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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 2, No. 197, 98-10-13Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 2, No. 197, 13 October 1998CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] BAKU DISMISSES OSCE CONCERNS ABOUT ELECTION FRAUDCentral Election Commission member Mazzahir Panahov said on 13 October that allegations by OSCE representatives of "clear evidence of ballot box stuffing" in the 11 October presidential elections are "only words.". He added that only the country conducting the elections can determine their legitimacy. The OSCE cited "significant discrepancies between the signatures present on voter lists and the ballots found in the box as well as "clear evidence of ballot stuffing." OSCE mission chief Nikolai Vulchanov noted that violations were registered at a number of polling stations. According to an OSCE statement, "the overall legal and administrative framework governing the election process fell short of meeting the international standards for a genuine election competition." More than 150 international observers monitored the vote, which was boycotted by Azerbaijan's main opposition parties. JN[02] SHEVARDNADZE CONGRATULATES ALIEVGeorgian President Eduard Shevardnadze congratulated his Azerbaijani counterpart, Heidar Aliev, on his re-election during his traditional weekly radio broadcast on 12 October. "I would like to take this opportunity and-- although the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission has not published the final results of the presidential election, preliminary results show that Mr. Heidar Aliev has won-- congratulate Mr. Heidar Aliev on a great victory." He said Aliev's re-election is "a very big event for the Caucasus and for Azerbaijan." JN[03] ALIEV SAYS FATE OF RUSSIAN RADAR STATION SHOULD BE SETTLEDAzerbaijani President Aliev said on 11 October that the status of Russia's Gabala radar station, which is located in Azerbaijan, should be resolved as soon as possible. "In any case, having state independence, Azerbaijan agrees with the existence of the Gabala radar station, and we proceed from the view that it is a question of preventing strategic missile attacks," Azerbaijan's Trend news agency reported on 12 October He added that the Russian side does not always make the right decision concerning Gabala and "frequently does not pay for the electricity used". JN[04] YEREVAN WANTS BAKU TO TACKLE KARABAKH FOLLOWING ELECTIONS...Speaker of the Armenian parliament Khosrov Arutyunian believes that after his re- election, Aliev should take early serious steps toward settling the Karabakh problem. Speaking on Armenian Television on 12. October, Arutyunian said that those steps should be taken on the basis of a compromise through negotiations, Interfax reported. "The sooner Azerbaijan recognizes the need for direct talks with Karabakh, the easier a solution to the Karabakh problem will be found," he said. But in an allusion to allegations of voter fraud, Arutynunian added, "it is quite important for the Armenian authorities that the power elected in Azerbaijan be legitimate and endowed with popular trust". The Armenian president's office has so far refrained from comment on the issue saying there should be no reaction until the presidential election returns have been officially announced. JN[05] ...WHILE BAKU WANTS KARABAKH AZERBAIJANIS TO ATTEND COUNCIL OF EUROPE HEARINGSThe Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry says its participation in Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly hearings on Nagorno Karabakh next month "is not realistic" unless representatives of the exiled Azerbaijani community of Nagorno Karabakh are invited as well. The ministry says it is trying to clarify whether Karabakh Azerbaijanis have been invited, ANS news agency reported on 10 Oct. The Foreign Ministry says Foreign Minister Tofig Zulfugarov and parliamentary speaker Murtuz Aleskerov have been invited to the hearings, as have Armenian National Assembly Speaker Arutyunian, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian, and a delegation of Nagorno Karabakh Armenians. JN[06] GEORGIA TO HOLD MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS AS SCHEDULEDMunicipal elections scheduled for 15 November "are to assist in the formation of a new reality, which may change the political picture in Georgia as whole," parliamentary speaker Zurab Zhvania said at a press conference in Tbilisi on 12 October, Caucasus Press reported. Zhvania said the elections will be conducted amid what he termed "an economic crisis" but nonetheless will not be postponed. JN[07] SHEVARDNADZE SAYS CASPIAN OIL TO FLOW THROUGH GEORGIA VERY SOONShevardnadze also said in his 12 October radio address that the construction of the oil terminal at Supsa, on Georgia's Black Sea coast, and the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline are nearing completion. He said "the pipeline will be filled with oil in the near future and the first oil tanker will be loaded with oil and will sail to Europe early next year." JN[08] TURKEY SAYS BAKU-CEYHAN PROJECT STILL ALIVEPresident Suleyman Demirel insisted on 12 October that Caspian Sea oil will be transported through Turkey, despite a "New York Times" report the previous day alleging that oil companies favor a cheaper and shorter route than Baku- Ceyhan. Demirel said "Baku-Ceyhan will definitely be constructed.... It is the safest route and has the backing of the United States." The Turkish proposal foresees the construction of a 1,730 km pipeline via Georgia that will be capable of carrying 50 million metric tons (7.1 million barrels) of oil a year. Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Cumhur Ersumer said on 12 October that the Baku-Ceyhan project is an "economic and strategic policy," Anadolu news agency reported. Ersumer said that Turkey has handed over studies for the project to the Azerbaijani and Georgian sides and is awaiting a response from the other countries involved. JN[09] THREE ABKHAZ POLICEMEN KILLED IN GALIThree Abkhaz policemen have been killed in Georgia's Gali Raion, Interfax reported from Sukhumi on 12 October. The Russian agency termed the incident "another terrorist act." The Abkhaz Interior Ministry said a police patrol was ambushed and shot at from a sand track of the CIS peacekeeping forces. The Abkhaz Interior Ministry believes that the crime "was committed by Georgian saboteurs," according to the agency. The Georgian authorities have not yet commented on the shootings. JN[10] YEREVAN DENIES PKK LEADER IS IN ARMENIAThe Armenian Foreign Ministry on 12 October categorically denied Turkish claims that the leader of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has arrived in Armenia from his headquarters in Syria, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. A senior Turkish cabinet member had earlier alleged that Abdullah Ocalan had left Damascus for Armenia, threatening that Turkey will go after Ocalan wherever he is (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 October 1998) "Such statements are absolutely groundless and do not correspond to reality, " an Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman told RFE/RL. He warned that Ankara's allegations may "destabilize the already tense situation in the region." A representative of the National Front for the Liberation of Kurdistan, a pro-PKK political group headquartered in Tbilisi, has also denied Ocalan's presence in Armenia. JN[11] AILING YELTSIN PAYS SHORT VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN...For health reasons (see above), Russian President Boris Yeltsin cut his scheduled day-and-a-half trip to Kazakhstan to just several hours, Russian media reported on 12 October. Aides say he accomplished all his goals and that the events struck from his schedule were informal talks only. Yeltsin and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a treaty on economic cooperation for the period 1998-2007 and a protocol on delimiting their common border. RFE/RL correspondents in Almaty reported that the two leaders discussed the division of the Caspian Sea and the development of oil projects there but agreed only that haste is needed in resolving these issues. BP[12] ...ATTENDS SIGNING CEREMONY OF SEVERAL ACCORDSAfter a 40-minute meeting, Yeltsin and Nazarbayev attended a ceremony at which members of their governments signed a number of agreements. One accord covers the social rights for citizens living near the Baikonur cosmodrome, which is located in Kazakhstan but used by Russia. Others deal with cooperation on fighting illegal financial operations and money laundering, combating illegal drug trafficking, scientific and technical cooperation on an international thermonuclear experimental reactor project, and cooperation between the two countries' Justice Ministries. BP[13] NEW MINISTRY ESTABLISHED IN KAZAKHSTANUnder a 12 October presidential decree, Kazakhstan now has a State Revenues Ministry, RFE/RL correspondents in Astana reported. The ministry is charged with, among other things, defining fiscal policy and regulating taxation and customs. It is also irresponsible for taxing alcoholic beverages and investigating economic crimes in conjunction with law enforcement agencies. Beysenghaliy Tajiyakov has been acting head of the new ministry. BP[14] KYRGYZ CUSTOMS OFFICIAL SEIZE HUGE MILITARY SHIPMENTCustoms officials near the southern city of Osh have seized a large shipment of arms en route to Afghanistan, ITAR-TASS reported on 12 October. An inspection of railroad cars originating in Iran and displaying humanitarian aid signs revealed that anti-tank mines, grenades, large caliber guns, and missiles for Grad rocket launchers were hidden among sacks of flour. Kyrgyz authorities were tipped off by customs officials in neighboring Uzbekistan who had impounded two of the 20 cars but had allowed the remaining 18 to proceed to Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz authorities claim they have impounded 16 of the cars and that the other two are "unaccounted for." ITAR-TASS, meanwhile, reported that the chairman of the state customs inspection service was recently sacked by President Askar Akayev for "violations of financial discipline." BP[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[15] MILOSEVIC GETS FOUR-DAY REPRIEVENATO ambassadors agreed in Brussels on 12 October to authorize air strikes against Serbian military targets. The measure will not take effect until the morning of 17 October in order to provide additional time to allow Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to honor a series of agreements he reached with U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke in Belgrade. Milosevic agreed to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1199 to withdraw his forces, allow refugees to go home, provide access for humanitarian relief workers, and agree to a timetable for talks aimed at a restoring the province's autonomy. NATO's "activation order" can go back into effect at any time after 17 October if the Atlantic alliance concludes that Milosevic has broken his word. In Belgrade, Holbrooke said on 13 October that the Yugoslav government will issue a statement later that day. PM[16] TWO 'VERIFICATION' AGREEMENTS TO BE SIGNEDMilosevic also agreed to accept an "intrusive" international "verification" presence to ensure that he complies, Holbrooke said in Belgrade on 13 October. One element of the project will be a 2,000-strong Verification Mission supplied by the OSCE, whose security and freedom of movement the Yugoslav government will confirm "soon" in an agreement with the OSCE. The Verification Mission will also supervise any future elections in Kosova, Holbrooke added. The second element of the verification process is that NATO aircraft will also monitor compliance. This arrangement will be confirmed "in the next few days" in an agreement signed by top NATO officials and Yugoslav leaders in Belgrade. Holbrooke noted that NATO will "easily find ways" to provide assistance to any international personnel in Kosova should the need arise. He also said that some U.S. diplomats who recently left Yugoslavia will return later on 13 October. PM[17] CLINTON WARNS MILOSEVICU.S. President Bill Clinton said in a statement in Washington on 12 October that Milosevic "has made a series of commitments.... But together with our NATO partners, we will determine whether President Milosevic follows words with deeds. And we will remain ready to take military action if Mr. Milosevic fails to make good on his commitments this time." Speaking in New York, Clinton added: "Balkan graveyards are filled with President Milosevic's broken promises. In the days ahead we will focus not only on what President Milosevic says but what we see he does." PM[18] TOUGH TALKS REMAIN AHEAD"The war of nerves continues," the Vienna daily "Die Presse" wrote on 13 October, in reference to the forthcoming talks that will be needed to work out details of Milosevic's compliance. Remaining issues include ensuring that Serbian forces withdraw and displaced persons and refugees return home, allowing representatives of the Hague-based war crimes tribunal to conduct investigations in Kosova, setting up a police force acceptable both to Belgrade and to the Kosovars, and drafting terms for an eventual political settlement. Observers in Prishtina note that any agreement that leaves Milosevic in charge in Kosova is bound to disappoint most Kosovars. In other news, a spokesman for Yugoslav embassy in Moscow said that the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry has named Borislav Milosevic, the brother of Slobodan, as the new ambassador to Russia. The spokesman did not say when he will take up his post. PM[19] ALBANIA PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE ATTACKRadio Tirana said on 12 October that "Serbia continues to concentrate troops and military equipment along the border with Albania as threats of air strikes by NATO increase." Local civilian and military authorities in the Has and Kukes regions have taken unspecified special measures to prepare for any attack, the broadcast added. In the Tropoja district, "a group of five Yugoslav military men opened fire without any reason on an Albanian border police patrol, which was 50 meters inside Albanian territory," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement the following day. Albanian troops did not return fire, but ATA news agency quoted an official of the border police as saying on 12 October that "if Serbian forces continue to enter our territory, we shall open fire." PM[20] MEJDANI CALLS FOR FAST ACTION, POLITICAL SOLUTIONAlbanian President Rexhep Mejdani told the "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" of 13 October that diplomacy has so far proven ineffective in dealing with Milosevic and that "now military intervention must bring about a political solution" in Kosova. Mejdani is skeptical that a state as centralized as Milosevic's Yugoslavia will ever give a large degree of autonomy to Kosova and argued that independence is the only solution. The Albanian leader said that unification of Kosova with Albania is not a realistic possibility in the foreseeable future. He also denied Serbian charges that large quantities of arms have reached the Kosova Liberation Army from Albania, pointing out that Serbian forces have extensively mined the border area, which makes major smuggling operations impossible. Mejdani stressed that the problem is not along the frontier but in Kosova itself, adding that there must be an "international presence" there to ensure peace. PM[21] BERISHA PROMISES CHANGESAlbanian opposition leader and former President Sali Berisha said in Tirana on 12 October that his Democratic Party is ready to "re- model" itself if other parties do likewise. He added that "there will be many changes in our policy. Some of our demands will be turned down [by the government] but we are ready to re-model ourselves. The Democratic Party expresses its determination to establish dialogue...if other forces re-model their stand." He did not elaborate or specify whether the Democrats are ready to end their boycott of the parliament. The OSCE and the U.S. State Department in recent weeks have strongly criticized the boycott and called on the Democrats to abandon their "destructive practices" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 October 1998). The international community has also called on all parties to end the polarization that has characterized political life in recent years. PM[22] CROATIAN DEFENSE MINISTER QUITSAndrija Hebrang resigned as defense minister on 12 October. He told President Franjo Tudjman in a letter that he "decided to resign because of the complete loss of confidence you have been showing toward me, without which it is not possible to carry out [my] duties. May God help you distinguish good from evil." He also resigned his posts as vice president of the governing Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) and as Tudjman's chief physician. Hebrang is the second moderate top government official to quit his job in the past week (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 October 1998). The moderates charge, among other things, that Herzegovinian hard-liners used state intelligence services against them for political purposes. PM[23] OPPOSITION WINS IN DUBROVNIK VOTEFive opposition parties appear to have won a majority of seats in the legislature of Croatia's Dubrovnik-Neretva County in the 11 October elections, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported the next day. First official results give the opposition 25 seats, the HDZ 13, and independents two. Ten of the seats are elected directly, and the remaining 30 are assigned through proportional representation. The HDZ remains the largest single party but has lost at least seven seats from its total in the previous legislature. The parties agreed earlier this year to hold special elections after a banking scandal discredited several government officials. PM[24] ROMANIA'S BABIUC CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT DECISION ON LIMITED NATO ACCESS...Defense Minister Victor Babiuc said on 12 October that Bucharest should be more resolute in its decision to give NATO airplanes access to Romanian air space, Reuters reported, citing Romanian Radio. Babiuc said the question is simple: "Do we want to go with Milosevic, because the issue now is Milosevic, not Serbia--or do we want to go alongside NATO allies?" Babiuc's remarks come amid criticism of President Emil Constantinescu for allowing NATO planes to fly over Romania only in case of "emergency and unforeseen situations" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 October 1998). PB[25] ...AS YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR SAYS IT GOES TOO FARDesimir Jevtic, the Yugoslav ambassador to Romania, said that Bucharest's decision to allow NATO airplanes access to the country's air space violates bilateral treaties, AP reported on 13 October. Jevtic said the government also needs to clarify what is meant by "emergency situations." Former President Ion Iliescu said both NATO and Serbian planes should be granted access to Romanian air space in the event of emergencies. The Romanian parliament is expected to vote on the government's stance at a special session on 13 October. Some 40,000 ethnic Serbs live in Romania. PB[26] BULGARIA'S LEFTIST DEPUTIES DEMAND PARLIAMENT SESSION TO DISCUSS KOSOVAThe leaderships of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Democratic left parliamentary group are calling for an emergency session of the National Assembly to discuss the government's approval of a NATO overflight request, Bulgarian Radio reported on 12 October. The government decided the previous day to grant NATO access to Bulgarian air space (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 12 October 1998). Deputies for the two factions have called on National Assembly Chairman Yordan Sokolov to convene a special session on 13 October in order to debate the government's decision. PB[27] BULGARIA JOINS EU BAN ON INVESTMENT IN SERBIABulgaria Trade Minister Valentin Vasilev said on 12 October that Sofia will join an EU-imposed ban on new investments in Serbia following Belgrade's actions in Kosova, Reuters reported. Vasilev said the ban will not affect old contracts or deals covering traditional trade payments but will prevent Bulgarians from gaining corporate or private assets in Serbia. PB[C] END NOTE[28] ROMANIAN COALITION CONFLICT CONTINUESby Zsolt-Istvan MatoDuring his visit to Bucharest in July 1997, U.S. President Bill Clinton praised the Romanian government for providing an exemplary model of interethnic cooperation and reconciliation with neighboring states such as Hungary and Ukraine. Just 14 months later, that model seems to be seriously damaged and the governing coalition on the verge of collapse. After the 1996 November elections, the democratic parties that formed the new government asked the Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR), which represents the 1.7 million-strong Hungarian minority in Romania, to join the coalition. That move created a stable parliamentary majority, boosted Romania's chances of joining NATO and the EU, and laid the groundwork for rapid economic recovery. Following decades of attempted ethnic assimilation under the communist regime, one of the UDMR's major demands was restoring ethnic minority rights in general and Hungarian-language education in particular. Although the new government's program made provision for accommodating those demands and took steps in that direction, after less than a year of cooperation the UDMR's coalition partners seemed to be hesitant about restoring the rights demanded by the Hungarian community. Strongly supported by oppositionists and most media outlets, nationalist members of the coalition successfully contested earlier measures introduced by Victor Ciorbea's government. One such measure was a July 1997 "urgent ordinance" that modified the 1995 education law to allow the establishment of universities with instruction in minority languages and abolished several provisions contested by the minorities. The move triggered protests not only by opposition parties but also by coalition members. In a government reshuffle in April 1998, Andrei Marga became minister of education. Marga, who was rector of Babes-Bolyai University in the Transylvanian city of Cluj, pushed for widespread acceptance of a "multicultural" model and argued that current structure of the Romanian education system provided for minority-language education "at all levels and in all fields." There followed a series of well-organized protests by politicians, the media, university leaders, and even members of organizations supporting a civil society, all of whom opposed "ethnic universities" and strongly supported "multicultural" institutions. However, none questioned or sought to elaborate that notion. Seeing the hesitation of coalition members to support legislation that favored minorities, Hungarians started to pressure their leaders to demand the establishment of an Hungarian-language university and to take a stronger position on ensuring their rights are guaranteed. The chance to show a firmer stand was offered at the beginning of September, when the Education Committee of the Chamber of Deputies severely restricted the scope of minority-language education so that ethnic minorities could learn only in groups and in university departments and only at "multicultural" universities. Several days later, the UDMR's main decision- making body, the Council of Representatives, repeated its warning that if the parliament did not vote in favor of the original version of the government ordinance by the end of September, the UDMR would immediately leave the coalition. Although the UDMR had threatened to leave the coalition on several previous occasions, that threat seemed to be serious this time. The party began consultations with coalition members in a bid to convince them to respect the government program--but with little success. Opposition and some coalition members of the lower house's Education Committee tried to force the UDMR out of the government by first stalling discussions and then rejecting any compromise solutions. On 30 September, just two hours before the UDMR's deadline for quitting the coalition, the government approved a decision providing for the establishment of a "multicultural" Hungarian- and German-language university to be called "Petofi-Schiller." The UDMR withdrew its threat to quit the coalition and, at an extraordinary Council of Representatives meeting on 3 October, reaffirmed its willingness to participate in the governing coalition. Once again, it made its participation conditional on the implementation of the government's decision and the setting up of the legal framework for establishing such a university. But there was an immediate political backlash to the government's decision. Most opposition parties contested the decision, calling it "unconstitutional and illegal". Some coalition members were skeptical that the parliament would vote for what they called the "permissive" version of the education law, while others stressed that any "multicultural" solution must also include Romanian- language university departments. Against this background, the UDMR's departure from the governing coalition seems only a matter of time. Coalition leaders show no real will to resolve the problem of minority-language education once and for all. The UDMR thus finds itself in a Catch 22 situation: there does not seem to be much point in cooperating with coalition partners who break their promises and fail to respect the government program, but at the same time they cannot rely on support from the nationalist opposition parties either. Observers have already spoken about the possible isolation of ethnic Hungarians within Romania, who have little trust in the people running the country and who feel like second-class citizens. However, a new political crisis that results in pre-term elections might not help their cause much. It might also result in the postponement of economic reforms and even more economic hardships for the population as a whole. The author is a free-lance journalist in Cluj, Romania 13-10-98 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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