western European
capital is dominant in Croatian banking, while Greek capital plays a
similar role in Macedonia. PM
[45] STABILITY PACT COORDINATOR SEEKS DECISION IN MACEDONIAN NAME
DISPUTE
Speaking in Ljubljana on 9 May, the EU-led Balkan Stability Pact
Coordinator Erhard Busek demanded a quick resolution of the dispute
over the name of Macedonia, Makfax reported. "When I sometimes talk
about this problem with my friends, I tell them that as long as this
country is called Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, one could also
call [my native] Austria the Former Province of the Third Reich of
Ostmark. A friend replied that, according to the same logic, one could
also call Greece the Former [Ottoman] Vilayet of Salonika," Busek said.
Since Macedonia became independent from Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece has
blocked the international recognition of Macedonia under its
constitutional name Republic of Macedonia, because there is a northern
Greek province called Macedonia. Many Greeks argue that the name
Macedonia is part of the Greek cultural patrimony and for others to use
it implies territorial and other claims. The dispute has become less
acrimonious in recent years, and Greek business has invested heavily in
its northern neighbor. UB
[46] STEINER CLASHES WITH KOSOVA PARLIAMENT OVER POWERS...
Michael Steiner, who heads the UN civilian administration in Kosova
(UNMIK), warned the legislature on 9 May not to challenge his powers,
Reuters reported. He stressed that the parliamentarians should tend to
"the urgent issues that are already within your competence" and not try
to deal with security issues, which he maintains are not their
prerogative. "I understand and respect your desire to discuss the
issues of utmost importance, but you have your job to do...and I have
mine," Steiner said. His remarks came in response to a parliamentary
debate on the security situation in Mitrovica and on a border agreement
between Belgrade and Skopje, which Kosova Albanians do not recognize
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 May 2002). The legislators said that they had
to discuss such issues to retain their credibility. But Steiner, who
acquired a reputation for arrogance in some of his previous postings,
argued that "if any doubt arises in this regard, the matter is to be
referred to me, and my decision shall be final." PM
[47] ...AS POLICE DISPERSE DEMONSTRATORS
Outside the parliament building in Prishtina on 9 May, 100-200 students
staged a demonstration in support of the legislators' debate, carrying
Albanian flags and caricatures of Steiner, Reuters reported. Police
dispersed the protestors on the grounds that they did not have a
permit. After scuffles broke out, police arrested one student whom they
said was a protest leader. PM
[48] GREEK-YUGOSLAV RELATIONS ON THE AGENDA
Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis discussed the
Belgrade-Skopje-Thessaloniki highway project with Serbian Prime
Minister Zoran Djindjic in Belgrade on 9 May, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service reported. The goal is to complete the
project in time for the 2004 Athens Olympics. Simitis told federal
Prime Minister Dragisa Pesic that Greece will support Yugoslavia in its
bid for integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures. The
Greek leader also met with Djukanovic. On 10 May, Simitis is slated to
meet with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and federal Deputy
Prime Minister Miroljub Labus. PM
[49] SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER: COOPERATION WITH THE HAGUE IS AT ITS
LIMITS
Djindjic told reporters in Belgrade on 9 May that the authorities have
done "all that they could" to cooperate with the war crimes tribunal in
The Hague in recent months, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported. He added that Serbian President Milan
Milutinovic will not be extradited (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 May 2002).
Djindjic said that there are "differing opinions" as to whether U.S.
aid to Serbia will be resumed unless Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan
Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic go to The Hague (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 25, 26, and 29 April 2002). Serbian Interior Minister Dusan
Mihajlovic said he does not believe that Mladic is in Serbia. PM
[50] BERLUSCONI HAILS BELGRADE'S PROGRESS
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said in a letter to Yugoslav
President Kostunica that existing Yugoslav legislation on cooperation
with The Hague and progress in Serbian-Montenegrin relations have
created an opportunity to bring Yugoslavia closer to the EU, Deutsche
Welle's Serbian Service reported on 10 May. PM
[51] KIDNAPPINGS ARE NOW BIG WITH CRIMINALS IN SERBIA
Reuters reported from Belgrade on 10 May that criminals who grew rich
on smuggling cigarettes and other goods during the reign of Slobodan
Milosevic have now turned to kidnapping rich people for easy money. The
criminals demand ransoms ranging from about $23,000 to over $13
million. Sasa Barjaktarovic, who is a police official dealing with
organized crime, told the news agency: "Kidnapping has became the
shortest and simplest way to make money. Up until two years ago, you
could count the kidnappings in all of Yugoslavia on your fingers. In
the past year and a half, there were more than 70." He added that
kidnapping is far less risky and complicated than smuggling, which the
post-Milosevic authorities have targeted for a crackdown. Police have
solved about 80 percent of the cases, but sometimes only after a ransom
was paid. Victims have included children of wealthy or well-known
people. PM
[52] NATO TO CUT REGIONAL FORCES
The Atlantic alliance will reduce its forces in Bosnia by the end of
2002 from 19,000 troops to 12,000, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported from Brussels on 10 May. NATO will cut its
forces in Kosova from 38,000 to 33,200 during the same period. The
alliance has concluded that the political situation in the region has
improved sufficiently to permit the cuts. PM
[53] WORLD BANK SUSPENDS LOAN NEGOTIATIONS WITH ROMANIA
Romanian Finance Minister Mihai Tanasescu said on 9 May that "a
misunderstanding" is behind the World Bank's decision to suspend
negotiations with Romania on a $300 million loan aimed at restructuring
loss-making state companies, AFP reported. Tanasescu said the bank
based its decision on figures supplied by the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) that show that only some 1,100 people have been laid off in
the last months. Bucharest has pledged to eliminate some 25,000 jobs
from public enterprises this year. Tanasescu said the actual number of
people made redundant is about 4,200. Romanian radio the same day
quoted Prime Minister Adrian Nastase as saying that Romania is "a
relatively poor country," and cannot "continue implementing the
exaggerated steps that are being suggested to us." MS
[54] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS ADOPTION BAN TO LAST UNTIL END OF 2002
President Ion Iliescu, in an interview with RFE/RL in New York, said
the ban instituted by his country on international adoptions of
children will last until the end of this year. Iliescu said that in
Europe and in the United States there is interest in adopting children
from Romania, but that Bucharest needs more time to work out
legislation ensuring that abuses in adoptions are curbed. He said that
a number of Romanian children were taken abroad illegally before the
moratorium on adoptions went into effect in June 2001. Iliescu, who has
attended events linked to the UN General Assembly's special session on
children, met on 9 May with Council of Foreign Affairs member Richard
Holbrooke and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Romanian
radio reported on 10 May. MS
[55] MONUMENT HONORING U.S. SOLDIERS UNVEILED IN BUCHAREST
A monument honoring the 378 U.S. soldiers who fell in the line of duty
in Romania during the World War II was unveiled in the central park of
Cismigiu in Bucharest on 9 May, RFE/RL's bureau in the Romanian capital
reported. Prime Minister Nastase, Defense Minister Ioan Mircea Pascu,
and U.S. Ambassador to Romania Michael Guest were in attendance and
spoke at the ceremony. Romania on 9 May marked 125 years of
independence and Victory Day by the Allied forces in the war against
Nazi Germany. MS
[56] BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VISITS GREECE
Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski left for a three-day working
visit to Greece on 9 May, BTA reported. Saxecoburggotski met in the
Aegean port of Thessaloniki with Georgios Paschalidis, the Greek
minister for (the Greek provinces) Macedonia and Thrace. After the
meeting, Paschalidis underscored the necessity of building new border
crossings between the two countries. "We want those roads to link us
through friendship and cooperation, to lead to mutual understanding
between the two countries," Paschalidis said. On 10 May, the Bulgarian
delegation was scheduled to visit the Bulgarian monastery St. George
Zographou on the Holy Mountain of Athos, a Greek peninsula inhabited
only by Eastern Orthodox monks from various countries. Meanwhile,
Justice Minister Anton Stankov and two of his deputies, Mario Dimitrov
and Sevdalin Bozhikov, left on 8 May for an official visit to the
United States, where they will discuss questions of legal cooperation
between the United States and Bulgaria. UB
[57] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT LIMITS WATER CONSUMPTION
In order to avoid the water shortages that regularly occur during the
summer months in Bulgaria, the government on 9 May decided to limit
water consumption, mediapool.bg reported. Citizens will be allowed to
use between 90 and 120 liters per capita per day. The cabinet plans to
charge consumers a double fee if they exceed the limit. Inhabitants of
Sofia currently consume about 600 liters per day. In some provincial
towns such as Pernik, the amount of water consumed is 800-900 liters
per day. UB
END NOTE
[58] There is no End Note today.
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