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RFE/RL Newsline, 02-06-25
CONTENTS
[01] PUTIN SAYS ECONOMY IS FIRST PRIORITY...
[02] ...STRESSES THAT RUSSIA MUST JOIN WTO...
[03] ...INSISTS ON ACCESS TO KALININGRAD...
[04] ...ACKNOWLEDGES THAT NOT ALL CHECHENS ARE TERRORISTS...
[05] ...AND REPEATS SKEPTICISM OF UNION WITH BELARUS
[06] ANALYST CASTS LIGHT ON PUTIN'S UNION STATEMENTS
[07] PUTIN PUTS BLAME FOR WAGE, BENEFIT, AND PENSION ARREARS ON
[08] ...PROMISES TO LOOK INTO SIBERIAN GOVERNOR'S DISMISSAL OF
[09] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TELLS LEGISLATORS TO KEEP WORKING ON ELECTION
[10] MILITARY WILL RESPOND TO U.S. ABM WITHDRAWAL
[11] MOSCOW POLICE GO AFTER ALLEGED RINGLEADER OF SOLNETSEVO GROUP
[12] MESKHETIAN TURKS GO ON HUNGER STRIKE IN KUBAN...
[13] ...AS ANOTHER COMMISSION ON MIGRATION POLICY FORMED
[14] RUSSIA TO JOIN ANOTHER EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION?
[15] RUSSIAN COMMANDER CALLS FOR MORE BUT SELECTIVE 'SWEEPS'
[16] CHECHEN ADMINISTRATION HEAD'S BODYGUARDS KILLED IN ASSAULT
[17] PROSECUTORS NAME KASPIISK BOMBERS
[18] CORRECTION:
[19] CRITICISM MOUNTS OF ARMENIAN DRAFT BILL ON PARLIAMENT SANCTIONS
[20] ITALIAN ENVOY REMINDS ARMENIA OF COMMITMENTS TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE
[21] ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SEES 'POSITIVE' ROLE FOR TURKEY
[22] FORMER AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER EXPLAINS WHY HE RESIGNED
[23] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT TERMS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART'S STATEMENT OFFENSIVE
[24] BRITISH AMBASSADOR RULES OUT RANSOM FOR BUSINESSMAN KIDNAPPED IN
[25] PROTESTERS IN WESTERN GEORGIA DEMAND DISMISSAL OF LOCAL OFFICIALS
[26] FORMER GEORGIAN MINISTER'S APARTMENT RANSACKED
[27] TRIAL OF FORMER KAZAKH MINISTER OPENS IN ASTANA
[28] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO ACCUSE OPPOSITION...
[29] ...WHO REJECT PROPOSED AMNESTY FOR THOSE INVOLVED IN AKSY CLASHES
[30] KYRGYZ, CHINESE PRESIDENTS SIGN FRIENDSHIP TREATY
[31] CHARGES AGAINST TAJIK JOURNALIST DROPPED
[32] POLISH DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS UZBEKISTAN
[33] BELARUSIAN JOURNALISTS SENTENCED TO 'RESTRICTION OF FREEDOM' FOR
[34] BELARUSIAN POLITICIANS REACT TO RUSSIA'S 'SINGLE-COUNTRY,' 'EU'
[35] UKRAINE EXPECTS TO JOIN PROGRAM FOR ACHIEVING NATO MEMBERSHIP...
[36] ...PLANS TO REOPEN TALKS ON RUSSIA'S BLACK SEA FLEET
[37] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CONFIDENT ABOUT GUAM FUTURE
[38] ESTONIAN PRESIDENT STRESSES NEED TO INCLUDE ALL PEOPLE IN STATE
[39] 2006 WORLD ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP IN LATVIA IN DOUBT
[40] LITHUANIA, ARMENIA SIGN DEFENSE-COOPERATION AGREEMENT
[41] POLISH PREMIER REJECTS GERMAN DEMAND ON POSTWAR EXPULSION DECREES
[42] POLISH SENATE AMENDMENT TO LOCAL ELECTION LAW RULED
[43] SELF-DEFENSE WANTS TO TAKE POWER IN POLAND
[44] U.S. JUDGE REJECTS JEWISH PROPERTY RESTITUTION ACTION AGAINST
[45] CZECH OPPOSITION LEADER HOSPITALIZED
[46] CZECH SOCIAL DEMOCRATS, COALITION NEGOTIATORS SAY AGREEMENT IS
[47] CZECH COALITION WANTS CSSD TO RULE OUT COOPERATION WITH COMMUNISTS
[48] CZECH OPPOSITION PARTY PICKS UP PRAGUE MAYORAL CANDIDATE
[49] ZELEZNY TO BECOME SLOVAK SUBSIDIARY COMPANY'S DIRECTOR
[50] TWO-THIRDS OF CZECHS BELIEVE KSCM IS NOT DEMOCRATIC...
[51] ...AND OVER 70 PERCENT AGAINST ABOLITION OF BENES DECREES
[52] CZECH PRESIDENT REJECTS ALLEGATIONS ON EMPLOYING ETHNIC HUNGARIAN
[53] ...AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HOLDS HEARING ON SLOVAK CONFISCATION OF
[54] SLOVAK PRESIDENT AGREES TO TRANSPORT MINISTER'S DISMISSAL
[55] HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT, OPPOSITION TABLE SECRET SERVICE BILLS
[56] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT SIGNALS INTEREST IN MEDGYESSY AFFAIR
[57] HUNGARIAN OPPOSITION SEEKS INQUIRY INTO MEDGYESSY'S PAST
[58] EU HAS NO INTENTION OF INTERVENING IN MEDGYESSY AFFAIR
[59] OSCE HIGH COMMISSIONER IN BUDAPEST
[60] ALBANIAN EX-GENERAL BECOMES PRESIDENT...
[61] ...AS DOUBTS REMAIN ABOUT HIS QUALIFICATIONS
[62] YUGOSLAV GENERAL BECOMES EX-CHIEF OF STAFF...
[63] ...BUT HE WILL NOT GO QUIETLY...
[64] ...AND THE NEW COMMANDER PROMISES TO DO HIS DUTY
[65] HAGUE UNLIKELY TO RELEASE TWO TOP SERBIAN INDICTEES
[66] MONTENEGRO'S STRANGE BEDFELLOWS TO CONSUMMATE RELATIONSHIP
[67] LORD ROBERTSON HAS MIXED MESSAGE FOR CROATIA...
[68] ...AS NATO CHANGES PRIORITIES IN THE BALKANS
[69] ASHDOWN SACKS MUSLIM MAYOR
[70] MACEDONIAN POLICE ARREST 30 AFTER VIOLENCE AT ANTIVIOLENCE MEETING
[71] ROMANIAN PREMIER STARTS CHINA VISIT...
[72] ...ISSUES STATEMENT ON 'STATUS LAW'
[73] FORMER ROMANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS SECURITATE AGENTS RETURNED TO
[74] STOLOJAN 'ABOUT TO QUIT' ROMANIAN LIBERAL PARTY
[75] MOLDOVAN PPCD DEPUTY THANKS PACE FOR SUPPORT
[76] GERMAN EQUIPMENT FOR MUNITIONS DECOMMISSIONING ARRIVES IN MOLDOVA
[77] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT PROMULGATES NEW CIVIC CODE
[78] INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY BEGINS SAFETY REVIEW OF
[79] NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CASE OF BULGARIAN MEDICS IN LIBYA
[80] ITALY SEEKS TO BECOME BIGGEST FOREIGN INVESTOR IN BULGARIA
[81] BULGARTABAK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DISMISSED
[82] There is no End Note today.
25 June 2002
RUSSIA
[01] PUTIN SAYS ECONOMY IS FIRST PRIORITY...
Speaking at a major press conference involving 700 journalists from
across the country on 24 June, President Vladimir Putin said that his
administration's highest priority is the development of the economy and
improving the standard of living for average Russians, Russian and
Western news agencies reported. Putin also stressed the need to boost
the country's national security and improve its image around the world.
He added that Russia's foreign policy must reflect the possibilities of
its economy. He said that in order to achieve his goals, he needs the
consolidation of society and its support so that Russia can join the
World Trade Organization (WTO) and fully enter into the globalized
world economy. He said that he is seeking support across the political
spectrum and does not intend to marginalize either the left, right, or
the center. VY
[02] ...STRESSES THAT RUSSIA MUST JOIN WTO...
President Putin emphasized that Russia is now the only major country in
the world that does not belong to the WTO, which comprises 95 percent
of the global economy. He said that remaining outside the WTO "is both
dangerous and stupid." Putin argued that in the near future, the WTO
will be revising its regulations and standards. Therefore, he said,
Russia must join quickly to make sure that its economic interests are
considered. He also said that joining the WTO will impose global legal
norms on Russia, enhancing its social, business, and political
relations, as well as helping to combat organized crime. VY
[03] ...INSISTS ON ACCESS TO KALININGRAD...
Putin emphasized that his position on Kaliningrad has not changed since
the European Union summit in Seville (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 June
2002). He said that the EU's refusal to grant visa-free transit between
the exclave and the rest of Russia would tear Kaliningrad away from
Russia and "we will never agree to that." He reminded journalists that
even during the Cold War, the Soviet Union provided unrestricted access
between West Berlin and the West, and said he thinks that now an even
better solution can be found to reflect the "new level of relations
between Russian and the EU." VY
[04] ...ACKNOWLEDGES THAT NOT ALL CHECHENS ARE TERRORISTS...
In a clear differentiation between the Chechen field commanders still
engaged in a guerrilla war against Russian forces and the civilian
population, Putin remarked during his press conference: "As far as the
negative image of Chechens is concerned, the Chechen people are not to
blame for anything. I think this is the fault of the federal center
that the Chechen people were left to the mercy of fate at some point
[...] Our task is to destroy this image [of Chechens] as terrorists,"
RFE/RL's Russian Service reported. Putin said that the ongoing "sweep"
operations in Chechnya must be ended as soon as police and legal system
are strengthened, according to Interfax. Then, possibly at the end of
this year, Putin continued, Chechnya could adopt a constitution.
Politika Foundation President Vyacheslav Nikonov noted that Putin
failed to rule out the possibility that Chechnya and Ingushetia might
at some point again be merged into a single federation subject,
Interfax reported (see "RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 5, No. 14, 26
April 2002). LF
[05] ...AND REPEATS SKEPTICISM OF UNION WITH BELARUS
Putin reiterated his criticism of proposals presented by Belarusian
President Ayleksandr Lukashenka concerning integration of the two
countries (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 June 2002). He said that
unification must proceed "unconditionally" on the basis of a single
state with a single parliament and a single government. Lukashenka's
draft of the Russia-Belarus Union Constitution preserves Belarus's
sovereignty, territorial integrity, and its right of veto, all of which
are unacceptable to Russia. According to Putin, Lukashenka proposed a
union parliament made up of parliamentarians of two sovereign countries
and, Putin argued, the decisions of such a body would not be
implemented in either country. Putin stopped off in Minsk on 25 June
for brief talks with Lukashenka on his way to attend a G-8 conference
in Canada. VY
[06] ANALYST CASTS LIGHT ON PUTIN'S UNION STATEMENTS
Sergei Markov, the director of the Institute of Political Research who
is believed to have close ties to the Kremlin, said that Putin does not
want to repeat the experience of the Soviet Union or have an autonomous
entity within Russia that can threaten stability and sabotage joint
decision-making, strana.ru reported on 24 June. Markov also argued that
Putin's position gives support to the anti-Lukashenka opposition in
Belarus. Previously, the opposition had criticized Lukashenka from an
anti-Russian standpoint. Now, Markov argues, Putin's new position
provides the political basis for a new kind of opposition that can
criticize Lukashenka for resisting union with Russia. VY
[07] PUTIN PUTS BLAME FOR WAGE, BENEFIT, AND PENSION ARREARS ON
REGIONAL LEADERS...
In his press conference on 24 June, President Putin addressed a number
of regional issues, Russian media reported. When asked about Moscow's
confiscatory policies with regard to donor regions such as Yaroslavl,
Putin noted that the "overwhelming majority of regions in Russia are
recipients of aid and are economically insolvent." According to Putin,
over the past 10 years, these regions "did not pay wages." "Pensions
were not paid for months at a time," Putin continued. "Social benefit
payments were not paid at all. They accumulated billions and billions
in debts for child benefits and so on, which we are still trying to
pay. What other operational decision can be taken now other than to
redistribute these resources -- via the federal center." When asked
about routine violations of election laws in the regions and the need
to restore voters' faith in democratic institutions, Putin said that
legislative improvements should make supervision of elections more
effective and that this work on election legislation is already being
done. JAC
[08] ...PROMISES TO LOOK INTO SIBERIAN GOVERNOR'S DISMISSAL OF
PROSECUTORS
At the same press conference, Putin confessed that he knows nothing
about a recent controversy involving Nenets Autonomous Okrug Governor
Vladimir Butov, against whom a criminal case is pending. A journalist
from that region told Putin that Butov recently fired three successive
prosecutors: Each one was dismissed as soon as he began to investigate
a criminal case pending against the governor and issue summonses to
Butov for questioning. Putin promised to ask Prosecutor-General
Vladimir Ustinov to look into the situation. However, it was reported
in April that Ustinov had already put the criminal investigation
against Butov under his personal control (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16
April 2002). JAC
[09] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TELLS LEGISLATORS TO KEEP WORKING ON ELECTION
LEGISLATION
The Constitutional Court has asked the Federal Assembly to reconsider
several provisions of a new law on the basic guarantees of electoral
rights that was passed by the State Duma last month, polit.ru reported
on 24 June (see "RFE/RL Russian Political Weekly," 30 May 2002).
According to the website, the court ruled that the law should more
precisely define indicators of "electoral agitation" and more fully
regulate the issue of preparing national referendums. Meanwhile, for
more than two months, the court has been preparing its decision on the
legality of third terms for regional leaders, regions.ru reported on 24
June, citing "Novyi region." At his press conference the same day,
Putin, when asked about whether governors have "a moral right" to a
third term, said: "This is an age-old question about the relationship
of morality and the law. If the Constitutional Court decides that
governors have the right [to a third term,] then that will mean it is
moral." JAC
[10] MILITARY WILL RESPOND TO U.S. ABM WITHDRAWAL
General Nikolai Solovtsev, commander of the Russian Strategic Missile
Forces (RVSN), says his service is ready to respond to the U.S.
withdrawal from the 1972 Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, polit.ru
reported on 24 June. Solovtsev said that the U.S. decision will
certainly have an impact on the development of the RVSN and that a
decision to prolong the service of multiple-warhead intercontinental
missiles is now being finalized. He said that the RVSN hopes they can
continue in service for another 10 to 15 years. Solovtsev said that
among other measures under consideration is the deployment of the
"Topol-M" ICBM. VY
[11] MOSCOW POLICE GO AFTER ALLEGED RINGLEADER OF SOLNETSEVO GROUP
Officers of the Moscow Main Department for Combating Organized Crime of
the Interior Ministry (MVD) searched the summer house of Sergei
Mikhailov (aka "Mikhas"), who has long been believed to be the leader
of the Solnetsevo organized-crime group, "Izvestiya" and other Russian
media reported on 24 and 25 June. According to an MVD spokesman, the
search was made in connection with an investigation into Mikhailov's
possible involvement in the murders of two businessmen 10 years ago.
Mikhas gained international prominence in 1996 when he was arrested in
Switzerland for money laundering and running a criminal organization.
However, at that time, Russian law enforcement refused to cooperate
with Swiss investigators and a Swiss court eventually released him and
paid him $530,000 compensation. He returned to Russia in 1998 as
something of a hero in some circles. Mikhailov has stated repeatedly
that he is just an ordinary businessman. VY
[12] MESKHETIAN TURKS GO ON HUNGER STRIKE IN KUBAN...
Another 150 Meskhetian Turks have joined a hunger strike that was
initiated by 26 families in Krasnodar Krai on 20 June, Interfax
reported on 24 June. Yusuf Sarvarov, head of the Vatan international
community of Meskhetian Turks, told the agency the Turks took this step
because they have been deprived of their rights by local authorities to
register at their place of residence, to register real-estate
contracts, and most recently, they have been refused the right to lease
farmland. According to the agency, there are about 20,000 Meskhetian
Turks in the krai. Some analysts believe that pressure on the Turks has
arisen in part because of the State Duma's consideration of legislation
that would regulate the buying and selling of agricultural land; the
Turks survive primarily by farming (see "RFE/RL Russian Political
Weekly," 10 June 2002). JAC
[13] ...AS ANOTHER COMMISSION ON MIGRATION POLICY FORMED
Meanwhile, one outcome of the recent emergency congress on migration
policy in Russia was the announcement of the formation of a government
commission on migration policy, "Vremya MN" reported on 22 June,
quoting Federal Migration Service head Andrei Chernenko (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 19 June 2002). The commission will be composed of
representatives of public organizations as well as scholars, such as
Svetlana Gannushkina, head of the legal network Migration and Rights;
Lidiya Grafova, chairwoman of the executive committee of the Forum for
Migrant Organizations; and Valerii Tishkov, director of the Institute
for Ethnology and Anthropology in Moscow. According to the daily, the
commission will serve as a mechanism for providing for civilian input
into the area of migration policy. However, Grafova was not optimistic
about the new organization, noting that "such a commission was created
three years ago" and has met only once. JAC
[14] RUSSIA TO JOIN ANOTHER EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION?
In an interview with "Izvestiya" on 24 June, Aleksandr Nazarov,
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug's representative to the Federation Council,
explained why he will propose that Russia join the Northern Council --
an association of legislators from Denmark, Iceland, Norway,
Switzerland, and Finland -- at an upcoming PACE session. According to
Nazarov, Russia needs to balance investment in its natural-resource
sector in the Russian north from Korea, China, Japan, the United
States, and Australia with investments from the European Union. In
addition, according to Nazarov, Russia's dialogue with the countries of
Northern Europe needs to be strengthened with relevant legislative
acts. Already, some northern regions in Russia, such as Karelia,
cooperate with the Northern Council. JAC
[15] RUSSIAN COMMANDER CALLS FOR MORE BUT SELECTIVE 'SWEEPS'
Lieutenant General Vladimir Moltenskoi, who commands the combined
federal forces in Chechnya, called on 24 June for continuing search
operations, Interfax reported. But he added that in villages where the
population has demonstrated its loyalty to the Russian-backed
administration such "sweeps" will entail only passport checks, whereas
in locations where Russian forces have been fired on the search will be
more "rigorous." Meanwhile, Chechen Deputy Prime Minister Beslan
Gantemirov was barred by Russian troops on 23 June from entering the
village of Chechen-Aul where a search operation has been underway since
11 June, chechenpress.com reported on 25 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
17 and 18 June 2002). LF
[16] CHECHEN ADMINISTRATION HEAD'S BODYGUARDS KILLED IN ASSAULT
Two members of administration head Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov's bodyguard
were killed when unknown assailants opened fire on their car in Grozny,
Interfax reported on 24 June. Two other bodyguards were seriously
wounded. LF
[17] PROSECUTORS NAME KASPIISK BOMBERS
Russian Deputy Prosecutor-General Vladimir Kolesnikov said in
Makhachkala on 24 June that police have identified 18 people
responsible for the 9 May bombing in Kaspiisk that killed 45 people,
and have arrested eight of them, Interfax reported. He confirmed that
the attack was masterminded by Rappani Khalilov (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
10 and 23 May 2002). LF
[18] CORRECTION:
An item in the 24 June issue of "RFE/RL Newsline" entitled
"Businessman's Brother Involved in Attempted Assassination of Moscow
Deputy Mayor" incorrectly identified Salavat Dzhabrailov's relationship
to businessman Umar Dzhabrailov. Salavat Dzhabrailov was Umar
Dzhabrailov's first cousin.
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[19] CRITICISM MOUNTS OF ARMENIAN DRAFT BILL ON PARLIAMENT SANCTIONS
Viktor Dallakian, chairman of the Armenian parliament Committee on
Legal Affairs, on 24 June criticized as "full of contradictions" the
draft bill approved four days earlier by the Armenian government that
would empower the parliament speaker to ban unruly deputies from the
parliament chamber for up to 15 days (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 June
2002), RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. He said that provision
violates the existing parliament statutes. LF
[20] ITALIAN ENVOY REMINDS ARMENIA OF COMMITMENTS TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Italian Ambassador to Armenia Paolo Andrea Trabalza reminded Prime
Minister Andranik Markarian on 24 June that compliance with the
commitments Armenia made when it was accepted in January 2001 into full
membership of the Council of Europe is an essential precondition for
Armenia's "rapid and unimpeded integration into the European family,"
RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. It is not clear whether that
admonishment was related to the approval by parliament last week of a
law that would preserve the death penalty in exceptional circumstances,
including for the five gunmen on trial for the October 1999 Armenian
parliament shootings in which eight senior officials were killed (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 21 June 2002). LF
[21] ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SEES 'POSITIVE' ROLE FOR TURKEY
Vartan Oskanian told journalists on 24 June on his arrival in Istanbul
that he believes Turkey can contribute to resolving conflicts in the
South Caucasus, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. While ruling out
Turkish mediation in the Karabakh conflict, Oskanian said that Turkey,
"as an equal, responsible partner, has a role to play" in promoting
regional stability. Oskanian also met in Istanbul on 24 June with the
three co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group to review the Karabakh peace
process, Noyan Tapan reported. He was to meet on 25 June on the
sidelines of a Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) summit with his
Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem. LF
[22] FORMER AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER EXPLAINS WHY HE RESIGNED
"Halq cebhesi" on 25 June quoted Tofik Zulfugarov as saying that he
resigned as foreign minister in October 1999 because he could not agree
to a territorial exchange in which Armenia would cede Meghri to
Azerbaijan in exchange for the Lachin corridor, Turan reported. At the
time, Zulfugarov said only that he disagreed with President Heidar
Aliev's approach to resolving the Karabakh conflict (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 26 October 1999). Armenian officials have repeatedly denied
that they ever discussed such a territorial exchange as part of a
solution to the Karabakh conflict (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 February
and 19 May 2000). LF
[23] GEORGIAN PRESIDENT TERMS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART'S STATEMENT OFFENSIVE
In his comments to journalists in Moscow on 24 June (see "Russia"
above), Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "no one, either the
American Special Forces nor specially trained units of the Georgian
military, can resolve the problem of terrorists in the Pankisi Gorge
without the direct and active participation of Russian special forces,"
RFE/RL's Russian Service reported. Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Kakha Sikharulidze commented in Tbilisi later on 24 June that while
Georgia is prepared to accept Russian assistance in dealing with the
presence in Pankisi of alleged terrorists, it will not agree to the
deployment on its territory of Russian troops, Caucasus Press reported.
Speaking on 25 June in Istanbul, where he is attending the BSEC summit,
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze characterized Putin's statement
that intervention in Pankisi is Russia's prerogative as offensive to
the Georgian authorities, Caucasus Press reported. He repeated that
Georgia rejected all earlier Russian proposals for joint action against
the Chechen military presence in Pankisi because agreeing to such
action would have drawn Georgia into the conflict between Russia and
Chechnya. LF
[24] BRITISH AMBASSADOR RULES OUT RANSOM FOR BUSINESSMAN KIDNAPPED IN
GEORGIA
Meeting in Tbilisi on 24 June with Minister of State Avtandil
Djorbenadze, Deborah Barnes Jones said that Britain will not pay a
ransom to secure the release of businessman Peter Shaw, who was
kidnapped in Tbilisi a week ago (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 and 20 June
2002), Caucasus Press reported. Also on 24 June, the Association of
Bankers of Georgia released a statement in Tbilisi condemning the
Georgian authorities' inability to protect either its citizens or
persons working in the financial sector. They warned that crime and
political instability in Georgia may negatively impact the investment
climate. LF
[25] PROTESTERS IN WESTERN GEORGIA DEMAND DISMISSAL OF LOCAL OFFICIALS
Residents of the Chkhorotsku and Abasha raions of western Georgia
launched separate protests on 24 June to demand the resignation of
local administrators, Caucasus Press reported. In Chkhorotsku some 400
people called for the dismissal of Aleko Pertaya, a member of the
former ruling Union of Citizens of Georgia, whom President Shevardnadze
named district administrator two years ago. Pertaya is suspected of
having embezzled 300,000 laris ($135,000) intended to pay residents'
pensions. In Abasha, some 300 residents set out to march to the
regional center, Zugdidi, to protest the appointment as local
administrator of Soso Chanturia, who was stripped of his mandate as
parliament deputy for Abasha by the Georgian Constitutional Court last
year. Police prevented the marchers from entering Zugdidi to picket the
regional administration building, after which they blocked the main
Zugdidi-Tbilisi highway, according to "Alia" on 25 June. LF
[26] FORMER GEORGIAN MINISTER'S APARTMENT RANSACKED
Unknown perpetrators have broken into and ransacked the Tbilisi
apartment of Guram Absandze, who served as finance minister under
former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Caucasus Press reported on 25
June. The intruders failed to steal jewelry and a video camera.
Absandze was sentenced last year on charges of embezzlement and trying
in 1993 to secure Gamsakhurdia's return to power, but was pardoned in
April by President Shevardnadze (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 14 November
2001 and 22 April 2002). He is currently in Moscow trying to find
sponsors prepared to fund his new political party, the Union for
National Reconciliation. LF
[27] TRIAL OF FORMER KAZAKH MINISTER OPENS IN ASTANA
Former Energy, Industry, and Trade Minister Mukhtar Abliyazov went on
trial in Astana on 24 June on charges of abuse of his official position
while serving as head of the country's power grid, Russian agencies
reported. Journalists were allowed to attend the trial but forbidden to
film or tape-record the proceedings, according to "Vremya novostei" on
25 June. Abliyazov, who last fall cofounded the opposition movement
Democratic Choice for Kazakhstan, claims that the charges against him
are politically motivated. His attorneys appealed to the judge to
appoint new prosecutors, as those in charge of the case are "biased;"
to allow new witnesses to give evidence; and to release Abliyazov on
bail for the duration of the trial. At the personal initiative of its
Chairman Akezhan Kazhegeldin, the Republican People's Party of
Kazakhstan has formed a monitoring group that will relay to the
international community details of the trial proceedings, according to
forumkz.org on 25 June. LF
[28] KYRGYZ OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO ACCUSE OPPOSITION...
Addressing a government session in Bishkek on 24 June, Kyrgyzstan's
Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev said the country is "on the verge of
clashes between our fellow citizens," Reuters reported. He said unnamed
"political forces" are seeking to provoke a confrontation between the
authorities and the police on the one hand, and supporters of
parliament deputy Azimbek Beknazarov on the other. First Deputy Prime
Minister Kurmanbek Osmanov for his part characterized the situation in
Osh, the country's second-largest city, as "extremely complex" and
"tense." Hundreds of supporters of Beknazarov arrived at the outskirts
of Osh from Djalalabad on 23 June. Osmanov warned they could "enter the
city at any moment and provoke mass disturbances," ITAR-TASS reported.
LF
[29] ...WHO REJECT PROPOSED AMNESTY FOR THOSE INVOLVED IN AKSY CLASHES
Also on 24 June, Tanaev said the government has drafted and will submit
to parliament a draft law that would grant an amnesty to all persons
who participated in the clashes between police and Beknazarov's
supporters in Aksy Raion on 17-18 March, Reuters reported. That amnesty
would presumably apply both to protesters charged with injuring police
or damaging official property during the clashes, and district
officials and police who condoned and resorted to the use of firearms
against the demonstrators. Beknazarov on 24 June said he rejects the
draft amnesty, as it would exonerate "those who shot at the
opposition," Reuters reported. Human rights activist Tolekan Ismailova
similarly said that no amnesty should be granted to those responsible
for the deaths of five protesters during the Aksy clashes, Interfax
reported. LF
[30] KYRGYZ, CHINESE PRESIDENTS SIGN FRIENDSHIP TREATY
Visiting Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev and his Chinese counterpart Jiang
Zemin signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation in Beijing on 24
June, Russian agencies reported. According to Interfax on 21 June, that
treaty defines the border between the two countries as "one of eternal
friendship." Beginning in June 2001, the Kyrgyz parliament repeatedly
objected to amendments signed in 1999 by Jiang and Akaev to an earlier
border treaty because those amendments ceded large tracts of Kyrgyz
territory to China. Parliament finally ratified those amendments last
month, triggering widespread public protests (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13
and 17 May 2002). Also signed in Beijing on 24 June was a package of
intergovernmental agreements. LF
[31] CHARGES AGAINST TAJIK JOURNALIST DROPPED
The Tajik Prosecutor General's Office has dropped the criminal case
first opened in 1993 against Dododjon Atovulloev, editor of the
opposition newspaper "Charoghi ruz," Interfax reported on 21 June. The
original charges against Atovulloev were dropped after the civil war
ended in 1997, but were revived last year in connection with his
criticism of the country's present leadership. Atovulloev said he may
soon return to Tajikistan from Germany, where he has been living for
over a year. LF
[32] POLISH DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS UZBEKISTAN
During a two-day visit to Tashkent on 22-23 June, Jerzy Szmajdzinski
co-signed with his Uzbek counterpart Kadyr Gulyamov an agreement on
bilateral military cooperation, Interfax and uza.uz reported.
Szmajdzinski also met with Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Abdulaziz
Komilov. LF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
[33] BELARUSIAN JOURNALISTS SENTENCED TO 'RESTRICTION OF FREEDOM' FOR
LIBELING LUKASHENKA
A district court in Hrodna on 24 June sentenced Mikola Markevich to 2
1/2 years and Pavel Mazheyka to two years of "restriction of freedom,"
finding them guilty of slandering President Alyaksandr Lukashenka
during the 2001 presidential election campaign in their weekly
"Pahonya," which was closed by a court verdict in November 2001,
Belarusian and international media reported. The verdict means that the
journalists will not be placed in a regular prison but will have to
live in guarded barracks, work at a factory or on a collective farm,
and return to the barracks each day at an appointed time. Both
journalists said their punishment is politically motivated and that
they plan to appeal. The trial, viewed by many as another step by the
Lukashenka regime to destroy the independent media and curb the freedom
of expression in the country, was attended by diplomats from the U.S.,
British, German, French, and Polish embassies in Belarus as well as
OSCE representatives. JM
[34] BELARUSIAN POLITICIANS REACT TO RUSSIA'S 'SINGLE-COUNTRY,' 'EU'
OPTIONS FOR INTEGRATION WITH BELARUS
Syarhey Kastsyan, a lawmaker of Belarus's Chamber of Representatives,
said on 24 June that Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal
earlier the same day that Russia and Belarus form a "single state" with
one government and one parliament (see "Russia") is unacceptable,
Belapan reported. Kastsyan went on to accuse Putin of acting in the
interests of "the Jewish lobby" who, he argued, "get their orders from
Washington." Social Democratic Party leader Mikalay Statkevich said
Putin's recent pronouncements on integration with Belarus mean that the
Russian leader wants "to brush off the annoying integrationist."
According to Statkevich, Lukashenka will push for adopting a
constitutional act of the Belarus-Russia Union as a pretext for holding
a national referendum in which the president will "squeeze in a
question about removing restrictions on the length of his presidency."
Meanwhile, Belarus's Liberal Democratic Party leader Syarhey
Haydukevich commented that by proposing either a "single-state" or "EU"
model for integration with Belarus, Putin "saves Belarus's
sovereignty." JM
[35] UKRAINE EXPECTS TO JOIN PROGRAM FOR ACHIEVING NATO MEMBERSHIP...
Serhiy Pyrozhkov, the first deputy secretary of the Council of National
Security and Defense, told a seminar in Kyiv on 24 June that during the
NATO summit in Prague in November Ukraine expects to sign a document on
joining a program that would facilitate the country's future NATO
membership, UNIAN reported. According to Pyrozhkov, the alliance is
proposing a document that specifies political, economic, defense,
security, and legislative measures to be taken by Ukraine on its path
toward NATO membership. JM
[36] ...PLANS TO REOPEN TALKS ON RUSSIA'S BLACK SEA FLEET
Pyrozhkov also noted that Ukraine's bid to join NATO may be hindered by
the presence of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, AP reported. He
announced that Kyiv is going to reopen talks with Moscow on a 20-year
lease now in effect dividing the port at Sevastopol between the
Ukrainian and Russian Black Sea Fleets. "Ukraine needs to determine the
status of [Russia's] Black Sea Fleet base because NATO criteria say
that countries with foreign military on their territory may not be
members of the alliance," Pyrozhkov explained. JM
[37] UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT CONFIDENT ABOUT GUAM FUTURE
Following a meeting with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze in
Istanbul on 25 June, Leonid Kuchma said the GUAM interstate union
(Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova) "has prospects" for
development, UNIAN reported. Earlier this month Uzbekistan announced
that it was leaving GUUAM owing to lack of progress in its activities,
thus reducing the union of five countries to that of four. Ukrainian
Foreign Minister Anatoliy Zlenko said in Istanbul that a GUAM summit
will take place in Yalta on 19-20 July. He noted that Uzbekistan has
not abandoned GUAM altogether. "[Uzbekistan] wants to participate in
certain [GUAM] measures linked to economy and combating terrorism,"
Zlenko said. JM
[38] ESTONIAN PRESIDENT STRESSES NEED TO INCLUDE ALL PEOPLE IN STATE
DEFENSE
In a speech at the Victory Day military parade in Polva on 23 June,
Arnold Ruutel stressed the importance of Estonia gaining membership in
NATO and the need to involve the entire population in building up state
defense, ETA reported. He said that NATO membership is clearly the top
priority of the country's security policy and is the unconditional
focus of Estonia's foreign policy. Ruutel said a decisive condition for
military state defense is the willingness to defend, which can be
guaranteed only by the inclusion of the entire society in building up
state defense. Recent public polls indicated that 80 percent of
Estonian men are willing to participate in state-defense activities. SG
[39] 2006 WORLD ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP IN LATVIA IN DOUBT
Latvian Ice Hockey Federation President Kirovs Lipmans told LETA on 24
June that the uncertainty over the construction of a new ice hockey
arena in Riga is hampering the organization of the 2006 World Ice
Hockey Championship in Latvia. He said Latvia will have to report on
preparatory work for the championship to the International Ice Hockey
Federation (IIHF) in September, and that if no progress is made by then
it will be difficult to demonstrate Latvia's ability to organize the
event. The agreement Latvia signed with the IIHF on 15 October 2001 to
host the 2006 championship specifically stipulated that a new ice arena
be built. The initial selection of a company to construct the arena was
canceled in May (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 May 2002) and no new
investors have come forward. Lipmans said that an essential problem was
the failure of the Riga City Council to offer a site for the
construction of the arena. SG
[40] LITHUANIA, ARMENIA SIGN DEFENSE-COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Armenian President Robert Kocharian began his official two-day visit to
Lithuania with a meeting with President Valdas Adamkus on 24 June, ELTA
reported. The presidents discussed various topics, including
cooperation in the fields of culture, education, and tourism; the need
to increase bilateral trade; and Lithuania sharing with Armenia its
experiences in seeking European Union and NATO membership. They
participated at the signing of a defense-cooperation agreement by
Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Povilas Malakauskas and his Armenian
counterpart Michael Grigorian. Adamkus said the agreement will lay the
groundwork for future cooperation, after which "the countries would
seek points of convergence to benefit common work." Kocharian also held
talks with Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas and toured the Old Town
of Vilnius. On 25 June, Kocharian visited parliament and with its
Chairman Arturas Paulauskas opened an exhibition of Armenian art and
Lithuanian and Armenian literature translations. SG
[41] POLISH PREMIER REJECTS GERMAN DEMAND ON POSTWAR EXPULSION DECREES
Premier Leszek Miller on 24 June rejected a demand for annulling all
legal acts concerning the postwar expropriation and resettling of
Germans, PAP reported. Such a move on the part of Poland and the Czech
Republic was demanded the previous day by Edmund Stoiber, the CDU/CSU
candidate for German chancellor. "We do not allow for putting an
equation mark between the so-called Benes expulsion decrees and the
situation that had taken place in Poland," Miller said. Miller stressed
that decisions on resettling people from the territories that were
incorporated into Poland after World War II were taken by the
antifascist coalition. He said those decisions did not concern Polish
citizens, but Germans, and added that the legal situation in Poland is
completely different from that in the Czech Republic. JM
[42] POLISH SENATE AMENDMENT TO LOCAL ELECTION LAW RULED
UNCONSTITUTIONAL
The Constitutional Tribunal on 24 June ruled that the introduction by
the Senate of an amendment to the law on local elections under which
the d'Hondt system would be used (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 6 March 2002)
was unconstitutional, PAP reported. The d'Hondt system for calculating
seat allocations favors large parties. It was contested in the tribunal
by three opposition parties and the Peasant Party, which is in the
ruling coalition with the Social Democratic Alliance. JM
[43] SELF-DEFENSE WANTS TO TAKE POWER IN POLAND
"It is the beginning of a wave of protests that should bring us to our
goal of taking power in Poland," Self-Defense leader Andrzej Lepper
said on 24 June, commenting on the countrywide protests that were to
take place on 25 June against economic hardships and poverty (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 24 June 2002). According to PAP, Lepper assured
journalists that Self-Defense wants to gain power by democratic means.
The leftist National Trade Union Alliance was planning to hold separate
protests the same day. JM
[44] U.S. JUDGE REJECTS JEWISH PROPERTY RESTITUTION ACTION AGAINST
POLAND
Federal Judge Edward Korman has thrown out a class-action lawsuit by 11
former Jewish owners of real estate in Poland and their heirs against
the Polish government demanding the return of confiscated properties,
AP and PAP reported on 24 June. The judge found that international law
bars the plaintiffs from suing a foreign government in a U.S. court
even though their claim may be valid. The lawsuit, filed in 1999,
provoked harsh reactions in Poland because of its wording that accused
the Polish state of appropriating "substantially all the assets" of
Poland's 3 million Jews (see "RFE/RL Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine
Report," 10 August 1999). JM
[45] CZECH OPPOSITION LEADER HOSPITALIZED
Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman Vaclav Klaus was hospitalized on
24 June, CTK reported. Klaus was reportedly suffering from vertigo
resulting from swelling of the inner ear. He is expected to be
hospitalized for several days. MS
[46] CZECH SOCIAL DEMOCRATS, COALITION NEGOTIATORS SAY AGREEMENT IS
'POSSIBLE'
Following a four-hour meeting at which they discussed the government
program drafted by the Social Democratic Party (CSSD) negotiating team,
the sides said an agreement on a coalition is "possible," CTK reported.
The CSSD and the representatives of the Coalition --which includes the
Christian Democratic Union (KDU-CSL) and the Freedom Union-Democratic
Union (US-DEU) -- told journalists a tripartite team of experts will
begin drafting the program of the envisaged coalition, including the
distribution of posts in the newly elected Chamber of Deputies. The
tripartite team is formed by Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD), Jan Kasal
(KDU-CSL), and Karel Kuehnl (US-DEU). But KDU-CSL Chairman Cyril
Svoboda and US-DEU Chairwoman Hana Marvanova said they have some
objections to the CSSD-drafted document. Marvanova, Svoboda, and Prime
Minister-designate Vladimir Svoboda are to resume negotiations on the
final wording of the program on 29 June. MS
[47] CZECH COALITION WANTS CSSD TO RULE OUT COOPERATION WITH COMMUNISTS
The KDU-CSL is demanding that the CSSD guarantee that it will not
enlist the support of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM)
deputies to bypass the Coalition in contentious votes, CTK reported on
24 June, quoting KDU-CSL parliamentary deputy Robert Kolar. For its
part, the CSSD has let Coalition leaders know that it would under no
circumstances accept US-DEU Deputy Chairman Ivan Pilip as a member of
the next government, according to CTK. Coalition representatives often
mentioned Pilip as a possible candidate for finance minister, but CSSD
Deputy Chairman Zdenek Skromach said on 24 June that "someone who did
not win a seat in the Chamber of Deputies [as Pilip failed to do]
cannot be in the government." Pilip himself said a junior coalition
partner has little chance of getting the finance portfolio. MS
[48] CZECH OPPOSITION PARTY PICKS UP PRAGUE MAYORAL CANDIDATE
The ODS Prague city councilors group on 24 June nominated Igor Nemec
for the post of Prague mayor, CTK reported. A former parliamentary
deputy and member of the Klaus-led cabinet (1991-1996), Nemec is to
seek the office following the resignation of Jan Kasl as Prague mayor
earlier this month. Nemec has been a consistent opponent of Kasl since
the latter became mayor in 1998. Nemec was born in 1959 and studied
mathematics at Charles University in Prague. MS
[49] ZELEZNY TO BECOME SLOVAK SUBSIDIARY COMPANY'S DIRECTOR
Embattled Nova TV Director Vladimir Zelezny, who was recently dismissed
from his post (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 June 2002), is to become
director general of Nova TV's Slovak subsidiary, TV Joj, CTK reported
on 24 June, citing the daily "Lidove noviny." MS
[50] TWO-THIRDS OF CZECHS BELIEVE KSCM IS NOT DEMOCRATIC...
According to a TNS Factum poll published on 24 June in the daily
"Hospodarske noviny," two-thirds of Czechs believe the KSCM is not a
democratic party, CTK reported. Nonetheless, about half of the
respondents said they can imagine a government with KSCM participation.
Forty percent of those polled said they can envisage the KSCM being
given leading positions in the Chamber of Deputies. MS
[51] ...AND OVER 70 PERCENT AGAINST ABOLITION OF BENES DECREES
Seventy-one percent of Czechs believe the Benes Decrees must not be
abolished and only 4 percent would back such a step, according to a
CVVM poll cited by CTK on 24 June. One in four Czechs (25 percent)
cannot say whether the decrees should be abolished or not. The
proportion of those opposing the abolition has risen by four percentage
points since March. Nearly two in three Czechs (64 percent) are of the
opinion that the deportation of the German minority under the 1945
decrees was just, while 22 percent are of the opposite view. Compared
with last year, public approval for the deportation has significantly
increased by 17 percentage points. MS
[52] CZECH PRESIDENT REJECTS ALLEGATIONS ON EMPLOYING ETHNIC HUNGARIAN
'SLAVE LABORERS'...
Presidential spokesman Ladislav Spacek on 24 June rejected as "absolute
nonsense" allegations that following World War II the family of
President Vaclav Havel employed ethnic Hungarian "slave laborers"
expelled from southern Slovakia under the Benes Decrees, CTK reported.
The allegations were included in an open letter sent to Havel by the
World Federation of Hungarians, which quoted a woman from Kamenin
claiming that her family and three other people were sent to work on
the Havel family's lands as "war criminals." Spacek added that it would
be important to find out what purpose the open letter serves. In the
open letter, World Federation of Hungarians Chairman Miklos Patrubany
called on Havel to abolish the decrees and compensate victims for their
suffering and loss of properties. MS
[53] ...AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HOLDS HEARING ON SLOVAK CONFISCATION OF
HUNGARIAN PROPERTIES
At a hearing of the European Parliament on the confiscation of
Hungarian properties under the Benes Decrees and their consequences,
ethnic Hungarian representatives complained about discrimination in
property restitution in Slovakia, CTK reported. They complained that
while restitution was implemented under a 1990 law, Hungarians who had
their properties confiscated as a result of the decrees did not benefit
from the right to reclaim their assets. Calvinist Church representative
Geza Erdely said that while the Roman Catholic and Evangelical churches
were returned properties confiscated by the communists, his church has
not received any of the properties confiscated under the Benes Decrees,
despite many complaints. Erdely said the only reason for this situation
was that 90 percent of Slovakia's Calvinists are ethnic Hungarians. MS
[54] SLOVAK PRESIDENT AGREES TO TRANSPORT MINISTER'S DISMISSAL
President Rudolf Schuster on 24 June accepted Prime Minister Mikulas
Dzurinda's demand that Transport Minister Jozef Macejko be fired, CTK
reported. Deputy Premier Ivan Miklos will act as interim transport
minister until the appointment of a successor. Schuster made his
decision after meeting with Macejko, who said that he is "grateful"
that the president has listened to his arguments and added that, "if I
had to do it over again I would act in the same manner." Macejko's
dismissal comes after he questioned a tender in which Slovak Railways
purchased 35 locomotives, opting for an offer that was more expensive
than that of another bidder. Dzurinda's brother, an official with
Slovak Railways, was a member of the tender's commission. The same day,
the Dzurinda-led Slovak Democratic and Christian Union decided to
strike Macejko's name from the lists of its candidates in the September
parliamentary elections, according to the prime minister. MS
[55] HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT, OPPOSITION TABLE SECRET SERVICE BILLS
The governing Socialist-Free Democrat coalition and the opposition
parties FIDESZ and the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) submitted to
parliament on 24 June two competing motions to amend the act on secret
services (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 June 2002), Hungarian media
reported. FIDESZ Chairman Zoltan Pokorni told journalists that the most
essential element of the opposition motion is that it would establish a
conflict of interest for ex-secret agents such as Prime Minister Peter
Medgyessy. If the motion were passed by parliament, according to
Pokorni, Medgyessy would not be eligible for the post of prime
minister. Under the bill submitted by the governing coalition, a
fact-finding committee set up within the prime minister's office would
replace the judges now tasked with screening potential holders of
public office. MSZ
[56] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT SIGNALS INTEREST IN MEDGYESSY AFFAIR
FIDESZ Chairman Zoltan Pokorni initiated a meeting with President
Ferenc Madl on 24 June to discuss Medgyessy's past service in
counterintelligence, Hungarian media reported. Pokorni told Madl that
Medgyessy's past constitutes a moral burden at a time when Hungary
seeks European Union accession. After the meeting, the president's
office issued a terse statement saying that, "in view of the moral
issues related to the case, the president finds it justifiable to
personally gather information from the leaders of the parliamentary
parties and the prime minister." Madl expects to consult all
parliamentary party leaders this week and will receive Medgyessy on 28
June. Under the constitution, the president can only remove the prime
minister by dissolving parliament. However, that step cannot be taken
unless parliament withdraws its confidence from the government at least
four times in one year. Government spokesman Zoltan Gal said that
following an unsuccessful opposition attempt to discredit Medgyessy,
FIDESZ's "desperate and bitter yearning for power" may put the
nonpartisan president into a "disagreeable position." MS
[57] HUNGARIAN OPPOSITION SEEKS INQUIRY INTO MEDGYESSY'S PAST
The MDF, backed by FIDESZ, submitted a motion to parliament on 24 June
to establish an investigative commission in order to clear up
Medgyessy's past, "Nepszabadsag" reported. MDF parliamentary group
leader Istvan Balsai and party Chairwoman Ibolya David reasoned that
the commission is necessary because of the prime minister's admission
last week that he worked as a counterintelligence officer from 1977-82.
Under the motion, the commission would be tasked with determining if,
in addition to the documents already made public, other documents exist
pertaining to Medgyessy's past. The commission would also examine how
the premier became a secret-service officer, the criteria used to
select and employ him for the job, what his exact duties were, who
received his reports, and what the reports contained. The commission
would be composed of eight people, including three Socialists and three
FIDESZ representatives, and one person each from the MDF and the Free
Democrats. Its chairman would come from the opposition. MSZ
[58] EU HAS NO INTENTION OF INTERVENING IN MEDGYESSY AFFAIR
Jean Christophe Filori, the European Commission's spokesman for
expansion matters, said in Brussels on 24 June that Hungary's democracy
is stable, and therefore it is solely a matter for Hungarians as to how
they treat the issue of Prime Minister Medgyessy's past, Budapest
dailies reported. The European Commission has no stance on the matter,
added Filori. The spokesman also ruled out as "lacking interest" a
report in the German magazine "Der Spiegel." The report quoted an EU
source as saying that the Hungarian governing coalition's decision to
support Medgyessy "raised a few eyebrows" at the recent EU summit in
Seville. Meanwhile, "Der Spiegel" confirmed the EU's alleged
apprehension concerning Medgyessy, but admitted that its report does
not represent an official position. MSZ
[59] OSCE HIGH COMMISSIONER IN BUDAPEST
Rolf Ekeus, the OSCE high commissioner on national minorities, held
talks in Budapest on 24 June with Istvan Szent-Ivanyi, the Free
Democrat Chairman of the parliament's Integration Commission, "Magyar
Hirlap" reported. Szent-Ivanyi said that Ekeus mostly sought to
understand the Hungarian position regarding minorities, and called for
changes to the relevant law in order to harmonize it with European
standards. Ekeus also discussed Hungary's "status law" with Foreign
Minister Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Szabo, political state secretary at
the prime minister's office. The Hungarian officials said the country
has a vested interest in helping ethnic Hungarians in neighboring
countries remain in their homeland and in meeting the expectations of
the Venice Commission. Ekeus said he hopes that a solution to these
issues can be found as soon as possible. MSZ
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[60] ALBANIAN EX-GENERAL BECOMES PRESIDENT...
Alfred Moisiu won 97 out of 140 potential presidential votes in the
parliament on 24 June and will succeed Rexhep Meidani in the country's
highest office in July, Reuters reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24
June 2002). Media reports about Moisiu's biography differ as to the
details, but he is a career military man who was trained in the Soviet
Union and held top positions in both the communist and the
postcommunist eras. Moisiu told Deutsche Welle's Albanian Service
shortly before his election that he will not allow any political
pressure from any source to interfere with or influence his work. He
stressed that he makes a practice of not interfering in other people's
work and of not tolerating any interference in his own. He said he sees
his election as the beginning of a new era in Albanian politics, one in
which European norms will prevail over polarization. PM
[61] ...AS DOUBTS REMAIN ABOUT HIS QUALIFICATIONS
In London on 25 June, "The Independent" wrote that some observers
believe that Moisiu is not qualified for the post and will be a puppet
of the political bosses. Political commentator Fatos Lubonja accused
unnamed Westerners who worked behind the scenes for a consensus of
being shortsighted. "A compromise candidate can make a good umbrella
but a bad roof," he noted. Other observers suggest that Moisiu was
elected because he is one of the few public personalities acceptable to
all major political parties and because he is regarded as having the
necessary contacts to facilitate Albania's admission to the European
Union and NATO. Instrumental behind the negotiations leading up to
Moisiu's selection were Doris Pack, who is a member of the European
Parliament from Germany and long active in Albanian affairs, and OSCE
Ambassador to Albania Geert-Hinrich Ahrens. PM
[62] YUGOSLAV GENERAL BECOMES EX-CHIEF OF STAFF...
President Vojislav Kostunica issued a decree on 24 June sacking General
Nebojsa Pavkovic as chief of the General Staff and replacing him with
General Branko Krga, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages
Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 June 2002). Kostunica
issued the decree after the Supreme Military Council refused to sack
Pavkovic, who has support among some of Kostunica's political rivals
and within the military. Kostunica said that the sacking proves that
civilians control the military and that no officer or the army is
superior to the state. Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic hailed the
move as "the beginning of changes in the Yugoslav Army," AP reported.
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, however, said that Kostunica
"will have to take responsibility for the consequences" of his
decision. Djindjic did not elaborate. PM
[63] ...BUT HE WILL NOT GO QUIETLY...
General Pavkovic said before his firing that "some elements of the
American administration" wanted him out, "Vesti" reported on 25 June.
He also warned that use of "undemocratic" procedures to oust him could
lead to "complete destabilization" within the country. After Kostunica
issued his decree, Pavkovic said the president treated him like "the
greatest scum in the state," adding that he refuses to accept the
sacking and will fight it by political means, AP and Reuters reported.
The general said that unnamed persons close to Kostunica had played a
role in the president's decision, which Pavkovic called Kostunica's
"own initiative," without any institutional backing, RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. In Podgorica, "Vijesti"
wrote that there is "confusion in Belgrade" and that "nobody knows
who's in charge" of the army. But Reuters reported from the Serbian
capital that there is "no sign of political turmoil," and that
Kostunica met on 25 June with military leaders. PM
[64] ...AND THE NEW COMMANDER PROMISES TO DO HIS DUTY
Following his appointment by Kostunica on 24 June to head the General
Staff, General Krga said in Belgrade: "The Yugoslav Army is a serious
institution respecting the laws and the constitution. No individual,
whether it's a ranking officer or a soldier, can rise against the army
as an institution or the state," Reuters reported. Krga added that he
believes that the army shares his opinion. In firing Pavkovic,
Kostunica said, "However great Pavkovic's merits may be -- and they
cannot be disputed by any means -- the army now needs skills of a
different kind," "The New York Times" reported. By that Kostunica
presumably meant adapting the army to NATO standards under civilian
leadership, which is the main precondition Belgrade must meet if it
intends to meet its goal of joining the Partnership for Peace program.
That will likely be Krga's main task. PM
[65] HAGUE UNLIKELY TO RELEASE TWO TOP SERBIAN INDICTEES
The war crimes tribunal is reluctant to honor requests by former
Serbian Prime Minister and Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola
Sainovic and former Defense Minister General Dragoljub Ojdanic to
return to Serbia until their trials begin in The Hague, RFE/RL's South
Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported on 24 June. The Belgrade
authorities have given the tribunal assurances that the two will return
when their respective trials begin, but Carla Del Ponte, who is the
chief prosecutor, said Belgrade does not cooperate fully with the
tribunal. Ojdanic made it clear when he voluntarily went to The Hague
in April that a major incentive for him to do so was the prospect of
being allowed to await his trial at home in Serbia (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 25 and 26 April 2002). PM
[66] MONTENEGRO'S STRANGE BEDFELLOWS TO CONSUMMATE RELATIONSHIP
The pro-Belgrade Together for Yugoslavia coalition accepted an offer by
the pro-independence Liberal Alliance (LSCG) to share power in five
municipalities, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service
reported from Podgorica on 25 June (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 June
2002). The coalition also suggested that the LSCG consider cooperating
with it in the capital as well. PM
[67] LORD ROBERTSON HAS MIXED MESSAGE FOR CROATIA...
After speaking with President Stipe Mesic, NATO Secretary-General Lord
George Robertson said in Zagreb on 24 June that "Croatia has made great
progress. The country is a highly responsible factor for stability and
security in this part of the world," dpa reported. Robertson added,
however, that Croatia should not expect an invitation to join NATO at
the Atlantic alliance's summit in Prague in November. "I will be
brutally open, because nobody else will: Croatia has still a lot to do
to meet criteria that would qualify the country to enter NATO. With a
politicized army, [Croatia] will never become a NATO member." PM
[68] ...AS NATO CHANGES PRIORITIES IN THE BALKANS
Addressing a two-day conference on regional stability in Zagreb on 24
June, Robertson said that NATO's priority in the Balkans has shifted
from peacekeeping to crime control, AP reported. He noted that "slowly
but surely, a region once notorious for brutal conflict is enjoying
deepening stability and developing democracy." Robertson added,
however, that "despite the achievements...there is still much to be
done -- first and foremost by regional governments. They are primarily
responsible for getting their house in order, offering their
populations a better future, and anchoring their countries in the
Euro-Atlantic community." Robertson added that NATO wants to stop the
cross-border flow of drugs, people, and weapons. He emphasized,
however, that the regional governments themselves must uproot the
criminal gangs behind the illicit trade. PM
[69] ASHDOWN SACKS MUSLIM MAYOR
Paddy Ashdown, who is the international community's high representative
in Bosnia, fired Kemal Terzic as mayor of Donji Vakuf for obstructing
the return of non-Muslim refugees and displaced persons, "Oslobodjenje"
reported from Sarajevo on 25 June. Ashdown noted that Terzic felt that
he was protecting Muslim interests by blocking the return of Serbs. But
in reality, Terzic was hurting Muslim interests because Muslims cannot
return to their homes in Srebrenica, Bratunac, and elsewhere in the
Republika Srpska before the Serbs now living in those homes go back to
their former dwellings in places like Donji Vakuf, Ashdown continued.
He stressed that obstructionism like that displayed by Terzic cannot be
tolerated. Terzic belongs to the nationalist Party of Democratic Action
(SDA). PM
[70] MACEDONIAN POLICE ARREST 30 AFTER VIOLENCE AT ANTIVIOLENCE MEETING
Police detained 30 persons after a brawl broke out in Ohrid on 23 June
at the close of a three-day program aimed at stopping soccer violence,
AP reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 June 2002). It is not clear
exactly what touched off the dining-room melee at the close of what had
been a peaceful gathering. PM
[71] ROMANIAN PREMIER STARTS CHINA VISIT...
Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, at the head of a large Romanian
delegation, started a six-day visit to China on 25 June, Romanian radio
reported. Nastase met with Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and
said he is honored to be the first Romanian premier to visit the
province after its return to Chinese sovereignty, the more so as the
fifth anniversary of that return is to be soon marked in Hong Kong.
Nastase said he is personally a "great admirer" of Hong Kong as a
powerful economic and financial center, and that Romania is following
with great interest the "democratic reforms" in the province. He called
on local businessmen to invest in his country. During his visit,
Nastase will meet with Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and President Jiang
Zemin. MS
[72] ...ISSUES STATEMENT ON 'STATUS LAW'
In an official communique issued on 24 June, Nastase said Romania has
"analyzed" the implementation of the accord reached last December
between himself and former Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban and,
"following a process of reflection," the country has concluded that "in
order to prevent a selective implementation" of the agreement, it is
necessary to call a meeting of the two countries' joint Commission on
National Minorities. Nastase added that the Hungarian side "fully
accepts" the validity of the memorandum of understanding reached in
December, as well as the "necessity to amend" the so-called "status
law." He said Bucharest welcomes this attitude but considers it
necessary to establish a "precise calendar." He also said the
implementation of the memorandum and the amendment of the law must
continue to follow the guidelines of the European Council's Venice
Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the
European Commission, and the OSCE High Commissioner on National
Minorities. MS
[73] FORMER ROMANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS SECURITATE AGENTS RETURNED TO
GOVERNMENT
Former President Emil Constantinescu said on 24 June that the
government has brought back to official structures former Securitate
agents who were fired during his own 1996-2000 tenure as president,
RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Constantinescu said these former
agents are now working for the executive or are members of the
parliament. He addressed a forum of journalists who work for
Romanian-language media at home or abroad. AP quoted former
Constantinescu aide Marius Oprea, who recently published a book on the
Securitate, as saying that some 10 high-ranking officers and "many more
of lower rank" have been rehired under the Nastase cabinet's tenure and
now work in the Justice and Industry ministries, the prime minister's
office, or in the Romanian Intelligence Service and Foreign
Intelligence Service. MS
[74] STOLOJAN 'ABOUT TO QUIT' ROMANIAN LIBERAL PARTY
In an interview with the private Antena 1 channel on 24 June, National
Liberal Party (PNL) National Council Chairman Theodor Stolojan said he
is "very close to leaving the party," Mediafax reported. Stolojan said
that in view of the recent rift in the PNL he has "lost confidence in
the liberal project." He said he does not intend to join another
political formation and intends to work as a private business
consultant and teach university courses. "I need some time off from
politics," he said. The former premier reiterated that he will not
accept the offer of becoming PNL chairman because "the PNL is no longer
ruled by personal opinions and respect, but only by interests."
Stolojan repeated that he is opposed to removing PNL Chairman Valeriu
Stoica from his office and cannot continue cooperation with people who
"do not respect the rules of the game." On Stoica rival Dinu Patriciu,
Stolojan said he does not believe one can "at one and the same time, be
successful in business [as Patriciu is], and be also a political party
leader." MS
[75] MOLDOVAN PPCD DEPUTY THANKS PACE FOR SUPPORT
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
in Strasbourg on 24 June, Popular Party Christian Democratic Deputy
Chairman Vlad Cubreacov thanked the assembly for its support during the
period of his still-unclarified kidnapping, Flux reported. Cubreacov
said he will not disclose details about the affair lest he hinder the
Moldovan authorities' investigation. He added that the Communist
authorities in his country have prevented him from attending PACE
sessions for more than one year. MS
[76] GERMAN EQUIPMENT FOR MUNITIONS DECOMMISSIONING ARRIVES IN MOLDOVA
German-made equipment for the decommissioning of the obsolete Russian
ammunition at the Kolbasna arsenal in the Transdniester has arrived in
Moldova, Flux reported on 24 June, quoting OSCE spokesman Matti
Sidoroff. U.S.-made equipment has already arrived, but Sidoroff said he
does not know when the Transdniester authorities will allow the
transportation of that equipment to Kolbasna. Russian-made equipment
designed for the same purpose is still to reach the region and Sidoroff
said its arrival depends on the agreement yet to be reached between
Russia and the separatist authorities. In all, some 27,000 tons of
ammunition stockpiled at Kolbasna are to be destroyed in line with the
decisions of the 1999 OSCE summit in Istanbul. MS
[77] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT PROMULGATES NEW CIVIC CODE
President Vladimir Voronin on 24 June signed into law the country's new
Civic Code, which replaces the 1964 Civic Code of the Moldovan Soviet
Socialist Republic, Infotag reported. The parliament has adopted the
new code in line with the leadership's commitments to international
financial organizations, particularly the International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank. The new code comes into force on 1 January 2003.
The parliament has asked the government to submit by that date
proposals on bringing current legislation into line with the
stipulations of the new code and to nullify government ordinances
contradicting its articles. MS
[78] INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY BEGINS SAFETY REVIEW OF
BULGARIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 24 June at the request
of the government began a safety-review mission for the 440-megawatt
blocks No. 3 and No. 4 of the Kozloduy nuclear-power plant, BTA
reported. The government seeks a positive international assessment of
the safety of the units, which have been modernized in recent years.
The European Commission recently urged Bulgaria to decommission the
blocks in question by 2006. The Bulgarian government, however, plans to
extend the lifespan of the blocks as long as possible. UB
[79] NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CASE OF BULGARIAN MEDICS IN LIBYA
In an interview with BBC's Bulgarian Service, Seif Islam, the son of
the Libyan dictator Muammar Ghadaffi, said HIV infections at a Libyan
hospital blamed on Bulgarian medical workers were not the result of a
conspiracy, but of incompetence, Bulgarian media reported. Libyan
authorities in late 1998 and early 1999 arrested a group of 23
Bulgarian medical workers on charges of intentionally infecting some
400 Libyan children with the HIV virus. Six Bulgarian nationals remain
in detention in Libya awaiting trial. Islam heads the Ghadaffi
Foundation, which carried out additional investigations in the case. In
the BBC interview he revealed that new cases of HIV infections have
been recorded at the same hospital since the arrest of the Bulgarians.
UB
[80] ITALY SEEKS TO BECOME BIGGEST FOREIGN INVESTOR IN BULGARIA
Gustavo Selva, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
Italian Chamber of Deputies, told Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi on 24
June that Italy aims to become the biggest foreign investor in
Bulgaria, BTA reported. Italy currently ranks third among foreign
investors in the country. Selva told his host that Italian companies
are interested in participating in infrastructure projects such as the
Upper Arda hydroelectric-power plant, and building new highways and
tourist facilities. He also said that Italy supports Bulgaria's bids to
join NATO and the European Union. UB
[81] BULGARTABAK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DISMISSED
Economy Minister Nikolay Vasilev on 24 June dismissed the executive
director of the state-owned Bulgartabak, Georgi Popov, mediapool.bg
reported. Vasilev said the move was necessitated by some of Popov's
recent statements to the media. Vasilev denied that the dismissal has
anything to do with corruption charges that have been leveled against
Popov (see "End Note," "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 May 2002). UB
END NOTE
[82] There is no End Note today.
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