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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 68, 01-04-06Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 68, 6 April 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] NO OBVIOUS PROGRESS MADE AT ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI SUMMITThe third day of OSCE-mediated talks between Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev in Key West, Florida, passed without any sign of headway, Western agencies reported. But Russian, French, and American mediators all suggested that the talks themselves were a sign of progress. Meanwhile, Ramiz Mehtiev, head of the Azerbaijani presidential administration, said in an interview published in "Azerbaijan" on 5 April that there must be a just and equitable peace or a new outbreak of hostilities is possible. And former Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Tofiq Zulfugarov said in an interview published in the 5 April "Yeni Musavat" that he is pessimistic about the outcome of the Key West round of talks. PG[02] ARMENIA BANS IMPORT OF 'LOW QUALITY' IRANIAN FUELThe Snark news agency reported on 4 April that Armenia has banned the import of what Yerevan calls "low quality" Iranian fuel and that some 200 tank trucks are backed up at the countries' border as a result. Meanwhile, the same agency reported, Armenia's Energy Ministry is engaged in "tough" talks with Russia's Itera gas distribution company about future gas deliveries to Yerevan. At present, Armenia's total debt to Itera amounts to $26 million. PG[03] PARLIAMENT SHOOTING TRIAL RESUMESNairi Hunanian refused to testify when court resumed after a five-week break in hearings on the case of those charged with carrying out the assassinations in the Armenian parliament on 27 October 1999, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported on 5 April. PG[04] ARMENIAN UNEMPLOYMENT REMAINS HIGH AS LOW-PAYING JOBS REMAIN UNFILLEDUnemployment in Armenia remained at 10.6 percent in March even though many low-paying jobs remain unfilled, the Noyan Tapan agency reported on 5 April. PG[05] AZERBAIJANI JOURNALISTS BACK NTV COLLEAGUESThe journalists' trade union in Azerbaijan issued a statement on 5 April in support of NTV journalists, the Trend news agency reported. The union said that "we believe that the steps taken by Gazprom against the free will of NTV journalists are aimed at stifling the only Russia-wide independent TV company... Russia is giving a bad example to the other post-Soviet states, including Azerbaijan. The struggle for media freedom in Russia is the struggle for the same ideals in other countries of the former Soviet Union." PG[06] AZERBAIJANIS SAY CORRUPTION IS 'VERY HIGH'Out of a group of experts, officials, journalists, and politicians polled recently, 73 percent said that corruption in Azerbaijan is currently "very high," the Turan news agency reported on 4 April. An additional 17 percent said it was "high." Sixty percent said that the amount of corruption had increased in the past year, and significant percentages blamed the current government, the low level of civic culture in the country, and the impact of the Soviet past. PG[07] NATO BASE IN AZERBAIJAN SEEN AS PROMOTING STABILITYAn article in "Zerkalo" on 4 April suggested that the deployment of NATO bases in Azerbaijan would help resolve the Karabakh conflict in Baku's favor while reducing Russian and Iranian influence in the southern Caucasus. But at the same time, such bases would likely prompt Moscow to use Armenia even more in opposition to Azerbaijan, the paper said. PG[08] NATO SAYS GEORGIA IS IMPORTANT TO ALLIANCEGeneral Joseph Ralston, supreme allied commander Europe in NATO, said in Tbilisi on 5 April that Georgia is the object of "great attention" within the alliance, Georgian television reported. A Georgian correspondent who talked to Ralston concluded that Georgia's cooperation with the alliance's Partnership for Peace program will ultimately lead to Georgia becoming a member of NATO. PG[09] GEORGIAN NATIONALIST LEADER BEATENGeorgian television reported on 5 April that Zviad Dziziguri, leader of the Union of National Forces, was beaten near his home. Several legislative deputies accused the police and security forces of being behind the beating, Caucasus Press reported on the same day. PG[10] GEORGIAN AUDIT CHAMBER FINDINGS LEAD TO 48 PROSECUTIONSDuring 2000, the findings of the Georgian Audit Chamber led to criminal prosecutions against 48 officials, Kavkazia-Press reported on 5 April. PG[11] ETHNIC AZERIS SAID TO BE MISTREATED IN GEORGIAThe Bilik Dunyasi news agency of Baku reported on 5 April that Azerbaijani villages in Georgia are now being renamed and history books are being burned. The agency said that the status of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia "is constantly deteriorating," even though the situation had improved earlier upon President Eduard Shevardnadze's coming to power. PG[12] PUBLIC FIGURES TO HELP SOLVE CENTRAL ASIAN CONFLICTSTajikistan's Asia-Plus news agency reported on 5 April that a special group of distinguished intellectuals and public figures will serve as "goodwill ambassadors to help solve conflicts among Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Among those who have assumed this role is Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov. PG[13] JOINT CENTRAL ASIAN FORCE TO BE READY BY SUMMERA joint quick-reaction force of four battalions from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan is planned for operational deployment in Central Asian hotspots by August, RIA-Novosti reported on 5 April. PG[14] 'KAZAKHSTAN WITHOUT NAZARBAEV' MOVEMENT ORGANIZEDDauren Satybaldy, the leader of the Zhangyru movement, told RFE/RL's Kazakh Service on 5 April that he has formed a "Kazakhstan without Nazarbaev" movement modeled on the "Ukraine without Kuchma" effort in Ukraine. PG[15] KAZAKHS' IGNORANCE OF ISLAM COULD LEAD TO ISLAMIST POLITICSMaulen Ashimbaev, director of the Kazakh Institute of Strategic Studies, said that ignorance among the Kazakh population could lead to the politicization of those who claim to be Muslims, Kazakh television reported on 5 April. He called for the introduction of religious instruction in all schools and for the state to avoid any interference in the work of the Muslim spiritual directorate. PG[16] KAZAKHSTAN DISRUPTS ILLEGAL MIGRATION CHANNEL FROM ASIA TO EUROPEThe Kazakh National Security Committee has disrupted an organized criminal effort that had been moving people from Asia across Kazakhstan to Russia and Europe, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 5 April. PG[17] KYRGYZ NGO SUES OVER MEETING RESTRICTIONSYelfira Yausheva, coordinator of the Coalition of NGOs in Kyrgyzstan, told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service on 5 April that she has sued the Bishkek city administration over its restrictions on public meetings there. Meanwhile, "Res Publica" editor Zamira Sydykova told RFE/RL that her paper has hired all the journalists from the banned "Asaba" daily. PG[18] BOMB BLAST IN TAJIKISTAN CAPITALA bomb blast killed one person and wounded nine others in Dushanbe on 5 April, ITAR-TASS reported. The motives for the blast remain under investigation. PG[19] TURKMEN PRESIDENT BANS OPERA, BALLETInsisting that ballet and opera are "alien" to Turkmen culture, President Saparmurat Niyazov on 5 April closed the main opera and ballet theater in Ashgabat to allow for the development of distinctly Turkmen culture, Interfax-Central Asia and AP reported. He also placed the country's culture minister on a sixth-month probation as director of a youth theater and announced that Turkmen broadcasting will fall under the Communications Ministry, Turkmen radio and television reported on 4 April. PG[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[20] MACEDONIAN ALBANIANS SAY SLAVS 'NOT SERIOUS' ABOUT DIALOGUEArben Xhaferi, head of the Democratic Party of the Albanians (PDSH) that is part of the governing coalition, said on 5 April that politicians from the ethnic Macedonian majority are not interested in addressing the Albanian minority's complaints about discrimination (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 April 2001, and "End Note" below). "They are not ready to have a real dialogue. They want to have some kind of a coffee-table discussion without any obligations," Reuters reported from Skopje. "If we do not open a dialogue, the violence will return very easily. The [guerrillas] did not disappear, they are [still] around us." Xhaferi also cautioned against referring to them as "terrorists" (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 27 March 2001). He stressed that "we could have another crisis because of the rigidity of the Macedonian side," London's "Daily Telegraph" reported. The Party of Democratic Prosperity (PPD), which is the largest ethnic Albanian opposition party, boycotted the talks as a waste of time. PPD Secretary- General Muhamed Halili said that "the government of Macedonia is not able to take the responsibility for resolving the crisis," the "Financial Times" reported. PM[21] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT: NO TALKS WITH REBELSPresident Boris Trajkovski said on 5 April that he rules out any negotiations with fighters from the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (UCK), Reuters reported from Skopje. He told a meeting of regional defense ministers that "we have intensified political dialogue but we will not respond to those who suggest a concept of a federal state." He also repeated the position of his government that the UCK comes from Kosova and that its emergence is not the result of legitimate grievances of Macedonia's own Albanians. "The agenda of the terrorists is not the internal situation in Macedonia. Their agenda is the situation in Kosovo. Our efforts will be fruitless if the international community does not take care of the roots of the crisis in Kosovo." The Serbian authorities also blame the foreigners for security problems in the area. PM[22] INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY APPEALS FOR DIALOGUE IN MACEDONIARomania's Mircea Geoana, who currently holds the OSCE chair, said on 5 April that "all legitimate interests should be presented [at the roundtable talks]. We also feel the need of having some quick success, some quick wins that will give confidence," Reuters reported from Skopje. British Foreign Minister Robin Cook said in Tetovo after meeting with Xhaferi that "we need to work while there is an interval, when Macedonia is clear of violence. We must create the political conditions in Macedonia where all citizens know they have equal rights and feel they have equal opportunities." Earlier, after meeting with Macedonian leaders, Cook said in Skopje: "We want to help Macedonia defeat the terrorists. We support multiethnic Macedonia in which the citizens are equal with equal opportunities. There is no place for violence in a democratic society," AP reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 April 2001). PM[23] NATO TO HELP CONTROL MACEDONIAN-ALBANIAN BORDERAn unnamed "NATO official" told AP in Brussels on 5 April that the alliance has agreed to a request from Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta to "reinforce controls along the Albanian-Macedonian border." NATO and Albanian officials are working out the details. On 6 April, dpa reported from Skopje that the Macedonian army has deployed heavy weapons at Debar on the border with Albania. Defense Ministry officials said that up to 30 fighters have recently crossed into Macedonia from Albania. That same day, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer arrived in Tirana to discuss bilateral and regional relations with Meta and President Rexhep Meidani. Fischer was to head to Kosova later that day. PM[24] SERBIAN ROLE IN DRAFTING KOSOVA'S CONSTITUTIONHans Haekkerup, who heads the UN's civilian administration in Kosova, said in Belgrade on 5 April that "it is very important" to include representatives of Kosova's Serbian minority in the process of drafting a constitution for Kosova (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 April 2001). Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said he and Haekkerup discussed "the problem of the legal framework for Kosovo," including "the interim constitutional arrangements" for the general elections expected later this year. "We pointed out that there is readiness on part of the Yugoslav side to join the work on that project," AP quoted Kostunica as saying. The two men also said that there will soon be an agreement on cooperation between Belgrade and the UN administration. Belgrade wants to "return to Kosova" with the help of the international community. There are no reliable statistics on the current population of Kosova, but the Serbian share of the total is probably about 7 percent. All political parties representing the perhaps 90 percent ethnic Albanian majority want independence and no further links to Serbia. PM[25] SERBIAN MINISTER REFUSES, YUGOSLAV ONE ACCEPTS HAGUE WARRANT FOR MILOSEVICSerbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic "declined" to accept an arrest warrant for former President Slobodan Milosevic from The Hague tribunal's registrar, Hans Holthuis, London's "The Times" reported on 6 April (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 April 2001). Instead, Batic gave Holthuis a letter for chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte in which he called on the tribunal to indict Hashim Thaci and other former Kosovar fighters. The next day, Yugoslav Justice Minister Momcilo Grubac accepted the warrant during what Holthuis called a "very promising visit," Reuters reported. PM[26] ARE ARRESTS A MILOSEVIC FAMILY AFFAIR?"The Times" reported on 6 April that Belgrade prosecutors are preparing an Interpol arrest warrant for Milosevic's son Marko. The youthful underworld kingpin is believed to be in Russia. The Serbian Interior Ministry has filed criminal charges against Milosevic's daughter Marija for her use of violence in resisting her father's recent arrest, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. And unconfirmed reports continue to circulate in the Belgrade media that Milosevic's wife Mira may be arrested soon for her widely suspected role in some unsolved political murders. She currently visits her husband in Belgrade's Central Prison daily. PM[27] IS FRANCE BACKING BELGRADE AGAINST MILOSEVIC EXTRADITION?London's "The Times" reported on 6 April that an unnamed "senior EU official" said in Brussels that the U.K. and especially Germany want future EU aid to Serbia made conditional on Belgrade's cooperation with The Hague in the Milosevic case. The official added that France is "at the other end of the spectrum in trying to push the EU towards a soft line. It is very sympathetic to Kostunica," whose anti-American views have found a warm hearing in Paris. PM[28] PEACEKEEPERS 'TAKE OVER' HERZEGOVINIAN BANK...SFOR troops blocked off access to offices of the Hercegovacka Banka in Mostar and its branches in several other towns on 6 April, Reuters reported. Chris Bird, who is a spokesman for the international community's High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch, said in Sarajevo that "there has been a joint operation this morning between SFOR, IPTF [the UN's International Police Task Force], Ministry of Interior [police], and financial police to establish an international provisional administration in Hercegovacka Banka according to a decision by the high representative." The aim of the move is to remove the financial basis of the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ), which refuses to recognize the authority of the federal government (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 April 2001). PM[29] ...BUT NOT WITHOUT INCIDENTSBird also said in Sarajevo on 6 April that the attempt to take over the bank offices was marred by violence and that details are still coming in. "There are reports that during the course of the riot, several participants in the operation were attacked and injured by bank employees and thugs... The high representative demands that local authorities and political leaders act to bring calm to the situation and requires that all citizens act within the law," Reuters reported. PM[30] BOSNIAN GENERAL TESTIFIES IN THE HAGUEControversial former Muslim General Sefer Halilovic testified in The Hague on 6 April against Bosnian Serb General Radislav Krstic, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Many Serbs feel that Halilovic himself should be in the dock. PM[31] EU-CROATIAN AGREEMENT NEARLY READYEU Commissioner Chris Patten and Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said in Zagreb on 5 April that they will be able to initial the Stabilization and Association Agreement between Brussels and Zagreb in early May, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Patten stressed that the progress on the agreement is "a mark of the extraordinary transformation of the relationship between Croatia and the EU" since the new government took office in early 2000, AP reported. PM[32] ROMANIAN 2001 BUDGET THREATENED BY PDSR, LIBERAL RIFT...National Liberal Party (PNL) leader Valeriu Stoica said on 5 April that the PNL is not ready to renounce its principles for the sake of improving the image of the ruling Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), and that the PDSR must understand that PNL support of the 2001 budget is conditional on the acceptance of the party's amendments. He also said the PNL "rejects the paternalistic postures" of the PDSR. Stoica reacted to Prime Minister Adrian Nastase's declaration one day earlier, in which he said the PNL must "decide whether it travels in the [governmental] carriage or on foot." Nastase also said that a PNL vote against the 2001 budget would amount to an infringement of the December 2000 agreement between the two parties. He said such a vote can "topple the government, and thus be considered as a no- confidence vote." MS[33] ...WHICH LEADS TO SUSPENSION OF PARLEYS ON CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTSStoica also accused the PDSR of attempting to bargain on the budget by linking its approval with PNL-pursued constitutional amendments. On 5 August, Chamber of Deputies' Chairman Valer Dorneanu told PNL deputy Radu Stroe that the discussions of the two parties' representatives on amending the basic documents "are suspended" and that the PDSR now wants the PNL to agree to an extension of its support of the minority cabinet until 2002. The PDSR said the envisaged new agreement would deal with the constitutional amendments as well, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. MS[34] ROMANIAN SENATE VOTES TO PUNISH CORRUPT MINISTERSThe Senate on 5 April introduced a provision in the Law on Ministerial Responsibility now under discussion that would punish ministers convicted of fraud with prison terms of up to 20 years, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. The law has yet to be debated in the Chamber of Deputies. Ordinary citizens convicted on similar charges face between one and seven years in prison. The Justice Ministry and the Judicial Commission opposed the measure on the grounds that punishment for corruption and fraud is already provided for in the Penal Code, but the measure was passed with the support of PDSR senators who refused to toe the party discipline line, headed by Senator Antonie Iorgovan, who proposed the stipulation. The vote was 65 in favor and 35 against. MS[35] ROMANIAN PREMIER IN ITALYPremier Nastase on 6 March is meeting in Rome with his Italian counterpart Giuliano Amato and with opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi and will later be received by Pope Paul John II, Romanian Radio reported. Nastase began a two-day visit to Italy on 5 April, meeting with representatives of the Ansaldo company, which is likely to participate in the financing of the second nuclear plant unit planned at Cernavoda, Mediafax reported. The total costs of the unit are estimated at $750 million, and the government said its construction would be regarded as one of its top priorities. The other foreign company slated to be involved in financing the construction is the Canadian AECL. Due to bad weather, representatives of the Torino- based automaker Fiat canceled a meeting in Rome with Nastase. Romania is interested in Fiat's participation in either the privatization of its troubled Brasov Tractorul tractormaker, or in the plant's modernization. MS[36] ILASCU THANKS ROMANIAN AUTHORITIES FOR SUPPORTIlie Ilascu, in a letter given to his wife when she visited him in prison on 26 March, thanked Prime Minister Nastase and Romania's parliament for their efforts to bring about his liberation, Romanian radio reported on 5 April. In his message, Ilascu said he will "never accept [making a] political compromise in exchange for my freedom." Ilascu, elected a Romanian senator in November 2000, was sentenced to death for terrorism by the Transdniester authorities and has been imprisoned in Tiraspol since 1992. MS[37] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT THREATENED BY ILASCU FANAt the entrance to the parliament in Chisinau on 5 April a 67-year-old pensioner threatened to "settle accounts" with President Vladimir Voronin, whom he accused of "doing nothing to free Ilie Ilascu," Infotag reported. The man carried a large kitchen knife and after being detained by police, was found to also to be in possession of a large paving stone. Police said he will be submitted to psychiatric examination. Infotag also reported that Voronin's neighbors are pleading with the new president to forego his promise not to move to the presidential palace. Ever since his election the residential building where Voronin lives in central Chisinau has been filled with secret police agents who check identities and divert traffic. MS[38] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES ARMS EXPORTS TO MACEDONIAThe parliament on 5 April unanimously ratified a February Bulgarian- Macedonian agreement allowing the sale of arms to neighboring Macedonia, Reuters and AP reported. Macedonia will pay only for weapons and munitions, but not for the other supplies, which were not specified. The vote will enable the government to supply the arms after the parliament is dissolved on 19 April, ahead of the 17 June general elections. MS[39] BULGARIAN CABINET BANS ARMS EXPORTS TO 19 COUNTRIESMore than a year after coming under international criticism for allegedly providing weapons to Angolan rebels, the cabinet headed by Ivan Kostov on 5 April forbade the sale of arms to the African country and 18 other states that are on the UN list of countries to which arms exports are banned, AP reported. A UN report published in March 2000 said UNITA rebels in Angola purchased weapons from Eastern Europe, primarily from Bulgaria, in exchange for gems, and had the arms supplied via other African countries. The Bulgarian government has repeatedly denied the allegations. MS[40] EUROPEAN CONSERVATIVE SUMMIT LAUDS BULGARIA'S ROLE IN BALKANSA summit of the European People's Party, (EPP) which includes Christian Democratic and conservative parties from Europe, on 5 April in Sofia praised the role played by Bulgaria in ensuring Balkan stability, the English-language daily "Monitor" reported. The summit is the first to be held in a state that is not a EU member. The meeting expressed strong support for Kostov's cabinet ahead of the June elections. EPP Chairman Wilfried Martens stressed that Kostov's Union of Democratic Forces is implementing "painful but vital reforms that [have already] brought about positive changes." Addressing the gathering, President Petar Stoyanov said the venue of the meeting is in itself an acknowledgment of the country's progress. The forum endorsed a swift EU enlargement. MS[41] IMF ASSESSMENT PRAISES BULGARIAN REFORMSAn IMF assessment of Bulgaria's economic performance said on 5 April that the country "has come a long way" in the past three years, "Monitor" reported. The country's GDP has increased by 11 percent, after having dropped by more than one-third between 1989 and 1997, the report said. Inflation has been brought under control after having reached hyperinflation levels in 1996-1997, and the external debt declined from nearly 100 percent of GDP in 1997, to about 80 percent now. The assessment says some sectors of the economy must still undergo reforms, mentioning among them the energy sector and business regulations. It also says that while an amended Privatization Law was approved in November 2000, new strategies for selling the state telecommunications and tobacco monopolies have yet to be put in place. MS[C] END NOTE[42] COALITION MANEUVERING IN SKOPJEBy Ulrich BuechsenschuetzIt seems very likely that an institution from the early days of Macedonia's independence will be revived: all-party talks under the auspices of the president. When Kiro Gligorov was still in that office, all manner of topics were regularly discussed. Some authors -- like Stefan Troebst and Heinz Willemsen in the latest issue of "Osteuropa" -- even go so far as to suggest that Gligorov led a kind of government by consensus. They argue that this system of governing ensured that the ethnic tensions that undeniably existed in Macedonia during the early 1990s did not lead to an armed conflict like in some other former Yugoslav republics. For the almost two years since Gligorov left office in 1999, the talks have been suspended. Only the outbreak of violent clashes between Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanian fighters has prompted a revival of these discussions (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 and 4 April 2001). Now the initiative lies in the hands of President Boris Trajkovski. Even though not all parties came to the first rounds of the talks, Macedonian as well as European politicians -- like Javier Solana or the coordinator of the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, Bodo Hombach -- have hailed them as a first step toward easing the tension and reaching a peaceful solution to the conflict. Parallel to the beginning of the all-party talks earlier this week, another idea from the early 1990s has reemerged: that of a broad coalition. The government led by Nikola Kljusev (March 1991-July 1992) had been described as an "expert government," with a strong anti-Albanian stamp. The "expert government" was made up almost exclusively of non-Albanian party members from the nationalist Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE), the ex-communist Social Democrats (SDSM), and the Movement for All-Macedonian Action (MAAK). It was eventually brought down by a vote of no confidence and replaced by a coalition government formed by the SDSM and the Albanian Party for Democratic Prosperity (PPD), which lasted until after the fall 1998 elections. Today, Macedonia again is ruled by a coalition government. The biggest party -- the VMRO-DPMNE -- and its leader, Ljubco Georgievski, refrained from making the openly anti-Albanian sentiments of earlier times. This made possible the coalition with the Democratic Party of the Albanians (PDSH) led by Arben Xhaferi. This party and its leader similarly ceased making radical statements in exchange for political offices. The third original coalition partner, the Democratic Alternative (DA), has been replaced by the Liberal Party (LP) in the meantime. Shortly after the armed conflict between the Albanian guerrillas and the Macedonian security forces broke out earlier this year, the opposition Social Democrats as well as the ruling VMRO-DPMNE started to look for ways to form a "government of national unity" based on a broad coalition. After having exchanged bitter accusations this past weekend, the leaders of the major Macedonian parties -- Georgievski of the VMRO-DPMNE and Branko Crvenkovski of the opposition SDSM -- have now agreed to meet on 5 April for a first round of talks. The mutual accusations drew attention to the deep rift between the two parties' views on a number of issues. First, SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE disagree on the origin of the current crisis. Whereas the government says it is imported by "terrorists" from Kosova, SDSM is of the opinion that it is an internal problem of Macedonia. According to the Social Democrats, the recent violent clashes were orchestrated by the PDSH. Second, the government officially does not show any inclination to change the constitution to meet key Albanian demands because this step might be seen as weakness by the electorate. On the other hand, there are some discussions going on in the press as to whether and how the constitution could indeed be changed. This may be seen as a sign that the government could eventually back down on the issue. This possibility seems even more likely if one keeps in mind the calls by the international community for greater equality for the Albanians, and Xhaferi's virtual ultimatum to the same effect. Changing the constitution is exactly what the SDSM wants to avoid by entering a government coalition. On 30 March, Crvenkovski told a press conference that if Georgievski does not give way to a broader coalition -- Crvenkovski did not specify how broad this coalition should be -- his party would have to resort to street protests either to force its way into a coalition or to bring down the government. In response to Crvenkovski's claims, Georgievski first reacted by accusing Crvenkovski of "diversionary acts against the Macedonian state." He nonetheless then offered talks on forming a coalition. On the agenda are the demands of the SDSM for two key ministries (Interior and Justice) and for holding parliamentary elections before the end of this year. While the smaller parties generally agree to the creation of a broad coalition, some of them do not, such as the Liberal Democrats led by Skopje Mayor Risto Penov. Whether a broad coalition will be formed or not will be decided by the current junior coalition partner, the PDSH. Party Vice President Menduh Thaci already signaled that he is not willing to cooperate with either the "former UDBA [Yugoslav secret service] members of the PPD" or with the SDSM. To the SDSM offers to form a "coalition for national salvation," he replied: "The SDSM and PPD have saved Macedonia enough. With their criminal activities and the torture of Albanians that took place during their government [before the 1998 elections], they sowed the seed for the grain that the current government has to harvest." 06-04-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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