RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 3, No. 206, 99-10-21

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RFE/RL NEWSLINE

Vol. 3, No. 206, 21 October 1999

CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] U.S. DIPLOMAT ADVOCATES ARMENIAN-TURKISH RAPPROCHEMENT

[02] ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS AZERBAIJAN OBSTRUCTING

[03] ARMENIA, IRAQ TO EXPAND ECONOMIC COPERATION

[04] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PLANS RESISTANCE TO KARABAKH

[05] U.S. SUPPORTS GEORGIAN CALLS FOR RUSSIAN TROOP WITHDRAWAL

[06] KAZAKHSTAN'S PREMIER GIVES POSITIVE ASSESSSMENT OF

[07] ...AS OPPOSITION CANDIDATE PREDICTS FURTHER VIOLATIONS

[08] NEW POLITICAL PARTY REGISTERED IN KYRGYZSTAN

[09] KYRGYZSTAN BEGINS WITHDRAWING TROOPS FROM SOUTH

[10] IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS TURKMENISTAN

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[11] DJUKANOVIC SAYS MONTENEGRINS' PATIENCE RUNNING OUT...

[12] ...SAYS HE'S NOT WORRIED ABOUT MILOSEVIC'S ALLIES...

[13] ...SEES TWO PROBLEMS FACING YUGOSLAVIA...

[14] ..AND SAYS MONTENEGRO BECOMING MORE DEMOCRATIC

[15] INDEPENDENT RADIO BANNED IN MONTENEGRO

[16] DJINDJIC FEARS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

[17] UN INVESTIGATING OWN OFFICIALS IN SERBIAN PROPERTY SALES

[18] NATO FEARS VIGILANTE ACTION IN KOSOVA

[19] UN BEGINS BUS SERVICE IN KOSOVA

[20] BELGRADE BLOCKS CIVILIAN FLIGHTS TO KOSOVA

[21] BOSNIAN SERB GOVERNMENT BACKS REFUGEE RETURN PROGRAM

[22] CROATIAN COURT RULES THAT 'TUTA' CAN GO TO HAGUE

[23] OPPOSITION SLAMS TUDJMAN STAND ON ELECTIONS

[24] CROATIAN FARMERS BLOCK KEY HIGHWAY

[25] GERMANY TO PROVIDE MORE MILITARY AID TO MACEDONIA

[26] MAJKO WARNS NANO OVER ALBANIAN SOCIALIST CONGRESS

[27] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES LAW ON ACCESS TO SECURITATE FILES

[28] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT URGES GOVERNMENT TO SOLVE HEATING PROBLEM

[29] ROMANIAN NEWSPAPER EDITOR CONVICTED FOR RACIST ARTICLES

[30] ROMANIAN MAYOR WANTS TO HIRE EX-SERVICEMEN TO DEAL WITH ROMA

[31] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT INSISTS ON CHANGING CONSTITUTION

[32] GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER PLEDGES HELP FOR BULGARIA

[33] BULGARIAN GROUP CITES IRREGULARITIES IN LOCAL ELECTIONS

[C] END NOTE

[34] MUCH ADO ABOUT UNITY

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] U.S. DIPLOMAT ADVOCATES ARMENIAN-TURKISH RAPPROCHEMENT

Vazgen Sargsian, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Steven

Sestanovich proposed that Turkey and Armenia open

"information centers" in each other's capitals as a first

step toward establishing diplomatic relations, RFE/RL's

Yerevan bureau reported on 20 October, quoting an Armenian

government spokesman. Sestanovich said such a step would

contribute toward a rapprochement between the two countries,

which Washington considers essential for stability in the

South Caucasus. He added that Ankara has responded positively

to the proposal. Sestanovich also praised the recent talks

between Armenian President Robert Kocharian, which whom he

also met on 20 October, and Azerbaijan's President Heidar

Aliev. Sestanovich said those talks "create a basis for

agreement that can then be taken further by the [OSCE Minsk

Group] mediators." LF

[02] ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS AZERBAIJAN OBSTRUCTING

In an interview with Armenian State

Television on 19 October, Vartan Oskanian said Azerbaijan has

rejected a proposal by the EU that rail communications be

resumed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, RFE/RL's Armenian

Service reported. He said that Armenia has offered to create

a 3-5 kilometer security zone along the railway, which runs

through Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenian forces,

but that Azerbaijan has rejected that proposal, insisting on

the complete withdrawal of the Armenian troops from those

districts. Oskanian added that the EU and the U.S. are

unhappy with Azerbaijan's position. The EU-sponsored TRACECA

transport program envisages the restoration of transport

links between the South Caucasus states. LF

[03] ARMENIA, IRAQ TO EXPAND ECONOMIC COPERATION

Foreign Ministry official David Hovhanisian told journalists

in Baghdad on 20 October that Armenia will soon open an

office in that city to promote economic and trade

cooperation, Xinhua reported. Hovhanisian said Armenia is

interested in industrial and trade cooperation with Iraq

within the framework of the UN oil-for-food program. Armenia

and Iraq have not yet established formal diplomatic

relations. LF

[04] AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PLANS RESISTANCE TO KARABAKH

A 20 October session of the Democratic Congress,

which unites a dozen leading Azerbaijani opposition parties,

agreed to create a working group to revive the National

Resistance Movement, Turan reported (see "RFE/RL Caucasus

Report," Vol. 2, No. 42, 21 October 1999). The movement was

created in 1994 to oppose a disadvantageous peace settlement

in Karabakh. On 16 October, former President and Azerbaijan

Popular Front Chairman Abulfaz Elchibey condemned U.S.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's letter to President

Aliev urging him to agree to concessions in order to resolve

the Karabakh conflict as "the most insulting document in the

history of world diplomacy," according to Turan LF

[05] U.S. SUPPORTS GEORGIAN CALLS FOR RUSSIAN TROOP WITHDRAWAL

of State Sestanovich held talks with Minister of State Vazha

Lortkipanidze, parliamentary speaker Zurab Zhvania, and

President Eduard Shevardnadze on the Russian military

presence in Georgia and the North Caucasus, Caucasus Press

reported. Sestanovich told journalists on 20 October that the

U.S. shares Georgia's belief that Russian forces should be

withdrawn from Georgia. During his visit, an agreement was

signed under which the U.S. will provide Georgia with

military uniforms and other supplies worth $1.8 million, AP

reported. LF

[06] KAZAKHSTAN'S PREMIER GIVES POSITIVE ASSESSSMENT OF

Qasymzhomart Toqaev told U.S.

Ambassador Richard Jones on 20 October that both he and

President Nursultan Nazarbaev believe that the 10 October

elections to the lower chamber of parliament marked a new

stage in the evolution of democratic processes in Kazakhstan,

Interfax reported. He added that the poll "largely met" the

standards set by the OSCE and other international bodies. An

RFE/RL correspondent reported earlier this week that the OSCE

plans to issue a report on the first round of the poll

criticizing instances of falsification of the results (see

"RFE/RL Newsline," 20 October 1999). LF

[07] ...AS OPPOSITION CANDIDATE PREDICTS FURTHER VIOLATIONS

Bayseitova, who heads the Respublika-200 political group,

told journalists in Almaty on 20 October that she has

information that the local authorities in Atyrau Oblast have

printed 15,000 additional ballot forms to ensure that their

preferred candidate secures victory in the 24 October runoff

over Ghaziz Aldamzharov, a leading member of former Prime

Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldoin's Republican People's Party of

Kazakhstan, RFE/RL's bureau in the former capital reported.

On 19 October, a district court in Almaty rejected a case

brought by defeated parliamentary candidate Gennadii

Belyakov, who accused the district electoral commission of

falsifying the outcome of the vote in the district in which

he ran. LF

[08] NEW POLITICAL PARTY REGISTERED IN KYRGYZSTAN

Party Deputy Chairman Narkas Mulladjanov told RFE/RL's

Bishkek bureau on 19 October that the Ministry of Justice

formally registered the party last week. The Republican Party

was founded last month and is headed by Zamira Sydykova,

chief editor of the opposition weekly newspaper "Res Publika"

(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 September 1999). LF

[09] KYRGYZSTAN BEGINS WITHDRAWING TROOPS FROM SOUTH

Ministry spokesman said in Bishkek on 20 October that the

first detachments of army troops sent to Osh Oblast in August

following the hostage taking there by Uzbek guerrillas will

return to Bishkek later that day, RFE/RL's bureau in the

capital reported. He added that reservists called up in

August are being demobilized. Also on 20 October, an

unidentified source in the National Security Ministry said

Deputy Minister Valerii Verchagin traveled to Dushanbe that

day for talks aimed at securing the release of four Japanese

geologists still held by the guerrillas. Tajik Minister for

Emergency Situations Mirzo Zieev and other members of the

United Tajik Opposition helped mediate the release of several

Kyrgyz hostages (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 October 1999). LF

[10] IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS TURKMENISTAN

headed a delegation from the Oil, Energy, and Transport

Ministries that traveled to Ashgabat on 20 October, Reuters

and Interfax reported. Kharrazi and President Saparmurat

Niyazov discussed plans for cooperation in road building and

the extraction of Caspian gas and for the export of

electricity from Turkmenistan to Turkey via Iran. It is

unclear whether they also discussed exports of Turkmen gas

via Iran. Niyazov had told visiting Turkish Energy Minister

Cumhur Ersumer two weeks ago that the topic would be on the

agenda of their talks (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 October

1999). An agreement was signed on the construction of a $167

million dam and reservoir for irrigation purposes on the

Tedzhen River, which forms the border between the two

countries, Reuters reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6

September 1999). LF

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[11] DJUKANOVIC SAYS MONTENEGRINS' PATIENCE RUNNING OUT...

headquarters in Prague on 20 October that a "critical mass"

of the Montenegrin population is determined to press ahead

with democratization, even if this means declaring

independence from Serbia. He noted that independence

supporters tend to be not "romantic, old nationalists" but

rather "impatient young people." Montenegrins have already

"lost a decade" of political and economic development during

the rule of Slobodan Milosevic and are determined not to lose

any more time. The president added that Belgrade has not

begun "to negotiate seriously" with Podgorica about

redefining the relationship between the two republics.

Montenegrins' patience is running out and they will not wait

indefinitely, Djukanovic stressed. PM

[12] ...SAYS HE'S NOT WORRIED ABOUT MILOSEVIC'S ALLIES...

Montenegrin allies will try to secede from the republic or

start a war, as did his supporters in Krajina in 1991 or in

Bosnia in 1992. Democratic forces in Montenegro are strong

enough to block any attempt at secession. Milosevic's backers

there, moreover, know that he deserted his supporters in

Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosova, Djukanovic stressed. He also

noted that the international community has "tens of

thousands" of troops in the western Balkans and will stop

Milosevic if he tries to start a new war. PM

[13] ...SEES TWO PROBLEMS FACING YUGOSLAVIA...

that the federation's first problem is how to strengthen

democracy, noting that no reform is possible as long as

Milosevic remains in office, so Montenegro does what it can

to help the Serbian opposition. The president said that the

second problem is Kosova. The international community

underestimated the potential disruptive effect on the region

of growing ethnic Albanian demands for independence. If

Kosova becomes independent, the result is likely to be a

series of wars to establish a greater Albania, Djukanovic

continued. PM

[14] ..AND SAYS MONTENEGRO BECOMING MORE DEMOCRATIC

conceded that "democracy is not perfect" in Montenegro. He

argued, however, that even if state television is controlled

by his party, there are ample alternatives on the media scene

in which others can present their views. The country will

become more democratic as the economy improves. He stressed

that some of Montenegro's problems with democracy stems from

the fact that the country remains part of an undemocratic

federation in which Montenegro is the junior partner. He

denied that Montenegro played a key role in Milosevic's wars

in Croatia and Bosnia, saying that all the important

decisions are made in Belgrade. PM

[15] INDEPENDENT RADIO BANNED IN MONTENEGRO

Telecommunications Ministry said in Podgorica on 20 October

that Radio Free Montenegro must stop broadcasting because it

does not have a license or the technical staff that the law

requires of all broadcasters. Nebojsa Redzic, who heads the

station, told reporters that the real reason the authorities

want his radio off the air is political. In Prague,

Djukanovic said that he learned of the closure of the station

only that same morning. He argued that the ministry's

decision is not final and that the station has "two months or

so" to clear matters up with the authorities. PM

[16] DJINDJIC FEARS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Zoran Djindjic said in Belgrade that "the secret services are

preparing an assassination attempt against me," "Danas"

reported on 21 October. He said that he and some of his

friends have recently been subjected to surveillance by

unknown persons. Djindjic recently accused Milosevic's wife

Mira Markovic of planning to have him killed (see "RFE/RL

Newsline," 19 October 1999). PM

[17] UN INVESTIGATING OWN OFFICIALS IN SERBIAN PROPERTY SALES

UN official who requested anonymity told AP on 21 October

that UN police are investigating reports that several fellow

officers have persuaded Serbs to sell their property below

market value to ethnic Albanians. AP reported that there is a

possible business link between the men under investigation

and a local Albanian lawyer, who drew up the sales contracts.

PM

[18] NATO FEARS VIGILANTE ACTION IN KOSOVA

Atlantic alliance said in Prishtina on 20 October that

unknown persons have posted bogus lists of "indicted Serbian

war criminals" allegedly signed by the former Kosova

Liberation Army or local Albanian militias. The spokesman

expressed fears that the presence of such lists could prompt

ethnic Albanians "to take justice into their own hands." PM

[19] UN BEGINS BUS SERVICE IN KOSOVA

service in the Gjilan area of southern Kosova to enable non-

Albanians to shop and go visiting, AP reported on 20 October.

In Prishtina, the UN's Bernard Kouchner opened the

Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims. He also signed

into law a series of measures aimed at eliminating

discrimination in housing and employment. PM

[20] BELGRADE BLOCKS CIVILIAN FLIGHTS TO KOSOVA

October suspended civilian flights to Kosova, which had

resumed five days earlier. The suspension comes after the

Yugoslav authorities issued a note to airlines warning them

not to fly into Kosova from Macedonia. A KFOR spokesman

protested the Yugoslav move, saying that the June agreement

between Belgrade and NATO gives KFOR exclusive control over

Kosova's airspace. Military and humanitarian flights will

continue. PM

[21] BOSNIAN SERB GOVERNMENT BACKS REFUGEE RETURN PROGRAM

caretaker cabinet of Prime Minister Milorad Dodik approved a

program sponsored by the international community for the

return of displaced persons between the two Bosnian entities.

An RFE/RL correspondent reported from Banja Luka on 20

October that the program envisages the return of 10,000

families to their former homes on what is now Bosnian Serb

territory. PM

[22] CROATIAN COURT RULES THAT 'TUTA' CAN GO TO HAGUE

Constitutional Court ruled on 21 October that the authorities

did not violate the rights of indicted Bosnian Croat war

criminal Mladen "Tuta" Naletilic during the ongoing procedure

of extraditing him to The Hague. The decision removes the

last legal obstacle to Tuta's extradition, Reuters reported.

He is expected to undergo heart surgery on 22 October,

however, and it is unclear when he will be healthy enough to

travel. PM

[23] OPPOSITION SLAMS TUDJMAN STAND ON ELECTIONS

of the coalition of six opposition parties objected to recent

"ambiguous" remarks by President Franjo Tudjman on whether he

will respect the outcome of the upcoming parliamentary

elections (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 October 1999). In a

statement in Zagreb on 20 October, the opposition politicians

said that they are "disturbed" that Tudjman failed to say

clearly that he would appoint a prime minister from the

opposition if the opposition wins the elections. In London,

Croatian Social Democratic leader Ivica Racan said that

Tudjman will help "open the door" for Croatia's integration

into European institutions if he respects an opposition

victory, "Jutarnji list" reported on 21 October. The ballot

must take place by 2000 at the latest, but it is widely

expected before Christmas. PM

[24] CROATIAN FARMERS BLOCK KEY HIGHWAY

farmers blocked the Zagreb-Belgrade highway near Vukovar for

nine hours on 20 October. The farmers demand that the

government pay its debt for deliveries of grain and other

agricultural products. They also want several tax breaks and

legal measures to protect Croatian agriculture from foreign

competition, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. PM

[25] GERMANY TO PROVIDE MORE MILITARY AID TO MACEDONIA

Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping said in Skopje on 20

October that all Balkan countries must improve democracy as a

first step toward increased regional stability. His

Macedonian counterpart, Nikola Kljusev, announced that

Germany will provide 100,000 assault rifles and machine guns,

an unspecified quantity of anti-aircraft guns, and radar

equipment for the fledgling Macedonian military. Germany is

Macedonia's largest supplier of military equipment, AP

reported. PM

[26] MAJKO WARNS NANO OVER ALBANIAN SOCIALIST CONGRESS

Prime Minister Pandeli Majko told Fatos Nano, who heads his

Socialist Party, not to go ahead with a planned party

congress on 22 October, AP reported from Tirana on 20

October. Majko said that holding a congress "will bring about

a complete division of the party," which will in turn affect

Albania's stability. Nano wants to hold a congress in order

to replace at least some members of the party's steering

committee, which, he said, was not elected according to the

rules (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 October 1999). PM

[27] ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES LAW ON ACCESS TO SECURITATE FILES

allow the public greater access to the files of the former

communist secret police, Securitate. The new law will provide

public access to the files of the president, parliamentary

deputies, cabinet ministers, and other officials. The bill

must now be signed by President Emil Constantinescu. VG

[28] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT URGES GOVERNMENT TO SOLVE HEATING PROBLEM

immediate action to resolve the heating crisis in Romania, an

RFE/RL correspondent reported. Hundreds of thousands of

Romanians are without heating because they cannot afford to

pay their bills. Since apartment buildings in Romania are

generally connected to blocs with a common heating station,

many Romanians who have paid their bills are also without

heating. VG

[29] ROMANIAN NEWSPAPER EDITOR CONVICTED FOR RACIST ARTICLES

Romanian court on 20 October convicted a newspaper editor of

violating a law against racial discrimination, AP reported.

The court handed Mihai Bogdan Antonescu a two-year suspended

sentence for publishing articles designed to "spread

intolerance toward Jews," according to Mediafax. The weekly

newspaper, "Atac la persoana," regularly described

politicians as "dirty Jews" and contains a column titled

"Swastika." Justice Minister Valeriu Stoica has called for an

investigation into the weekly. VG

[30] ROMANIAN MAYOR WANTS TO HIRE EX-SERVICEMEN TO DEAL WITH ROMA

two ex-servicemen from Moldova to help remove a group of

illegal Romany occupants from two housing complexes in his

municipality, Basa-Press reported on 20 October, citing the

Romanian agency Mediafax. The two former soldiers have

reportedly served in Afghanistan and Chechnya. Rotaru said he

does not know what methods the two men will use to remove the

Roma, but he said he is sure they will employ "legal means."

VG

[31] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT INSISTS ON CHANGING CONSTITUTION

Lucinschi on 20 October sent a letter to the leaders of four

parliamentary factions in which he reaffirmed his

determination to strengthen the powers of the president in

the constitution, Infotag reported. Lucinschi said he cannot

understand why the deputies are opposed to holding a

referendum on the issue. He added that if the constitutional

changes do not secure the necessary two-thirds majority in

the parliament, he will call a referendum on the issue. VG

[32] GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER PLEDGES HELP FOR BULGARIA

Scharping said his country will help Bulgaria prepare its

armed forces for potential integration into NATO. Scharping,

who was on a visit to Sofia, said Germany will provide

Bulgaria with advice on trimming its military and creating a

social security net for officers who retire. He also offered

German assistance in modernizing Bulgaria's Soviet-made T-72

tanks. Scharping said that military security in the Balkans

is an important pre-condition for the region to attract

foreign investment. VG

[33] BULGARIAN GROUP CITES IRREGULARITIES IN LOCAL ELECTIONS

Citizens' Initiative for Free and Democratic Elections on 20

October noted that an average of 7 percent of ballots cast in

local elections across Bulgaria last week were declared

invalid, BTA reported. In districts with a mixed ethnic

population, more than 10 percent of all ballots were invalid.

Mikhail Mirchev, a member of the initiative, said the

relatively complex voting procedure cannot have been

responsible for such a high number of invalid ballots. He

attributed the large percentages to ballot manipulations. The

initiative also remarked that it has never taken so long to

count the votes in an election (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18

October 1999). VG

[C] END NOTE

[34] MUCH ADO ABOUT UNITY

If Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is Russian President

Boris Yeltsin's anointed successor, then the newly registered

interregional group Unity represents his bloc of choice for

December's State Duma elections. Putin himself attended

Unity's founding congress on 3 October as a guest, while

First Deputy Chief of Presidential Staff Igor Shabdurasulov

said that the bloc has "unequivocal support" from Yeltsin's

staff. And one of the most popular and longest-lasting member

of Putin's government, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu,

has been tapped as its head.

Although predictions of the bloc's success in upcoming

State Duma elections vary widely, the bloc may have already

achieved what most analysts believe to be its raison d'etre:

chipping away support for the popular Fatherland-All Russia

(OVR) alliance. In a recent interview with "Segodnya," Andrei

Fedorov of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policies

explained that Unity's "first task is to put Fatherland-All

Russia out of action and if possible, take 10 percent of the

vote from them, thus pushing them into third place in the

parliament, and after that it is supposed to try to become a

springboard for the Kremlin's candidate for president."

If reports of its membership can be trusted, Unity has

already struck at core OVR interests by luring away four of

its members, including Primorskii Krai Governor Yevgenii

Nazdratenko. In fact, more than half of the governors who

have reportedly joined Unity were already aligned with other

political parties or movements: besides the four former OVR

members, the group includes six former members of Voice of

Russia, which is headed by Samara Governor Konstantin Titov.

In addition, five governors out of the seven enrolled in

former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin's Our Home Is

Russia (NDR) have expressed their wish for membership in both

groups, while a sixth, Saratov Governor Dmitrii Ayatskov, has

expressed his willingness to support Unity and has actively

sought a merger of the NDR with Unity.

Also, Unity already appears to be acting as a bloc

within the Federation Council and can therefore counter any

OVR-backed efforts there. Consider the recent Kremlin-

initiated vote in the upper legislative chamber to oust

suspended Prosecutor-General Yurii Skuratov. The voting was

kept secret, but in interviews with senators that

"Kommersant-Daily," Russian Public Television, and NTV

conducted after balloting, all of the regional leaders

expressing support for Skuratov's dismissal, except one, were

members of Unity. Meanwhile, some of the most vocal

supporters for retaining Skuratov were OVR members, such as

Chuvash President Nikolai Fedorov.

However, Unity's failure to align with the NDR has

prompted some analysts to conclude that the bloc will not

capture enough votes in the Duma election to enter the lower

legislative chamber. Unity officials claimed that NDR imposed

too many preconditions, while NDR faction leader Vladimir

Ryzhkov argued that NDR members resisted the union, despite

Kremlin pressure, because Unity lacks a coherent political

philosophy. NDR head Viktor Chernomyrdin put it this way:

Unity "has no ideology," it has only business magnate Boris

Berezovskii.

While Berezovskii has denied that he was behind Unity's

creation, as has Unity head Shoigu, Unity member and Governor

of Kursk Aleksandr Rutskoi has acknowledged Berezovskii's

involvement. Also, coverage of the movement in his media

holdings suggests that Berezovskii has at least a mild

interest in the bloc's good fortunes. In its reporting on

Unity, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" has stressed the movement's

successful recruitment efforts and alignments with smaller

political parties and organizations following the failure of

efforts to merge with the NDR.

Such coverage contrasts sharply with the picture

depicted in media owned by rival oligarch Vladimir

Gusinskii's Media Most group or in newspapers close to Moscow

Mayor Yurii Luzhkov, the head of Fatherland. "Segodnya" and

"Moskovskii komsomolets" have reported Kremlin pressure on

governors to join Unity, while "Obshchaya gazeta" claimed in

its most recent issue that according to its sources, which it

did not identify, only six or seven governors have actually

joined Unity. EWI's "Russian Regional Report" puts the tally

of governors affiliated with Unity at 28, including the five

members of the NDR who will maintain dual allegiance.

Some skepticism about Unity's membership list is perhaps

natural, since little seems to unite its diverse members.

Even the top three names on that list present an odd

assortment of philosophies and professions: Emergencies

Minister Shoigu, former NDR member and Olympic wrestler

Aleksandr Karelin, and former top cop Aleksandr Gurov. Gurov,

the current head of the security department of Tepkobank, is

the former head of the Department Combating Organized Crime

at the Interior Ministry and has expressed his support for

General Aleksandr Lebed many times.

Even more striking for a Kremlin-backed bloc are the

names of Rutskoi and Nazdratenko. Unity's congress occurred

on the sixth anniversary of the day Rutskoi, at the time

Yeltsin's vice president, called on Russian troopers to storm

Ostankino, while President Yeltsin has tried to remove

Nazdratenko and only this year recalled his envoy from

Primorskii Krai, whose main task was to rein in the governor.

It is possible that these Yeltsin's foes have been drawn to a

Kremlin-backed grouping for the same reason that one Chukotka

official claims his governor has signed on: additional

financial aid from the center. OVR members, on the hand, will

presumably have to wait until after the election.

21-10-99

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URL: http://www.rferl.org

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