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RFE/RL Newsline, 07-02-14
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN AFFIRMS RUSSIA'S ROLE IN MIDDLE EAST...
[02] ...AND AGAIN RAISES PROSPECT OF GAS CARTEL
[03] MORE EUROPEAN LEADERS FIND PUTIN'S MUNICH SPEECH SOBERING
[04] ESTONIAN PRESIDENT FEELS VINDICATED BY PUTIN'S SPEECH
[05] RUSSIA WANTS POLICY EXPLANATION FROM U.S.
[06] BERMUDA SEEKS TO SHUT DOWN COMPANIES LINKED TO PUTIN ALLY
[07] STATE-RUN TV DROPS PROGRAM ABOUT OLIGARCH
[08] RIGHTS GROUP SAYS CONSCRIPTS FORCED INTO PROSTITUTION
[09] CHECHEN ADMINISTRATION HEAD SLAMS RUMORS, 'PERSONALITY CULT'
[10] ARMENIAN PROSECUTOR GENERAL QUERIES PROPOSED REFORM OF LEGAL
SYSTEM
[11] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT AGAIN POSTPONES VOTE ON QUITTING CIS
[12] ABKHAZIA HOLDS LOCAL ELECTIONS
[13] ABKHAZ PRESIDENT SETS CONDITIONS FOR RESUMPTION OF TALKS WITH
GEORGIA
[14] KYRGYZ SPEAKER QUERIES U.S. AIR BASE PAYMENTS
[15] KYRGYZ PREMIER ORDERS 20 PERCENT STAFF CUT
[16] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT APPOINTS NEW BORDER CHIEF
[17] TAJIK POLICE MAKE 200-KILOGRAM DRUG BUST
[18] REPORT SAYS ACTING PRESIDENT WINS TURKMEN ELECTION...
[19] ...AS OSCE DELEGATION MEMBERS BLAST BALLOT
[20] UZBEKISTAN REPORTS ROBUST ECONOMIC GROWTH
[21] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT WARNS RUSSIA AGAINST U.S. ENCIRCLEMENT...
[22] ...AND PLEDGES 'NO TURN' IN FOREIGN POLICY
[23] UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION LEADER URGES EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
[24] ROMANIA ASKS UKRAINE TO REFRAIN FROM POPULATING DISPUTED ISLET
[25] BELGRADE SAYS EU PEGS TALKS TO GOVERNMENT, NOT MLADIC
[26] KOSOVAR INTERIOR MINISTER RESIGNS OVER DEATHS AT RALLY
[27] MONTENEGRO INVESTIGATES 12 OVER KOSOVA WAR CRIMES
[28] WAR CRIMINAL JAILED IN BOSNIA, INDICTEE'S SUPPORTERS TARGETED
[29] TRANSDNIESTER SWEARS IN NEW GOVERNMENT
[30] TALIBAN CLAIM CAPTURE OF SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN'S WASHIR DISTRICT
[31] GOVERNOR OF SOUTHERN AFGHAN PROVINCE PROPOSES TALKS WITH TALIBAN
[32] U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY MEETS WITH PAKISTANI PRESIDENT TO DISCUSS
AFGHANISTAN
[33] CANADA TO LEASE GERMAN MAIN BATTLE TANKS FOR AFGHAN OPERATIONS
[34] IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SEES UNITY AS ANSWER TO FOREIGN PRESSURES
[35] IRANIAN LEGISLATOR DEPLORES IAEA'S REDUCED COOPERATION
[36] IRANIAN JURISTS REJECT BILL ON CONCURRENT POLLS
[37] IRAN'S INTELLIGENCE MINISTER REPORTS SECURITY SWEEPS TO ROOT OUT
'ENEMIES'
[38] IRAQI COURT SENTENCES FORMER VICE PRESIDENT TO DEATH
[39] TWO GERMANS MISSING IN IRAQ
[40] ARAB LEADER IN KIRKUK SEEKS INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION...
[41] ...AS KURDISH LEADER SAYS MOST ARABS WOULD BE HAPPY TO LEAVE
[42] FORMER SAUDI ENVOY COMMENTS ON SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN IRAQ
[43] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
Tuesday, February 13, 2007 Volume 11 Number 28
Russia
[01] PUTIN AFFIRMS RUSSIA'S ROLE IN MIDDLE EAST...
President Vladimir Putin arrived in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, on
February 11 with a delegation of businessmen, including representatives
of Gazprom, LUKoil, and state arms trader Rosoboroneksport,
international media reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," January 30 and 31,
2007, and "Russia: Putin To Take His Message To The Persian Gulf,"
rferl.org, February 9, 2007). He told a meeting of Russian and Saudi
businessmen on February 12 that "we know all too well how fast the
world economy is developing and how much energy it needs now and will
need in the future. And that means that [Russia and Saudi Arabia] are
not competitors but allies, not competitors but partners in the
development of the world's energy markets." LUKoil already has a major
presence in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil
exporter, followed by Russia. Putin on February 12 offered Russian
assistance in developing railways and nuclear energy in Saudi Arabia.
In December, that kingdom and five other states on the Persian Gulf
announced that they will study the possibility of setting up a joint
nuclear program. The Russian daily "Nezavisimaya gazeta" wrote on
February 13 that the Russian delegation expects to conclude an arms
deal with Saudi Arabia that could be as high as $1 billion and include
150 T-90S tanks. The daily "Vedomosti" noted on February 13 that Saudi
businessmen let their Russian guests know that increased trade will
depend largely on Russia's cutting tariffs on Saudi imports and
otherwise improving the business climate. Putin's three-day trip, which
also includes stops in Qatar and Jordan, is widely seen as an attempt
by Russia to extend its influence in predominately Sunni Muslim areas
of the Middle East that are traditional allies of the United States. It
is also part of an effort to promote good relations between Moscow and
other important energy producers. PM
[02] ...AND AGAIN RAISES PROSPECT OF GAS CARTEL
President Putin said in Doha, Qatar, on February 12 that experts from
both countries will meet at a natural-gas conference in Qatar's capital
in April to discuss the possibility of setting up a OPEC-style gas
cartel, Britain's "Financial Times" reported on February 13. He said
that Russia has not rejected the idea of a cartel and that he himself
recently called the proposal "interesting." Putin added that "whether
we need a cartel, whether we will create such an organization, is
[another matter]. But of course we should coordinate our activities
with other producers." He warned that gas producers should "not repeat
the mistakes of other cartel-type organizations" but did not elaborate.
Speaking on February 1, he seemed to leave the door open to the
possible formation of a gas cartel, which Iranian Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently proposed to Russia (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," January 29 and 31, and February 1, 2, and 7, 2007). Russia
also recently concluded some gas deals with Algeria, another major
producer. But Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko told a press conference
on February 6 that "fantasies about cartels and 'gas OPECs' are
products of a sick imagination." The "Financial Times" wrote on
February 13 that "energy experts have said a cartel would be difficult
to create in gas because it is more difficult to transport than oil,
and the market is dominated by contracts running for 20 years or more."
Russia has the world's largest natural-gas reserves, followed by Iran
and Qatar. PM
[03] MORE EUROPEAN LEADERS FIND PUTIN'S MUNICH SPEECH SOBERING
In further reactions to President Putin's belligerent foreign-policy
speech in Munich on February 10, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt
said that "we should take [Putin] at his word," euobserver.com reported
on February 12. Bild added that "this was the real Russia of now, and
possibly in four or five years' time it could go further in this
direction." Referring to planned negotiations for a new EU-Russia
comprehensive cooperation pact to replace the current Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement, which runs out later in 2007, Bildt stressed
that "we have to have a dialogue with Russia but we must be hard-nosed
and realistic. We must stand up for our values." Angelika Beer, who is
a member of the European Parliament for Germany's Greens, said of
Putin's remarks: "I do not see how we can negotiate a new partnership
pact on this basis.... We need Russia for energy and [for a settlement
in] Kosovo. He knows that. But perhaps he is going over the top." NATO
Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer voiced disapproval as well:
"Who should be worried that democracy and the rule of law is coming
closer to their border?... I can't hide my disappointment. I will not
hide my disappointment" at Putin's speech. The "International Herald
Tribune" suggested on February 13 that Putin's remarks are a lesson to
Western leaders not to make concessions to him without driving a hard
bargain in return. But Germany's "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" noted
on February 13 that no German leader publicly challenged Putin's
anti-Western remarks at the Munich conference, and that some Germans
there actually agreed with him in private that Russia is "threatened"
by the United States. The paper suggested that many in Germany have
come to feel so dependent on Russian energy supplies that they practice
"appeasement" in dealing with Moscow, a development that has not
escaped the Kremlin's attention. German Russia expert Alexander Rahr
wrote in Moscow's state-run daily newspaper "Rossiiskaya gazeta" of
February 12 that "many" at the Munich conference agreed with Putin.
Rahr added that "the West's behavior toward Russia is rather arrogant."
PM
[04] ESTONIAN PRESIDENT FEELS VINDICATED BY PUTIN'S SPEECH
On a state visit to Germany in connection with the Munich security
conference, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves told German
journalists on February 10 that President Putin is now using the same
tone in speaking to the United States and Western Europe as he has with
"the new EU members" for years, Deutsche Welle reported. Ilves called
on the EU to think twice about future relations with "a country that
considers democracy on its borders as a threat, or despotism inside its
borders as a source of stability." Ilves argued that many of Russia's
problems with its neighbors stem from the fact that Russia has never
really come to grips with its totalitarian past and the injustices
Russia committed toward others. He suggested that Putin's glorification
of the KGB and Soviet secret services, for which he worked, would be
comparable to today's German federal police and intelligence services
honoring the Gestapo as their predecessor. On February 13, Lithuanian
President Valdas Adamkus said in a statement that the EU should
formulate a common position toward Russia regarding energy and
democracy, dpa reported. PM
[05] RUSSIA WANTS POLICY EXPLANATION FROM U.S.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement dated February 12 that it
would like the U.S. government to clarify a recent statement made by
Defense Secretary Robert Gates before Congress regarding uncertainty in
Russia and its possible impact on U.S. military planning, mid.ru and
the daily "Kommersant" reported on February 13 (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
February 9 and 12, 2007). Gates's statement was widely interpreted in
the Russian media as a call for the United States to be prepared for a
possible armed conflict with Russia. But Mayak Radio argued on February
9 that he did not call directly for preparing for a war with Russia.
The broadcast noted that he only suggested that Americans should get
ready not only to fight terrorism, but also to conduct large-scale
military operations with mass regular armies like Chinese or Russian
ones. PM
[06] BERMUDA SEEKS TO SHUT DOWN COMPANIES LINKED TO PUTIN ALLY
Britain's "Financial Times" of February 13 wrote that "Bermuda is
seeking to liquidate nine companies owning billions of dollars of
Russian telecommunications assets as part of an effort aimed at
protecting the island's reputation as a leading financial center." The
paper added that the companies have been "linked" to Information
Technologies Minister Leonid Reiman, "an ally of President...Putin."
The website news.ru stressed the link between the companies, Reiman,
and the Kremlin in its coverage of the story. The British daily wrote
that the case is expected to shed new light on the often questionable
privatization process in Russia in the 1990s. PM
[07] STATE-RUN TV DROPS PROGRAM ABOUT OLIGARCH
Officials of the television station NTV cancelled a program scheduled
for February 11 about the life of oligarch Roman Abramovich, who is one
of Russia's richest men and reportedly politically close to the
Kremlin, the daily "Kommersant" of February 13 and news.ru reported. No
reason was given for dropping the program, which was the second in a
series, the first installment of which was reportedly popular. PM
[08] RIGHTS GROUP SAYS CONSCRIPTS FORCED INTO PROSTITUTION
Activists with the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers said in St.
Petersburg on February 12 that an unspecified number of male soldiers
there contend they were forced into prostitution by senior officers,
"The Moscow Times" of February 13 and news.ru reported. The daily added
that the list of clients whom the young men were given include an
unnamed retired general in the Federal Security Service (FSB) and a
former colonel. The activists said that the young men were beaten if
they did not comply. Military prosecutors said they are investigating
the allegations. Interior Ministry spokesman Vasily Panchenkov rejected
the charges, saying that the activists' aim was not to "defend the
rights of military personnel but to discredit the armed services." This
is not the first time in post-Soviet Russia that accusations of forced
prostitution of conscripts have been made. PM
[09] CHECHEN ADMINISTRATION HEAD SLAMS RUMORS, 'PERSONALITY CULT'
Pro-Moscow Chechen administration head Alu Alkhanov convened a meeting
of senior security and law-enforcement officials on February 12,
chechnya.gov.ru and skavkaz.ru reported on February 12 and 13,
respectively. Adam Demilkhanov, deputy prime minister responsible for
law enforcement and a close associate of Alkhanov powerful arch rival,
Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov, did not attend. At that session,
Alkhanov expressed concern over "rumors of imminent personnel changes,"
meaning ongoing press speculation that he will soon be constrained to
resign (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," February 5, 2007 and "RFE/RL
Newsline," February 6, 2007). Alkhanov condemned unnamed members of the
clergy for fuelling those rumors, an allusion to criticism of Alkhanov
expressed last month by former Shariat Court judge Sultan Mirzayev.
Without mentioning names, Alkhanov went on to criticize the growing
gulf between rich and poor, which he fears could lead to Chechen's
"moral degradation." He also criticized "the cult of personality and
idealization of one person," a clear reference to Kadyrov, whose
portraits are prominently displayed in Grozny, and who is widely
believed to have amassed a huge fortune from extorting kickbacks and
from the illegal sale of Chechen oil. Alkhanov's close ally, Social and
Economic Security Council Chairman German Vok, said that the
possibility of naming Kadyrov administration head is not under
discussion, skavkaz.ru reported. Vok argued that Kadyrov is not
competent to serve as prime minister or even deputy prime minister, and
that "anyone with a sense of self-respect" would have resigned before
going public with insulting comments about Alkhanov as Kadyrov has
done. Vok further argued that Interior Minister Ruslan Alkhanov should
also be replaced as he is totally subservient to Kadyrov. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[10] ARMENIAN PROSECUTOR GENERAL QUERIES PROPOSED REFORM OF LEGAL
SYSTEM
Meeting on February 12 in Yerevan with visiting Council of Europe
officials, Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepian expressed reservations
about specific aspects of the government-sponsored bill on reforming
the judicial system, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported, quoting a
statement released by Hovsepian's press service. That bill, drafted by
Justice Minister David Harutiunian, would transfer from the
Prosecutor-General's Office to the police and other security agencies
responsibility for conducting pretrial criminal investigations.
Parliament is to vote on the bill next month. Harutiunian told RFE/RL
on February 7 that the government plans to begin implementing the
reform in June, and that criminal investigators currently employed by
the Prosecutor-General's Office will be offered alternative employment
with the police or the National Security Service. LF
[11] GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT AGAIN POSTPONES VOTE ON QUITTING CIS
The majority National Movement-Democrats parliament faction ruled on
February 13 by a vote of 134 in favor and 24 against to postpone, for
the second time in two months, a planned vote on the proposal by the
opposition Democratic Front faction that Georgia should formally
withdraw from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Caucasus
Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 11, 2006). One of the
faction's leaders, David Berdzenishvili, told Caucasus Press on
February 12 that remaining within the CIS is "incompatible with
Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations." But parliament Chairwoman Nino
Burdjanadze said on February 13 that Georgia will wait for the most
auspicious moment to withdraw from the CIS. Georgian State Minister for
Economic Reform Kakha Bendukidze similarly told Ekho Moskvy last month
that Georgia considers it advantageous to remain a CIS member at least
for the time being. LF
[12] ABKHAZIA HOLDS LOCAL ELECTIONS
Voters in Georgia's breakaway unrecognized republic of Abkhazia voted
on February 11 in local elections, Georgian and Russian media reported.
A total of 268 candidates competed for 169 seats on local councils.
Interfax on February 11 quoted Abkhazia's Central Election Commission
as saying that the poll was valid, and that turnout was "high" in the
capital, Sukhum(i), and in seven other districts. Local administrator
Ruslan Kishmaria was quoted by ITAR-TASS as saying turnout in
Abkhazia's southernmost Gali Raion, the prewar population of which was
predominantly Georgian, was 62 percent, but ethnic Georgian members of
the Abkhaz government in exile told Caucasus Press on February 12 that
the Georgian population of Gali boycotted the poll, and that as a
result turnout did not exceed 23 percent. The website lenta.ru on
February 13 quoted Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili as saying the
vote in Gali was invalidated due to the "heroism" of the local Georgian
population. The election results are to be made public on February 14.
LF
[13] ABKHAZ PRESIDENT SETS CONDITIONS FOR RESUMPTION OF TALKS WITH
GEORGIA
After visiting polling stations Gali Raion on February 11, Abkhaz
President Sergei Bagapsh said the Abkhaz leadership does not consider
it expedient to resume talks with Georgia until Abkhaz citizens Fridon
Chakaberia and David Sigua are released, apsny.ru reported. Chakaberia
was abducted in December and Sigua, an election official, earlier this
month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 11, 2006 and February 7, 2007).
Bagapsh blamed both abductions on the Georgian security service. LF
[14] KYRGYZ SPEAKER QUERIES U.S. AIR BASE PAYMENTS
Marat Sultanov, speaker of Kyrgyzstan's parliament, told a news
conference in Bishkek on February 12 that he has asked U.S. officials
for more information on the United States' payments for its air base in
Kyrgyzstan, akipress.org reported. Noting that U.S. officials estimate
total annual aid to Kyrgyzstan, including compensation for the base, at
$150 million, Sultanov said, "We asked them to explain and indicate
concretely where this aid goes, since we sort of receive it, but we
don't see it." Sultanov also questioned the need for a large contingent
of U.S. forces since "the Afghanistan issue is quieting down." Sultanov
said that his talks with U.S. officials also touched on the December
shooting death of a Kyrgyz citizen at the U.S. air base in Kyrgyzstan
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 7, 2006), Interfax reported. Sultanov
met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian
Affairs Richard Boucher and Pentagon officials on January 30. DK
[15] KYRGYZ PREMIER ORDERS 20 PERCENT STAFF CUT
Prime Minister Azim Isabekov has signed a resolution cutting the number
of staff who serve the country's cabinet by 20 percent, Kyrgyz
Television and akipress.org reported on February 12. The government's
press service said that the measure is intended to boost efficiency. DK
[16] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT APPOINTS NEW BORDER CHIEF
President Kurmanbek Bakiev has signed a decree appointing Zamir
Moldoshev chairman of Kyrgyzstan's Border Service, Kabar reported on
February 12. Moldoshev previously served as first deputy defense
minister. Bakiev signed another decree removing Zakir Tilenov from his
post as head of the Border Service. DK
[17] TAJIK POLICE MAKE 200-KILOGRAM DRUG BUST
Tajikistan's Interior Ministry announced on February 12 that police
stopped a car carrying nearly 200 kilograms of illegal narcotics,
RFE/RL's Tajik Service reported. The car was loaded with 54 kilograms
of heroin and 155 kilograms of opium. The seizure, which took place on
the Dushanbe-Khujand highway on February 11, was the largest so far
this year, Avesta reported. Three people were arrested. Police
officials told the news agency that the drugs were bound for Russia. DK
[18] REPORT SAYS ACTING PRESIDENT WINS TURKMEN ELECTION...
Ukraine's ICTV Television reported on February 12 that acting Turkmen
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov won 95 percent of the vote in the
February 11 presidential election. The report could not be
independently confirmed. Turkmen Central Election Commission Chairman
Murad Karriev told ITAR-TASS on February 12 that there will be no
second round, suggesting that a clear winner has emerged in the first
round. Berdymukhammedov, who was named acting president in the wake of
President Saparmurat Niyazov's death in December (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," December 21, 2006), was widely expected to win the election.
DK
[19] ...AS OSCE DELEGATION MEMBERS BLAST BALLOT
Jesus Lopez-Medel, a member of a delegation from the OSCE's
Parliamentary Assembly to Turkmenistan, told Spain's "ABC" newspaper
that the February 11 presidential election was a "farce," the Turkmen
opposition website Gundogar reported on February 12. "The Turkmen
presidential election was more like a play than an election, a farce
instead of the citizens' real participation in the electoral process,"
Lopez-Medel said. "Everything was decided in advance, and the voting
was just for appearances." Another delegation member, Joao Soares, told
Reuters on February 11, "They may hardly be called elections and they
were absolutely not free and fair." Meanwhile, OSCE Chairman in Office
and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said that he hopes
for increased dialogue between the OSCE and Turkmenistan, the
organization reported in a February 12 press release. "We are ready to
help in all areas where the OSCE is active, whether in the
political-military dimension, environmental and economic matters or
human rights," Moratinos said. "For that purpose, the OSCE field center
in Ashgabat should play a useful role." DK
[20] UZBEKISTAN REPORTS ROBUST ECONOMIC GROWTH
President Islam Karimov told a cabinet meeting on February 12 that
Uzbekistan's GDP rose 7.3 percent in 2006, official news agency UzA
reported. Karimov delivered a report stating that industrial production
rose 10.8 percent, agricultural production 6.2 percent, services 19.3
percent, and construction 12.8 percent. The rate of inflation in 2006
was 6.8 percent as opposed to 7.8 percent in 2005, Interfax reported.
"The high economic growth figures, the drop in inflation, and
improvement in the lives of citizens are a result of deeper reforms and
the liberalization of the economy," Karimov commented. DK
Eastern Europe
[21] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT WARNS RUSSIA AGAINST U.S. ENCIRCLEMENT...
Alyaksandr Lukashenka suggested in an interview with the Moscow-based
radio station Ekho Moskvy on February 12 that the U.S. missile defense
system is intended "to lock all the doors around us," the Ekho Moskvy
website reported. "Don't think that the [global] crisis will develop
toward breaking up the American empire and their policy," Lukashenka
said. "They are doing everything possible to lock all the doors around
us. There is Turkey, a NATO member in the south. And Georgia, where
fashionable hospitals are today at every airfield in order to receive
American aircraft and establish the same missile defense system there.
It is [allegedly] against Iran, but radars can look in all directions.
And missile launching pads can be turned in all directions. I am
behaving incorrectly with regard to the Russian leadership, but I can't
stand any longer this bedlam and inactivity." JM
[22] ...AND PLEDGES 'NO TURN' IN FOREIGN POLICY
President Lukashenka said in the same interview with Ekho Moskvy that
those expecting an abrupt change in his foreign policy following the
recent energy-price row with Russia have "miscalculated." "They thought
that I, in view of my emotional character, will immediately begin to
break and crush everything and will tomorrow install this pro-American
[missile-defense] system near Smolensk. But it hasn't happened that
way. Therefore, there is no turn here." At the same time, Lukashenka
suggested that the door to the West has not been locked for him
completely. "Now we will be using every opportunity to improve
relations with the West. Why should we go on cursing each other?" he
asked rhetorically. JM
[23] UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION LEADER URGES EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Yuliya Tymoshenko, head of the eponymous opposition bloc, said at a
news conference in Kyiv on February 12 that she would like to have
early parliamentary elections preceded by the adoption of a new
constitution, Interfax-Ukraine reported. "Were a referendum to be held
on the dissolution of parliament, it would yield positive results and a
minimum 60 percent of voters would vote to disband it," Tymoshenko
asserted. She did not elaborate on how the current legislature could be
disbanded to make new elections possible. JM
[24] ROMANIA ASKS UKRAINE TO REFRAIN FROM POPULATING DISPUTED ISLET
The Romanian Foreign Ministry has requested that Ukraine demonstrate
restraint in populating the tiny Serpents Island in the Black Sea,
Interfax reported on February 12. "Bucharest insistently advises
Ukraine to refrain from attempts of establishing artificial settlements
in a territory that is a subject of dispute between the two states,"
the ministry said in a recent statement. Romania and Ukraine have been
in litigation before the Hague-based International Court of Justice
since 2005 over the delimitation of their maritime border around
Serpents Island (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 17, 2006). Ukraine regards
the island as an area entitled to its own territorial waters while
Romania sees it as a cliff without such a right. The island has an area
of 1.5 square kilometers and a population of some 80 people, including
lighthouse keepers, naval surveyors, biologists, and geophysicists. The
Ukrainian parliament passed a resolution last week giving the name Bile
to the settlement on the islet. JM
Southeastern Europe
[25] BELGRADE SAYS EU PEGS TALKS TO GOVERNMENT, NOT MLADIC
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic has said the EU is holding out
the prospect of a resumption of preaccession talks, but on condition
that Serbian leaders form a government swiftly, Radio Television Serbia
reported on February 12. Speaking on February 11, Draskovic said the
capture of fugitive war crimes indictee Ratko Mladic is no longer a
condition. The EU in May 2006 suspended talks on a Stabilization and
Association Agreement after Serbia failed to meet a deadline to capture
Mladic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 4, 2006). However, there have been
growing signs that the EU may end the linkage (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
February 9, 2007). Draskovic was speaking before meeting with EU
foreign ministers in Brussels on February 12. In a statement after that
meeting, EU foreign ministers called on Serbia to form a government
committed to reform and a European future, Reuters reported. They also
called for "concrete and effective action" to cooperate with the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
However, there were no formal linkages made to preaccession talks. "In
practical terms" a government committed to reform "means the EU wants
to see a new police chief, a new interior minister, and a new
intelligence network," AP quoted Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot as
saying. AG
[26] KOSOVAR INTERIOR MINISTER RESIGNS OVER DEATHS AT RALLY
Fatmir Rexhepi, the interior minister of the Kosovar government,
resigned on February 12 following the death of two protesters in
demonstrations against the UN's proposal for the province's future
status. Rexhepi told local media that he felt a "moral responsibility"
to resign, local and international media reported the same day. He did
not suggest that the police responded inappropriately. An earlier
Interior Ministry statement cited by the KosovaLive news agency on
February 12 said that police "acted within their powers," echoing
earlier statements by the government and the UN police commander (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," February 12, 2007). The government has ordered an
independent inquiry. The team leading negotiations on the status of
Kosova has blamed the violence on the organizers of the rally, the
radical Self-Determination movement, the Albanian-language paper "Koha
ditore" reported on February 12. A February 12 report by KosovaLive
news agency said doctors in the central hospital in Prishtina denied
reports that a third protester had died. One man is in a stable but
critical condition. The violence has raised the specter of a broader
conflict if a UN plan for the region is accepted in its current form
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 5, 2007). Ethnic Albanian radicals
argue that the UN should grant Kosova outright independence, while
ethnic Serbian community leaders have rejected the proposal in its
entirety (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 7, 2007). There have been
warnings from both sides of the ethnic divide of a fresh conflict (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," February 2 and 6, 2007). The violence has already
had an impact on Kosova's international efforts to win support for its
independence: Prime Minister Agim Ceku postponed a planned February 12
visit to China, one of the two permanent members of the UN Security
Council to have voiced opposition to the imposition of a solution on
the Serbian authorities. AG
[27] MONTENEGRO INVESTIGATES 12 OVER KOSOVA WAR CRIMES
Prosecutors in Montenegro have launched an investigation into 12 former
Yugoslav soldiers for their alleged role in the slaughter of 21 Kosovar
Albanian refugees between March and May 1999, RFE/RL's South Slavic and
Albanian Languages Service and local media reported on February 12. A
judge at the court in Bijelo Polje, Milorad Smolovic, said most of the
suspects are Montenegrins, but some are Serbian citizens, AP reported.
The soldiers include officers and reservists. The refugees, who
included children and old people, were fleeing the war in Kosova when
they were killed. An estimated 16,000 ethnic Albanian refugees remain
in Montenegro, and ways to facilitate their return to Kosova were the
subject of a February 7 meeting between Kosovar Deputy Prime Minister
Lutfi Haziri and the head of the Office for Refugees in Montenegro.
Montenegro and Serbia were part of the same state in 1999 and shared an
army, but the republic's government was critical of Serbia's crackdown
on separatists and ethnic Albanians in Kosova. Montenegro has
maintained an essentially neutral stance on the UN blueprint for the
future of Kosova, calling for a "viable" solution (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," February 7, 2007). Human rights groups have criticized
Montenegro for failing to address accusations of crimes committed
against Bosnian Muslim refugees during the 1992-95 war. AG
[28] WAR CRIMINAL JAILED IN BOSNIA, INDICTEE'S SUPPORTERS TARGETED
Bosnia-Herzegovina's War Crimes Chamber on February 12 sentenced a
Bosnian Serb, Predrag Miskovic, to eight years in prison for crimes
committed against civilians in the Grbavica district of Sarajevo during
the 1992-95 war, Bosnia-Herzegovina Radio 1 reported the same day.
Miskovic was arrested in March 2006. On February 12, Human Rights Watch
praised the War Crimes Chamber for making "considerable progress in
bringing perpetrators to justice." However, it said the court needs to
do more to explain its work and clarify how it selects cases for
prosecution. The War Crimes Chamber, which was established in early
2005, has also taken on five cases referred to it by the Hague-based
ICTY. Also on February 12, special police forces in the Bosnian Serb
autonomous region, Republika Srpska, raided the home and business of a
local banker suspected of helping war crimes indictee Stojan Zupljanin
evade capture. Republika Srpska Interior Ministry spokeswoman Tamara
Despenic told Reuters that Radovan Bajic is suspected of helping
Zupljanin "through financial and other means." Bajic said he believed
the main reason for the raid was a 300,000-Bosnian-mark ($204,000) loan
his bank gave in 2004 to a company run by Zupljanin's son, Reuters
reported. Zupljanin is one of six Serbs or Bosnian Serbs still wanted
for trial by the ICTY. His alleged crimes were committed against both
Muslims and Croats in western Bosnia. AG
[29] TRANSDNIESTER SWEARS IN NEW GOVERNMENT
The new government of the breakaway region of Transdniester was sworn
in on February 12, the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported the same
day. The new cabinet is largely the same as the old government, with
the key portfolios -- foreign affairs, state security, defense, and the
economy -- all being kept in the same hands. The previous government of
Transdniester, which broke away from Moldova in 1992 after a short but
bloody conflict, resigned after President Igor Smirnov was elected for
a fourth term in elections in December. Smirnov, who moved from his
native Russia to Moldova in 1986, has been in power since 1990. In late
January, Transdniester's Supreme Soviet revoked earlier decisions to
back the formation of a federation or confederation with Moldova, the
English-language "Tiraspol Times" reported on February 1. AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[30] TALIBAN CLAIM CAPTURE OF SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN'S WASHIR DISTRICT
A website purporting to represent the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan --
the name of the country under the Taliban -- posted a statement on
February 12 claiming the capture of the Washir district of Helmand
Province by the "mujahedin of the Islamic Emirate" as a result of
nighttime attacks. The posting claims that 20 "mercenary soldiers" -- a
term frequently used by the Taliban for the Afghan National Army --
have been captured along with three "pick-up" vehicles, and that a
local council and a Shari'a court will determine the fate of the
captured soldiers. The website claims that the "mujahedin" captured the
district in an earlier attack, but for tactical reasons evacuated their
forces. Residents of Washir have claimed that around 300 Taliban rebels
captured the district and detained a number of policemen,
Peshawar-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported on February 12.
However, Helmand security commander General Nabi Jan Mullahkhayl denied
that the Taliban have captured Washir. The Afghan Interior Ministry
press office in Kabul told AIP that it has no information regarding
Washir. Taliban fighters have been in control of Musa Qala, a district
immediately north of Washir, since early February (see item below).
Washir is sparsely populated, but the main highway between Kandahar and
Herat passes through the district. AT
[31] GOVERNOR OF SOUTHERN AFGHAN PROVINCE PROPOSES TALKS WITH TALIBAN
Helmand Province Governor Asadullah Wafa has proposed talks with the
Taliban but has not yet received a response, Tolo Television reported
on February 12. Andrew Edwards, speaking for the UN Assistance Mission
in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told reporters in Kabul on February 12 that his
office favors talks between the two sides. It is unclear whether the
proposed negotiations will focus only on Musa Qala, which the Taliban
overran in early February, or on the broader Taliban insurgency in
Helmand. The Taliban have rejected talks on Musa Qala and vowed to
fight to maintain control of the town (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February
6, 7, and 12, 2007). AT
[32] U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY MEETS WITH PAKISTANI PRESIDENT TO DISCUSS
AFGHANISTAN
Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Pakistani President General
Pervez Musharraf during a one-day trip to Rawalpindi on February 12,
Islamabad's PTV reported. Musharraf reportedly told Gates that the
problems of extremism and terrorism are homegrown in Afghanistan and
that the Taliban are infiltrating Pakistan from Afghanistan. Musharraf
stressed the need for the repatriation of Afghan refugees, claiming
that terrorists and militants use the refugee camps in Pakistan as
hiding places. Before leaving Pakistan, Gates told reporters that
Pakistan is "playing a very constructive role" along the Afghan border,
the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported on February 12.
Commenting on negative statements by commanders from NATO states in
Afghanistan, Gates said that "negative comments are never productive"
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 12, 2007). Gates said the United
States is in Afghanistan "for a long haul" and thanked Musharraf for
"Pakistan's help in the war on terror." Kabul and Islamabad, two key
counterterrorism allies of the United States, are at odds as
Afghanistan blames its neighbor for supporting the militants. AT
[33] CANADA TO LEASE GERMAN MAIN BATTLE TANKS FOR AFGHAN OPERATIONS
Ottawa has requested Germany to purchase 20 Leopard 2 A6 main battle
tanks for operations in Afghanistan, "Der Speigel" reported on February
12. Since the Canadians have asked for M-series main battle tanks that
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, the German manufacturer of the main battle
tanks, cannot deliver on time, Ottawa has asked to lease tanks from the
German military for two years. The M-version of Leopard 2 A6s
reportedly offer increased protection against mine blasts. Canada has
troops in southern Afghanistan, mainly in Kandahar Province. Ottawa's
interest in the advanced tanks could signal a shift toward a more
aggressive military policy there, with an expectation of increased
conventional engagements. Meanwhile, the Defense Committee in the
Canadian Senate on February 12 unveiled a 11-point strategy on Canada's
military involvement in Afghanistan, "The Toronto Star" reported. The
committee calls for deployment of more than 300 additional police and
military trainers to Kandahar and criticizes NATO members have not
contributed to the Afghan mission. The committee warns that if more
troops and equipment are not delivered to the field as requested by
commanders, Ottawa might have to rethink its commitment to stay in
Afghanistan until 2009. AT
[34] IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SEES UNITY AS ANSWER TO FOREIGN PRESSURES
Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki told ISNA on February 12
that national unity is the appropriate response to foreign pressures
over its nuclear program, and he said foreign powers would exploit any
mixed signals from Iran on the issue. "It is the people's extensive
presence that will change Westerners' conduct," Mottaki said, referring
to a mass march the previous day to commemorate the 1979 Islamic
Revolution. "They started an extensive psychological operation a month
ago, [saying] that we shall attack," Mottaki said. He added that Iran
must continue its "lawful path" and state its positions, "which are
straightforward and transparent, to the world." Talks, he said, are
really to clarify each side's reasoning and positions. "I think
insisting on rational...positions and publicizing them will lead them
to say [that] Iran is right, even in their resolutions." Separately, EU
foreign ministers agreed on February 12 on rules for implementing a ban
on the sale to Iran of parts and material that could be used in its
nuclear and missile programs, news agencies reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," January 24, 2007). The ban follows an earlier EU ministerial
agreement and December's UN resolution targeting Iran's program. VS
[35] IRANIAN LEGISLATOR DEPLORES IAEA'S REDUCED COOPERATION
Alaeddin Borujerdi, the head of the Iranian parliament's National
Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told IRNA on February 12 that
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is breaking its own rules
with its recent decision to cut technical aid to Iran's nuclear
program. "Technical collaborations are part of the [IAEA's] duties" as
"stressed" in its charter, Borujerdi said. He said the decision,
reported by news agencies on February 9, "weakens" the "principle of
the [IAEA's] existence" as a global body, and that IAEA
Director-General Muhammad el-Baradei should not "sacrifice" IAEA rules
to "political relations." Iran will not "wait for the agency's
technical aid," Borujerdi added. On February 12, Foreign Ministry
spokesman Mohammad Ali Husseini said in Tehran that the IAEA maintains
some cooperation with Iran, which shows "Iran's activities are
peaceful," ISNA reported. He said December's UN resolution forced the
IAEA to reduce its cooperation, "which means the basis of cooperation
is juridical and legal, and the basis of interruption is political."
Iran would consider any proposal over its program, "even [fuel-making]
suspension, within the framework of negotiations," while an unspecified
"Swiss proposal" could be considered "if it assures Iran's rights,"
ISNA quoted Husseini as saying. VS
[36] IRANIAN JURISTS REJECT BILL ON CONCURRENT POLLS
The Guardians Council, which vets Iran's laws on constitutional and
religious grounds, has rejected as unconstitutional a bill that
parliament backed on January 23 to hold the next parliamentary and
presidential elections concurrently, Radio Farda reported on February
12, citing Fars News Agency. The move would have required the present
parliament to sit for an extra year, so elections for the presidency
and legislature could be held in the Persian year to March 20, 2010,
Radio Farda reported. VS
[37] IRAN'S INTELLIGENCE MINISTER REPORTS SECURITY SWEEPS TO ROOT OUT
'ENEMIES'
Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said in Qom on
February 9 that Iran has identified 100 U.S. and Israeli spies "in
frontier regions," although he did not give details of any measures
taken against them, Fars reported. Mohseni-Ejei said "the enemies" have
sought to train spies in Iran, but his ministry has identified and
arrested "all the people" who have sought at an unspecified time to
leave Iran, ostensibly for "educational courses, with the aim of
attending espionage courses." Other reports suggested he was referring
to a recent travel ban imposed on two activists invited to attend a
seminar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," February 5 and 9, 2007). Iranian officials apparently
stopped the activists after they found out about "America's new plot"
-- a February 6-7 seminar at MIT whose topics reportedly included the
role of federalism in democratization, "Aftab-i Yazd" reported on
February 10, citing Mehr. Mohseni-Ejei added in Qom that "there is no
specific report [or] plan" of "a possible [U.S.] military attack on
Iran." He also said 80 people are being prosecuted for alleged
financial corruption, but added that "we cannot reveal their names"
while their dossiers are being processed. He added that three members
of a purported "oil mafia" have been arrested, but divulged no further
details. VS
[38] IRAQI COURT SENTENCES FORMER VICE PRESIDENT TO DEATH
An Iraqi court sentenced former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin
Ramadan on February 12 to death by hanging for the "premeditated
murder" of dozens of Al-Dujayl residents following a failed
assassination attempt against then-President Saddam Hussein in 1982,
RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported. Ramadan was sentenced to life in
prison following his conviction in the Al-Dujayl trial in November. The
conviction was upheld on appeal in December, but the sentence was
toughened at the February 12 appeal. Ramadan will have one more chance
at appeal, Reuters reported. He has denied any role in the Al-Dujayl
incident. KR
[39] TWO GERMANS MISSING IN IRAQ
Two German nationals are feared missing in Iraq, German Foreign
Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced on February 12, Reuters
reported. Steinmeier said the two, missing since February 6, may have
been abducted by force. A ministry spokesman said the German government
is "taking all the necessary steps" to find the two, but did not
elaborate. The "Der Tagesspiegel" newspaper identified the two as the
60-year-old wife of an Iraqi doctor and her son; the two reportedly
have dual Iraqi-German citizenship. Meanwhile, citing government
sources, the German daily "Bild" reported that the kidnappers have
threatened to shoot the hostages. KR
[40] ARAB LEADER IN KIRKUK SEEKS INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION...
Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Asi, head of the Arab Grouping for Kirkuk's
Tribes, told Al-Jazeera television on February 11 that the decision by
the Iraqi Higher Committee for the Normalization of Kirkuk to return
Arabs brought to Kirkuk under Saddam Hussein's Arabization campaign to
their homes in central and southern Iraq reflects the Kurdish position
and does not take into consideration the opinions of Arabs or Turkomans
living there (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," February 9, 2007). Al-Asi
contended that Kirkuk was never a Kurdish city and thus should not be
incorporated into the autonomous Kurdistan region. He said his group
wants "Kirkuk to be for all Arabs, Turkomans, and Kurds, far away from
sectarian and ethnic considerations," and he called on Iran, Turkey,
Syria, and the United Nations to intervene and help solve the issue. KR
[41] ...AS KURDISH LEADER SAYS MOST ARABS WOULD BE HAPPY TO LEAVE
Kurdistan regional parliament speaker Adnan al-Mufti told Al-Jazeera in
a February 12 interview that "only a minority" of Arabs and Turkomans
living in Kirkuk object to the implementation of the normalization
committee's decision. "Some Arab brothers who were in the city before
1968 have fears. We understand some of these fears, but all should
abide by the constitution," al-Mufti said. He said that "many" Arabs
and Turkomans living in Kirkuk have said they support Article 140 of
the constitution calling for Arabs moved to Kirkuk under the
Arabization campaign to be returned to their homes. Asked about the
position of Turkomans, al-Mufti said: "If Article 140 is implemented
and the inhabitants of the city decide to join the [Kurdish] region,
Turkomans will be the second [-largest] community in the region and
will enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Iraqi Constitution and the
Kurdistan constitution," including having a deputy prime minister in
the regional government. He denied that Kurds have forged passports to
claim residency in the city, and he said the committee overseeing the
issue is headed by the justice minister, who is an Arab. "There is
transparency and things are done in front of the whole world," al-Mufti
said. KR
[42] FORMER SAUDI ENVOY COMMENTS ON SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN IRAQ
Prince Turki al-Faysal, former Saudi ambassador to Washington and
chairman of the King Faysal Center for Islamic Research and Studies,
told London-based "Al-Hayat" that sectarian violence in Iraq harms Arab
and Muslim states, the daily reported on February 11. "All of us will
be affected by the increase in any sectarian escalation in the region,"
he said. Regarding sectarian violence, al-Faysal said: "What is
happening in Iraq today is not a sectarian war, as much as it is a
political war that dons the garb of sectarianism. The fact is they are
politicians who want to achieve political aims and objectives by using
a sect, be it Sunni or Shi'ite, or by using ethnicity, be it Arab or
Kurdish, and here lies the danger: that the sect or ethnicity becomes
the instrument through which politicians aspire to achieve their
goals." KR
End Note
[43] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
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