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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-09-18
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN UNHAPPY WITH SHEVARDNADZE'S RESPONSE...
[02] ...AS TOP MILITARY OFFICIAL CALLS FOR SECURITY ZONE ALONG GEORGIAN
[03] ...AND DEPUTY CRITICIZES DUMA LEADER FOR ANTI-GEORGIAN STATEMENTS
[04] PUTIN SAYS BELARUS SHOULD ACCEPT RUSSIAN CONSTITUTION...
[05] ...AS GOVERNMENTS HOLD TALKS ON QUICK INTRODUCTION OF JOINT
[06] WHISTLEBLOWER TRANSFERRED TO PRISON
[07] GOVERNMENT FAILING TO HEED PRESIDENT'S MARCHING ORDERS
[08] WRITERS OPPOSE DZERZHINSKII RESTORATION...
[09] ...AS DEPUTY PROPOSES A MONUMENT TO ANDROPOV
[10] TOUGH TALK ON INTELLECTUAL PIRACY
[11] OLIGARCH TIPPED TO WIN SIBERIAN RACE...
[12] ...AS FORMER FRONT-RUNNER IN NIZHNII URGES VOTERS TO SELECT NONE
[13] NONPARTY CANDIDATES TO FACE NEW BARRIERS TO ENTERING PRESIDENTIAL
[14] INTERNET USE SOARS IN TATARSTAN
[15] CHUBAIS SURVIVING ON LESS THAN $5,000 A YEAR
[16] SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS KALUGIN VERDICT
[17] RESEARCHER CALLS FOR SUPPORT FOR RUSSIAN WOMEN ABROAD
[18] SOUTHERN REGION RESIDENTS NERVOUS ABOUT CHECHENS' PROXIMITY TO
[19] BEEN DOING SOME HARD TRAVELING
[20] CHECHEN MUFTI CALLS FOR TALKS WITH MASKHADOV
[21] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONFIDENT OF FIRST-ROUND ELECTION VICTORY?
[22] MINISTER DEFENDS DECISION TO DISPLAY ARMENIAN PRESIDENT'S PORTRAIT
[23] ARMENIAN PREMIER URGES GEORGIA TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS IN DJAVAKHETI
[24] ARMENIA CONCERNED OVER VIOLENCE AGAINST ARMENIANS IN KRASNODAR
[25] AZERBAIJANI, GEORGIAN, TURKISH PRESIDENTS MEET
[26] TENDER WINNER FOR AZERBAIJANI PIPELINE DENIES ARMENIAN CONNECTIONS
[27] GEORGIA ACCUSES RUSSIA OF OVERT SUPPORT FOR ABKHAZIA
[28] FORMER GENERAL ACCUSES GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY OF ILLICIT ARMS
[29] SHOTS FIRED AT GEORGIAN MILITARY PROSECUTOR
[30] PROTESTERS DEMAND RELEASE OF ARRESTED GEORGIAN POLICE CHIEF
[31] GEORGIAN MINERS STRIKE
[32] NEW PROTEST IN KYRGYZSTAN
[33] KYRGYZSTAN'S CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING
[34] UZBEK HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST SENTENCED
[35] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT SLAMS OSCE FOR RELUCTANCE TO TALK...
[36] ...SAYS HOW MUCH RUSSIA SAVES FROM BELARUS'S AMITY...
[37] ...FORECASTS IMPROVING RELATIONS WITH WEST SOON...
[38] ...AND DOES NOT RULE OUT RUNNING FOR THIRD TERM
[39] UKRAINE, ROMANIA PLEDGE TO SETTLE BORDER DISPUTE BY JUNE 2003
[40] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT REFUSES TO MEET WITH OPPOSITION
[41] ESTONIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES 2003 DRAFT BUDGET
[42] ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN VISITS LATVIA
[43] LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES NEW CITIZENSHIP LAW
[44] ANNIVERSARY OF SOVIET AGGRESSION AGAINST POLAND COMMEMORATED
[45] POLISH PREMIER REPRIMANDS TWO MINISTERS
[46] POLISH PARTY LEADER FOUND GUILTY OF SLANDERING WALESA
[47] CZECH GOVERNMENT CRISIS DEFUSED
[48] DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS CZECH REPUBLIC WILL JOIN U.S.
[49] EU URGES HIGH VOTER TURNOUT IN SLOVAKIA...
[50] ...AS DOES PRESIDENT SCHUSTER
[51] SMK LEADER SAYS HIS PARTY WANTS TO JOIN NEXT SLOVAK GOVERNMENT
[52] FORMER CZECH PREMIER CAMPAIGNS FOR SLOVAK SOCIAL DEMOCRATS
[53] SLOVAK ELECTORAL COMMISSION STRIKES OUT DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE LISTS
[54] BUSH CALLS HUNGARY 'A RELIABLE PARTNER'
[55] HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT INSTITUTES NEW NATIONAL ORDER
[56] AHMETI WANTS ETHNIC ALBANIAN PARTIES TO JOIN COALITION...
[57] ...WHILE CRVENKOVSKI PLAYS COY WITH THE ALBANIANS
[58] MACEDONIA ON THE ROAD TO THE WTO
[59] MANY STILL MISSING AFTER BALKAN CONFLICTS
[60] FORMER CROATIAN COMMANDER REFUSES TO GO TO THE HAGUE
[61] BOSNIAN POLICE SHUTTING DOWN ARIZONA MARKET?
[62] ROMANIAN PREMIER IN NORWAY
[63] COMMISSION APPROVES ROMANIAN CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
[64] OSCE MISSION CHIEF SAYS NEGOTIATIONS ON OSCE PLAN FOR
[65] ...AND RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL FROM TRANSDNIESTER BY END OF 2002 IS
[66] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS NEW UN RESOLUTION NEEDED FOR IRAQ
[67] SUPREME ADMINISTRATIVE COURT HALTS BULGARTABAC PRIVATIZATION
[68] NEW PROGRAM TO IMPROVE FUNDING FOR SMALL COMMUNITIES IN BULGARIA
[69] There is no End Note today.
18 September 2002
RUSSIA
[01] PUTIN UNHAPPY WITH SHEVARDNADZE'S RESPONSE...
Speaking at a news conference in Sochi on 17 September, President
Vladimir Putin said he is not satisfied with Georgian President Eduard
Shevardnadze's response to his recent message about the Pankisi Gorge
problem (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12, 13, and 14 September 2002), RTR
reported on 17 September. "We wanted guarantees that there will be no
terrorist attacks on our territory from the Georgian side, but we did
not get such guarantees or commitments," Putin said. He added that
Georgia is virtually not cooperating with Russia to combat terrorism
and that more and more information indicates that Georgia is
cooperating with terrorists. He repeated his demand to Shevardnadze to
clear the gorge and said that he hopes he will be able to meet with his
Georgian counterpart in Chisinau in October. He also rejected recent
calls for economic sanctions against Georgia. "Tough economic sanctions
will affect the Georgian people, with whom we traditionally have very
warm relations," Putin said. VY
[02] ...AS TOP MILITARY OFFICIAL CALLS FOR SECURITY ZONE ALONG GEORGIAN
BORDER...
Federal Border Guard Service (FPS) Director Colonel General Konstantin
Totskii said after a meeting with President Putin in Sochi on 17
September that he and Chief of the General Staff General Anatolii
Kvashnin briefed the president about measures for "strengthening the
Russian border from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea," Russian news
agencies reported on 18 September. Totskii said that Russia considers
it "extremely necessary to create a 20- to 40-kilometer security zone
along the border region with Georgia." Totskii added that the creation
and functioning of such a zone should be the subject of negotiations
with "our Georgians colleagues." Kvashnin compared the administration
of Georgian President Shevardnadze to the former Taliban leadership in
Afghanistan and added that Georgia must still do a lot "to take the
same stand against terrorism as was taken by Pakistan President Pervez
Musharraf," lenta.ru reported on 18 September. VY
[03] ...AND DEPUTY CRITICIZES DUMA LEADER FOR ANTI-GEORGIAN STATEMENTS
Duma Deputy Vyacheslav Olenev (Agro-Industrial Group) on 18 September
introduced an initiative in the Duma proposing that Deputy Duma Speaker
and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia leader Vladimir Zhirinovskii be
stripped of his post as deputy speaker because of his "public calls"
for military strikes against Georgia, RosBalt and other Russian news
agencies reported. The Duma's council will consider the initiative on
19 September. Olenev argued that Zhirinovskii's statements "fall within
the framework of the Criminal Code." He was particularly disturbed by a
statement Zhirinovskii made on national television on 14 September in
which he called for "bloody" strikes against northern Georgia. Olenev
said that, according to the Criminal Code, any official of the Russian
state who makes such statements faces a possible sentence of up to five
years in prison. RC
[04] PUTIN SAYS BELARUS SHOULD ACCEPT RUSSIAN CONSTITUTION...
Answering a question about the Russia-Belarus Union during his Sochi
news conference, President Putin reiterated his proposal that the
unification of the two states proceed on the basis of the Russian
Constitution (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 August 2002), RTR reported on
17 September. Continuing to oppose Belarusian President Alyaksandr
Lukashenka, who insists on Belarus's political and financial
sovereignty within the union, Putin said that the merging of the two
countries will only be possible if Belarus accepts the federalist basis
of the Russian Constitution. "The future union state can only be a
federation," Putin declared. He also categorically rejected the idea of
two banks controlling the union's single currency. "There will be only
one [currency] emission center, and it will be in Russia," Putin said.
VY
[05] ...AS GOVERNMENTS HOLD TALKS ON QUICK INTRODUCTION OF JOINT
CURRENCY
Speaking after a joint session of the Russian and Belarusian
governments in Moscow, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov announced that
the ministers discussed a proposal by President Putin to introduce the
Russian ruble as the single currency for both countries as of 1
February 2004, RIA-Novosti reported on 17 September. A final decision
on the issue will be made in December, and the union budget for 2003
will be adopted then as well. Kasyanov added that the cabinets also
discussed potential problems arising from the accession of Russia and
Belarus to the World Trade Organization (WTO). VY
[06] WHISTLEBLOWER TRANSFERRED TO PRISON
Former military journalist Grigorii Pasko, sentenced to four years in
prison for illegally passing state secrets to Japanese journalists, was
transferred on 18 September to a prison camp near the Siberian city of
Ussuriisk, strana.ru and other Russian news agencies reported. Pasko
has already spent more than half of his sentence in a Vladivostok jail
as his case was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. According to
strana.ru, Pasko will be in quarantine for one month, during which time
he will not be able to see any visitors. The report cited the camp
commandant as saying that "the convict has a pen and paper, but he is
not writing anything." RC
[07] GOVERNMENT FAILING TO HEED PRESIDENT'S MARCHING ORDERS
The Main Control Directorate of the presidential administration on 16
September released the results of its check of how well federal
ministries and departments have carried out presidential decrees and
orders and a series of federal laws during the first half of the year,
"Kommersant-Daily" reported the next day. Twenty-two federal ministries
and departments in 40 regions were examined, and the results were poor,
according to the daily. The directorate concluded that the government
has not developed an effective investment strategy nor has it created
conditions for attracting foreign and domestic investment into the real
sectors of the economy despite being directed to do so. The so-called
power ministries were also found lacking because they had not taken
measures to cut off the flow of weapons and financing to terrorist
organizations. In general, "positive changes in the struggle against
crimes of a terrorist nature have not taken place." The directorate
also reported that only 543 of 891 direct presidential orders were
fulfilled last year, and of these, only 48 percent were completed
within the designated time period. JAC
[08] WRITERS OPPOSE DZERZHINSKII RESTORATION...
Nobel Prize laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn told "Izvestiya" on 17
September that the restoration of the monument to Soviet secret-police
founder Feliks Dzerzhinskii (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 and 17 September
2002) would be an outrage to the millions who perished in the
concentration camps. "[Dzerzhinskii] was a Red henchman, and his figure
is a symbol of the punitive organs of the USSR," said the writer, who
himself served time in the gulag and documented it in his "Gulag
Archipelago." Another well-known writer, Fazil Iskander, said that he
opposes the proposal because "this measure does not frighten embezzlers
of public funds, brings nothing to ordinary people, and gives
intellectuals reason for gloomy thoughts about the future of the
country." Aleksandr Gelman told the daily that playing with symbols
begets false fears in some and false hopes in others. He said that if
the proposal was made in order to please President Putin then it is
mistaken, because the move would simply prove to the world that the
president is a creature of the secret services. VY
[09] ...AS DEPUTY PROPOSES A MONUMENT TO ANDROPOV
At its plenary session on 18 September, the Duma rejected a proposal by
Deputy Aleksei Mitrofanov (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia) to erect
a monument to former KGB Chairman and former General Secretary of the
CPSU Yurii Andropov on Lubyanka Square instead of restoring the
Dzerzhinskii statue, polit.ru and other Russian news agencies reported.
Mitrofanov argued that Andropov is a much less controversial figure
than Dzerzhinskii and noted that many people currently in the
government and the security organs began their careers under Andropov.
However, only 23 deputies voted in favor of the initiative. VY
[10] TOUGH TALK ON INTELLECTUAL PIRACY
The Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 16 September held a
roundtable discussion of intellectual property rights chaired by
chamber head Yevgenii Primakov, "Kommersant-Daily" reported on 17
September. Although the session did not adopt any resolutions, it
agreed to meet and discuss the issue regularly. Primakov criticized the
media for publishing "paid articles" justifying piracy, and Duma Deputy
Margarita Bazhanova (Fatherland-All Russia) urged roundtable
participants to begin the war against piracy by eliminating illegal
software in their own offices. Yevgenii Safronov, general director of
Intermedia, said that there are at least three production lines in
Russia currently making illegal DVDs. All participants noted that the
government must take a tough stand against piracy in order to
facilitate Russia's entry into the WTO. RC
[11] OLIGARCH TIPPED TO WIN SIBERIAN RACE...
A poll of 1,000 people in Krasnoyarsk Krai conducted by the All-Russian
Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) from 10-15 September
revealed higher support for Taimyr Autonomous Okrug Governor Aleksandr
Khloponin than for his competitor Aleksandr Uss, the speaker of the
krai's legislature, Russian news agencies reported on 17 September.
Khloponin has the support of 44.9 percent of respondents, compared with
34.3 percent for Uss. According to polit.ru, a poll conducted by the
same agency on the eve of the first round accurately predicted the
results of that voting. However, Vyacheslav Novikov, a Federation
Council member representing Krasnoyarsk, told polit.ru that he heard
that the krai branch of the Communist Party has called on its
supporters to vote against all candidates in the next round. The
Communist-backed candidate, Duma Deputy Sergei Glaziev, finished third
in the first round. Although the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party has
taken no official stance on the race, Aleksandr Bespalov, chairman of
the party's General Council, said in a recent interview with
"Vedomosti" that "from his personal point of view," Khloponin should
win because he is best prepared to solve the region's problems. JAC
[12] ...AS FORMER FRONT-RUNNER IN NIZHNII URGES VOTERS TO SELECT NONE
OF THE ABOVE
Meanwhile, Andrei Klimentiev, the former mayor of Nizhnii Novgorod
whose registration as a candidate in the 14 September mayoral elections
there was cancelled at the last minute, told reporters on 17 September
that he is urging his supporters to vote against all candidates in the
second round on 29 September, Interfax-Eurasia reported. According to
Klimentiev, the proportion of voters voting against all candidates was
actually higher than was reported during the first round, because
10,500 ballots that had been marked "against all" were declared
invalid. "Vremya novostei" reported the same day that the "against all"
option garnered just 0.5 percent fewer votes than the Kremlin-favored
candidate, State Duma Deputy Vadim Bulavinov (People's Deputy). JAC
[13] NONPARTY CANDIDATES TO FACE NEW BARRIERS TO ENTERING PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION
Speaking to reporters in Moscow on 17 September, Central Election
Commission Chairman Aleksandr Veshnyakov said that the draft bill on
presidential elections, if approved, will stipulate easier conditions
for presidential candidates who are nominated by political parties.
Under the draft, parties or blocs that attract more than 5 percent of
the total vote in the 2003 State Duma elections can nominate a
candidate without collecting signatures, Russian news agencies
reported. Other parties will be able to nominate candidates, but they
must first collect 2 million signatures from no fewer than 40 regions
of Russia, TV-6 reported. Veshnyakov also predicted that there will be
only four or five candidates in the 2004 presidential election,
according to ITAR-TASS. In an interview with "Gazeta" on 16 September,
State Duma Deputy Boris Nadezhdin (Union of Rightist Forces) said the
spending ceiling of 150 million rubles ($5 million) per candidate
stipulated by the bill is too low, particularly in light of the general
rule of thumb that candidates generally spend at least $1 per voter.
The Duma is expected to consider the bill in the middle of October,
polit.ru reported. JAC
[14] INTERNET USE SOARS IN TATARSTAN
There are more than 61,000 regular users of the Internet in Tatarstan,
tatnews.ru reported on 16 September, citing the republic's
Communications Minister Rinat Zalyalov. By comparison, the number of
regular users was only about 17,000 six months ago. However, users are
still encountering serious problems with their Internet service
providers. For example, the operator IntelSet for a long time blocked
its own subscribers from using the modem pools of other providers,
which is a violation of antimonopoly laws and for which the company was
fined about 200,000 rubles ($6,300). JAC
[15] CHUBAIS SURVIVING ON LESS THAN $5,000 A YEAR
Unified Energy Systems (EES) head Anatolii Chubais stated on 17
September that his annual salary is 120,000 rubles ($4,000), Interfax
reported. According to the agency, Chubais disclosed the figure after
members of the Duma's Fatherland-All Russia faction criticized him for
what they believe are overly high salaries in the energy sector. JAC
[16] SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS KALUGIN VERDICT
The Supreme Court on 17 September upheld the 15-year sentence handed
down on 25 June in absentia to former KGB General Oleg Kalugin for
treason (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 June 2002), polit.ru reported.
Kalugin, who now resides in the United States, has denied his guilt and
believes that the case is politically motivated. RC
[17] RESEARCHER CALLS FOR SUPPORT FOR RUSSIAN WOMEN ABROAD
More than 75,000 Russian women have emigrated to the United States in
the last 10 years, ntvru.com reported on 18 September, citing
researcher Olga Makhovskaya. The majority of them, Makhovskaya said,
left because they married foreigners. She called for the government to
create a program to support such women and their children in the event
of divorce. "The lack of a clear family program in Russia means that
women who find themselves abroad do not know how to handle the
situation effectively in case of divorce," Makhovskaya was quoted as
saying. RC
[18] SOUTHERN REGION RESIDENTS NERVOUS ABOUT CHECHENS' PROXIMITY TO
RAILWAY
Some residents of Astrakhan Oblast are concerned that a local railway
route could be taken over by Chechens, regions.ru reported on 17
September, citing the newspaper "Astrakhan region." According to the
publication, the Basinskii train station is located in a village that
used to be occupied only by native Russians, but now the make-up of the
local population has altered dramatically and some 250 displaced
persons from Chechnya live there. In addition, a work brigade made up
of Chechens works on the railway. Because the railway is considered an
important strategic object, the presence of the Chechen workers has
attracted the attention of local police, who maintain a list of all
Chechens who work on the railway. The head of the village's local
administration, Mikhail Puchin, predicted that in the next 10-15 years
there will be fewer and fewer Russians and more Chechens in the area,
since young people are leaving and it is difficult for Russians to live
there. Meanwhile, Abubakar Mutsiev told "Astrakhan region" he is
offended by how he has been treated. Mutsiev, a former physics teacher
from Chechnya, moved to the oblast three years ago and works in a taxi
depot. "We are treated not like normal people, but like Chechen
bandits," he said. JAC
[19] BEEN DOING SOME HARD TRAVELING
In the two years and four months of his presidency, President Putin has
spent more than six weeks in his airplane, ntvru.com and "Komsomolskaya
pravda" reported on 18 September. Putin has made 192 domestic and
international flights, covering a total of 753,000 kilometers -- about
60 times the circumference of the Earth. In September 2000, Putin made
a round-the-world trip from Moscow-Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk-Tokyo-New
York-Moscow. In all, Putin has visited 91 Russian cities and towns. RC
[20] CHECHEN MUFTI CALLS FOR TALKS WITH MASKHADOV
In a joint statement addressed to the population of Chechnya, Chechen
Mufti Akhmed-hadji Shamaev and Salambek Maigov, who is chairman of the
Chechen Antiwar Congress, demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops
from Chechnya and that the Russian leadership embark on talks with
President Aslan Maskhadov, chechenpress.com reported on 18 September.
LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[21] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONFIDENT OF FIRST-ROUND ELECTION VICTORY?
Robert Kocharian told journalists in Yerevan on 17 September that he
hopes the recently forged alliance of 16 opposition parties succeeds in
reaching agreement on a single candidate to run against him in the
presidential ballot scheduled for 19 February 2003, Noyan Tapan and
RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. In a tacit expression of confidence
that he can manage to poll 50 percent of the vote against any candidate
the opposition might select, Kocharian reasoned that a single candidate
would exclude the need for a runoff ballot and thus avoid either
political destabilization or additional expense that would hurt
Armenia's struggling economy. LF
[22] MINISTER DEFENDS DECISION TO DISPLAY ARMENIAN PRESIDENT'S PORTRAIT
IN SCHOOLS
Education Minister Levon Mkrtchian on 17 September defended his
controversial decree requiring that all schools display portraits of
President Kocharian and Catholicos Garegin II, together with the
Armenian state flag and coat of arms, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 September 2002). He argued that doing so will
help strengthen young Armenians' sense of patriotism and their
readiness to defend their country against external aggression. LF
[23] ARMENIAN PREMIER URGES GEORGIA TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS IN DJAVAKHETI
Meeting on 17 September with visiting Georgian Defense Minister
Lieutenant General David Tevzadze, Andranik Markarian called on the
Georgian leadership to make a greater effort to improve socioeconomic
conditions in the largely Armenian-populated south Georgian region of
Djavakheti, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. Markarian said Yerevan is
ready "to do everything it can" to help Tbilisi address those problems.
On 11 September, the Georgian government adopted a three-year program
aimed at improving social conditions and infrastructure in the region
and at creating new jobs (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 September 2002).
But it is not clear how much funding the cash-strapped Georgian
government has allocated for implementing that program. LF
[24] ARMENIA CONCERNED OVER VIOLENCE AGAINST ARMENIANS IN KRASNODAR
The Armenian leadership is "very concerned" at renewed acts of violence
against the Armenian community in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian told RFE/RL's Armenian Service on 17
September. Arminfo, as cited by Groong, reported on 16 September that
some 300 mostly teenaged residents of the town of Slavyansk-na-Kubani
went on a rampage on the evening of 14 September, vandalizing
Armenian-owned businesses and beating individual Armenians. More than a
dozen Armenians were hospitalized with serious injuries. Viktor
Stepanian, deputy editor of Krasnodar Krai's Armenian-language
newspaper "Yerkramas," told RFE/RL that local police did nothing to
halt the violence. LF
[25] AZERBAIJANI, GEORGIAN, TURKISH PRESIDENTS MEET
Heidar Aliev held talks in Baku on 17 September with his visiting
Turkish and Georgian counterparts, Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Eduard
Shevardnadze, and with U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, Turan
reported. Shevardnadze also had a separate meeting with Sezer. Sezer
deplored the bureaucratic obstacles and corruption encountered by
Turkish businessmen willing to invest in Azerbaijan, noting that
bilateral trade turnover between the two countries has fallen by 15
percent, zerkalo.az reported. Aliev for his part focused on the
positive benefits for his country, Georgia, and Turkey of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan export pipeline for Caspian oil, Turan reported. He
said construction of the pipeline, the ceremonial start of which is
scheduled for 18 September, will "make the South Caucasus region much
safer." Abraham similarly said the pipeline will strengthen the
guarantees of Azerbaijan's independence. Aliev said Baku needs U.S.
support to help preserve stability in the South Caucasus. LF
[26] TENDER WINNER FOR AZERBAIJANI PIPELINE DENIES ARMENIAN CONNECTIONS
In a statement carried by Turan on 17 September, Consolidated
Contractors International Company (CCIC), which won the tender to build
the Azerbaijani section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, denied
Azerbaijani media reports that one of its senior executives is an
Armenian, Kevork Toroyan, who is vice president of the U.S.-based
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 and 9 September
2002). The statement said CCIC "is opposed to Armenian aggression and
ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh." LF
[27] GEORGIA ACCUSES RUSSIA OF OVERT SUPPORT FOR ABKHAZIA
A Russian Foreign Ministry statement issued after the 16 September
talks between Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Valerii Loshchinin
and Abkhaz Prime Minister Anri Djergenia is tantamount to direct
support for Abkhazia and raises doubts whether Russia can play the role
of mediator between Tbilisi and Sukhum, Russian news agencies quoted
Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Kakha Sikharulidze as saying on 17
September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 September 2002). The Russian
statement called for the withdrawal of Georgian troops from the Kodori
Gorge and for Georgia to prevent the infiltration of "terrorist groups"
into the gorge. LF
[28] FORMER GENERAL ACCUSES GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY OF ILLICIT ARMS
SALES
The former commander of the Georgian Army's ground forces, General
Gudjar Kurashvili, who served a prison term on charges of preparing a
coup in May 1999 against President Shevardnadze (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
26 May 1999, 9 November 2001, and 25 February 2002), on 17 September
accused the Georgian Defense Ministry of selling Strela missiles to
Chechen guerrillas, Caucasus Press reported. He dismissed parliament
Defense and Security Committee Chairman Irakli Batiashvili's claim that
the Georgian military never possessed such weapons. Kurashvili said
that when he was commander, the ground forces had 44 Strela missiles,
all of which later disappeared. LF
[29] SHOTS FIRED AT GEORGIAN MILITARY PROSECUTOR
Gia Djikia escaped injury on 17 September when an unknown attacker rang
his apartment doorbell and then opened fire on him, Caucasus Press
reported. Djikia said he is not sure whether the shots were intended to
kill or just to intimidate him. LF
[30] PROTESTERS DEMAND RELEASE OF ARRESTED GEORGIAN POLICE CHIEF
Residents of Akhmeta in eastern Georgia have collected 2,500 signatures
on a petition demanding the release from detention of police chief
Avtandil Turkiashvili, Caucasus Press reported on 17 September.
Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili ordered Turkiashvili's arrest on
14 September after a wounded Chechen apprehended during the ongoing
anticrime operation in the Pankisi Gorge escaped from a local hospital.
Turkiashvili's supporters claim that he was ordered by a senior
official to remove the guards watching over the wounded man. LF
[31] GEORGIAN MINERS STRIKE
Miners at the Chiatura manganese mine in western Georgia began their
fifth strike this year on 17 September to demand payment of their
salaries for the past 12 months, Caucasus Press reported. The mine
employs some 3,000 people. LF
[32] NEW PROTEST IN KYRGYZSTAN
Some 1,000 people attended a protest in Bishkek on 17 September
convened by the opposition People's Congress, which comprises the
Ar-Namys, Ata-Meken, People's, and Social-Democratic parties, RFE/RL's
Bishkek bureau reported. The participants demanded the arrest and trial
of those responsible for authorizing police to open fire on
demonstrators in Aksy in March, killing five people; the end of
political oppression; and the release of former Vice President Feliks
Kulov, who is serving a 10-year prison term on charges of embezzlement
and abuse of his official position (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 May 2002).
LF
[33] KYRGYZSTAN'S CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING
POWERS OF EXECUTIVE
At its seventh session on 17 September, the Constitutional Assembly
discussed a proposal, which the majority of participants favored, to
expand the powers of the executive, including by empowering the prime
minister to appoint and dismiss local government officials,
akipress.org reported. They also discussed, but failed to reach a
consensus on, proposals to prevent too frequent changes of prime
minister. LF
[34] UZBEK HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST SENTENCED
A Tashkent court on 17 September sentenced Yuldash Rasulov, a member of
the Human Rights Movement of Uzbekistan, to seven years' imprisonment
on charges of disseminating antigovernment propaganda and recruiting
members for the banned Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, AP
reported. Rasulov's sister Khakima said that, on the contrary, he had
persuaded several Hizb members to leave that organization. Fellow human
rights activist Surat Ikramov said that the prosecution produced no
evidence during the trial, which began on 3 September, to substantiate
the charges against Rasulov. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[35] BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT SLAMS OSCE FOR RELUCTANCE TO TALK...
Alyaksandr Lukashenka held a mammoth news conference in Minsk on 17
September with the participation of more than 100 domestic and foreign
journalists and answered more than 40 questions, Belarusian television
reported. Touching upon the relations with the OSCE, Lukashenka said
that "the OSCE does not want to sit down at the negotiating table,"
Belapan reported. The Belarusian leader reiterated his former
requirement that the OSCE discuss changes to the mandate of its
Advisory and Monitoring Group in Minsk. "But I cannot force them, you
know," Lukashenka said, adding that the accreditation terms of several
OSCE representatives in Minsk expired and "they, naturally, have left."
Lukashenka accused unidentified Westerns sponsors of investing up to
$300 million in the Belarusian opposition over several years prior to
the 2001 presidential ballot. "Where is that money? Stolen, and you
realize this now and do not know with whom to conduct a dialogue." JM
[36] ...SAYS HOW MUCH RUSSIA SAVES FROM BELARUS'S AMITY...
At the same 17 September news conference, in an apparent reference to
Gazprom's recent comment that it supplies gas to Belarus on a "charity
basis" (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report," 17 September
2002), Lukashenka presented his own estimate of Belarus's balance sheet
with Russia, Belapan reported. He admitted that Belarus owes Gazprom
$215 million for natural gas but added that Minsk pays in a timely
manner for current supplies. On the other hand, Lukashenka said Gazprom
saves from $800 million to $1 billion annually because Minsk does not
charge any transit fees for Russian gas transiting Belarus to Europe.
He added that Russia does not pay anything for the use of two military
radar stations located in Belarus. He also recalled that Belarus
provides both military and customs protection of Russia's western
frontier. According to Lukashenka, Russia would have had to spend $30
billion to create the necessary defense and border-control
infrastructure had Belarus not done it. "Don't think that the Russian
state and the Russian leadership are subsidizing Belarus in any way,"
Belapan quoted Lukashenka as saying. JM
[37] ...FORECASTS IMPROVING RELATIONS WITH WEST SOON...
"Soon, whether you like it or not, our relations with the West will
significantly improve," Lukashenka told the 17 September news
conference. He said Minsk has received "signals" regarding this
anticipated improvement from some Western states, Belapan reported. "I
don't believe that the West is not interested in establishing close
contacts with the Republic of Belarus," he noted, adding that improving
relations with Europe and the United States is "a priority of Belarus's
multivector policy." JM
[38] ...AND DOES NOT RULE OUT RUNNING FOR THIRD TERM
At the news conference, Lukashenka did not exclude the possibility of
his running for a third presidential term in 2006, Belapan reported. He
said he has not analyzed this option yet but added that it could be
possible only after holding a referendum to amend the constitution,
which currently allows a Belarusian citizen to serve only two
presidential terms. On the other hand, Lukashenka ruled out the
possibility, which he utilized in 1996, of prolonging his presidential
powers directly in a referendum. JM
[39] UKRAINE, ROMANIA PLEDGE TO SETTLE BORDER DISPUTE BY JUNE 2003
Following talks with his Romanian counterpart Ion Iliescu in Kyiv on 17
September, President Leonid Kuchma said both countries agreed to sign
an agreement on their border regime by 1 June 2003, UNIAN and Interfax
reported. Both presidents signed a declaration to this effect. "Thus we
have reached a consensus on this sensitive issue and we should feel
satisfied," Kuchma added. Ukraine and Romania differ on how to
delimitate the common border near Serpents Island in the Black Sea and
in the estuary of the Danube. Kuchma also pledged to "move from a
standstill" the controversial issue of the Ore-Enriching Combine in
Kryvyy Rih. The construction of the plant -- which was inaugurated in
1985 with the participation of Ukrainian, Romanian, and Slovakian
investors -- has never been completed. Romanian enterprises have
recently been demanding the return of the funds Romania invested in the
construction. JM
[40] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT REFUSES TO MEET WITH OPPOSITION
President Kuchma has turned down a proposal to meet opposition
activists who apparently intend to take advantage of the opportunity to
hand him the resolution of the 16 September protest rally in Kyiv
demanding his resignation (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine
Report," 17 September 2002), UNIAN reported on 18 September, quoting
opposition lawmaker Anatoliy Matviyenko. Presidential administration
chief Viktor Medvedchuk reportedly told Matviyenko that Kuchma
considers the resolution insulting and therefore cannot meet with
opposition representatives. Meanwhile, Kyiv prosecutors have initiated
criminal proceeding against the organizers of the 16 September rally on
charges of impeding city traffic. Tents from the dismantled tent camp
around the presidential-administration building (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
17 September 2002) have been impounded by police as evidence. Kyiv
police chief Petro Opanasenko said police found a grenade and two
sawn-off shotguns in one of the tents. Socialist Party leader Oleksandr
Moroz responded that these weapons were deliberately planted by police
to add to charges against the opposition. JM
[41] ESTONIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES 2003 DRAFT BUDGET
On 17 September, the cabinet approved the draft 2003 budget with
expenditures of 38.7 billion kroons ($2.38 billion) and revenues of
38.46 billion kroons, ETA reported. The 2003 draft budget is
approximately 4.5 billion kroons greater than this year's budget. Prime
Minister Siim Kallas said the policy of having a balanced budget
remains with the exception of allocating expenditures of 384 million
kroons to launch the second pillar of the pension system. Kallas
claimed that the budget does not reflect an attempt to woo the
electorate prior to local elections in October and parliamentary
elections in March 2003, as "it does not include all the things that we
might want to make voters like us exceptionally." The government
intends to submit the budget to the parliament on 25 or 26 September.
SG
[42] ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN VISITS LATVIA
National Assembly Chairman Armen Khachatrian met with the Latvian
delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 17
September and expressed interest in gaining from Latvia's experience in
seeking membership to the European Union, LETA reported. He agreed with
Education and Science Minister Karlis Greiskalns that the two countries
should draft and sign an agreement on cooperation in culture,
education, and science. During a later meeting he invited President
Vaira Vike-Freiberga to visit Armenia. Khachatrian began his four-day
official visit to Latvia on 16 September with talks on bilateral
relations with Foreign Ministry State Secretary Maris Riekstins, who
stressed the need to strengthen economic ties. SG
[43] LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES NEW CITIZENSHIP LAW
The parliament approved a new citizenship law on 17 September that will
allow its nationals to retain Lithuanian citizenship after acquiring
citizenship of another country, ELTA reported. Under the previous law,
Lithuanian citizens were automatically stripped of their citizenship
when they became citizens of another country. The new law was proposed
by the Liberal Union, but also received support from the ruling
coalition. The main motivation for the change is the emigration, mainly
to the United States, over the last 10 years of some 200,000
Lithuanians. Liberal Union Chairman Eugenijus Gentvilas said that "By
depriving these people of citizenship we practically prevent them from
ever returning to Lithuania." The parliament also rejected a civil
initiative, supported by 50,000 signatures, calling for a reduction of
the pension age to 55 years for women and 60 years for men. Under
current legislation, women are eligible for retirement at age 60 and
men at 62 1/2 years of age, according to BNS. SG
[44] ANNIVERSARY OF SOVIET AGGRESSION AGAINST POLAND COMMEMORATED
Representatives of the president, the government, the country's
churches, and veteran organizations marked the 63rd anniversary of the
Soviet invasion with a solemn gathering in Warsaw on 17 September, PAP
reported. The ceremony took place at a monument to Poles who died as a
result of the Soviet aggression. Complying with the Ribbentrop-Molotov
Pact of 1939, the Red Army moved into Poland on 17 September 1939. Some
180,000 Polish soldiers and officers were taken prisoner by the
Soviets; Soviet leader Joseph Stalin ordered the NKVD to kill more than
20,000 Polish prisoners, primarily officers. JM
[45] POLISH PREMIER REPRIMANDS TWO MINISTERS
Leszek Miller has reprimanded Agriculture Minister Jaroslaw Kalinowski
and Economy Minister Jacek Piechota in connection with their
conflicting comments regarding a recent Polish-Hungarian accord on
lifting some agricultural export-import tariffs (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
16 September 2002), PAP reported on 17 September. Government spokesman
Michal Tober said the document at issue is only a protocol from a
meeting and does not oblige the sides to do anything. Meanwhile,
Self-Defense farmers union leader Andrzej Lepper has called for setting
up a legislative commission to investigate what he said are
"uncontrolled" imports of farm products into Poland. According to
Lepper, "nobody controls borders in Poland any longer." JM
[46] POLISH PARTY LEADER FOUND GUILTY OF SLANDERING WALESA
A court in Gdansk ruled on 18 September that Law and Justice leader
Lech Kaczynski has to apologize to former President Lech Walesa and his
former aide Mieczyslaw Wachowski on Radio Zet and in "Gazeta Wyborcza,"
as well as to pay 10,000 zlotys ($2,400) in damages, PAP reported.
Walesa and Wachowski sued Kaczynski for a statement he made on 18 June
2001 on Radio Zet in which the then-justice minister echoed his brother
Jaroslaw Kaczynski's claims that Walesa committed criminal offenses and
that Wachowski was a criminal. JM
[47] CZECH GOVERNMENT CRISIS DEFUSED
The four-day government crisis in the Czech Republic has been defused
following the approval by the Social Democratic Party (CSSD) leadership
of a proposal submitted by junior coalition partner Freedom
Union-Democratic Union (US-DEU), CTK reported. Under the US-DEU
proposal, an addendum to the coalition agreement is to be signed that
stipulates that the US-DEU will leave the coalition if it fails to
secure the support of all its 10 deputies for key government bills. In
that event, the US-DEU pledges to support in parliament a minority
government of the CSSD and its other coalition partner, the Christian
Democratic Union-People's Party. US-DEU deputy Hana Marvanova earlier
pledged support for the proposed agreement, saying that she can do so
because it also stipulates that consultations will take place on key
bills among the three coalition partners. Marvanova triggered the
coalition crisis by voting on 13 September against a
government-sponsored bill that effectively hiked taxes. Prime Minister
Vladimir Spidla said, "The guarantees [offered by the US-DEU] are
strong enough" for the coalition to survive. MS
[48] DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS CZECH REPUBLIC WILL JOIN U.S.
MISSILE-DEFENSE PROJECT
Defense Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik on 16 September told journalists in
Washington, D.C., that the Czech Republic will join the U.S.
missile-defense project, which is aimed at defending the United States
and its allies from missile attacks, CTK reported. Tvrdik said Prague
will do so "within its capabilities." Tvrdik also said: "I offered the
U.S. the possibility to deploy the missile-defense system on Czech
territory." He spoke after meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld and his deputy, Richard Armitage. Tvrdik said the same day
that during the NATO summit in November, U.S. aircraft will help defend
Czech airspace, according to CTK. MS
[49] EU URGES HIGH VOTER TURNOUT IN SLOVAKIA...
The EU on 17 September urged Slovak voters to turn out in force for the
20-21 September parliamentary elections, Reuters reported. In a letter
to Slovak voters published in the daily "Pravda," Guenter Verheugen, EU
commissioner for enlargement, said: "Before elections, politicians like
to say this will be the most important vote we have had. This is not
always true. In the case of Slovakia's parliamentary elections in a few
days, however, it is." MS
[50] ...AS DOES PRESIDENT SCHUSTER
President Rudolf Schuster on 17 September also called on Slovak
citizens to go to the polls, AP reported. "As you probably realize,
these are the most important elections...often called historic,"
Schuster said in an address broadcast on Slovak state radio and
television. "I sincerely believe that these elections will definitely
confirm our unchangeable direction into the democratic world," Schuster
said, adding that the elections "will open the door to the North
Atlantic Alliance, which [is] followed by the door to the EU." MS
[51] SMK LEADER SAYS HIS PARTY WANTS TO JOIN NEXT SLOVAK GOVERNMENT
Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) Chairman Bela Bugar said on 17
September that his party wants to participate in the next Slovak
government. Bugar told CTK that the SMK might have to sacrifice many
points in its program for this purpose but warned, "We will also have
to offer our voters something in exchange." He added: "If this is not
understood [by potential coalition partners], the SMK does not have to
be in the government." Bugar refused to elaborate any minimal
conditions for joining a coalition. He also said the SMK will refuse to
pledge not to raise the issue of the Benes Decrees, but said the party
realizes that most Slovaks believe abolition of the decrees amounts to
a cancellation of Slovak independence. "This is why we will not touch
the decrees," Bugar said, adding that amendments could be passed that
would make possible the restitution of land confiscated under the
decrees "from Germans and Hungarians, as in the case of [the
restitution of] Jewish property." MS
[52] FORMER CZECH PREMIER CAMPAIGNS FOR SLOVAK SOCIAL DEMOCRATS
Former Czech Premier Milos Zeman on 17 September participated in a
rally organized by the Social Democratic Alternative (SDA) in Kosice,
eastern Slovakia, CTK reported. Addressing participants, Zeman asked,
"Why should anyone vote for the Party of the Democratic Left [SDL] if
they can vote directly for the Communist Party of Slovakia"? He also
said that Slovakia's main political problem is that the country is
"limping on two legs." He said Slovakia, has "no classical left, no
classical right, not even a classical centrist party." Zeman continued:
"I am not so much worried about Slovakia's limping on its right leg,
but I am concerned about its limping on the left leg as well," saying
that was one of the reasons he decided to come to Slovakia and support
the SDA. Miroslav Grebenicek, Czech leader of the Communist Party of
Bohemia and Moravia, on the same day campaigned in Kosice on behalf of
the Communist Party of Slovakia. MS
[53] SLOVAK ELECTORAL COMMISSION STRIKES OUT DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE LISTS
Reacting to the announcement by the Democratic Party that it has
withdrawn from the coming elections, the Central Election Commission on
17 September announced that ballots carrying the name of the Democratic
Party will not be distributed to polling stations, according to TASR.
Commission Chairman Pavol Baxa also said the party's representatives at
polling stations will be recalled and replaced either by consensus
among other party representatives at those stations or by a draw. MS
[54] BUSH CALLS HUNGARY 'A RELIABLE PARTNER'
U.S. President George W. Bush called Hungary "a reliable partner in the
struggle against terrorism" in a letter he sent to Prime Minister Peter
Medgyessy, "Nepszabadsag" reported on 18 September. The letter, made
public by the Government's Communication Office, said the two countries
"are bound by a friendship based on jointly advocated democratic
values" that has "lived through wars, totalitarianism," and provided
support for the United States in the fight against intolerance, hatred,
and violence. President Bush expressed his thanks to the Hungarian
people, and to Medgyessy in particular, for the contributions they have
made to the international antiterrorism campaign. MSZ
[55] HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT INSTITUTES NEW NATIONAL ORDER
The parliament on 17 September adopted a motion to amend the act on
state decorations in order to establish the Imre Nagy Order of Merit,
named after Hungary's prime minister during the anti-Soviet uprising in
1956, Hungarian media reported. The president will present the award
annually on 23 October to individuals deemed exemplary for their
patriotic stance, service to Hungarian independence, promotion of
social dialogue and peace, and fostering national unity. Deputies also
passed a resolution stipulating that parliament will commemorate 16
June, the day of Nagy's execution in 1958, and 23 October, the date of
both the outbreak of the 1956 Uprising and of the Proclamation of the
Republic of Hungary in 1989. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[56] AHMETI WANTS ETHNIC ALBANIAN PARTIES TO JOIN COALITION...
Ali Ahmeti, the chairman of the victorious Democratic Union for
Integration (BDI) and former political leader of the National
Liberation Army (UCK), has called on the other ethnic Albanian
political parties to form a coalition, RFE/RL's Macedonian broadcasters
reported on 17 September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 and 17 September
2002). He has, however, received positive signals only from the small
National Democratic Party (PDK), although Party for Democratic
Prosperity (PPD) representatives said the proposal deserves attention.
According to "Utrinski vesnik," the Democratic Party of the Albanians
(PDSH) said it prefers to serve as a "constructive opposition."
Ahmeti's earlier attempts to unite the ethnic Albanian parties in the
Cooperation Council of the Albanians failed because of animosities
among the party leaders (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 1 February 2002).
Ahmeti won 16 seats in the 15 September parliamentary elections, while
the other ethnic Albanian parties took a total of 10 seats. UB
[57] ...WHILE CRVENKOVSKI PLAYS COY WITH THE ALBANIANS
The Social Democrats (SDSM), which won the largest number of votes
among the ethnic Macedonian majority, have not made any approach to
Ahmeti or other ethnic Albanian leaders about a possible coalition, dpa
reported from Skopje on 17 September. With at least 60 out of 120 seats
in the parliament, the SDSM may be theoretically in a position to form
a government on its own. The international community and parties
representing the ethnic Albanian minority, which constitutes about 23
percent of the population, have nonetheless made it clear that any
Macedonian government must include ethnic Albanians, if only for the
sake of legitimacy. SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski has said that he
will not invite anyone indicted for war crimes to form a coalition, but
it is not clear whether this applies to Ahmeti following the recent
amnesty. PM
[58] MACEDONIA ON THE ROAD TO THE WTO
Macedonia has completed negotiations to join the World Trade
Organization, having applied for membership in December 1994, AP
reported from Geneva on 17 September. The WTO's governing body is
expected to agree on the deal on 15 October, following which approval
by the Macedonian parliament will be necessary. Some 27 countries are
still negotiating their membership applications, including Russia,
Yugoslavia, and Saudi Arabia. China was admitted in 2002. PM
[59] MANY STILL MISSING AFTER BALKAN CONFLICTS
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced in Geneva
on 17 September that some 23,339 individuals remain unaccounted for as
a result of the conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosova in the 1990s,
Reuters reported. The total includes 2,543 from the Croatian conflict,
17,087 from Bosnia, and 3,709 from Kosova. The cases of an additional
8,202 people have been resolved, but most of them were found to have
been killed. PM
[60] FORMER CROATIAN COMMANDER REFUSES TO GO TO THE HAGUE
Former General Janko Bobetko, who was chief of the General Staff during
the 1993 Medak Pocket operation, said that he "will not go to The Hague
alive" if the war crimes tribunal indicts him for atrocities against
ethnic Serb civilians in that operation, dpa reported from Zagreb on 18
September. There has been speculation in the Croatian media in recent
days that Bobetko and possibly some additional former commanders have
been indicted and that the paperwork is on its way to Croatia. Bobetko
made his statement to the weekly magazine "Globus." Speculation
surrounding possible indictments from The Hague has been regular fare
in the media throughout the former Yugoslavia for years. PM
[61] BOSNIAN POLICE SHUTTING DOWN ARIZONA MARKET?
Police have made several arrests as part of efforts to shut down at
least part of the Arizona Market in the Brcko district, a region that
enjoys special legal status, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian
Languages Service reported from Brcko on 18 September. The Arizona
Market has been famous for years for its freewheeling business culture
that figuratively and literally crosses ethnic lines. It has also
acquired a reputation for lawlessness, which apparently led to the
latest moves. Onasa news agency reported that there were scuffles
between police and some ethnic Croats when the police tried to shut
down an illegal parking lot. PM
[62] ROMANIAN PREMIER IN NORWAY
Prime Minister Adrian Nastase on 17 September held talks in Oslo with
his Norwegian counterpart Kjell Magne Bondevik, discussing Romania's
quest for NATO membership and the prospects of intensifying bilateral
economic cooperation between the two countries, Romanian Radio
reported. Bondevik assured Nastase of Norway's support for Romania's
NATO candidacy, adding that if Romania is included among the countries
offered NATO membership at the November Prague summit it must continue
to strive to meet the organization's requirements. MS
[63] COMMISSION APPROVES ROMANIAN CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
After Romania joins the European Union, EU citizens who are residents
of Romania will be entitled to vote and run for office in local
elections in Romania, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported on 17
September. An amendment to the constitution granting this right was
approved the same day by the ad hoc parliamentary commission examining
constitutional amendments. EU citizens will also be entitled to vote in
the Romanian elections for the European Parliament. The Romanian
parliament has yet to vote on the commission's recommendations on
constitutional amendments. MS
[64] OSCE MISSION CHIEF SAYS NEGOTIATIONS ON OSCE PLAN FOR
TRANSDNIESTER WILL RESUME...
David Schwartz, the chief of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission in Moldova, said at a press
conference on 17 September that the negotiations on the plan for
resolving the Transdniester conflict would be resumed in Tiraspol the
next day, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. He said the decision was
made after his 16 September meeting in Tiraspol with separatist leader
Igor Smirnov and Valerii Litskay, who heads the Tiraspol negotiation
team. MS
[65] ...AND RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL FROM TRANSDNIESTER BY END OF 2002 IS
'UNLIKELY'
Schwartz told journalists at the same press conference that it seems
"less and less likely" that Russia will honor its obligations to
withdraw its troops from the Transdniester by the end of this year,
RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. He said this was not due to Russia's
unwillingness to abide by the decisions of the 1999 Istanbul OSCE
summit, but to obstruction by Tiraspol authorities, "who bear a heavy
responsibility for having blocked the process of [Russian] military
ammunition scrapping and evacuation." MS
[66] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS NEW UN RESOLUTION NEEDED FOR IRAQ
Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi told a news conference on 17 September
that the UN Security Council should pass a new resolution on the return
of the weapons inspectors to Iraq, BTA reported. The resolution should
determine the mandate of the inspectors, the timeframe for fulfilling
their task, and possible sanctions in the event that their mission is
obstructed. Pasi added that such a resolution could be adopted during
the Bulgarian presidency of the UN Security Council, which ends on 30
September. UB
[67] SUPREME ADMINISTRATIVE COURT HALTS BULGARTABAC PRIVATIZATION
The Supreme Administrative Court decided on 17 September to halt the
Bulgartabac privatization procedure, mediapool.bg reported. The
decision came after three Bulgartabac bidders appealed against the
state Privatization Agency's decision naming the Tobacco Capital
Partners consortium as the winner of the tender. Representatives of the
Metatabak consortium -- one of the losing bidders -- have claimed that
the country's privatization rules were violated during the tender. The
first hearing in the case is to take place on 3 October. UB
[68] NEW PROGRAM TO IMPROVE FUNDING FOR SMALL COMMUNITIES IN BULGARIA
Labor and Social Affairs Minister Lidia Shuleva has announced a new
program that is intended to improve funding for small communities with
high unemployment rates, BTA reported on 16 September. The project is
to encourage the interaction of private companies, NGOs, and state
institutions at the local level. The project is funded by the Japanese
Fund for Social Development, USAID, and the Bulgarian government.
Municipalities in six northeastern Bulgarian districts -- Silistra,
Dobrich, Shumen, Razgrad, Varna, and Targovishte -- will be eligible to
participate in the program. UB
END NOTE
[69] There is no End Note today.
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