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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 2, No. 44, 98-03-05Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 2, No. 44, 5 March 1998CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] FIVE PARTIES BACK KOCHARYAN'S PRESIDENTIAL BIDFive mostly center-left parties have formed the Justice and Unity alliance to support Prime Minister and acting President Robert Kocharyan's candidacy in the 16 March presidential poll, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported on 4 March. The alliance is dominated by the nationalist Dashnak party (HHD) and the Yerkrapah union of Karabakh war veterans. In a statement released on 4 March, the new alliance affirmed its support for Kocharyan's efforts to "consolidate the entire Armenian nation," resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and establish democracy and social justice. The alliance will continue to exist after the presidential elections. LF[02] KOCHARYAN UNVEILS PRESIDENTIAL PROGRAMUnveiling his campaign program on 4 March, Kocharyan pledged to strengthen industry, create more jobs and favorable conditions for attracting investment, and continue his crackdown on the black market and tax evasion. He also promised to increase wages, reform the social security and pension systems, and introduce free health care for the most vulnerable social groups. Foreign policy priorities are unchanged and reflect the existing approach to balance developing ties with Russia, the CIS, and neighboring Georgia and Iran with strengthening relations with the U.S. and the EU. Kocharyan called for the consolidation of all Armenians to achieve a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict based on international law. Such a solution must allow for the self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh "within secure borders and with permanent geographic ties" to Armenia, he argued. LF[03] GEORGIAN POLICE CONFISCATE WEAPONS IN MINGRELIAFollowing the abduction in western Georgia last month of four UNOMIG observers, Georgian police are systematically confiscating arms from the population of Mingrelia, Caucasus Press reported on 4 March. That region has traditionally supported former Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, some of whose supporters were responsible for the recent hostage-taking. LF[04] INDEPENDENT JOURNAL CONFISCATED IN AZERBAIJANThe Baku police chief has issued a statement on the 27 February confiscation from the city's newspaper stands of all remaining copies of the latest issue of the independent journal "Monitor." Turan on 4 March quotes the police chief as claiming that the issue contained disinformation and materials aimed at provoking a confrontation between various social groups. The Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan reported on 27 February that the relevant issue of "Monitor" included an interview with former parliamentary speaker Rasul Guliev, reports on the October presidential elections, and an article on torture in Azerbaijani prisons. LF[05] IRAN REFUTES CHARGES OF ESPIONAGE IN KAZAKHSTANThe Iranian Embassy in Kazakhstan released a statement on 4 March denying three of its citizens who are currently held by the Kazakh National Security Service have been involved in any espionage activities, ITAR- TASS reported. The embassy said that the Kazakh government has not given the names of those arrested on 24 February, nor have embassy personnel been allowed to meet with them. However, ITAR-TASS also reported on 4 March that Iranian officials met with the three detainees the same day and that the detainees claimed to be businessmen who were in Kazakhstan to establish business contacts. The three men were quoted as saying they consider the action of Kazakh security agents to be a "rude provocation." BP[06] KAZAKHSTAN WANTS TO EXPORT GRAIN OUTSIDE CISNurlan Smagulov, the chairman of the Kazakh State Food Corporation, said on 4 March that his country is "energetically searching" for new markets to export grain outside the former Soviet Union, Interfax reported. Kazakhstan plans to export at least 2.3 million tons of grain this year, but that amount could be raised to 3.1 million tons, Smagulov said. He added that Russia usually buys up to 70 percent of Kazakhstan's grain but that 5,000 tons of grain have been sent to Iran and 50,000 tons of barley to Saudi Arabia as samples. The corporation is building a grain terminal at the Caspian port of Aktau to facilitate shipments to Iran. BP[07] IMAM WANTED FOR QUESTIONING IN UZBEKISTANUzbek security forces on 5 March surrounded the house of Obidkhan Nazarov, the former imam of Tashkent's Tokhtabai Mosque, in a bid to take both him and another imam to the Prosecutor-General's office to answer questions about alleged interference in state affairs, RFE/RL correspondents report. Nazarov, however, was tipped off about the police action and left his home to seek a lawyer. The decision to question Nazarov may be connected to a 4 March presidential decree dismissing Bakhtiyar Ghulamov, presidential adviser for national security, and replacing him with Usmon Khudaykulov. Until now a first deputy at the Prosecutor-General's Office, Khudaykulov has a reputation as a hard-liner. BP[08] UN NEEDS $34 MILLION TO IMPLEMENT TAJIK PROGRAMSUN agencies working in Tajikistan say they need $34.6 million this year to implement their programs, ITAR-TASS reported on 4 March. Fred Eckhard, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said 16 percent of the population is not receiving essential foods, and a shortage of clean water supplies has resulted in cholera and typhoid outbreaks. In addition, thousands of families are without shelter and clothing. BP[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[09] SERBS ATTACK KOSOVAR VILLAGESThe Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the leading Kosovar political party, has issued a statement in Pristina saying "strong Serbian police forces" opened fire on several ethnic Albanian villages near Srbica on 5 March. Police exchanged fire with armed Albanians in the villages and set up check points on the main road connecting Kosovska Mitrovica and Srbica, BETA news agency added. The previous day, unknown gunmen fired at a police station in Pristina, shortly after the clandestine Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) pledged revenge for the Kosovars killed by Serbian police in recent violence (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 March 1998). On 5 March, Parliamentary Party leader Adem Demaci said in Pristina that the violent actions of the Serbian police has led Kosovars to conclude that the formerly tiny UCK has become "essential for their protection." PM[10] KOSOVARS CALL FOR NATO PEACEKEEPERS...Edita Tahiri, the LDK's top foreign affairs spokeswoman, said in Istanbul on 4 March that "NATO should immediately send a force to Kosovo and the UN Security Council should take urgent measures. Otherwise, the unrest in Kosovo will spread to other parts of the Balkans, and may involve Albania, Macedonia, and even Turkey and Greece. The international community and NATO should act to prevent another tragedy like the one in Bosnia. Pressure must be exerted on the Serbian government to sit at the negotiating table with us. Many Albanians in Kosovo believe that after this point it will not be possible to live in Kosovo under Serbian rule." PM[11] ...AND FOR MEDIATIONFehmi Agani, a top official of the LDK, said in Pristina on 4 March that "never in the last 10 years has the situation been so tense, and it might explode any moment.... The positions of the Albanians and... [Yugoslav President Slobodan] Milosevic are so far apart that no dialogue is possible without the mediation of a third party." The Serbian authorities, for their part, have claimed repeatedly that the Albanians enjoy full rights "on the highest European level." Serbian officials add that they are ready for a dialogue, but only if the Kosovars renounce violence and accept the Serbian Constitution. The Kosovars reply that the main issue for them is changing that constitution because it grants them no autonomy. PM[12] CROATIAN SERBS DRAFTED FOR KOSOVOMons Nyberg, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told the independent FoNet news agency in Belgrade on 4 March that "we have been informed that refugees [from Croatia now living] in Kosovo are being called up for military service." He added that the UNHCR has informed the Serbian Refugee Committee about those reports. "We were told that action will be taken for such practices to be stopped," Nyberg said. He stressed that international law specifies that refugees "must not be called up for military service in the country that offered them asylum." Yugoslavia does not automatically extend citizenship to Croatian or Bosnian Serb refugees. PM[13] SANDZAK LEADER SAYS KOSOVO ON EVE OF WARRasim Ljajic, a prominent Sandzak Muslim political leader, said in Novi Pazar on 4 March that the current situation in Kosovo is reminiscent of that in Croatia and in Bosnia on the eve of the conflicts in each of those two republics. Ljajic added that the current state of "no war, no peace" in Kosovo is one that Milosevic knows how to manipulate very well to his own political advantage, BETA reported. PM[14] GELBARD WARNS OF MILITARY ACTIONRobert Gelbard, the U.S. special envoy for the former Yugoslavia, said in Washington on 4 March that "I guarantee you, we simply won't brook any renewal of violence and yes, I do put the overwhelming onus on the government of [Yugoslavia]. We continue to be prepared to deal with this problem with Milosevic, with his military, and with his police using every appropriate tool we have at our command. U.S. policy has not changed.... The key is we're going to have effective means to deal with these problems and we have warned Milosevic appropriately.... The economic situation in...Yugoslavia is dismal.... The situation can become an awful lot worse and we can make it worse," Gelbard concluded. PM[15] COOK URGES "POLITICAL SOLUTION"British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook arrived in Belgrade for talks with Milosevic on 5 March. The previous day in Sarajevo, Cook said of his planned meeting with the Yugoslav leader: "I will carry a very clear and simple message: Europe and the trans-Atlantic countries expect that steps to find a political solution will be taken. Whilst we will always back a fight against terrorism, you cannot beat terrorism alone by police action. [Milosevic] also needs to address legitimate political grievances of the great majority of Kosovo who do not endorse terrorism." Meanwhile in London, the BBC reported that the foreign ministers of the six-member international Contact Group will meet in the British capital on 9 March to discuss Kosovo. PM[16] SERBIAN WAR CRIME SUSPECT GIVES HIMSELF UPDragoljub Kunarac gave himself up to SFOR troops in Foca on 4 March and arrived in The Netherlands the next day. He is the fourth Bosnian Serb indicted for war crimes by the Hague-based court to surrender to the tribunal's representatives in recent weeks. Kunarac is charged with systematically raping Muslim women and inflicting psychological and physical cruelty on them. Also in The Hague, the court announced on 5 March that it is commuting from 10 to five years the sentence for war crimes handed down to Drazen Erdemovic, a Bosnian Croat who served in the Serbian forces at Srebrenica. The court noted that Erdemovic had been forced into killing Muslims, shows remorse, and suffers from post-trauma stress. PM[17] MONTENEGRO JAILS MILOSEVIC BACKERA court in Podgorica on 3 March sentenced a supporter of former President Momir Bulatovic, who is an ally of Milosevic, to four months in jail for inciting violence during demonstrations in January. In Belgrade, the federal parliament ratified an agreement between Milosevic and the Bosnian Serbs to enable Bosnian citizens to also hold Yugoslav citizenship. In Zagreb, Milorad Pupovac, a leader of Croatia's Serbian minority, told an RFE/RL correspondent that the Croatian government could quickly end the intimidation of Serbs by Croatian nationalists in eastern Slavonia if it wanted to do so. PM[18] YUGOSLAVIA'S NEIGHBORS WORRIED ABOUT KOSOVO DEVELOPMENTSHungarian Foreign Ministry spokesman Gabor Horvath said on 4 March that Budapest "condemns the use of force by any side and advocates a peaceful solution and a long-term settlement" of the conflict in Kosovo. He said respect for "human, civil, and minority rights," including those of the Hungarian minority in Vojvodina, must be part of such a settlement. Bulgarian Foreign Ministry spokesman Radko Vlaikov said Sofia opposes "any form of terrorism by either side and any pretensions to separatism or a change of existing borders." Vlaikov said Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo had told his Bulgarian counterpart, Nadezhda Mihailova, that his country is ready to endorse the Bulgarian proposal for a joint Balkan declaration on Kosovo. Romanian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anda Filip said Bucharest is "deeply worried" and opposes "violence against the use of democratic freedoms" and "terrorist actions as a means to promote political aims." MS/MSZ[19] ROMANIAN BUDGET STILL NOT APPROVEDLeaders of the coalition parties, excluding the Democratic Party, have approved "in principle" the 1998 draft budget, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported on 4 March. Democratic Party deputy chairman Alexandru Sassu told reporters that the absence of his party's representatives at the meeting was due to "miscommunication" among coalition members. Sassu said that he still does not know whether the Democrats will vote for the budget, saying the government has not presented a "clear program" and the budget itself is still at the "drafting stage." MS[20] CONSTANTINESCU LEADS OPINION POLLPresident Emil Constantinescu would receive 45 percent of the vote if presidential elections were to be held now. A public opinion survey conducted by the Center for Urban and Rural Sociology shows that the Constantinescu is followed by former President Ion Iliescu (14 percent), Corneliu Vadim Tudor, leader of the extremist Greater Romania Party (13 percent), Alliance for Romania party leader Teodor Melescanu (12 percent), and Petre Roman, chairman of the Democratic Party (9 percent). MS[21] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER ON SETTLING TRANSDNIESTER CONFLICTAnatol Taranu on 4 March presented a plan for settling the conflict over the separatist Transdniester region, RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Taranu, who is on leave of absence as he heads the "Speranta" list for the 22 March parliamentary elections, said one referendum should be held in Moldova and another in the Transdniester on whether to approve a plan that is to be drafted by a UN-sponsored international conference with the participation of the Organizations for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He said President Petru Lucinschi is aware of the plan "in general but not in its details." Taranu heads the Moldovan delegation to negotiations with the separatists. MS[22] FORMER MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT LOSES OFFICIAL CAR, BODYGUARDSThe Moldovan government on 4 March revoked Mircea Snegur's right to use an official car and have bodyguards. Snegur is now a leader of the rightist Democratic Convention of Moldova. The government's decision is in line with a recently passed law saying former heads of state may enjoy such privileges for one year only after leaving office, Infotag reported. MS[23] BULGARIAN PREMIER INVITED TO MOSCOWRussian Federation Council chairman Yegor Stroev, who attended celebrations in Sofia marking the 120th anniversary of the joint Bulgarian-Russian victory over Turkey, has invited Premier Ivan Kostov to visit Moscow, an RFE/RL correspondent in the Bulgarian capital reported on 4 March. No date has been set for the visit. After meeting with Kostov, President Petar Stoyanov, and other Bulgarian officials, Stroev told journalists that Bulgarian Deputy Premier Evgeni Bakardzhiev has been invited to meet with Gazprom chairman Rem Vyakhirev on 20 March to discuss the dispute over Russian gas deliveries to Bulgaria, ITAR-TASS reported. MS[C] END NOTE[24] A MODERN PRESIDENCY IN LITHUANIAby Asta BanionisOn 26 February, Valdas Adamkus took the oath of office to became the fifth president of Lithuania. The transfer of presidential duties was dignified, orderly, and normal--such as would be expected from any Western democratic state after direct elections. It holds out the promise that Lithuania will finally be able to consolidate its efforts at modernizing its economy, society, and politics. The departure from the presidency of Algirdas Brazauskas, a former communist party chief and a professional politician, and the arrival of a newly elected president who served with distinction in the U.S. civil service provide contrasts of both style and substance. Certainly, the great expectation among his supporters and many of the voters who elected him is that Adamkus will bring new ideas unencumbered by the political loyalties of the past. At the same time, the critical votes that gave Adamkus his narrow victory came from people who voted against his opponent rather than for Adamkus. This leveling of expectations may help Adamkus make a successful transition from a U.S. federal civil servant to a head of state of a European country. There is no doubt that Adamkus brings with him modern managerial skills from his decades-long service at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. During the seven-week transition period following his victory, Adamkus and his advisers focused their energies on a plan for restructuring government ministries. In their negotiations with the parliament and the ruling coalition, they were able to win concessions to reduce the number of ministries from 17 to 14. Having tinkered with the apparatus of government, President Adamkus now faces the challenge of developing his policy goals and implementing his programs. And the question on everybody's mind is whether Adamkus, a member of the Lithuanian Diaspora most of his adult life, understands the everyday problems and aspirations of his nation. In a speech to the nation following his inauguration, Adamkus called for an Act of Concord among the political forces in the country, which, he suggested, would diminish the public hostilities and antagonisms permeating public debate in Lithuania and sometimes paralyzing government decision- making. He pledged to establish an "ethic of government service" that would encourage the transformation of petty bureaucrats into public servants. And he urged a renewed effort to invigorate the reform process throughout Lithuanian society. "The road that leads to the EU and NATO membership starts in Vilnius. I emphasize, in Vilnius and not in the capitals of Western Europe," he argued. The slim election margin puts a political burden on Adamkus to implement those goals. The limits of the constitutional authority of the president's office are still largely undefined, but at the request of the government, the Constitutional Court recently ruled on the question of whether the government must resign when a new president takes office. In a detailed 17- page document, the court ruled that Lithuania is a parliamentary democracy, not a presidential one, and that although the government must return its mandate, the president must first submit the name of the current prime minister to a vote of confidence before he can propose other candidates for the parliament to consider and confirm. Adamkus, who had campaigned for strengthening the powers of the president, has expressed disappointment over the court's ruling. In the last year of his presidency, Brazauskas rarely challenged the decisions of the parliament and government, which was firmly in the hands of the reform parties, not his own Democratic Labor Party. As a former U.S. citizen, Adamkus is schooled in a political system that has a powerful executive in the office of the president. During his campaign, Adamkus often spoke of his desire to be a serious player in the government's decision-making process. But what tools will President Adamkus choose to exercise an influence over government policy? He may turn to the U.S. tradition of the "bully pulpit" to complement his efforts to expand his influence in the legislative process. Modern-day U.S. presidents have used the powerful medium of television to focus the public's attention on an issue and to craft the terms of the public debate. But this will work in Lithuania only if the new president thoroughly understands the historical and cultural context of his audience--namely, the people of Lithuania. The author is a public affairs specialist at RFE/RL's Washington office. 05-03-98 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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