|
|
|
RFE/RL Newsline, 07-12-07
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIAN NAVY WILL RETURN TO ATLANTIC, MEDITERRANEAN
[02] RUSSIA PLEDGES NOT TO BUILD UP TROOP CONCENTRATIONS AFTER
SUSPENDING CFE
[03] MINISTER IRKED THAT NO RUSSIAN PERSONNEL WILL BE BASED IN POLAND,
CZECH REPUBLIC
[04] FINLAND IS 'NOT INTERESTED' IN JOINING RUSSIAN-GERMAN PIPELINE
PROJECT
[05] EU WANTS MONITORS FOR RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL VOTE
[06] VENEZUELA PLANS TO BUY RUSSIAN REFUELING, TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT
[07] KREMLIN REPORTEDLY MULLS ENHANCED PUBLIC CHAMBER
[08] OLIGARCHS UNION HEAD SAYS SOME PRIVATIZATION DEALS SHOULD BE
REVIEWED
[09] LIBERAL PARTIES FACE CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE
[10] MORE THAN 100 UNIFIED RUSSIA CANDIDATES EXPECTED TO REJECT DUMA
SEATS
[11] RUSHAILO GETS FEDERATION COUNCIL SEAT
[12] KALMYKIA PRESIDENT FIRES CABINET
[13] CHECHEN REFERENDUM RESULTS MADE PUBLIC
[14] PROSECUTORS REFUSE TO VERIFY TRAIN-BOMBING SUSPECTS' ALIBI
[15] ANOTHER POLICE OFFICER SHOT DEAD IN KABARDINO-BALKARIA
[16] SLAIN NALCHIK MILITANTS' FAMILIES APPEAL TO PROSECUTOR-GENERAL
[17] PACE OFFICIAL STRESSES NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT IN CONDUCT OF ARMENIAN
ELECTION
[18] GEORGIAN COURT UNFREEZES EMBATTLED TV STATION'S ASSETS
[19] GEORGIAN PREMIER ANNOUNCES CUT IN DEFENSE SPENDING
[20] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PARTY CALLS FOR ELECTION BOYCOTT
[21] KYRGYZ MINISTRY RELEASES NEW DETAILS IN JOURNALIST'S MURDER
INVESTIGATION
[22] TAJIK PRESIDENT DISCUSSES SECURITY, INVESTMENT WITH JAPANESE
LEADERS
[23] UZBEK MAN DEPORTED FROM RUSSIA
[24] BELARUS OPENS DOORS TO EUROPEAN COMMISSION DELEGATION
[25] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITIONIST URGES EU, U.S. TO SPEAK TO MINSK IN 'ONE
VOICE'
[26] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION INVITES AUTHORITIES TO DISCUSS FORTHCOMING
ELECTIONS
[27] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CALLS APPROVAL OF SPEAKER STEP TOWARD
STABILITY...
[28] ...AND NOMINATES TYMOSHENKO FOR PRIME MINISTER
[29] SERBIA WANTS KOSOVARS BARRED FROM UN MEETING
[30] SERBIA, CROATIA CLASH OVER BOSNIA...
[31] ...AND DIFFER ON KOSOVA
[32] FORMER SERBIAN PREMIER EXPECTS PARTITION OF KOSOVA
[33] DEADLINE FOR CLAIMS TO KOSOVA PROPERTY PASSES
[34] ICTY CHIEF URGES EU TO USE LEVERAGE WITH SERBIA
[35] DUBROVNIK INDICTEE UNFIT TO STAND TRIAL
[36] MILOSEVIC AIDE CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING
[37] OUTGOING BOSNIAN PREMIER RENOMINATED TO POST
[38] SPAIN TAKES COMMAND OF EUFOR
[39] MOLDOVA, TAJIKISTAN BENEFIT MOST FROM REMITTANCES
[40] UN CALLS FOR DEFENSE OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN
[41] AFGHAN COMMANDERS IN PARWAN PROVINCE SURRENDER WEAPONS
[42] AFGHAN PRESIDENTIAL AIDE REJECTS NEGOTIATIONS WITH MULLAH OMAR,
HEKMATYAR
[43] YOUNG AFGHAN ACTORS FROM 'KITE RUNNER' FILM LEAVE AFGHANISTAN
[44] IRANIAN LEADER SAYS INJUSTICE IS FRUIT OF WESTERN IDEAS
[45] IRAN INSISTS ON RIGHT TO USE NUCLEAR POWER...
[46] ...AS SPOKESMAN SAYS IRAN'S CASE CLOSED
[47] BRITISH BANK SEVERS TIES WITH IRAN
[48] U.S. COMMANDER WARNS AL-QAEDA STILL A THREAT IN IRAQ
[49] U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY VISITS IRAQ, EXPRESSES OPTIMISM
[50] IRAQI TRADE MINISTER SAYS FOOD AID LIKELY TO BE CUT
[51] IRAQI KURDISH PARTIES PLAN NEW LEADERSHIP ROLES
[52] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
Thursday, December 6, 2007 Volume 11 Number 225
Russia
[01] RUSSIAN NAVY WILL RETURN TO ATLANTIC, MEDITERRANEAN
Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on December 5 at a meeting with
President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin that Russia will resume naval
exercises in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean that will last "from
today and until February 3, 2008," Russian and international media
reported. Serdyukov added that "the expedition is aimed at ensuring a
naval presence in tactically important regions of the [world's oceans],
as well as establishing secure conditions for Russian navigation." The
task force consists of four warships, seven support vessels, 47 planes,
and 10 helicopters. It will be the largest Russian naval presence in
the Mediterranean since President Boris Yeltsin sent a squadron to the
Adriatic in 1999 in connection with the Kosova conflict. On December 6,
Interfax reported that the Northern Fleet's part of the task force, led
by the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov," has started its voyage
from Severomorsk near Murmansk in the direction of the North Atlantic.
The online analytical publication "Stratfor Commentary" wrote on
December 6 that "to float this task force, Russia had to cherry-pick
ships from its Black Sea, Baltic, and Northern fleets.... It is the
maximum the Russian navy can project at present, and the slow rate that
Russian shipyards operate at suggests this will remain the case for
some time." The publication added that the purpose of the exercise
seems to be more political than military. It argued that "Russia in
theory could reestablish itself as a permanent Mediterranean naval
power, using a Cold War-era port in Syria. That in turn could embolden
Damascus to take a firmer stance in dealing with Israel and the United
States, which could have its own knock-on effect for U.S.-Iranian
relations. The Russians are searching for levers to disrupt the recent
progress in the Middle East; this may prove to be one of them." Putin
said on August 17 that ageing Russian strategic bombers resumed regular
long-range flights after a hiatus of about 15 years (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," September 14, 17, 21, and 25, 2007). Independent analysts
concluded recently that the military decline characteristic of the
post-Soviet period continues nonetheless (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 14, 2007). PM
[02] RUSSIA PLEDGES NOT TO BUILD UP TROOP CONCENTRATIONS AFTER
SUSPENDING CFE
Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko reaffirmed in an interview
with Interfax on December 6 that Russia will not unilaterally build up
its forces in Europe even after it suspends participation in the 1990
Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) on December 12 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 8 and December 4, 2007). He also proposed that the
NATO-Russia Council, which meets in Brussels on December 7, lay the
foundation for a joint missile-defense system. Grushko stressed that if
"the U.S. [missile-defense] project is implemented the way the U.S.
side has announced, the European security architecture, including the
missile-defense area, will change dramatically." PM
[03] MINISTER IRKED THAT NO RUSSIAN PERSONNEL WILL BE BASED IN POLAND,
CZECH REPUBLIC
On December 5, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov repeated his criticism of
the proposals on missile defense that Washington recently submitted to
Russia in writing, saying they constitute a step back from what U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates
told their Russian counterparts in Moscow in October, news agencies
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 28, 2007). Lavrov
particularly regretted that "the proposal no longer talks about a
permanent presence of Russian officers at proposed facilities in the
third positioning region, in the Czech Republic and Poland, but it
talks only about individual visits [by Russia's representatives] if
Czech or Polish authorities agree to that." Czech Prime Minister Mirek
Topolanek has repeatedly ruled out any permanent Russian military
presence on Czech territory and said that only brief visits by Russian
civilian "experts" will be permitted (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October
22, 23, and 25, and November 7, 2007). On December 5, Lavrov also
expressed disappointment with what he called a change in the U.S.
position regarding Washington's offer to hold off activating the
missile-defense system until a concrete threat emerges. He said that
the written proposals indicate that threats will be evaluated "not
jointly, but by the United States, based on its own analysis.... This
is a radical contradiction to our approach." In Prague on December 5,
the Czech Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the recent U.S.
intelligence report on Iran will not affect Czech support for the
missile-defense system because "the report deals with a nuclear
program, not with a program to develop missiles." The daily
"Komsomolskaya pravda" wrote on December 6 that Washington has
"rethought" its position on Russian access to the missile-defense
sites. The paper added that the U.S. intelligence report rules out the
possibility of any Iranian nuclear threat at present, and argues that
"it is now clear to everyone against whom" the U.S. missile-defense
system is directed. PM
[04] FINLAND IS 'NOT INTERESTED' IN JOINING RUSSIAN-GERMAN PIPELINE
PROJECT
Finnish Ambassador to Russia Harri Helenius said at a news conference
in Moscow on December 5 that his country and Sweden both have
environmental concerns regarding the route of the projected
Russian-German Nord Stream gas pipeline, Interfax reported. He stressed
that "Finland is not interested in increasing Russian gas imports and
is not interested in joining the construction of the Nord Stream gas
pipeline." Poland, Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic states all object to
Nord Stream on political or economic grounds or both. A recent meeting
in Moscow between the prime ministers of Russia and Finland, Viktor
Zubkov and Matti Vanhanen, centered on cooperation in energy, forestry,
and the high-tech sector, "The Moscow Times" reported on November 28.
The paper added that concerns regarding Nord Stream were also on the
agenda, as was the need to end the long waiting period for trucks at
crossing points on the countries' 1,300-kilometer border. The
government daily "Rossiiskaya gazeta" wrote on November 28 that the
prime ministers spoke "openly" about their concerns. The paper added,
however, that differences do not seem to have affected bilateral
economic cooperation, which has rebounded in recent years following its
near collapse after the breakup of the Soviet Union. PM
[05] EU WANTS MONITORS FOR RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL VOTE
EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on December
5 that "we do hope for the future presidential elections on March 2
that there will be an invitation to Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observers in due time and in an
appropriate way," Deutsche Welle reported. Prior to the recent
parliamentary elections, the Russian authorities imposed restrictions
on election monitors that prevented the OSCE's Office For Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) from fielding a monitoring
mission (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 3 and 4, 2007). PM
[06] VENEZUELA PLANS TO BUY RUSSIAN REFUELING, TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT
Venezuelan Air Force Colonel Oswaldo Hernandez Sanchez said in Caracas
on December 5 that the government of President Hugo Chavez wants to buy
at least 12 additional Russian military planes, including Ilyushin
Il-76 (Candid) transport planes and Il-78 (Midas) refueling aircraft,
AP reported. Chavez has in recent years become a well-publicized
customer for the Russian arms industry, seeking products ranging from
Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles to submarines and jet aircraft (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," June 28 and 29, July 2, August 16 and 21, and
October 30, 2007). He says that Venezuela needs the transport planes to
replace ageing U.S.-built Hercules C-130 aircraft because of
Washington's embargo on arms sales to that country. The ban was imposed
in response to what the United States calls a lack of support by
Chavez's government for counterterrorism efforts and its increasingly
close relations with Iran and Cuba. In Montevideo, Uruguay, the Russian
Embassy announced on December 5 that President Putin has been invited
to attend the summit of the South American Mercosur trading bloc, in
which Venezuela seeks full membership, AP reported. An embassy press
officer said that the chances of Putin accepting the invitation are
"low" and that a final decision might not be made until shortly before
the December 17-18 meeting. PM
[07] KREMLIN REPORTEDLY MULLS ENHANCED PUBLIC CHAMBER
The presidential administration plans to expand the scope of authority
of the Public Chamber, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on December 6.
President Putin is expected to meet with the newly composed chamber at
its first session in late January, just weeks before the March 2
presidential election, and the newspaper reports he plans to discuss
the reform at that time. Aleksandr Shokhin, head of the Russian Union
of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists (RSPP), the so-called oligarchs
union, told the daily that the administration could propose amending
the constitution to include reference to the Public Chamber, which was
created in 2005 (see "Russia: New Public Chamber Criticized As
'Smokescreen,'" rferl.org, March 17, 2005). Chamber member Valery
Tishkov noted that the French Constitution includes reference to that
country's public chamber and told the daily, "we should keep that in
view if, for some reason, [our constitution] is going to be changed."
Kremlin-connected analyst Sergei Markov, who is a member of the
chamber, said boosting the status of the Public Chamber could be part
of an effort to create mechanisms by which Putin will be able to
control his successor. RC
[08] OLIGARCHS UNION HEAD SAYS SOME PRIVATIZATION DEALS SHOULD BE
REVIEWED
RSPP head Shokhin told RIA Novosti on December 6 that "business does
not object to a reconsideration of [privatization] deals that were
carried out in clear violation of the law." He added, however, that the
union opposes "state raiding." "It would be quite correct if the
government would set an example," Shokhin said. "If it acquires shares
in one or another business, it should state openly why it is doing so."
Shokhin added that the main problem facing business today is overcoming
the widening gap between the rich and the poor and creating more jobs.
In an interview with "Kommersant" on November 30, businessman Oleg
Shvartzman said the state is carrying out a "velvet reprivatization" in
favor of Kremlin insiders, naming deputy presidential-administration
head Igor Sechin. "This isn't raiding," he said. "We don't take over
enterprises -- we minimize their market value using various means. As a
rule, these are voluntary-compulsory means. There is a market value,
there are mechanisms for blocking its growth, of course, all sorts of
administrative things. But, as a rule, people understand where we are
coming from...." In an interview with "Izbrannoye" that was posted on
November 30, RSPP executive Oleg Kiselyov said: "My feeling about this
publication is ambivalent. Yes, it is unpleasant, loathsome,
disgusting, but it is true. I can't help but be glad that someone is
speaking about this publicly." RC
[09] LIBERAL PARTIES FACE CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE
Rumors have surfaced that the leadership of the Union of Rightist
Forces (SPS) and Yabloko parties might be changed following their
crushing defeat in the December 2 Duma elections (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," December 3, 2007), "Novyye izvestia" reported on December 5.
The paper speculated that SPS Political Council member and the party's
likely presidential candidate Boris Nemtsov could be named to replace
party leader Nikita Belykh at the party's national congress in Moscow
on December 17. Nemtsov was one of the party's four co-leaders --
together with Irina Khakamada, Yegor Gaidar, and Anatoly Chubais -- who
all stepped down following the 2003 Duma elections, in which SPS polled
just 3.97 percent according to official results. Former Economy
Minister Yevgeny Yasin was also named as a possible candidate to take
over the post. Meanwhile, Yabloko party youth leader Ilya Yashin said
on December 5 that he is ready to take over from Grigory Yavlinsky as
the party's leader, "The Moscow Times" reported on December 6. Yabloko
polled 1.6 percent in the December 2 vote. Yashin said that "maybe it
was a mistake" for the party to participate in the elections, and
thereby help legitimize an undemocratic process. "[Yavlinsky] is not a
street leader," Yashin said. "Today our party needs the kind of leader
who can bring people onto the streets to fight against the system."
"Novyye izvestia" quoted Yabloko sources as saying it may be time for
the party to have a collective leadership rather than focusing so much
on Yavlinsky. RC
[10] MORE THAN 100 UNIFIED RUSSIA CANDIDATES EXPECTED TO REJECT DUMA
SEATS
Political analyst Aleksandr Kynev has calculated that as many as 118 of
the 600 Duma candidates on the Unified Russia party list will refuse to
take their seats in the legislature, "Vedomosti" reported on December 5
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 5, 2007). He said the party had 31
such "refuseniks" in the 2003 elections. Deputies-elect have five days
after the publication of official election results to inform the
Central Election Commission whether they accept their mandates, whether
they reject them, or whether they reject the mandate now but wish to
remain on the party's list in the event of vacancies in the future. RC
[11] RUSHAILO GETS FEDERATION COUNCIL SEAT
Former Interior Minister and Executive Director of the Commonwealth of
Independent States Vladimir Rushailo has been confirmed as the
Federation Council representative of the legislature of Arkhangelsk
Oblast, "Kommersant" reported on December 6. Rushailo, who has no
particular connection with Arkhangelsk Oblast, replaces Yury Sivkov,
who drowned while fishing on November 8. RC
[12] KALMYKIA PRESIDENT FIRES CABINET
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov fired Prime Minister Anatoly Kozachko on December 6
and named Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Vladimir
Sengleyev, 40, to head a new cabinet, regnum.ru and "Rossiiskaya
gazeta" reported on December 5 and 6, respectively. Ilyumzhinov praised
Kozachko's track record since his appointment in 2003, but said new
blood is needed to implement economic modernization, including the
construction of a new oil refinery and energy-sector projects. Kozachko
has been named a state adviser on livestock breeding. Addressing the
outgoing cabinet on December 5, Sengleyev said his primary goal will be
to downsize to some 750 personnel the government apparatus, which
currently numbers 1,300 bureaucrats in 28 ministries, regnum.ru
reported. The republic's population in 2002 was 292,410. LF
[13] CHECHEN REFERENDUM RESULTS MADE PUBLIC
Chechen Central Election Commission Chairman Ismail Baikhanov announced
in Grozny on December 5 that 96.15 percent of the republic's electorate
participated in the December 2 referendum on amendments to the
republic's constitution, kavkaz-uzel.ru and regnum.ru reported. That is
marginally fewer than voted in the elections the same day to the
Russian State Duma, in which Chechnya boasted the highest voter turnout
-- 99.5 percent -- of any federation subject (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
December 3, 2007). An overwhelming majority -- 96.88 percent --
approved the proposed amendments, which include extending from four to
five years the term of office of the republic head and parliament and
replacing the bicameral parliament elected in 2004 with a unicameral
legislature. LF
[14] PROSECUTORS REFUSE TO VERIFY TRAIN-BOMBING SUSPECTS' ALIBI
Murad Yunusov, a lawyer representing one of the two Khidriyev brothers
charged with perpetrating the August 13 bomb attack on the Neva Express
train, said on December 5 that investigators have taken no steps to
question witnesses who can testify that the two men were working as
usual on a construction site in Ingushetia on the day of the attack,
kavkaz-uzel.ru reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 25 and November
2 and 26, 2007). Interfax on December 5 quoted Dmitry Dovgy, a senior
official of the Prosecutor-General's Office, as saying that while there
is "enough evidence" incriminating Maksharip and Amirkhan Khidriyev,
"we are continuing our investigation," and it would be premature to say
the case is solved. LF
[15] ANOTHER POLICE OFFICER SHOT DEAD IN KABARDINO-BALKARIA
Unknown gunmen shot and killed a police officer late on December 5
outside his home in the village of Stary Cherek in Kabardino-Balkaria's
Urvan Raion, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. He was the fifth policeman to be
gunned down in recent months (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 26, August 20
and November 20, 2007). A police post in Khasanya on the southern
outskirts of Nalchik was subjected to automatic fire late on December
4, but no one was injured. LF
[16] SLAIN NALCHIK MILITANTS' FAMILIES APPEAL TO PROSECUTOR-GENERAL
Relatives of 95 men killed during the fighting in Nalchik in October
2005 between police and security forces and Islamic militants have
written to Deputy Prosecutor-General for the Southern Federal District
Ivan Sidoruk demanding that legal proceedings be opened against his
subordinate Aleksei Savrulin, regnum.ru reported on December 5, citing
lawyer Larisa Dorogova. Savrulin issued orders in June 2006 that the
men's bodies be cremated, rather than handed over to the families for
burial, on the grounds that they were "terrorists" (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," June 7, 2007). The families argue that decision was illegal
as the men's guilt was not established in court. Some of the dead were
innocent passersby caught in cross-fire. LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[17] PACE OFFICIAL STRESSES NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT IN CONDUCT OF ARMENIAN
ELECTION
Visiting Yerevan on December 5, Georges Colombier, a rapporteur for the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) committee that
monitors Armenia's compliance with its commitments to the Council of
Europe, told Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and other senior Armenian
officials that the presidential election to be held in February 2008
"must be better conducted" than the May 2007 parliamentary ballot,
RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. He added that the May vote was not
"handled badly," but that "everything must be done to make the February
19 elections more democratic." The initial Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) assessment of the May parliamentary
elections said that the Armenian authorities "were unable to fully
deliver a performance consistent with their stated intention that the
election would meet international standards" (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
May 14, 2007). Also on December 5, Sarkisian, who is widely regarded as
the likely winner of the February election, told journalists that he
"regrets" that former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian is barred from
participating in that ballot, as "he could have played a positive
role," RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Hovannisian, who was born in
the United States, was refused registration on the grounds that he has
not been a citizen of the Republic of Armenia for the required minimum
10 years. Sarkisian implied that Hovannisian would have won the
sympathies of some voters who may instead support former President
Levon Ter-Petrossian. LF
[18] GEORGIAN COURT UNFREEZES EMBATTLED TV STATION'S ASSETS
The Tbilisi City Court ruled on December 6 to unfreeze the impounded
assets of the opposition Imedi-TV station, but its staff will be
permitted to reenter the premises only on December 7 when that ruling
takes effect, civil.ge reported. Imedi's managing director, Bidzina
Baratashvili, complained to civil.ge that the authorities "are
deliberately dragging out the process." Imedi's broadcasting license
was suspended in late November for three months on the grounds that its
journalists advocated civil unrest during the antigovernment protests
in Tbilisi in early November. That suspension was lifted on December 4
in response to sustained pressure from the international community (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," November 8 and 26 and December 3 and 4, 2007).
Speaking at a press conference in Tbilisi on December 5, ombudsman
Sozar Subar hailed parliament speaker and acting President Nino
Burjanadze's December 3 announcement that Imedi will be permitted to
resume broadcasting, but at the same time expressed his concern at
"endless attempts to exert pressure on, curb, and tame the media,"
Caucasus Press reported on December 6. LF
[19] GEORGIAN PREMIER ANNOUNCES CUT IN DEFENSE SPENDING
Lado Gurgenidze told Reuters in Brussels on December 5 that his
government plans "significant" cuts in spending on defense and
infrastructure in order to balance the budget. He did not elaborate.
The draft 2008 budget initially set defense spending at 922.1 million
laris ($571.8 million), compared with a total of 1.495 billion laris in
2007, Caucasus Press reported. Arguing in October for the second of two
increases this year in defense spending, Nika Rurua, deputy chairman of
the parliament's Defense and Security Committee, said the additional
funds were required for construction of new military bases and to
increase the armed forces' manpower. Western experts have repeatedly
questioned why Tbilisi is intent on increasing the number of military
personnel in blatant defiance of NATO recommendations. LF
[20] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PARTY CALLS FOR ELECTION BOYCOTT
The Kyrgyz opposition Asaba (Flag) party on December 5 issued a call
for "all healthy political forces" in the country to boycott the
December 16 parliamentary elections, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported.
In a statement released in Bishkek, the party argued that the Kyrgyz
authorities and the Central Election Commission are limiting the
activities of opposition parties in an attempt to ensure their victory
in the coming elections. Asaba leader Azimbek Beknazarov explained that
the boycott threat is due to the authorities' use of "administrative
resources" to weaken the opposition, AKIpress reported. Bolotbek
Sherniyazov, a candidate from the opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland)
party, also recently warned that several opposition parties will hold
public rallies to protest the government's use of administrative
resources to thwart "equal opportunities for all participants" in the
run-up to the elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline," December 4, 2007). RG
[21] KYRGYZ MINISTRY RELEASES NEW DETAILS IN JOURNALIST'S MURDER
INVESTIGATION
Speaking in Bishkek on December 5, Interior Ministry official Melis
Turganbaev released new details in the investigation into the murder of
journalist Alisher Saipov, AKIpress reported. Turganbaev announced that
security forces are searching for two suspects identified by witnesses
as having carried out the October 24 shooting of the journalist in the
city of Osh (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 25, 2007). He added that
police have arrested the owner of a gun that forensic tests have proved
was used in the killing, according to the 24.kg website. He also
dismissed earlier reports suggesting that the killing was linked to
Saipov's reporting on corruption within Uzbekistan. Initial speculation
pointed to the Uzbek security services, seemingly bolstered by several
reports in the Uzbek state media criticizing Saipov, who was an ethnic
Uzbek, and calling him an "enemy of the Uzbek nation" and accusing him
of destabilizing the situation in the country. RG
[22] TAJIK PRESIDENT DISCUSSES SECURITY, INVESTMENT WITH JAPANESE
LEADERS
During an official state visit to Japan, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon
met on December 5 in Tokyo with Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko
Koumura to discuss bilateral relations and the activities of the
Japanese International Cooperation Agency in Tajikistan, Asia-Plus and
Avesta reported. Rahmon also briefed Koumura on regional security and
the situation in Afghanistan, and noted that he sees Japan as a
"strategic partner" of Tajikistan, ITAR-TASS reported. In a separate
meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Rahmon welcomed
Japanese interest in investing in the construction of the planned
Dusti-Panj-Farkhor-Guliston highway running through southern
Tajikistan. RG
[23] UZBEK MAN DEPORTED FROM RUSSIA
Russian officials on December 5 deported an Uzbek man wanted by the
Uzbek authorities for his suspected membership in an unidentified
Islamist group, Reuters reported. Russia's repatriation of Abdugani
Kamaliev, who was arrested in Russia in November 2006, was opposed by
the European Court of Human Rights, which argued against the
extradition on the grounds that Kamaliev could face jail and possible
torture if he was returned home. RG
Eastern Europe
[24] BELARUS OPENS DOORS TO EUROPEAN COMMISSION DELEGATION
Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Varanetski and Ian Boag, head
of the Kyiv-based European Commission delegation to Belarus, Moldova,
and Ukraine, on December 5 initialed a draft agreement on the
establishment of a European Commission delegation in Minsk, Belapan
reported. The European Commission asked the Belarusian authorities for
permission to open an office in Minsk in 2005, and at the same time
sent a draft agreement to the Belarusian government. The Belarusian
authorities gave their consent in April 2007, and the European
Commission sent the draft agreement once again. Belarusian President
Alyaksandr Lukashenka in October approved the draft as a basis for
further negotiations, and appointed Varanetski to negotiate the terms
with the Commission. Varanetski said that the December 5 agreement will
now be submitted to Lukashenka for his signature. AM
[25] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITIONIST URGES EU, U.S. TO SPEAK TO MINSK IN 'ONE
VOICE'
Anatol Lyabedzka, the leader of the United Civic Party (AHP), said on
December 4 in Washington that the European Commission and the U.S.
State Department should resume sending joint delegations to Belarus,
Belapan reported. "It is better to speak to Minsk in one voice, having
a single stance," Lyabedzka said during a hearing at the U.S. Congress
on the situation in Belarus. He proposed holding a conference on the
situation in Belarus bringing together Belarusian government officials
and opposition politicians with representatives of the European Union,
the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and their parliamentary organizations.
"The condition for holding this conference initiated by the European
Union is the [Belarusian authorities'] release of political prisoners,"
Lyabedzka said, adding that such a conference would clearly indicate
whether the Belarusian government is ready for reform. AM
[26] BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION INVITES AUTHORITIES TO DISCUSS FORTHCOMING
ELECTIONS
The opposition Political Council of United Pro-Democratic Forces has
urged the Presidential Administration to hold "direct consultations"
about the 2008 parliamentary elections, Belapan reported on December 5.
In a letter sent to presidential administration chief Henadz Nyavyhlas,
the opposition coalition called on the government to "develop joint
proposals that will make it possible to conduct in 2008 an election
whose legitimacy will be recognized by political organizations and all
voters in Belarus, as well as by the international community." The
letter also states that the opposition will decide on the basis of the
authorities' reply whether it participates in the forthcoming
elections. AM
[27] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CALLS APPROVAL OF SPEAKER STEP TOWARD
STABILITY...
President Viktor Yushchenko said on December 5 that the approval of
Arseniy Yatsenyuk as the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada is a step toward
political stability in Ukraine, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported.
Yushchenko also said that Yatsenyuk will act as a speaker for the whole
Ukrainian parliament, and not just for some factions. Yatsenyuk pledged
to treat lawmakers of all factions equally, and suggested offering some
parliamentary leadership posts to the opposition. Outgoing Prime
Minister Viktor Yanukovych, however, criticized the manner in which
Yatsenyuk was elected. Yanukovych said that 227 lawmakers of the Yulia
Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) and the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense bloc
(NUNS) endured a "humiliating procedure" during the vote, in which the
leaders of the two blocs "checked out" how lawmakers voted. AM
[28] ...AND NOMINATES TYMOSHENKO FOR PRIME MINISTER
President Yushchenko on December 6 nominated Yulia Tymoshenko, leader
of the parliamentary bloc bearing her name, for the post of Ukraine's
prime minister, UNIAN reported. "The head of state announced several
times that he would not delay the nomination of the premier. Now he has
kept his word," presidential staff chief Viktor Baloha said. However,
the approval of Tymoshenko may be delayed, as the BYuT and the NUNS
agreed in their coalition deal to pass a package of bills regarding the
functioning of the future government before approving the nominated
prime minister. AM
Southeastern Europe
[29] SERBIA WANTS KOSOVARS BARRED FROM UN MEETING
Kosovar Albanian leaders will not be able to speak at a crucial meeting
of the UN Security Council if a request by the Serbian government is
heeded. In a letter sent to the president of the Security Council,
Serbia's ambassador to the UN, Pavle Jevremovic, argued that as Kosova
is not a state its representatives can attend meetings of the Security
Council but not address it, Reuters reported on December 4. The meeting
on December 19 will discuss a report submitted by international
mediators detailing the course of direct talks between Belgrade and
Prishtina about Kosova's future, and could have a significant bearing
on whether talks continue. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica
hopes to be able to address the meeting. AG
[30] SERBIA, CROATIA CLASH OVER BOSNIA...
The widespread perception in the Balkans that Serbia is stoking
tensions within Bosnia-Herzegovina prompted a dispute between Croatian
President Stjepan Mesic and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar
Djelic on December 4, with Mesic declaring that "special relations
between the entities and neighboring countries, although permitted by
the Dayton agreement [which ended Bosnia's civil war in 1995], do not
serve the purpose of strengthening Bosnia-Herzegovina as a state."
Serbia and the ethnic-Serb-dominated Republika Srpska established a
special high-level cooperation council in September 2006, and sought to
reinvigorate cooperation again this September (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
September 7, 2007). Mesic's criticism, made at a conference in Brussels
and reported by the Croatian news agency Hina, prompted Djelic to
retort that "Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina vote for Croatia's parliament
and president, which is not the case with Serbs." Under legislation
dating back to the Balkan wars, Bosnian Croats were able to cast votes
on November 23 in Croatia's parliamentary elections. Mesic said he is
"not happy" about that law, but argued that, unlike Serbia, Croatia has
"abandoned" the pursuit of special relations with Bosnia's Croats and
has consistently sent the message to Bosnia's Croats that they should
"pursue their happiness in their homeland." Returning to Serbia's
relations with the Republika Srpska, Mesic said that Croatia "insists
that the entities in Bosnia-Herzegovina are not states, nor can they
act like states." AG
[31] ...AND DIFFER ON KOSOVA
Croatian President Mesic and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Djelic also
differed on the issue of Kosova's right to independence and partition.
Mesic argued that partition should be out of the question because "if
Serbs in northern Kosovo were to declare independence, Albanians in
southern Serbia would do the same thing, and that means war." Djelic
asked whether Mesic applied the same logic to Kosova, which he argued
is an integral part of Serbia and which, because it was never a
republic in the former Yugoslavia, does not have a right to
self-determination. Serbia officially opposes the partition of Kosova
and Djelic did not raise that option. Mesic described Kosova as having
been a constituent part of the Yugoslav federation and therefore has a
claim to self-determination. Croatia has backed the plan drawn up by
the UN's special envoy, Martti Ahtisaari, who argued in March that
Kosova should be granted "supervised independence." AG
[32] FORMER SERBIAN PREMIER EXPECTS PARTITION OF KOSOVA
Zoran Zivkovic, who served as Serbia's prime minister in 2003-04, has
told the news service Balkan Insight that "the only avenue" that could
lead to a resolution of Kosova's status between Belgrade and Prishtina
is partition. In the interview, which was published on December 5,
Zivkovic said that "partition is not the best nor the most democratic
solution, but it offers both sides something so they can achieve some
of their goals." He predicted that Kosova will become independent and
that ethnic Serbs "may opt to unilaterally declare they want to stay
within Serbia, using exactly the same arguments as Kosovo Albanians"
about their right to self-determination. Both Belgrade and Prishtina
officially reject the idea of partition. Zivkovic was critical of
official Serbian policy, describing Belgrade's claim that it is
defending the principle of sovereignty as "lame" and arguing that
Belgrade's policy is "insufficient to provide for the survival and
security of Kosovo Serbs." AG
[33] DEADLINE FOR CLAIMS TO KOSOVA PROPERTY PASSES
The deadline for claims to property in Kosova to be submitted has
passed, the Serbian news agency Tanjug reported on December 5. The
Kosova Property Agency, which is handling restitution and other
property issues, has received nearly 30,000 claims, mainly by people
displaced during the 1998-99 war. The second-most-senior official in
the UN Mission in Kosova (UNMIK), Steven Schook, said in August that
the number of cases handled by the agency "quite frankly set a standard
worldwide in any postconflict environment" (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
August 10, 2007). A report published this summer by the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe found that about 16,000 people
have returned to Kosova since the conflict and that about "10,405
residential properties belonging to currently displaced persons remain
destroyed" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 2, 2007). AG
[34] ICTY CHIEF URGES EU TO USE LEVERAGE WITH SERBIA
Carla Del Ponte, the outgoing chief prosecutor of the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), has urged the EU
not to formally adopt a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA)
with Serbia until Serbia arrests Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serbs'
wartime commander. Del Ponte, who was speaking at a conference on the
Balkans in Brussels on December 4, said the same after paying her last
official visit to Belgrade on December 3 (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
December 4, 2007), Reuters reported. With Del Ponte's blessing, the EU
"initialed" an SAA with Serbia in early November but the SAA has yet to
be fully adopted (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 8, 2007). In
Belgrade, Del Ponte argued that if the EU does not link the SAA with
cooperation on war crimes, Mladic will never be captured. In Brussels,
Del Ponte said that she believes Mladic is being protected by people
affiliated with the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), Serbia's most popular
party. The Croatian news agency Hina reported that, on the sidelines of
the conference, Del Ponte met with Croatian President Mesic, during
which, according to Mesic, Del Ponte supported Croatia's attempts to
persuade the courts to pass heavier sentences on three former officers
of the Yugoslav People's Army involved in the siege of Vukovar . Two of
them -- Mile Mrksic and Veselin Sljivancanin -- were found guilty, and
a third, Miroslav Radic, was acquitted of war crimes and has since been
indicted by a Croatian court (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 13, October
1 and 10, and November 1, 2007). Del Ponte told reporters that the ICTY
has "no problems with Croatia," which could "serve as an example" to
the region, Hina reported. AG
[35] DUBROVNIK INDICTEE UNFIT TO STAND TRIAL
A retired army officer at the center of a landmark war crimes case in
Serbia will not face charges, Serbian authorities decided on December
5. They argued that Vladimir "Rambo" Kovacevic, who is currently in a
military hospital in Belgrade, is suffering from a permanent mental
illness and is unfit to stand trial. For the same health reasons,
Kovacevic, who is charged with ordering troops of the former Yugoslav
People's Army to shell the port of Dubrovnik in 1991, was not brought
to trial before the ICTY. An expert called by the Serbian court,
Gordana Dedic, said it is impossible to know whether Kovacevic suffered
from the illness at the time of the shelling, though he had seen a
psychiatrist in 1988, media in the region reported. Dedic also said
that it is not possible to assess Kovacevic's mental condition at the
time when he committed the crimes he is charged with. The mayor of
Dubrovnik, Dubravka Suica, said she was deeply disappointed with the
ruling, the news agency Hina said. Kovacevic's case was the first to be
transferred from the ICTY to the Serbian justice system, in May (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," July 31, 2007). Two other men indicted at the same
time as Kovacevic in 2001 were sentenced on similar charges, for eight
years in the case of General Pavle Strugar and for seven years for
Admiral Miodrag Jokic. AG
[36] MILOSEVIC AIDE CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING
A close associate of the late Slobodan Milosevic is one of 15 men
indicted by Serbian prosecutors on December 5 on suspicion of running a
major cigarette-smuggling ring. Eight of the 15 men have been arrested
by police, including Milosevic's associate, Mihalj Kertes, who was the
head of Serbia's customs office (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 14, and
October 18, 2007). The alleged mastermind, a businessman called Stanko
Subotic, known also as "Cane," remains at liberty, Serbian media
reported. Special prosecutor Miljko Radosavljevic said the group earned
$7 million "by facilitating illegal imports and sales of cigarettes."
Kertes denies all the charges. AG
[37] OUTGOING BOSNIAN PREMIER RENOMINATED TO POST
Nikola Spiric, who resigned from his position as prime minister of
Bosnia-Herzegovina's federal government in October, has been nominated
by his fellow Bosnian Serbs for the post he vacated, local media
reported on December 5. Spiric resigned over governance reforms
demanded by Miroslav Lajcak, the international community's high
representative in the country. The leader of Spiric's party, Republika
Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, on November 30 accepted Lajcak's
reforms. Dodik predicted that the country's governing coalition will
also remain unchanged. AG
[38] SPAIN TAKES COMMAND OF EUFOR
Spain on December 4 assumed control of the EU's peacekeeping force in
Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR) in a ceremony that saw the outgoing German
commander, Rear Admiral Hans Jochen Witthauer, passing responsibility
to General Ignacio Martin Villalain. Spain currently has the largest
contingent of soldiers serving in Bosnia. Figures quoted by the Spanish
newspaper "ABC" on December 4 put the current number at 258. Before a
decision in February to more than halve EUFOR's troop levels, from over
6,000 to about 2,500, there were 580 Spanish soldiers in the country.
The EU and Witthauer have reappraised the security situation since the
decision to reduce EUFOR's size, now expressing greater concern that
tensions in Kosova could affect stability in Bosnia (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," February 28 and October 31, 2007). Roughly 30 countries
contribute troops to EUFOR, with Italy, Turkey, Poland, and Hungary the
largest contributors after Spain. Spain also has 641 troops in Kosova.
AG
[39] MOLDOVA, TAJIKISTAN BENEFIT MOST FROM REMITTANCES
Moldova and Tajikistan are the two countries in the world that benefit
most from remittances. According to a World Bank report issued on
November 29, money sent home by migrant Moldovan and Tajik workers
accounted for 36.2 percent of their countries' gross domestic product.
The total sum remitted by Moldovans in 2006 was $1 billion. Kyrgyzstan
ranked fourth (27 percent). AG
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[40] UN CALLS FOR DEFENSE OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN
In anticipation of Human Rights Day on December 10, the United Nations
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on December 4 called on all
Afghans to defend the rights of women, including their right to live
without fear of domestic or other violence, Pajhwak Afghan News
reported. UNAMA said that it has joined forces with local authorities
and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission in its efforts to
defend women's rights. Marguerite Roy, the head of UNAMA's regional
office in Mazar-e Sharif, said: "Many of the victims continue to suffer
in silence. This violence is unacceptable regardless of whether it is
perpetrated by family or strangers, in the public sphere or behind
closed doors, in times of peace or conflict." UNAMA acknowledged
substantial progress for Afghan women since the fall of the Taliban
regime in 2001, but said that violence against women remains endemic,
and their role in public life and rebuilding Afghanistan remains
impaired by social stigma. MM
[41] AFGHAN COMMANDERS IN PARWAN PROVINCE SURRENDER WEAPONS
At a ceremony on December 4 in the central province of Parwan, 21
Afghan militia commanders handed over their weapons to officials of the
Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) program, Pajhwak Afghan News
reported. A joint press statement from the UNDP, UNAMA, and the
Afghanistan New Beginnings Program (ANBP), a disarmament and demining
project, said on December 3 that the commanders are supporting DIAG "by
negotiating and accepting to surrender their weapons, thus allowing the
consolidation of peace, rule of law, and prosperity in Afghanistan."
Under the DIAG disarmament program launched in June 2005, 35,000
weapons and more than 300,000 pieces of ammunition have reportedly been
collected so far. Afghan authorities and ANBP officials also
participated in the ceremony to express their appreciation for the
efforts and recognize the province's adherence to DIAG's disarmament
requirements. MM
[42] AFGHAN PRESIDENTIAL AIDE REJECTS NEGOTIATIONS WITH MULLAH OMAR,
HEKMATYAR
Homayun Hamidzada, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai, told
journalists on December 3 in Kabul that the government has no plans to
negotiate with either fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar or
warlord and former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Daily Oulook
Afghanistan reported. Hamidzada noted that both men are on a UN list of
terrorists, and described them as "sworn enemies of Afghanistan,
endangering the lives and properties of Afghans." His comments reflect
the Karzai administration's interest in negotiating only with moderate
elements of the insurgency. The UN is currently pushing for
reconciliation efforts among warring factions in Afghanistan, and
Karzai recently commented that he would personally reach out to the
Taliban leader for talks, if he could only establish contact with him.
MM
[43] YOUNG AFGHAN ACTORS FROM 'KITE RUNNER' FILM LEAVE AFGHANISTAN
Four Afghan boys who acted in the movie "The Kite Runner" left
Afghanistan for Dubai on December 2, Afghan and international media
reported on December 5. The reports quoted Megan Colligan, executive
vice president of marketing for Paramount Vantage, which is releasing
the film internationally on December 14, as saying, "We knew [the boys]
were well, but they were anxious about what would happen when the film
came out." The production of the film has provoked controversy in
Afghanistan because of a scene in which the main character witnesses
the rape of his friend, but fails to intervene. Rumors about the
content of the movie have already triggered public outrage, and there
is widespread fear that its release could set off violence in reaction
to the rape scene. An actor in the movie, Khalid Abdalla, said at the
premier on December 4 in Hollywood that "the reason the decision [to
leave Afghanistan] was made was for the safety of the boys. Everything
else is secondary to that." He added, "Clearly there is a controversy,
but I think it's overblown, and I think it needed time to rest." "The
Kite Runner" is based on the 2003 best-selling novel by Afghan-American
writer Khaled Hosseini. MM
[44] IRANIAN LEADER SAYS INJUSTICE IS FRUIT OF WESTERN IDEAS
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in Tehran on December 5 that
"the absence of justice, security...brotherhood, and the unfettered
rule of powers" around the world is the fruit of Western ideas, and he
accused Western states of discriminating against Muslims in their
countries, IRNA reported. He told a gathering of senior jurists of
Islamic states that religious minorities in states like Iran perform
their religious rites and lead "their ordinary lives amid all possible
peace and freedom." He urged Islamic states to make Islamic rulings the
bases of their legal systems and said the Islamic rights system is
among the most advanced in the world. Western "culture and
civilization" could not bring people justice or security, Khamenei
said. VS
[45] IRAN INSISTS ON RIGHT TO USE NUCLEAR POWER...
Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said in Tehran on December 5 that
Iran already has the right to use peaceful nuclear power because it is
a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and this is
not a right another state could give it, IRNA reported. He said NPT
signatories enjoy duties and rights, but Iran has had to rely on
domestic skills to develop its program because of restrictions. Western
states suspect Iran may have sought to develop nuclear weapons, but
Mottaki said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said
there is no evidence Iran has done so. Now, he added, 16 U.S.
intelligence bodies "have clearly stated there was no activity until
mid-2007...to access nuclear weapons," IRNA reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," December 4 and 5, 2007). He said that "when American
officials are asked about" the recent U.S. National Intelligence
Estimate (NIE) "report, they reply, we only received this information a
week ago...the people who say this have presumptions on running the
world and having a role in all international decisions." VS
[46] ...AS SPOKESMAN SAYS IRAN'S CASE CLOSED
Government spokesman Gholamhussein Elham told reporters in Tehran on
December 5 that the case on Iran's nuclear program is closed following
the recent NIE report and the United States is now "embarrassed" after
"poking its nose" into Iran's nuclear program, IRNA reported. "This is
a formal admission by a government and state that has wasted the
international community's time with its baseless reports and inflicted
harm on [that] community," he said. Elham added the report showed that
states and international bodies should now view U.S. reports with
skepticism. He also defended the Iranian president's recent trip to
Doha to attend the opening of the Gulf Cooperation Council conference,
and said critics of the visit did not understand the "sensitive and
strategic nature of Iran's relations with regional states." He said
that "fortunately," relations with Persian Gulf states have improved
under President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. VS
[47] BRITISH BANK SEVERS TIES WITH IRAN
Britain's Standard Chartered Bank has severed business ties with Iran
after some 60 years, Radio Farda reported on December 3, citing a
report the previous day in Britain's "The Observer." The weekly quoted
bank official Michael Rice as saying that the bank has had no business
ties with Iran for some months now. This was apparently in response to
U.S. pressure. Standard Chartered is one of a number of prominent
banks, including Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, UBS, and HSBC, to either
curtail or end their business relations with Iran in response to U.S.
government pressure, Radio Farda reported. Iran is subject to two UN
Security Council sanctions resolutions intended to induce it to stop
producing highly enriched nuclear fuel. VS
[48] U.S. COMMANDER WARNS AL-QAEDA STILL A THREAT IN IRAQ
U.S. Commander General David Petraeus told reporters in Baghdad on
December 5 that Al-Qaeda remains a threat in Iraq, international media
reported. "We have to be careful not to get feeling too successful,"
Petraeus warned. "We see this as requiring a continued amount of very
tough work. We see Al-Qaeda as a very, very dangerous adversary still
able to carry out attacks and an adversary that we must continue to
pursue." In a December 5 statement on the Internet, the
Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for
the December 3 killing of Interior Ministry adviser Major General Fawzi
Muhammad Husayn, and said the group considers Muhammad a criminal
member of a death squad -- a reference to rogue Interior Ministry units
-- "who harmed unarmed Muslims in the evil prisons of the Interior
Ministry." The group also claimed responsibility in a separate
statement for the December 2 attack in Baghdad on a diplomatic convoy
from the United Arab Emirates, which left two diplomats dead and four
wounded. On December 4, the head of the Islamic State of Iraq announced
the start of a new armed campaign that will target members of Sunni
awakening councils across the country through the end of January (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," December 5, 2007). KR
[49] U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY VISITS IRAQ, EXPRESSES OPTIMISM
Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters at a December 5 press
briefing in Baghdad that a secure and democratic Iraq is within reach,
international media reported. "We need to be patient. We also need to
be absolutely resolved in our desire to see the nascent signs of hope
across Iraq expand and flourish so that all Iraqis can enjoy peace and
prosperity," Gates said. Speaking at the same briefing, Iraqi Defense
Minister Abd al-Qadir Muhammad Jasim al-Ubaydi said security has vastly
improved in recent months. "Mr. Gates has arrived in circumstances that
are totally different from the circumstances that had prevailed during
his previous visits, because we have realized progress in the security
domain. Security now is on the level that prevailed in 2004. Still,
there are hotbeds of terrorism and we have much to do," al-Ubaydi said.
He added, "We continue to be prepared for the worst." Al-Ubaydi said
his talks with Gates focused on preparations that must be completed
before the Iraqi Army can take over responsibility for security from
the U.S. Army. "We must be aware of what it means for a new army like
the Iraqi Army to replace a capable army like the U.S. Army," al-Ubaydi
said. He added: "We need to establish systems for the Iraqi armed
forces, especially the building of the fire-support system, whether
these systems are land weapons like mortars or on helicopter gunships.
At the same time, we need to build the administrative system. We also
have to build the command-and-control systems." KR
[50] IRAQI TRADE MINISTER SAYS FOOD AID LIKELY TO BE CUT
Minister of Trade Abd al-Falah Hasan al-Sudani has said the central
government has halved the budget allowance for food aid in next year's
budget, making it likely that the number of items distributed to the
public will be cut, AP reported on December 6. Al-Sudani said in a
statement that the ministry requested $7 billion to cover next year's
budget, but has only been allocated $3 billion. The ration system,
which began under Saddam Hussein's regime to provide necessities while
the country was under sanctions, provides monthly food rations and
other necessities to two-thirds of the population. Under the system,
Iraqis are allowed to use ration cards to purchase rice, flour, sugar,
cooking oil, tea, beans, powdered milk and baby formula, detergent, and
soap. Al-Sudani said the budget, if not revised, will mean that Iraqis
receive half as many items. Iraqi media reported on December 3 that
al-Sudani addressed the parliament about the pending crisis during that
day's Council of Representatives session. KR
[51] IRAQI KURDISH PARTIES PLAN NEW LEADERSHIP ROLES
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic
Party (KDP) have reportedly been holding discussions on the
reappointment of leadership positions in the coming year, "Rozhnama"
reported on December 5. Under the current agreement forged by the two
leading parties in the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) in 2005, KDP
head Mas'ud Barzani serves as president of the KRG and commander of the
peshmerga. PUK Deputy Prime Minister Adnan Mufti was appointed speaker
of parliament, Nechirvan Barzani assumed the position of Kurdish prime
minister, and PUK Prime Minister Umar Fattah became the deputy prime
minister of the unified administration. Under the agreement, the KDP
and the PUK were to swap leadership positions after a fixed period of
time (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," June 3, 2005). According the
"Rozhnama," it seems that KRG Vice President Kosrat Rasul Ali and Iraqi
Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, both PUK members, are in the
running to assume the post of regional prime minister. The newspaper
suggested current Prime Minister Barzani will assume the post of
parliament speaker. KR
End Note
[52] THERE IS NO END NOTE TODAY
|
