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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-02-21
CONTENTS
[01] RUSSIA HEDGES ON EXTENDING OIL-REDUCTION AGREEMENT WITH OPEC
[02] MILITARY COOPERATION WITH CHINA SEEN AS THREAT TO RUSSIA'S
[03] ...AS RUSSIA MAPS OUT CHINESE EXPANSION
[04] EXPERT SAYS RUSSIA NOT PROTECTED FROM NUCLEAR TERRORISM
[05] MOSCOW PROPOSES COMMERCIALIZING INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
[06] PREMIER SAYS GOVERNMENT HAS AVERTED POSSIBLE 2003 DEBT CRISIS
[07] ATOMIC ENERGY MINISTRY CREATES OWN POWER COMPANY...
[08] ...AS CULTURE MINISTRY CONSOLIDATES FILM COMPANIES
[09] PROSECUTOR-GENERAL SEEKS TO REGISTER HOMELESS CHILDREN
[10] INTERNAL DEBT LOOMS OVER RUSSIA
[11] FSB ACCUSES POLITKOVSKAYA OF WORKING FOR SOROS MONEY IN CHECHNYA
[12] DEPUTIES APPROVE CITIZENSHIP BILL...
[13] ...AS PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY MAKES ETHNIC SLUR
[14] UNITY OFFICIAL SUGGESTS DUMA SHOULD BE TRIMMER
[15] COAL COMPANY TRIES TO TURN TABLES ON ELECTRICITY SUPPLIER
[16] LOCAL BUSINESSMEN TRY TO GET PRIME MINISTER'S ATTENTION
[17] PUTIN NOT SEEKING HANDS-ON MANAGER FOR RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN
[18] OU EST LE BOEUF?
[19] CHECHEN PROTESTS AGAINST RUSSIAN 'SWEEPS' GATHER MOMENTUM
[20] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT'S BODYGUARD CONVICTED OF MANSLAUGHTER
[21] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SEEKS TO ALLAY CONCERNS OVER NEW MEDIA BILL
[22] ISRAEL RESPONDS TO ARMENIAN DIPLOMATIC NOTE ON GENOCIDE
[23] RUSSIAN STATE DUMA SPEAKER SAYS KARABAKH SHOULD JOIN PEACE TALKS
[24] TRIAL OF RADICAL ISLAMISTS OPENS IN AZERBAIJAN
[25] AZERBAIJANI VILLAGERS CONFRONT BAKU MAYOR
[26] U.S. OFFICIAL HOPES FOR GEORGIAN ACTION AGAINST AFGHAN MERCENARIES
[27] GEORGIA, ABKHAZIA FAIL TO REACH AGREEMENT ON PATROLS OF KODORI
[28] GEORGIA AGAIN RULES OUT AUTONOMY FOR ARMENIAN-POPULATED REGION
[29] KAZAKHSTAN MERGES STATE OIL EXTRACTING, EXPORTING AGENCIES
[30] KAZAKH PRESIDENT CONFERS WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL AIDE...
[31] ...AND WITH HIS TURKMEN COUNTERPART
[32] ABDUCTED KYRGYZ OFFICIALS RELEASED
[33] TAJIKISTAN SIGNS UP FOR NATO'S PFP
[34] FRENCH MILITARY INTELLIGENCE CHIEF VISITS TAJIKISTAN
[35] TAJIKISTAN UNDERTAKES TO REPAY IMF LOAN
[36] ANOTHER SENIOR TURKMEN OFFICIAL JOINS OPPOSITION
[37] U.S. TO EXPAND MILITARY COOPERATION WITH UZBEKISTAN
[38] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT -- PART 1 COUNTRIES
[39] BELARUSIAN PARTY ASKS GOVERNMENT TO PUBLICIZE ARMS TRADE DETAILS
[40] BELARUSIAN YOUTH ACTIVIST JAILED FOR VALENTINE'S DAY MARCH
[41] UKRAINIAN MINISTERS GO ON ELECTION CAMPAIGN LEAVE, PREMIER STAYS
[42] UKRAINIAN ELECTION COMMISSION ANNULS REGISTRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
[43] OUR UKRAINE SLAMS STATE OFFICIALS FOR HINDERING ITS ELECTION
[44] QUADRILATERAL MEETING IN UKRAINE MULLS SECURITY COOPERATION
[45] UKRAINE NOT TO BREAK TIES WITH IRAN, IRAQ
[46] NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER VISITS ESTONIA
[47] LATVIA RECEIVES PERMISSION TO OPEN CONSULAR OFFICE IN KALININGRAD
[48] PRIVATIZATION OF LITHUANIA'S GAS UTILITY
[49] CONFUSION OVER POLISH DEPUTY PREMIER'S PRONOUNCEMENTS IN BRUSSELS
[50] GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN PRAGUE
[51] CZECH OPPOSITION ALLIANCE CALLS ON ZEMAN TO STEP DOWN
[52] FORMER CZECH COMMUNIST PREMIER ACQUITTED
[53] CZECHS FAVOR BIG NATO EXPANSION
[54] CZECH DEPUTY PREMIER UNIMPRESSED BY ORBAN'S STATEMENT ON BENES
[55] ...WHILE SLOVAKIA CALLS THE DEMAND 'UNACCEPTABLE'
[56] SLOVAK CABINET APPROVES ANTI-STATUS LAW MEASURES
[57] SLOVAK SDL RETREATS FROM STOPPING GAS UTILITY DEAL
[58] HUNGARIAN PREMIER, PRODI DISAGREE ON EU FARMING SUBSIDIES
[59] ORBAN QUESTIONED IN BRUSSELS ON STATUS LAW, ANTI-SEMITISM...
[60] ...WANTS BENES DECREES ABOLISHED IN CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA
[61] HUNGARIAN MEDIA CHIEFS REJECT ALLEGATIONS OF POLITICAL BIAS
[62] EU BALKAN CHIEF SAYS VESTED INTERESTS HOLD UP DANUBE WORK
[63] MONTENEGRO NOT READY TO AGREE TO EU PLAN
[64] CONTROVERSY OVER MACEDONIAN-YUGOSLAV BORDER DEAL
[65] BOSNIAN REFUGEE-RETURN PROGRAM MOVING AHEAD
[66] HAGUE COURT FREES CROAT AND YUGOSLAV PENDING TRIAL
[67] CROATIAN POLITICAL LEADERS MEET
[68] AUSTRIAN PRIME MINISTER HAILS RELATIONS WITH SLOVENIA
[69] ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER SETS PRIORITIES
[70] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT ENDS ASIAN TOUR...
[71] ...AND PREMIER STARTS RUSSIAN VISIT
[72] ROMANIAN EXTREMISTS ENGAGE IN MUDSLINGING
[73] ROMANIAN PETITION DRIVE TO CHANGE ELECTORAL LAW FAILS
[74] MOLDOVA'S PPCD LEADERSHIP TO FACE CHARGES?
[75] MOLDOVAN PREMIER TELLS WORLD BANK TO MIND ITS OWN BUSINESS
[76] ROMANY RIOTS IN PLODVIV NEIGHBORHOOD NOT OVER
[77] MACEDONIANS SET UP NEW PARTY IN BULGARIA
[78] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT -- PART 2 COUNTRIES
[79] WESTERN MEDIA, IMAGE MAKING, AND HUNGARY
21 February 2002
RUSSIA
[01] RUSSIA HEDGES ON EXTENDING OIL-REDUCTION AGREEMENT WITH OPEC
Speaking to journalists after a meeting on 20 February between Prime
Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and the heads of the largest Russian oil
producers, Energy Minister Igor Yusufov announced that the possibility
that Russia may not extend the agreement it made last year with OPEC to
scale down oil exports was not discussed, Western and Russian news
agencies reported. The world oil market interpreted Yusufov's statement
as a signal that Moscow does not plan to continue to abide by OPEC's
policy of reducing global oil exports, and this led to a 3 percent fall
in crude oil prices during the business day, bloomberg.com reported on
20 February. Meanwhile, Yusufov also said that the government has
decided to form a working group composed of energy officials and oil
executives to develop Russia's energy strategy. He added that the
government is considering the construction of two major pipelines for
exporting Russian oil to China, Japan, and Korea, with a projected
capacity of 40 million tons (roughly 280 million barrels) a year. VY
[02] MILITARY COOPERATION WITH CHINA SEEN AS THREAT TO RUSSIA'S
NATIONAL SECURITY...
Writing in "Nezavisimoe voennoe obozrenie," No. 5, military expert
Sergei Orlov said that in becoming the No. 1 importer of Russian arms,
China has led the best minds and weapon designers of the former Soviet
military-industrial complex to ignore Russian interests and work to
build up China's defense capabilities. Today, China is buying Russia's
most advanced weaponry, while Chinese "head hunters" are carefully
recruiting leading Russian scientists and research collectives that can
fortify Beijing's ambitions to modernize its nuclear industry and
develop its space program, including piloted space flights, Orlov said.
At present, Russian military cooperation with China is based on several
bilateral agreements and codified in a "friendship treaty" signed in
July 2001, in which Beijing managed to incorporate maximum guarantees
for itself while minimizing its own obligations to Russia. Orlov said
that while it would be very shortsighted to judge China's intentions
based only on such documents, it is clear that once Moscow helps
Beijing reach its objectives, Russia's donor role will expire and
subsequently Russian weapons in Chinese hands will pose a threat to
Russia itself. VY
[03] ...AS RUSSIA MAPS OUT CHINESE EXPANSION
At a session held by the commission on border policy overseen by
Konstantin Pulikovskii, the presidential envoy to the Far Eastern
federal district, Russian officials discovered that the map used by the
commission designates a Russian island off the coast of Khabarovsk as
part of China, "Vremya novostei" reported on 20 February. According to
specialists, the map, which was published in Russia, was likely drawn
up based on a Chinese map. In fact, China has long considered two
islands off Khabarovsk, Bolshoi Ussuriiskii, and Tarabarov, as its
territory. According to the daily, the map will be destroyed in order
not to assist the "Chinese in their propagandistic aims." JAC
[04] EXPERT SAYS RUSSIA NOT PROTECTED FROM NUCLEAR TERRORISM
Aleksandr Koldobskii, the leading expert from the Moscow State
Engineering and Physics Institute (MIFI), told a conference on nuclear
terrorism held in Moscow on 19 February that he has no confidence that
Russia and the rest of the world are sufficiently protected from the
threat of nuclear terror, ntv.ru and ITAR-TASS reported. Koldobskii
also said that in the years following the fall of Soviet Union, nuclear
facilities in Russia were left practically unguarded and the thefts of
fissionable materials multiplied by several times. Koldobskii added
that he personally does not believe that reports about stolen
weapons-grade radioactive materials have anything to do with nuclear
terrorism because "it's simply impossible to steal the amount of
plutonium needed for a bomb." But Koldobskii pointed out that among the
some 700,000 people working for the Atomic Energy Ministry "one always
can find a person who for money will give you access without asking
questions or looking to see what you are taking away." VY
[05] MOSCOW PROPOSES COMMERCIALIZING INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
Yurii Koptev, the head of the national space agency Rosaviakosmos,
announced on 20 February that the agency has proposed to countries
participating in the International Space Station (ISS) project that two
additional commercial modules be constructed for the station,
RIA-Novosti reported. He said the new modules would allow the ISS to
house "space tourists" and would help offset expected funding cuts for
the project by the U.S. government. Koptev added that his agency has
already designed the modules, and expressed his hope that the plan will
be accepted by NASA, as well as the European, Japanese, and Canadian
space agencies. VY
[06] PREMIER SAYS GOVERNMENT HAS AVERTED POSSIBLE 2003 DEBT CRISIS
Prime Minister Kasyanov said on 20 February that his government has
averted a potential crisis resulting from a peak of foreign
indebtedness payments in 2003 thanks to general economic growth, a
balanced budget, and a positive trade balance, Prime-TASS reported.
"Using the positive monetary situation, the government initiated a
buyout of its own debts [due to be paid in] 2003 led by the principle
that 'the more spend we today, the more we save tomorrow,'"
"Kommersant-Daily" quoted Aleksandr Shokhin, the head of the Duma's
credit and financial markets committee, as saying on 20 February. VY
[07] ATOMIC ENERGY MINISTRY CREATES OWN POWER COMPANY...
Oleg Saraev, the head of the state-owned Rosenergoatom, which is part
of the Atomic Energy Ministry, announced that his agency has created a
new national electric power operator called Unified Generating Company
(EGK), Russian economic news agencies reported on 20 February. EGK will
consolidate the output of 10 nuclear power stations, and will compete
on the domestic and foreign electrical energy market with Unified
Energy Systems (EES), which had been the only national power
distributor. The ministry intends to use the profits it earns from EGK
to pay debts it owes to EES, and for investment in the development of
the nuclear power industry. VY
[08] ...AS CULTURE MINISTRY CONSOLIDATES FILM COMPANIES
Culture Minister Mikhail Shvydkoi announced on 20 February that his
ministry has decided to consolidate 18 state film studios into a
holding company to be known as the Russian Cinema Distributor,
"Izvestiya" and RBK reported. The new holding has been created in line
with this year's decision by the government to strengthen the status of
the Russian film industry and its role in the country's culture, and to
prevent the further plundering of film studios' assets that has been
taking place for years, Shvydkoi added. VY
[09] PROSECUTOR-GENERAL SEEKS TO REGISTER HOMELESS CHILDREN
Speaking to the State Duma on the issue of homeless children on 20
February, Vladimir Ustinov said that the number of teenagers and
children involved in juvenile crime has doubled over the past decade
and has reached 1.14 million, RIA-Novosti reported. Last year, law
enforcement agencies detained 301,000 children aged 13 or under,
295,000 of whom were not enrolled in school and 45,000 of whom were
illiterate, according to Ustinov. He suggested to the Duma that it
introduce state registration for all homeless children as well as those
who are not enrolled in school. VY
[10] INTERNAL DEBT LOOMS OVER RUSSIA
While Russia is making progress in solving its foreign debt problems,
it faces a catastrophic situation as far as internal debts are
concerned, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 20 February. According to
the daily, Russia's internal debt exceeds 6 trillion rubles ($2
billion), whereas the entire state budget for 2002 is not more than 2
trillion rubles ($670 million). Dmitrii Kozak, the deputy chief of the
presidential staff, told the daily that if Russia were to meet all the
social program obligations it has made, the country would immediately
face internal default and financial chaos. Paradoxically, until now the
government has been saved from a financial fiasco only by the legal
illiteracy of the population, Kozak added. To avoid a potential crisis,
he said the government should move quickly to redistribute financial
responsibility for internal debts between the center and the regions.
VY
[11] FSB ACCUSES POLITKOVSKAYA OF WORKING FOR SOROS MONEY IN CHECHNYA
The regional operations headquarters for the antiterrorist operation in
Chechnya has accused "Novaya gazeta" journalist Anna Politkovskaya of
using her reporting trips to the republic to resolve her own financial
problems, ntvru.com reported on 20 February, quoting Ekho Moskvy radio.
Ilya Shabalkin, a representative of the Center for Public Relations of
the Federal Security Service, charged that each of Politkovskaya's
trips arouses "unhealthy sensationalism." He also reported that last
year "Novaya gazeta" signed an agreement with the Soros Fund to
participate in a project called "Hot Spots" for which it received
$55,000. According to the website, military officials in Chechnya
earlier accused Politkovskaya of trying to attract the attention of the
public and media to further her own celebrity. Meanwhile, "Novaya
gazeta" Deputy Editor in Chief Sergei Sokolov explained that "various
officials in the federal forces and special services have expressed
hostility -- to put it mildly -- toward" Politkovskaya. He continued
that "she has received various threats and even had to leave the
country" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 and 26 October 2001). Meanwhile,
Soros officials told "Kommersant-Daily" on 21 February that
Politkovskaya's journalistic activities have nothing to do with the
grant. JAC
[12] DEPUTIES APPROVE CITIZENSHIP BILL...
State Duma deputies voted on 20 February to approve a bill on
citizenship that establishes a new procedure for persons seeking
Russian citizenship, polit.ru reported. Some 235 deputies voted for the
bill, with 177 against and no abstentions, according to RIA-Novosti.
The bill was approved in its first reading last October and since then
some 204 amendments were proposed, of which the committee for state
construction recommended adopting 92, "Izvestiya" reported on 20
February (see "RFE/RL Russian Political Weekly," 22 October 2001).
Under the bill, persons are eligible to apply for citizenship if they
have lived in Russia for more than five years and have relatives in
Russia. If they have no relatives, then they must live in Russia for 10
years before applying. In addition, potential citizens must speak the
Russian language and be familiar with the Russian Constitution. JAC
[13] ...AS PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY MAKES ETHNIC SLUR
During the debate over the bill, Duma deputy (Russian Regions) Viktor
Alknis accused his colleagues of "betraying" millions of former Soviet
citizens by not giving them a special status and easier requirements
for citizenship, while Vadim Bulavinov (People's Deputy) cautioned that
Russia should not be turned into a "vacuum cleaner that sucks up
criminals, scoundrels, and bums," the website reported. And
presidential envoy to the Duma Aleksandr Kotenkov argued against the
claim that an influx of immigrants could benefit Russia, asking
rhetorically, "What, is Moscow full of intellectuals? It's full of
beggars and Tajiks!" Also on 20 February, deputies rejected an
amendment proposed by Tatarstan's legislature that would have given
Russian citizens simultaneous citizenship in Tatarstan. Kotenkov argued
that the amendment was "impossible to adopt." Tatarstan's amendment
attracted only 21 votes in favor. JAC
[14] UNITY OFFICIAL SUGGESTS DUMA SHOULD BE TRIMMER
Unity faction leader Vladimir Pekhtin met with President Vladimir Putin
on 20 February to discuss reforming the Duma's apparatus and committee
structure, RIA-Novosti reported. Pekhtin told reporters that he wants
to reduce the number of Duma committees from 28 to 12-14, and liquidate
most commissions. He is also proposing that the number of persons
working for Duma apparatuses, around 2,000, be cut in half. He claimed
that "even in the Soviet Union the largest ministry had [only] 980
persons." JAC
[15] COAL COMPANY TRIES TO TURN TABLES ON ELECTRICITY SUPPLIER
Primorskugol, the largest coal company in Primorskii Krai, has halted
its fuel shipments to Dalenergo, Interfax-Eurasia reported on 20
February. According to the agency, Dalenergo's debt to the company
totals around 200 million rubles ($6.5 million), an 88 million ruble
increase since December 2001. Meanwhile, Dalenergo announced on 19
February that it will begin massive shut-offs of electricity to
enterprises to cities in Dalengorsk, Dalenerechensk, Lesozavodsk, and
Partizansk. JAC
[16] LOCAL BUSINESSMEN TRY TO GET PRIME MINISTER'S ATTENTION
Entrepreneurs in Ulyanovsk picketed the office of the mayor during the
lead-up to Prime Minister Kasyanov's visit to that city, presscenter.ru
reported on 20 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February 2002). The
businessmen carried placards demanding a reduction in the leasing fee
for space in the food market. According to the website, the protest
violated the rules in force prior to Kasyanov's arrival. JAC
[17] PUTIN NOT SEEKING HANDS-ON MANAGER FOR RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN
"Versiya," No. 7, reported in its most recent issue that a recent news
report that President Putin's personal masseur, Konstantin
Goloshchapov, will head the president's re-election campaign, is false
and is part of a smear campaign by security forces to discredit
Goloshchapov. According to the original story, Putin brought
Goloshchapov down to Moscow from St. Petersburg, and the latter has
been accepting bribes from people hoping to influence Putin through
Goloshchapov. According to the weekly, rather than organizing a
campaign, Goloshchapov is instead trying to set up an association of
Russian masseurs, which would issue licenses for certain kinds of
medical massages. In addition, the association would also include a
special group of masseurs, who have undergone a security check and
would service senior government officials. JAC
[18] OU EST LE BOEUF?
French farmers sent 500 pedigree cows to Siberia on 20 February as part
of an intergovernmental agreement to improve Russian meat quality, "The
Moscow Times" reported on 20 February. According to the daily, the
shipment of 500 cows sent to Tyumen Oblast is just the beginning, and
up to 10,000 pedigree cows will be delivered to different Russian
regions each year for 10 years. Tyumen Oblast Governor Sergei Sobyanin
said that the cows are badly needed as the region has had difficulty
trying to raise cattle that are good for both meat and milk. JAC
[19] CHECHEN PROTESTS AGAINST RUSSIAN 'SWEEPS' GATHER MOMENTUM
Residents of the Chechen villages of Novye and Starye Atagi are
converging by foot or bus on the village of Tsotan-Yurt, whose
residents have embarked on an open-ended protest against the brutality
shown by Russian troops during two recent search operations,
Chechenpress reported on 21 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 January
and 15 February 2002). Starye and Novye Atagi were similarly subjected
to such searches (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 and 19 February 2002), even
though local administration head Musa Dakaev told "Kommersant-Daily" on
15 February that Novye Atagi is "one of most peaceful villages in
Chechnya." LF
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[20] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT'S BODYGUARD CONVICTED OF MANSLAUGHTER
A Yerevan court on 21 February handed down a one-year suspended prison
sentence to Aghamal Harutiunian, the member of President Robert
Kocharian's bodyguard accused of the death in a Yerevan cafe last
September of an Armenian from Georgia, Poghos Poghosian, RFE/RL's
Yerevan bureau reported. Harutiunian pleaded guilty to manslaughter,
having told the court last month that he gave Poghosian a "gentle
shove" that caused him to lose his balance and fall, incurring fatal
head injuries. Several witnesses testified that they saw a group of men
assaulting Poghosian after the latter addressed insulting remarks to
Kocharian, but that Harutiunian was not one of them. LF
[21] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SEEKS TO ALLAY CONCERNS OVER NEW MEDIA BILL
Speaking in Yerevan on 20 February, Kocharian said a new draft law on
the media that many journalists consider poses a threat to press
freedom will not be enacted unless it is approved by Council of Europe
experts, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. The bill envisages a new
system of licensing for media outlets (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 8
February 2002), and requires journalists to submit written applications
in advance to interview government personnel and to pay an honorarium
for such interviews. Kocharian stressed that "we all need free media,"
but added that the media should be "responsible." LF
[22] ISRAEL RESPONDS TO ARMENIAN DIPLOMATIC NOTE ON GENOCIDE
In a 19 February response to Armenia's diplomatic note of 15 February,
the Israeli Foreign Ministry again rejected any comparison between the
Armenian genocide of 1915 and the Holocaust, according to Mediamax and
Arminfo, as cited by Groong. "Israel recognizes the tragedy of the
Armenians and the massacre of the Armenian people, but at the same time
believes that this should not be described as genocide," the Israeli
statement said. Armenia had protested an earlier statement made in
Yerevan on 8 February by Rivka Kohen, Israel's ambassador to both
Armenia and Georgia. Kohen characterized the 1915 killings as "merely a
tragedy" that cannot be compared to the Holocaust (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 19 February 2002). LF
[23] RUSSIAN STATE DUMA SPEAKER SAYS KARABAKH SHOULD JOIN PEACE TALKS
In an interview published in the independent newspaper "Golos Armenii"
on 19 February and reproduced by Groong, State Duma speaker Gennadii
Seleznev underscored Russia's interest in "the soonest possible
regulation of the [Karabakh] conflict, the establishment of strong
relations between those two Transcaucasus countries, and the
continuation of multilateral cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan
without unresolved political problems." To that end, Seleznev said, "I
would like the [unrecognized] Nagorno-Karabakh Republic also to
participate" in future talks between Armenian and Azerbaijani
representatives on finding a solution to the conflict. Azerbaijan has
consistently ruled out any such participation by Karabakh officials. LF
[24] TRIAL OF RADICAL ISLAMISTS OPENS IN AZERBAIJAN
The trial opened on 20 February in Azerbaijan's Court for Serious
Crimes of six men suspected of membership of the underground Islamic
organization Hizb-ut-Tahrir, Turan and Interfax reported. The six men,
one Ukrainian and five Azerbaijanis, were apprehended in Baku in July
2001 and face charges of preparing to commit acts of terrorism against
the U.S. Embassy in Baku and the headquarters of other international
organizations, and of seeking to overthrow the country's leadership and
establish an Islamic state (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 January 2002). LF
[25] AZERBAIJANI VILLAGERS CONFRONT BAKU MAYOR
Residents of the village of Nardaran on the outskirts of Baku accused
Baku Mayor Hadjibala Abutalibov on 20 February of failing to deliver on
promises he made late last month to provide gas supplies and employment
opportunities, and to improve their living conditions, Turan reported
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 January 2002). The meeting reportedly took
place in a "tense atmosphere," with villagers shouting "We don't
believe your promises," and "Allahu akbar," to which Abutalibov
responded "I'll wait until you come to your senses." LF
[26] U.S. OFFICIAL HOPES FOR GEORGIAN ACTION AGAINST AFGHAN MERCENARIES
Reuters on 20 February quoted an unnamed U.S. administration official
as saying that Washington is considering how to help Georgia apprehend
and neutralize Afghan militants who have taken refuge in the Pankisi
Gorge, but rules out Russian participation in any such operation. He
categorically denied Russian media reports that following a meeting in
Washington on 8 February of the U.S.-Russia joint working group on
terrorism, the U.S. drafted a plan for a joint operation with Russia
against Afghans in Pankisi. Reuters also quoted U.S. State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher as saying that the U.S. has made clear to
Moscow that it believes the situation in Pankisi "is best dealt with
through...cooperation [between] the U.S. and Georgia." Also on 20
February, ITAR-TASS quoted an unidentified NATO official as denying
that the alliance has considered any action in Pankisi. LF
[27] GEORGIA, ABKHAZIA FAIL TO REACH AGREEMENT ON PATROLS OF KODORI
GORGE
No agreement was reached during lengthy talks in western Georgia on 20
February between representatives of the Abkhaz and Georgian
governments, the UN Observer Mission, and the CIS peacekeeping force
deployed in the Abkhaz conflict zone, on the arrangements for joint
patrols of the Kodori Gorge that were to have begun that day, ITAR-TASS
and Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February 2002).
They will resume talks on the issue on 26 February. Georgian Foreign
Minister Irakli Menagharishvili had expressed confidence on 19 February
that the Georgian and Abkhaz sides would reach agreement on joint
patrols by unarmed police of both the upper reaches of the Kodori Gorge
and Abkhazia's Gulripsh Raion. LF
[28] GEORGIA AGAIN RULES OUT AUTONOMY FOR ARMENIAN-POPULATED REGION
Foreign Minister Menagharishvili told journalists on 20 February after
a session of the Georgian parliament's Defense and Security Committee
that discussed the tense situation in the predominantly
Armenian-populated southern region of Djavakheti that the region is an
inseparable part of Georgia and that there can be no further discussion
of it being granted autonomous status, Caucasus Press reported.
Menagharishvili also expressed his appreciation of the Armenian
government's support for the Georgian position. LF
[29] KAZAKHSTAN MERGES STATE OIL EXTRACTING, EXPORTING AGENCIES
President Nursultan Nazarbaev issued a decree on 20 February abolishing
both the state oil company KazakhOil and the oil and gas export concern
KazTransOil, and creating a new organization named KazakhMunaygaz,
Interfax and RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. Lazzat Kiinov, the
52-year-old governor of Mangystau Oblast, was named to head the new
company, while Nazarbaev's son-in-law Timur Kulibaev, the former
president of KazTransOil, was appointed his deputy. It is not clear
what new position will be offered to Nurlan Balghymbaev, who was named
KazakhOil president after resigning as premier in 1999 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 1 October 1999). On 21 February the "Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung" reported that on 26 February KazakhOil is to launch a
five-year Eurobond at an annual interest rate of 9 percent. LF
[30] KAZAKH PRESIDENT CONFERS WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL AIDE...
President Nazarbaev met on 19 February in Astana with Russian
presidential apparatus head Aleksandr Voloshin to discuss
Russian-Kazakh relations, accelerating integration within the Eurasian
Economic Association, and preparations for the informal CIS summit to
be held in Almaty in early March, ITAR-TASS and RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
reported. LF
[31] ...AND WITH HIS TURKMEN COUNTERPART
On 20 February, Nazarbaev telephoned Turkmenistan's president,
Saparmurat Niyazov, to congratulate him on his birthday the previous
day, Interfax reported. Niyazov confirmed that he will attend the
Almaty summit, on the sidelines of which he and Nazarbaev will meet to
discuss the condition of the Aral Sea and the rational use of water
resources. LF
[32] ABDUCTED KYRGYZ OFFICIALS RELEASED
Residents of the village of Kara-Suu in Djalalabad Oblast, which is the
native village of arrested parliament deputy Azimbek Beknazarov, late
on 19 February freed the local officials whom they had taken hostage
the previous day to demand Beknazarov's release, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz
Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February 2002). The
officials had traveled to Kara-Suu after villagers kept their children
home from school to protest Beknazarov's arrest and trial. A local
police official denied on 20 February that the officials were forcibly
detained, saying that they had to wait for transportation to return to
the town of Djalalabad. LF
[33] TAJIKISTAN SIGNS UP FOR NATO'S PFP
Tajikistan formally joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program on 20
February eight years after its inception, becoming the last of the
former Soviet republics to do so. Speaking after he and Tajik
Ambassador Sharif Rakhimov signed the relevant documentation in
Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson expressed
appreciation of Tajikistan's role in the fight against terrorism, AP
reported. Rakhimov for his part said Tajikistan hopes that cooperation
with NATO will contribute to regional stability and provide
opportunities for modernizing the country's armed forces. LF
[34] FRENCH MILITARY INTELLIGENCE CHIEF VISITS TAJIKISTAN
General Philippe Rondeau met in Dushanbe on 20 February with Tajik
President Imomali Rakhmonov to discuss regional security issues,
ITAR-TASS reported. No details were divulged. Following talks two days
earlier with Tajik Defense Ministry officials, Rondeau said he is
"pleased" with Tajikistan's assistance to France and other countries
engaged in the ongoing antiterrorism campaign. Tajik officials said
France signaled its readiness to provide Dushanbe with unspecified
"special technologies." It is not clear, however, if a decision was
taken on whether France will help modernize the Ayni military air base
outside Dushanbe that the Tajik leadership has offered the
antiterrorism coalition. The costs of bringing the airfield up to NATO
standards are estimated at several million dollars (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 24 January 2002). LF
[35] TAJIKISTAN UNDERTAKES TO REPAY IMF LOAN
In a statement released on 20 February and summarized by Asia
Plus-Blitz, the Tajik Finance Ministry undertook to comply with the
IMF's request that it repay a total of $31 million in loans advanced in
violation of the conditions of its agreement with the fund (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 15 February 2002). The ministry explained that the
violations centered on unreported loans by two German banks to two
state-owned Tajik companies for the purchase of equipment, and that the
fund's decision was not politically motivated. LF
[36] ANOTHER SENIOR TURKMEN OFFICIAL JOINS OPPOSITION
In a statement released on 18 February and carried on the website
gundogar.com, former Turkmen Deputy Premier Khudaiberdy Orazov
announced that he is aligning with the opposition National Democratic
Movement of Turkmenistan. Orazov described the current situation in
Turkmenistan as "a profound systemic crisis" resulting from Niyazov's
"dictatorial regime," and explained his decision to leave the country
and join the opposition in exile in terms of his realization that it is
impossible to change the situation from within. In a separate interview
with "Vremya novostei," Orazov explained that his forced resignation in
January 2000 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 January 2000) was prompted by
his public disagreements with Niyazov over the latter's plans to secure
a $350-$500 million loan from the U.S.'s EximBank to buy agricultural
machinery after the country had already received a $1 billion loan for
the same purpose. LF
[37] U.S. TO EXPAND MILITARY COOPERATION WITH UZBEKISTAN
Visiting Tashkent on 18-19 February, General Richard Myers, who is
chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Uzbek Defense
Minister Kadyr Gulyamov and President Islam Karimov to discuss the
security situation in Afghanistan and Central Asia as a whole, and the
prospects for increasing bilateral military cooperation. Myers told
journalists after his talks with Karimov that they discussed the
possibility of joint training and maneuvers both in Uzbekistan and the
U.S., and that the U.S. will supply unspecified equipment for the Uzbek
armed forces. He also commented that the antiterrorist campaign in
Afghanistan appears to have weakened the banned Islamic Movement of
Uzbekistan in terms of disrupting supplies, arms, and cash to the point
that "the IMU is a much less effective force today here in Uzbekistan,"
RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reported. LF
[38] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT -- PART 1 COUNTRIES
Through 20 FEBRUARY
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Russia55313
Armenia0000
Azerbaijan0000
Georgia0000
Kazakhstan0000
Kyrgyzstan0000
Tajikistan0000
Uzbekistan0000
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[39] BELARUSIAN PARTY ASKS GOVERNMENT TO PUBLICIZE ARMS TRADE DETAILS
The United Civic Party has asked Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvastou to
make public the information on Belarus's arms sales that was passed to
a delegation of U.S. congressmen last week (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19
February 2002), Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported on 20
February. Speaking on Belarusian Television on 16 February, Khvastou
said the Belarusian side released "data, facts, and figures" regarding
its arms trade to the U.S. delegation. The United Civic Party expressed
its hope that the Foreign Ministry will be "open and honest not only
before U.S. congressmen but also before its own compatriots." United
Civic Party leader Anatol Lyabedzka commented that Belarusians do not
know either "where the sold [Belarusian] submachine guns fire," or for
what purposes "the colossal sums" earned from weapons trade are spent
or by whom. JM
[40] BELARUSIAN YOUTH ACTIVIST JAILED FOR VALENTINE'S DAY MARCH
A district court in Minsk on 20 February punished 18-year-old Vasil
Parfyankou with 10-day arrest for his participation in a march to
commemorate Valentine's Day in Minsk last week, RFE/RL's Belarusian
Service reported. The court also imposed a fine equal to five minimum
wages ($150) on student Andrey Kazlou for the same offense. "I think
it's unfair to punish for a Valentine's Day march. This holiday is
celebrated in all of Europe. Apparently, the authorities are guided by
the pronouncements of [President Alyaksandr] Lukashenka, who once
promised that he would not lead us to follow the civilized world. He
intends to lead us in some other direction but young people obviously
do not want this," Kazlou's father commented. Four more Youth Front
activists were fined earlier for the march, including Youth Front
leader Pavel Sevyarynets (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February 2002). JM
[41] UKRAINIAN MINISTERS GO ON ELECTION CAMPAIGN LEAVE, PREMIER STAYS
Seven members of the Cabinet of Ministers who are seeking parliamentary
mandates in the 31 March parliamentary ballot have taken leave for the
period of the election campaign, Interfax reported on 20 February. They
are: Deputy Premier Volodymyr Semynozhenko, Industrial Policy Minister
Vasyl Hureyev, Agrarian Policy Minister Ivan Kyrylenko, Transportation
Minister Valeriy Pustovoytenko (all from the For a United Ukraine
bloc); Education and Science Minister Vasyl Kremen (Social Democratic
Party [United]); Environment Minister Serhiy Kurykin (Party of Greens);
and Emergency Situations Minister Vasyl Durdynets (who is running in a
single-seat constituency in Transcarpathia). Premier Anatoliy Kinakh,
who is on the For a United Ukraine election list, has said he will not
go on leave because of the campaign. JM
[42] UKRAINIAN ELECTION COMMISSION ANNULS REGISTRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
BLOC
The Central Election Commission on 20 February canceled the
registration of the election list of the Rayduha (Rainbow) election
bloc, which consists of the Ecological Party "Defense," the
All-Ukrainian Party of Peace and Unity, and the Party of Pensioners,
Interfax reported. The Rayduha bloc is sponsored by oligarch Vadym
Rabynovych. The commission announced that its decision follows last
week's court ruling saying that the bloc -- which was formerly called
Rainbow and Green Ecologists -- was created illegally. There is another
environmental group -- the Party of Greens of Ukraine -- among the 33
blocs and parties currently running in the election. JM
[43] OUR UKRAINE SLAMS STATE OFFICIALS FOR HINDERING ITS ELECTION
CAMPAIGN
The Our Ukraine election bloc headed by former Premier Viktor
Yushchenko has issued a statement condemning the official
"anti-Yushchenko campaign" by local and national officials, "Ukrayina
Moloda" reported on 20 February. In particular, Our Ukraine blames
regional state television and radio companies for denying Yushchenko
access to airtime on a commercial basis; law enforcement bodies for
detaining activists distributing the bloc's campaign materials; and
regional state administrations for attempts to disrupt Yushchenko's
meetings with voters (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine Report,"
19 February 2002). "Administrative levers of pressure against people,
illegal methods of manipulating public opinion, and black public
relations techniques are applied in order to influence the result of
the elections," the statement reads. JM
[44] QUADRILATERAL MEETING IN UKRAINE MULLS SECURITY COOPERATION
A meeting of the heads of the security councils of Russia, Ukraine,
Belarus, and Poland in Kharkiv on 20 February has reached an accord on
forms and methods of cooperation between the relevant national security
structures, ITAR-TASS reported, quoting Russian Security Council
Secretary Vladimir Rushailo. "Poland finds it difficult to withstand
flows of illegal migrants on the way to Western Europe. Ukraine finds
the same problem no less important here. Russia is trying to defend its
foreign economic projects. Moreover, international terrorism, which has
recently significantly renewed and expanded its arsenal of means, is
recognized as the main enemy for all countries," Ukrainian National
Security and Defense Council chief Yevhen Marchuk commented on the
meeting to 1+1 Television. The details of the accord reached at the
meeting have not been made public. JM
[45] UKRAINE NOT TO BREAK TIES WITH IRAN, IRAQ
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ihor Dolhov said on 19 February that
Ukraine's foreign policy with regard to Iran and Iraq remains unchanged
despite U.S. President George W. Bush's description of these countries
and North Korea as an "axis of evil," UNIAN reported. According to
Dolhov, Ukraine fully supports the European leaders' position that "no
country should dictate its policy to others and act unilaterally." JM
[46] NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER VISITS ESTONIA
Kjell Magne Bondevik, on an official visit to Estonia on 19-20
February, declared that Norway will firmly support the entry of the
Baltic States to NATO at the summit meeting in Prague in November, ETA
reported. He affirmed this to his Estonian counterpart Siim Kallas, who
mentioned that his country has worked hard to win the invitation by
such measures as raising defense spending to 2 percent of GDP. The
ministers also discussed EU expansion and bilateral relations,
including participation by the Norwegian government in the project to
fight contagious diseases. Talks with parliament Deputy Chairman Tunne
Kelam and Estonian-Norwegian parliamentary group Chairman Tiit Kabin
also focused on these issues. President Arnold Ruutel told Bondevik
that Estonia is interested in having good relations with all its
neighbors, including Russia. They also spoke about bilateral
cooperation in the spheres of environmental protection and energy,
joint efforts to preserve the maritime environment, and development of
a joint electricity and natural gas network between the Baltic and
Nordic countries. SG
[47] LATVIA RECEIVES PERMISSION TO OPEN CONSULAR OFFICE IN KALININGRAD
The Latvian Foreign Ministry finally received a note on 20 February
from the Russian government granting it permission to open a consular
office in Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, BNS and LETA reported. In March
2001 Latvia sent a note to Russia asking to be allowed to open in
Kaliningrad a consular office of the Latvian Embassy in Moscow. Russian
Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov signed the decree on permitting the
opening of the office at the end of January and instructed the
Kaliningrad regional and city administrations to cooperate with Latvia
on setting up the consular office, which should make it much easier for
the region's population to get Latvian visas. The funds necessary to
establish and maintain the office in Kaliningrad will be taken from the
Foreign Ministry and Latvian Port Council budgets for 2002. Foreign
Ministry press secretary Ilmars Henins said that Latvia will try to
open the office as soon as possible. SG
[48] PRIVATIZATION OF LITHUANIA'S GAS UTILITY
Germany's main natural gas distributor Ruhrgas was the only company to
submit a bid by the 19 February deadline to buy the 34 percent share of
Lietuvos Dujos (Lithuanian Gas) assigned for a strategic investor, ELTA
reported the next day. Another 34 percent of Lietuvos Dujos will be
sold to a gas supplier, probably Russia's Gazprom. In the first phase
of the competition in December 2001, Gaz de France and the consortium
of Ruhrgas and the German company EON Energie submitted applications to
participate in the bidding. EON Energie formally asked the German
government on 19 February to eliminate objections of the Competition
Council to its intentions to take control of Ruhrgas, and is likely to
announce on 28 February if it will join the Ruhrgas bid for Lietuvos
Dujos. SG
[49] CONFUSION OVER POLISH DEPUTY PREMIER'S PRONOUNCEMENTS IN BRUSSELS
Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Jaroslaw Kalinowski said
on 20 February that he did not make a mistake in Brussels on 18
February while criticizing the European Commission's farming aid
proposals and warning that Poland will preserve tariffs on EU farm
produce if the EU refuses to increase subsidies for Polish farmers, PAP
reported. According to Kalinowski, it was European Affairs Minister
Danuta Huebner who made a mistake in criticizing his statement. "Deputy
Prime Minister Kalinowski was certainly representing his own view and
most probably that of his own political grouping," Huebner said on
Polish Radio on 19 February. Meanwhile, Premier Leszek Miller said on
20 February that Kalinowski assessed the European Commission's
proposals in Brussels as agriculture minister, but "the Polish
government has not adopted a position on this issue yet." The same day
the League of Polish Families demanded that the government present a
progress report on the EU talks on agriculture at the upcoming
parliamentary session. JM
[50] GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN PRAGUE
Joschka Fischer said after talks with Prime Minister Milos Zeman on 20
February that the "irritations" caused by the recent remarks attributed
to the Czech premier regarding Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians have
been "cleared up," CTK and international agencies reported. Fischer
told reporters that accusations of "collective guilt" are
"unacceptable," and that Germany has "acknowledged responsibility for
our history many times," adding that "we reject, however, the principle
of collective guilt and collective punishment." Fischer also met with
President Vaclav Havel, who told him that the "colorful expressions
used by a certain politician" cannot hinder the development of the good
relations between the two countries. Fisher's visit was mainly aimed at
preparing the planned visit to Prague by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
in March. MS
[51] CZECH OPPOSITION ALLIANCE CALLS ON ZEMAN TO STEP DOWN
Parliamentary deputies representing the Coalition -- an opposition
alliance including the Christian Democratic Party and the Freedom
Union-Democratic Union -- on 20 February called for a no-confidence
vote in the cabinet headed by Zeman in order to force the premier's
ouster following the statements he made in his interview with the
Israeli daily "Ha'aretz," CTK reported. The deputies said they intend
to seek the support of the main opposition Civic Democratic Alliance
(ODS). ODS Deputy Chairman Ivan Langer said his party will not back the
demand "so soon before the elections," but added that the statements
"convinced everyone that Zeman should really retire." Government
spokesman Libor Roucek described the Coalition initiative as a "cheap
pre-electoral gesture." MS
[52] FORMER CZECH COMMUNIST PREMIER ACQUITTED
A court of justice in Prague on 20 February acquitted former communist
Premier Lubomir Strougal of charges of abuse of power linked to the
killing of three people by the communist secret police in 1949, CTK and
international agencies reported. The judge said there was not
sufficient evidence to link Strougal to the crime. Strougal was charged
with protecting seven members of the secret police from being brought
to justice for those murders as well as stopping the investigation
while he was the interior minister in 1965. The prosecution said it
will appeal the verdict. Strougal became premier in 1970 and remained
in that post for 18 years. Nadezda Kavalirova, deputy chairwoman of the
Confederation of Political Prisoners, said she is "horrified" by the
verdict and regrets living "in a country with unfair laws." MS
[53] CZECHS FAVOR BIG NATO EXPANSION
Foreign Minister Jan Kavan told the Chamber of Deputies' Foreign
Affairs Commission on 20 February that the Czech Republic is in favor
of a very large NATO expansion, Reuters reported. Kavan said that at
its November Prague summit the organization should admit up to seven
new states among its members, in light of the changing security
challenges that emerged after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack
against the United States. MS
[54] CZECH DEPUTY PREMIER UNIMPRESSED BY ORBAN'S STATEMENT ON BENES
DECREES...
The government will not change its attitude concerning the 1945 Benes
decrees in the wake of Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban's call in
Brussels for the decrees to be abolished in the Czech Republic and
Slovakia, Deputy Premier Vladimir Spidla told journalists on 20
February. Pavel Rychetsky, also a deputy premier, said the
Constitutional Court has already examined the decrees and "found them
legitimate." MS
[55] ...WHILE SLOVAKIA CALLS THE DEMAND 'UNACCEPTABLE'
In Bratislava, Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan said Slovakia considers
the Hungarian premier's statement on the need to abolish the decrees
"unacceptable," TASR reported. Kukan said that his ministry "sees no
reason to revise this historical act." Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda
said that Orban's call is "counterproductive, opening [the wounds] of
the past and leading nowhere." MS
[56] SLOVAK CABINET APPROVES ANTI-STATUS LAW MEASURES
The cabinet on 20 February approved measures aimed at "safeguarding
Slovakia's national and state interests" in face of the Hungarian
Status Law, TASR and CTK reported. Foreign Minister Kukan told
journalists that the Interior Ministry has been instructed to ask the
courts to examine whether the activities of the ethnic-Hungarian
Association for Joint Goals are in line with Slovak legislation. The
association was established in Nitra and has branches in several other
localities. It handles ethnic Hungarians' applications for receiving
Magyar ID cards, to which they are entitled in line with the Status Law
provisions. The Slovak Coalition Party's representatives in the cabinet
abstained. Kukan added that Slovakia intends to conduct further talks
with Hungary in order to reach an agreement in the dispute. He said he
personally believes a breakthrough in the negotiations will only become
possible after the Hungarian elections in April. MS
[57] SLOVAK SDL RETREATS FROM STOPPING GAS UTILITY DEAL
The Party of the Democratic Left (SDL) on 20 February decided to
withdraw its objection to the sale of a 49 stake in the state-owned gas
utility Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel, CTK reported. Earlier, the SDL
threatened to veto the deal and even leave the ruling coalition if the
cabinet did not agree to offer for sale a smaller stake than 49
percent. The lucrative deal is expected to raise up to $3 billion, and
the cabinet intends to use the funds to help reform the pension system
and cover other expenses. Investors must submit binding bids by the end
of this month. MS
[58] HUNGARIAN PREMIER, PRODI DISAGREE ON EU FARMING SUBSIDIES
European Commission President Romano Prodi on 20 February ruled out
higher farming funding for candidate countries, Hungarian and
international media reported. After talks with Prime Minister Orban in
Brussels, Prodi said that "if candidate countries want more funds, they
must convince the member states to contribute more... We have used all
the resources available." For his part, Orban said it is
"inconceivable" that further talks on the subsidies proposal cannot be
conducted, and that if this is so "one cannot speak of negotiations."
The Hungarian government "understands, but does not accept" the draft
proposal, he continued, as the proposal does not reflect "the principle
of equal treatment," and does not provide "equal market conditions" for
Hungarian farmers. MSZ
[59] ORBAN QUESTIONED IN BRUSSELS ON STATUS LAW, ANTI-SEMITISM...
In his talks with Prodi, Orban said the impasse with Slovakia on the
implementation of Hungary's Status Law is due to a "deep
misunderstanding of principles" of the law, and that he is "not very
confident" that an agreement can be reached before the Hungarian
general elections in April. "We have reached agreements with Slovenia,
Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, and Romania. Slovakia is the only country
with which we still have a dispute," Orban said. Prodi welcomed the
memorandum of understanding with Romania, and said he would welcome an
identical accord with Slovakia, "Magyar Nemzet" reported. In reply to a
question, Orban declared that he is not anti-Semitic, but noted that
"much remains to be done to combat historical prejudices." He denied
that there is any political anti-Semitism in Hungary, and said the
situation there is no worse than in Europe in general. He emphasized
that Jewish education in Hungary currently enjoys full state subsidies
for the first time in the country's history. MSZ
[60] ...WANTS BENES DECREES ABOLISHED IN CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA
Orban also said that the 1945 Benes decrees should be abolished in both
the Czech Republic and Slovakia, emphasizing that the decrees are in
contradiction with EU legislation, CTK reported. He said the decrees
"were not good for the last century and are certainly not good for the
21st century." MSZ/MS
[61] HUNGARIAN MEDIA CHIEFS REJECT ALLEGATIONS OF POLITICAL BIAS
Leaders of Hungarian public service media organizations on 20 February
rejected allegations that state media agencies lack objectivity in
reporting and are susceptible to political influence. The Hungarian MTI
news agency released a statement in which the heads of the news agency,
public television broadcasters, and the state radio rejected comments
that they claimed are "aimed at discrediting thousands of public media
journalists." The statement was issued following a conference organized
by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), where IFJ General
Secretary Aidan White cited Hungary as a country where the media
continues to be "unduly influenced by political forces." The IFJ had
earlier published a report that harshly criticized the Hungarian
authorities, accusing them of "improper political influence" on the
media. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[62] EU BALKAN CHIEF SAYS VESTED INTERESTS HOLD UP DANUBE WORK
Erhard Busek, who heads the EU's Balkan Stability Pact, told a Cologne
conference on Danube reconstruction on 20 February that some vested
interests are holding up work in restoring freedom of movement along
and across the river, Deutsche Welle's "Monitor" reported. Busek noted
that the city government of Novi Sad profits handsomely from fees
stemming from its temporary pontoon bridge and would lose that money if
permanent bridges were rebuilt and the pontoon one dismantled. He also
noted that the Stability Pact has problems in dealing with Kosova,
where there is no government, and with Macedonia, where political
instability has limited the government's ability to act. Busek praised
Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia as countries with which it is relatively
easy to work. He added, however, that some unnamed countries expect
that it is enough for them to say, "'here is our bank account number,
please send the money in the morning.' Of course, that's not how we do
things." PM
[63] MONTENEGRO NOT READY TO AGREE TO EU PLAN
Igor Luksic, who is a spokesman for Montenegrin President Milo
Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), told RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service in Podgorica on 20 February that
Djukanovic will not give EU security chief Javier Solana a final answer
regarding the EU's project for future Serbian-Montenegrin relations
when the two meet in Belgrade on 21 February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19
and 20 February 2002). Djukanovic still wants "clarifications" on
several unspecified points. Elsewhere in the Montenegrin capital, the
Association of Lawyers of Montenegro said in a statement that the EU
and U.S. are challenging the basic rights of Montenegrin citizens by
opposing a referendum on independence in that republic. PM
[64] CONTROVERSY OVER MACEDONIAN-YUGOSLAV BORDER DEAL
The Macedonian government and UN civilian administration in Kosova
(UNMIK) disagreed in separate statements on 20 February regarding a
2001 border agreement between Belgrade and Skopje, dpa reported. In
Prishtina, UNMIK spokeswoman Susan Manuel said that "the Territory of
Kosovo can't be subject to any agreement until the UN Security Council
authorizes the final status of the province." In Skopje, President
Boris Trajkovski charged that "the agreement was ratified by both the
Yugoslav and Macedonian parliaments. The document was hailed by the
international community, including the United States and European
Union. We have a positive statement from the UN secretary-general,"
Kofi Annan. Belgrade has been seeking to reinforce its claim to Kosova
by entering into legal agreements regarding the province, whose ethnic
Albanian majority wants nothing to do with Serbia. Belgrade and Skopje
cooperate closely against what they call "Albanian terrorism." PM
[65] BOSNIAN REFUGEE-RETURN PROGRAM MOVING AHEAD
The joint Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees launched its
"integrated return" program in Vares on 18 February, Deutsche Welle's
Bosnian Service reported. The project will take 10 months to complete
and is funded with just over $1 million by the Bosnian government, the
UNHCR, the U.S., and several other donors. It provides for the
reconstruction of 127 homes and infrastructure, and will enable the
return of 82 Croatian families from Drvar and 30 Serbian families from
throughout the Republika Srpska. Furthermore, 15 Muslim families
already in Vares "will have their housing problems solved." In
addition, 209 families in Drvar, Zvornik, Brcko, Prijedor, and Vares
will be able to go back to their prewar homes soon to be vacated by the
returnees. Mico Micic, who is the Republika Srpska's minister for
refugee affairs, called the project "the right way" to proceed.
Kresimir Zubak, whose Bosnian ministry launched "integrated return,"
said he hopes that other communities and even cantons will follow the
example of Vares. In 2001, Bosnian refugee returns made impressive
gains. PM
[66] HAGUE COURT FREES CROAT AND YUGOSLAV PENDING TRIAL
The Hague-based war crimes tribunal announced on 20 February that it
will allow General Rahim Ademi to return to Croatia and Admiral Miodrag
Jokic to go to Belgrade pending their respective trials, Reuters
reported. Both men, who went to The Hague voluntarily in 2001, must
surrender their passports to local authorities back home and not leave
their respective countries. PM
[67] CROATIAN POLITICAL LEADERS MEET
The heads of the five parties in the governing coalition met in Zagreb
on 20 February for their first meeting following the return of Drazen
Budisa to the chairmanship of the Croatian Social-Liberal Party (HSLS),
RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 11 February 2002). Heading the agenda was a
discussion of proposed legislation on the privatization of the oil
company INA and the energy firm HEP. Budisa and Zlatko Tomcic, who
heads the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS), have both said that they want
to renegotiate the terms governing the functioning of the coalition in
the wake of the departure of the small Istrian Democratic Assembly
(IDS) in 2001. PM
[68] AUSTRIAN PRIME MINISTER HAILS RELATIONS WITH SLOVENIA
Wolfgang Schuessel told his Slovenian counterpart, Janez Drnovsek, in
Ljubljana on 20 February that any open questions between Austria and
Slovenia will not be an obstacle to Slovenia's joining the EU, "Die
Presse" reported. Schuessel praised as "a model" the two countries'
work in resolving problems such as those surrounding the Krsko nuclear
power plant or a cultural agreement. The Austrian leader said that
Slovenia is the best qualified of all EU applicants and that he hopes
the two countries can work closely together for "European interests"
once Ljubljana is admitted to that body. Schuessel repeated Austria's
interest in closer cooperation within the EU of small central European
states on the model of the Benelux as a counterweight to the larger
countries. In his only critical remark, Schuessel called on Slovenia to
speed up court decisions on property restitution or compensation claims
by Austrian citizens (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 13 November 2001).
Schuessel's generally highly positive remarks stand in sharp contrast
to those made in the past by the Freedom Party's (FPO) Joerg Haider,
who often criticizes Slovenia and has threatened to block its EU
membership. PM
[69] ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER SETS PRIORITIES
Pandeli Majko outlined his government's tasks in a paper issued on 19
February, Deutsche Welle's "Monitor" reported. His first domestic
priority is to fight corruption through immediate concrete measures and
through longer-term institutional change. In foreign policy, the
government will build on the achievements of its predecessor. Tirana
will seek the freer legitimate movement of people and goods in the
region while cracking down on smuggling and human trafficking. Kosova
will play a central role in Albanian policy. Tirana also seeks to
promote good relations with Belgrade and Podgorica, and notes the
"strategic role" of Rome and Athens, as well as its good relations with
Ankara. Relations with the U.S. are "strategically important, a
priority, and of a long-term nature." Majko also noted the "importance"
of relations with Russia on the assumption that Moscow will play a
"constructive role" in the region in keeping with its "new philosophy
in international relations." PM
[70] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT ENDS ASIAN TOUR...
Ion Iliescu on 21 February ended his tour of five Far Eastern
countries, meeting in Singapore with President S.R. Nathan. They signed
an accord on avoiding double taxation. MS
[71] ...AND PREMIER STARTS RUSSIAN VISIT
Adrian Nastase arrived on 21 February in Moscow, where he was to meet
with his counterpart Mikhail Kasyanov and with businessmen, including
the management of Gazprom. Nastase is accompanied by a large delegation
including Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana and by a large group of
Romanian businessmen. Regaining access to the Russian market is
obviously high on the agenda. No breakthrough is to be expected in the
stalled discussions on the basic treaty, but this may come later this
year when President Iliescu is expected in Moscow. Russian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko told RIA-Novosti ahead of the
visit that the breakthrough can be expected when the Romanian side
"renounces the [recurring] inclination to include in the treaty
problems that should be dealt with by historians, rather than
politicians," i.e., a denunciation of the 1939 Ribbentrop-Molotov pact.
MS
[72] ROMANIAN EXTREMISTS ENGAGE IN MUDSLINGING
Responding to an attack in the weekly "Romania mare," which is owned by
Greater Romania Party (PRM) Chairman Corneliu Vadim Tudor, PRM Deputy
Chairman Ilie Neacsu said on 20 February that he intends to sue Tudor
for slander, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Neacsu denied that he
is guilty of "grave abuse" in his capacity as chairman of the Chamber
of Deputies' Agricultural Commission. He said that the problems in the
PRM are not due to himself and other PRM leaders who back him, but to
Tudor, who "does not respect the law, the party's statutes, and behaves
as if the party is his farm" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February 2002).
Before Neacsu joined the PRM, he edited the weekly "Europa," which was
the most anti-Semitic publication in Romania in the early 1990s. MS
[73] ROMANIAN PETITION DRIVE TO CHANGE ELECTORAL LAW FAILS
The Pro Democratia civic organization has failed in its drive to gather
250,000 signatures backing a change of the current electoral law,
Romanian radio reported on 20 February. Pro-Democratia Chairman
Cristian Parvulescu said some 161,000 signatures had been gathered,
which is well below the constitutional minimum required for a
grassroots legislative initiative. Parvulescu said he believes the cold
weather conditions are the main reason for the failure, and that Pro
Democratia intends to launch a new drive soon. MS
[74] MOLDOVA'S PPCD LEADERSHIP TO FACE CHARGES?
Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev, speaking at the meeting of the government
on 20 February, said the Justice Ministry should initiate criminal
procedures against the leaders of the opposition Popular Party
Christian Democratic (PPCD), RFE/RL's Chisinau bureau reported. Tarlev
said the PPCD leaders should be charged with "luring children" in the
current protest demonstrations. The demonstrations continued on 20
February and PPCD Chairman Iurie Rosca told those assembled that the
main demand of his party now is the resignation of the cabinet. MS
[75] MOLDOVAN PREMIER TELLS WORLD BANK TO MIND ITS OWN BUSINESS
Tarlev also told the cabinet that the World Bank and other
international organizations should not interfere in Moldova's internal
affairs, Infotag reported. Tarlev was responding to a recent statement
by the World Bank's representative in Chisinau, Carlos Elbirt, who said
the government should soon nominate the new ministers of finance and
economy (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February 2002). Tarlev said the
government is seeking to fill the vacancies with "young, businesslike
people," who should be "capable of helping the country become
integrated into Europe and the world community." MS
[76] ROMANY RIOTS IN PLODVIV NEIGHBORHOOD NOT OVER
Plodviv police stepped up patrols in the predominantly Romany
neighborhood of Stolipinovo after riots continued on 20 February for
the second day, dpa and AP reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 February
2002). A policeman was injured in the unrest. Some 1,000 Roma stoned
eight ethnic Bulgarian houses in the neighborhood. The power company
said it will not restore electricity to Stolipinovo until its
inhabitants meet the conditions of an agreement made last month to pay
10 percent of the neighborhood's debt, which is as high as $2.7
million. MS
[77] MACEDONIANS SET UP NEW PARTY IN BULGARIA
A new political party striving to represent Macedonians has been set up
in Bulgaria, the Skopje daily "Vecher," cited by "Balkan Human Rights
List," reported on 19 February. The party calls itself OMO Pirin and
its chairman is Botjo Vangelov. Vangelov said that the formation will
focus on ensuring the economic prosperity of the Pirin region and the
preservation of Macedonian national identity, customs, and traditions.
He said he does not expect any difficulties in registering the new
party. MS
[78] WINTER OLYMPICS MEDAL COUNT -- PART 2 COUNTRIES
Through 20 FEBRUARY
CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Croatia2103
Bulgaria0123
Estonia1012
Czech Rep.1012
Poland0112
Belarus0011
Slovenia0011
Bosnia-Herzeg.0000
Hungary0000
Latvia0000
Lithuania0000
Macedonia0000
Moldova0000
Romania0000
Slovakia0000
Ukraine0000
Yugoslavia0000
END NOTE
[79] WESTERN MEDIA, IMAGE MAKING, AND HUNGARY
By George Schopflin
There is a major press scandal brewing in Hungary -- nothing new there
-- but this time the international media is involved. It raises issues
that go beyond local conflicts over the media and directly places the
nature of European journalistic standards on the agenda.
It is commonly accepted that the style of reporting journalists are
traditionally supposed to adopt can be summarized as "the facts are
sacred, but comment is free." But this is beginning to look threadbare.
Increasingly, journalists are using "colorful" language to make their
writing more vivid, and thereby more saleable, and are encouraged in
this by their editors and the journalistic training they receive. There
is a strong propensity to personalize stories, to focus them on an
individual, rather than deal with an issue in the round. And often
enough a critical stance becomes a readiness to give every event the
worst, most sensationalist interpretation.
The trouble in Hungary has arisen because journalists themselves are
the focus of the story and they don't like it. A group of Budapest
students recently set up a media-watch project called Control Group --
probably "survey" is better than "control" -- and have completed a
content analysis of Western media coverage of Hungarian politics.
Indeed, they have gone further, criticizing specific Western
correspondents stationed in Budapest. The response has been a
collective howl of outrage.
The Control Group report argued that Western media coverage of Hungary
has tended to be antigovernment and to reflect the perspectives of the
opposition, especially of the Free Democrats. And these arguments were
backed up by data and direct quotations from the journalists concerned.
There is little doubt, incidentally, that reportage of Hungary does
reflect the general skepticism journalists have toward conservatism in
Europe. Many journalists have left-of-center assumptions, often quite
unconsciously.
The foreign journalists concerned deny bias, of course, and insist that
they report "the truth," possibly even "The Truth." But matters don't
end there. Simultaneously, they also adopt a more modest stance and
suggest that all they do is to offer "the first draft of history." Both
cannot be right. "Truth" is a claim to unchallengeable knowledge and
pure objectivity. The "first draft" position accepts the ad hoc,
contingent nature of what journalists do, of their dependence on their
contacts and, sometimes, their inability to make distinctions that
local journalists make, but which are unimportant to their foreign
counterparts.
The division between different readerships is a further source of
problems. A Hungarian reader will expect something different from that
of a British or Dutch reader, for instance, but journalists seldom
bother with this difference and assume a single, universal readership.
This can lead them to write in such a way as to appear unsubtle or, in
the worst cases, ignorant of local realities.
Matters are made even more complex by the differences between Western
politics and the patterns of post-communism, which Western journalists
either ignore or tend to regard as a local irritant. To Hungarians,
then, what the Western media say about them can seem -- and sometimes
actually is -- patronizing and insensitive. Some Western journalists
are certainly insensitive to the impression they create and reject any
suggestion that they are seen as semicolonial arbiters imposing an
alien set of norms. But then Central Europe has an ambiguous position
in Europe generally -- a part of Europe certainly, but not quite with
the same equal status as, say, Portugal.
Take the case that the Control Group complained of -- the left-wing
bias they allege can be found in much of the Western press. Few foreign
correspondents in Budapest seem to have made much effort to understand
the peculiar dilemma of the post-communist right. If you are a
conservative, what exactly are you conserving? It can't be the recent
past because it is communist, and attempts to conserve the pre-World
War II past have failed miserably. The Polish right has foundered on
this issue, but the Hungarians appear to have managed it rather more
successfully, avoiding the worst excesses of nostalgia, fragmentation,
and isolationism. This success is in itself offensive to the Hungarian
left; Western journalists in Budapest frequently slip into reflecting
the views of their center-left Hungarian informants and to present
these views as the dominant Hungarian position.
Overall, the problem is more than one of insensitivity and being
patronizing, though these are relevant. Underneath it all is the
question of whether there is a single, universal European journalistic
standard. If there is, is it being applied with greater or lesser
stringency to Hungary than it is to, say, France or Britain? Are the
Western media actually applying harsher criteria to the center-right
Hungarian government than they would to a center-left Hungarian
government (a suggestion that has already been made in the Hungarian
press)?
And are the Hungarians correct in their concerns that the Western media
are tarnishing Hungary's image, that the overall presentation of the
country is, in fact, less sympathetic to Hungary than it might be, that
the view of Hungary that a Western reader receives is too strongly
structured by negative issues (anti-Semitism, anti-Roma prejudice,
hints that the Hungarian prime minister is somehow tainted by "fascism"
or "nationalism")? Is the other perspective adequately presented? And
finally there is the question of tone. It is hard to avoid the
conclusion that the patronizing tone adopted by some Western
journalists is one that they would not use from Paris or Berlin. In
that sense the Hungarians have a case.
Ultimately, there is an insoluble issue here. Both the Hungarians and
the Western press start from an assumption that somewhere out there is
a single, objective truth, and that it is the responsibility of the
press to reflect this. In the real world, this is illusory. There may
be agreed views of the truth, which are sometimes imposed as the
hegemonic truth, but in a globalized world, there is only a polyphony
of voices, all of them claiming to speak the truth. What democratic
criteria do demand, however, is that all actors should have a voice. In
so far as the Western media deny the center-right in Hungary a voice,
or present that voice as marginal or inferior, the complaints of the
Hungarians seem more justified than not.
The author is Jean Monnet Professor of Politics at SSEES, University
College London.
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