28 November 2007 News Digest

KAZAKH MINISTER CLAIMS NEW AGREEMENT REACHED WITH INDEPENDENT MEDIA
19 November
Kazakh Minister of Culture and Information Yermukhamet Yertysbaev said on November 16 that a new agreement was reached at a recent meeting with representatives from the country's non-state media. Yertysbaev explained that he had "a normal conversation" with "opposition" media officials, who he characterized as "sensible people," and agreed "to observe certain rules of the game and adhere to ethical norms." Some of the opposition media officials disputed the minister's claims, however, and the editors of the opposition "Respublika," "Taszhargan," and "Vzglyad" newspapers published an address to their readers describing the meeting as "an attempt to interfere in editorial policy." The opposition editors went on to stress that "no one -- not even the information minister or the government or the parliament -- has the right to dictate to the independent press what it should publish." The head of Kazakhstan's Union of Journalists, Seitkazy Mataev, also dismissed the minister's claim of an agreement, adding that Yertysbaev was attempting to impose "censorship" by pressuring the media not to publish materials based on "audio recordings of telephone conversations of high-ranking Kazakh officials" recently posted on the Internet (Interfax-Kazakhstan)

 

FORMER ARMENIAN PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES FOR 'DISASTROUS' PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS

19 November

Speaking on November 16 to some 20,000 supporters at a rally in Yerevan, Levon Ter-Petrossian admitted to having made major errors during his tenure as president from 1991-1998, for which he expressed "belated but sincere" apologies, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Ter-Petrossian singled out as his gravest error of judgment having appointed two Armenians from the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian, to government positions in Yerevan. The two men were instrumental in forcing Ter-Petrossian to resign in February 1998, whereupon Kocharian was elected to succeed him. Sarkisian, now prime minister, is widely expected to win the presidential election on February 19, 2008, in which Kocharian is barred from seeking a third term. Ter-Petrossian has said he will run in the presidential election. He noted that Sarkisian, who on November 10 challenged Ter-Petrossian to "repent and apologize to the Armenian people" for his errors, never criticized the regime's policies prior to 1998. Ter-Petrossian also rejected out of hand claims by Kocharian that his leadership "ruined" the Armenian economy. He admitted that government corruption was a problem during his tenure as president, but argued that his leadership team, in contrast to Kocharian's, was not "criminal." Ter-Petrossian called on three potential rivals to back his presidential bid, including his main challenger in the 1996 presidential ballot, opposition National Democratic Union Chairman Vazgen Manukian, and he vowed that if elected, he would step down after three years and "leave the political arena for good." He appealed to the international community to monitor closely the preparations for and conduct of the February 2008 election, claiming that the parliamentary ballot in May 2007 was marred by fraud "disguised with such ingenuity that no observer could detect" it. Ter-Petrossian further called for the immediate dismissal of Yerevan police chief Major General Nerses Nazarian, whom Ter-Petrossian's supporters identified as one of the police officers responsible for the beating the previous day of youth activist Narek Galstian. (RFE/RL)

 

Georgian President to Step down on November 20 – Minister
19 November
Georgian State Minister for Reform Kakha Bendukidze thinks that President Mikheil Saakashvili will be re- elected despite the latest events that seriously hurt the country's image. "There is no doubt the latest events damaged the reputation, political image and economic policy of Georgia. If anyone tries to pretend that nothing has happened, that is wrong. I am positive that this outcome was the goal pursued by the people who started the whole thing," Bendukidze said in an interview published in the Monday issue of the newspaper Novaya Gazeta. "The European democratic tradition demands that the president step down and seek a new mandate. The president will resign on November 20, and new elections will take place," the minister said. (Interfax)

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER LAMBASTES ELECTION RIVAL

20 November

Serzh Sarkisian on November 19 responded to statements made by former President Levon Ter-Petrossian at a mass rally in Yerevan three days earlier, Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Ter-Petrossian, who is considered Sarkisian's most formidable challenger in the presidential election scheduled for February 19, 2008, refuted in considerable detail earlier accusations by Sarkisian and incumbent President Robert Kocharian that his administration's economic policies "ruined" Armenia. Ter-Petrossian also appealed to opposition parties to back his presidential bid, and vowed that if he wins the February 2008 ballot, he will step down after three years. Commenting on that offer on November 19, Sarkisian said Ter-Petrossian "probably thinks that three years is enough to surrender Karabakh." Major opposition parties reacted coolly to Ter-Petrossian's appeal for support, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported on November 19. To date, only his Armenian Pan-National Movement and the extra-parliamentary People's Party of

Armenia headed by Stepan Demirchian have expressed support for his candidacy, together with some 10-12 smaller opposition groups. (RFE/RL)

Azerbaijan is planning to join NATO – Deputy Prime Minister
20 November
Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub Eyybov has said that Azerbaijan intends to join NATO. "We intend to integrate into NATO. We plan to join the alliance and we have an Individual Partnership Action Plan," Eyybov who also chairs the commission for Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation told the press on Tuesday. He said it is premature to speak of when the country will be admitted to the alliance. "As for the cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO on energy security, I want to say that gas deliveries from Azerbaijan to Europe began a few days ago. Azerbaijan will be a most active party in regard to energy and security issues," he said. (Interfax)

Three Azeri journalists sentenced for lengthy prison terms for bribery
21 November
The Azeri Court for Serious Crimes has sentenced several journalists from two newspapers to lengthy prison terms, the court reported on Wednesday. Tofiq Abbasov, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Azerbaijan's Reality, and Xaqani Mammadov, a journalist from this newspaper, were sentenced to ten and nine years in prison respectively. Uzeyir Aliyev, editor of the newspaper Serious Signal, was sentenced to eight years in prison. The defendants were found guilty of abuse of office and bribery. (Interfax)

 

RIVAL WILL NOT SUPPORT ARMENIAN EX-PRESIDENT'S ELECTION CANDIDACY

21 November

Opposition National Democratic Union Chairman Vazgen Manukian told a press conference in Yerevan on November 20 that he will not back former President Levon Ter-Petrossian's candidacy in the presidential elections scheduled for February 19, 2008, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Manukian, who ran unsuccessfully in the elections of 1991, 1996, 1998, and 2003, said he will participate in that ballot. In 1996, Ter-Petrossian's henchmen rigged the outcome of the first round of voting to preclude a runoff between Ter-Petrossian and Manukian. Manukian said that while he considers it "inevitable" that the present Armenian leadership be replaced, he does not think a return to power by Ter-Petrossian would improve the situation. "There are people who consider Levon Ter-Petrossian the lesser evil, but there are also many, many people who consider [Prime Minister] Serzh Sarkisian the lesser evil. And I don't rule out the possibility that if Levon Ter-Petrossian and Serzh Sarkisian go into a second round, Serzh Sarkisian will emerge as the legitimate president," Manukian said. Also on November 20, EU special representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby told RFE/RL's Armenian Service in Yerevan that he believes the February 2008 ballot will "express the maturity of Armenia's political system." He characterized as "positive" the anticipated "high degree of pluralism" in terms of competing political views. Semneby met in Yerevan on November 19 with Ter-Petrossian, who outlined proposals for precluding electoral fraud and complained that for weeks police have been systematically harassing his supporters. (RFE/RL)

 

CHECHEN OFFICIAL EXPLAINS MOTIVES FOR RESIGNATION

21 November

In a telephone interview with RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service on November 20, Akhmed Zakayev explained why he has stepped down as foreign minister of the unrecognized Chechen Republic

Ichkeria (ChRI). Zakayev said that he believes that "everything that happens in the state should have a legal foundation, [and] everything should be done in accordance with the law." He said that for that reason, he considers it inappropriate to continue performing his duties until the ChRI parliament names a new prime minister and forms a new cabinet. The parliament ruled earlier this month that Doku Umarov effectively relinquished the powers of the ChRI presidency by declaring a North Caucasus emirate of which he claims to be the leader, and it collectively assumed those powers. Zakayev stressed that "my resignation...should under no circumstances be viewed as a retreat from our fight for independence, for our freedom, and for the recognition" of the ChRI as an independent state. He further stated that "Chechnya at present is occupied, but it is not conquered...I am absolutely confident that the Chechen people have good reason to think that in the near future they will gain independence and live in a free, democratic country." (RFE/RL)

 

Speaker Says his Visit to Azerbaijan Republic was “positive”
24 November

Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel said his trip to the Azerbaijan Republic was 'positive and successful'. Speaking upon arrival in Tehran on Saturday, Haddad Adel said in his visit bilateral relations, Iran's stance on nuclear issue, the effects of pararegional powers' influence in the caucasus and Persian Gulf regions were discussed. Haddad told reporters, "Iran has donated a language laboratory for teaching the Persian language, computers and hardware to communicate with Iran's libraries and have access to Iranian books in the Azerbaijan Republic." The majlis speaker added, "It was decided in this trip that Foreign Ministry, through Iran's embassy in Baku, prepare facilities for Azeri pilgrims to Imam Reza holy shrine (AS) and also Azeri hajis who travel through Iran to Mecca." Haddad added, "Scholarships have been granted to Azeri students who wish to complete their Ph.D or masters degrees in the Persian language." The majlis speaker said, "During my visit to the Azerbaijan Republic, I exchanged views with Azeri president, prime minister and parliament speaker about bilateral relations." He added he had invited his Azeri counterpart to pay a visit to Iran." Baku University granted an honorary doctorate degree to Iran's majlis speaker during this visit. Haddad also visited the tomb of Nezami Ganjavi, a Persian language poet, in the city of Ganje and the 'King Abbas Mosque' as a historical site there. (IRNA)

 

Georgian parliament schedules early presidential poll for Jan. 5

25 November
The parliament of Georgia on Sunday scheduled early presidential elections in the South Caucasus republic for January 5. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili stepped down on Saturday as he braced himself for early elections following mass street protests earlier this month. "From tomorrow [November 25], I am beginning an election campaign. During 40 days, Parliament Speaker Nino Burdzhanadze will be acting president," Saakashvili told a government session. Georgia was rocked by opposition riots for six days earlier in November as protestors occupied central Tbilisi demanding the resignation of Saakashvili. The Georgian leader responded by sending in riot police to crack down on protestors on November 7, later declaring a state of emergency, which was lifted on November 16. Under mounting pressure from the opposition, Saakashvili announced snap presidential elections in Georgia in early January. On November 23, Georgia marked the fourth anniversary of the "rose revolution" that deposed former president and ex-Soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze and brought the U.S.-educated Saakashvili to power. Political opponents claim that Saakashvili has since then become too authoritarian, and the opposition has said it wants to change the political setup to shift power away from the president, giving parliament a stronger role. Although now less popular both at home and abroad, with Western countries criticizing his handling of the political crisis, Saakashvili is believed to have a strong chance of securing reelection. A total of eight people have announced plans to run on January 5, including the opposition's single candidate, former businessman Levan Gachechiladze, and billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili, who was at the center of recent unrest which saw hundreds injured in clashes between protesters and police. (RIA Novosti)

Blasts kill 8 in Afghanistan
26 November
A roadside bomb and a landmine left over from a previous conflict went off in Afghanistan on Monday killing eight people, including four Afghan soldiers, officials said. The landmine blast happened south of the capital Kabul, killing four civilians travelling in a car, a police official said. The soldiers were killed when an improvised device hit their vehicle hours later in the southeastern province of Paktia, a provincial spokesman said. After nearly more than 30 years of war, Afghanistan is littered with about 100,000 mines that kill or wound around 60 people every month, the United Nations estimates. Taleban insurgents fighting to overthrow the pro-Western Afghan government also continue to plant some mines, but prefer to use roadside and suicide bombs.Violence has surged in Afghanistan this year with more clashes, roadside bombs, suicide attacks and casualties as compared to 2006 and Afghan analysts say next year is expected to be more violent. (Reuters)

Russia to Supply Oil to China Via kazakhstan
26 November
Russia will start supplying up to five million tonnes (36.7 million barrels) of oil a year to China via Kazakhstan from 2008, the industry and energy minister said Monday. 'Following bilateral talks, the parties signed a protocol on Kazakhstan and Russia's oil transit in 2008. Under the protocol, Russia will for the first time start supplying five million tonnes of oil per year to China via Kazakhstan,' Viktor Khristenko said. Khristenko, who attended a session of the inter-governmental commission for Russian-Kazakh cooperation in the Central Asian country's capital Astana, said energy was a key element of bilateral relations, and that large-scale projects have been made possible by the strong interaction between the states. In particular, the parties are concluding preparations for an inter-governmental agreement on a Caspian natural gas pipeline. The pipeline from Turkmenistan, to run along Kazakhstan's Caspian coastline to Russia, is designed to pump 10-20 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe via Russia's pipeline network, and is a rival project to a Western-backed trans-Caspian pipeline bypassing Russia. (RIA Novosti)

GEORGIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN GETS UNDER WAY
26 November
No fewer than 22 potential candidates submitted documentation to Georgia's Central Election Commission on November 26 with the aim of registering to participate in the preterm presidential election scheduled for January 5, 2008. By contrast, six candidates succeeded in registering for the January 2004 presidential ballot and seven in April 2000, of whom one withdrew at the last minute. The hopefuls include incumbent President Mikheil Saakashvili; Levan Gachechiladze, who is backed by the nine-party opposition National Council; oligarch Badri Patarkatsishvili; David Gamkrelidze of the New Rightists; Labor Party leader Shalva Natelashvili; Gia Maisashvili, head of the Georgia's Future party; former Imereti Governor Temur Shashiashvili; Soviet-era dissident Irina Sarishvili-Chanturia; lawyer Kartlos Gharibashvili, who ran unsuccessfully in the 1991, 1995, 2000, and 2004 elections; former Communist Party of Georgia leader Avtandil Margiani, and Fazil Aliyev, who represents Georgia's 500,000-strong Azerbaijani minority. In a televised address to the nation on November 26, parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze, who assumed the powers of president the previous day after Saakashvili stepped down to embark on his election campaign, called for "unity and calm" in the run-up to the January ballot and appealed to voters to "think carefully" before casting their ballots. Concurrently with the preterm election, a referendum will be held in which voters will be asked to say whether they think the next parliamentary elections should be held in the spring or the fall of 2008 and whether they support Georgia's hoped-for accession to NATO. (Caucasus Press)

KAZAKH CABINET APPROVES NEW E-GOVERNMENT PROGRAM
27 November
After a cabinet meeting in Astana, Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov announced on November 27 that the government has adopted a new "e-government program" to introduce electronic services in the country. The effort includes measures aimed at introducing a new national electronic voting system, and is part of the Kazakh government's broader agenda to develop and expand the country's information technology sector. (Kazakhstan Today)

Ahmadinejad vows expansion of economic cooperation with Turkmenistan
27 November
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a message on Tuesday to mark Iran's exclusive trade exhibition in Turkmenistan expressed hope that the event will provide the opportunity to showcase the capabilities of some 80 Iranian firms in the fair and expand economic cooperation between the two countries. In his message, the president underlined that the opportunity should be seized to broaden economic and industrial ties between the two countries. "I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Turkmen president for arranging such a remarkable event," he said. "We are ready to transfer our experience in the economic sector to Turkmenistan," said President Ahmadinejad. Iran attaches importance to expansion of ties with Turkmenistan, he said adding that is why the common frontiers have been named 'border of friendship and peace'. "We are now happy to witness that Turkmenistan is experiencing ever-growing development with success," Ahmadinejad said in the message. The two countries have had significant political, economic and cultural cooperation in recent years and the volume of trade exchanges between the two sides exceeded dlrs 1.3 billion last year, said president in his message. "There are ample untapped economic potentials which should be further explored between Iran and Turkmenistan and we hope the active presence of some 80 Iranian firms would help broaden and bolster the scope of activities between the two countries," he said. Given scientific and industrial capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran 'we are ready to contribute to reconstruction as well as development projects in Turkmenistan', he said. There is no doubt that active presence of both countries in the Central Asian markets would be on top of Iran's agenda, the president pointed out. (IRNA)

CIS ENDORSES COMMANDER OF ABKHAZ PEACEKEEPING FORCE
27 November
CIS defense ministers voted on November 27 in Astana to extend the tenure of Major General Sergei Chaban as commander of the Russian peacekeeping force deployed since July 1994 under the CIS aegis in the Abkhaz conflict zone, civil.ge and kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said the peacekeepers are performing their duties well, but that Chaban will be replaced "in the near future." Saakashvili demanded Chaban's immediate expulsion from Georgia in the wake of a standoff between Russian peacekeepers and Georgian police last month . Speaking in Tbilisi later on November 27, Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said the vote to extend Chaban's tenure was illegal because Georgia did not participate, civil.ge reported. Saakashvili signed a decree on November 25 on Georgia's withdrawal from the CIS Defense Ministers' Council. (RFE/RL)

Azerbaijan Defense Minister Hints at War
27 November
Kazakhstan The long-standing dispute over the Armenian-controlled territory of Nagorno-Karabakh could spark a new war if it remains unresolved, Azerbaijan's defense minister said Tuesday. "As long as Azerbaijani territory is occupied by Armenia, the chance of war is close to 100 percent," Safar Abiyev said during a meeting in Kazakhstan of defense chiefs from ex-Soviet republics. His startlingly worded remark was a reminder that Azerbaijan has not ruled out use of force in recapturing Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas. Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territory that is also part of Azerbaijan have been controlled by Armenian and ethnic Armenian forces since a shaky 1994 cease-fire ended one of the bloodiest conflicts that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. The six-year war killed 30,000 people and drove more than 1 million from their homes, including many of the region's ethnic Azeris. Azerbaijan and Armenia remain locked in a dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh despite more than a decade of coaxing from international mediators led by the United States, Russia and France to resolve the region's status. Gunfire breaks out regularly along the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia and in the regions near Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian Defense Minister Mikhail Arutyunian said he sees no alternative to a peaceful settlement, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. (AP)

ACADEMICIAN GUNNED DOWN IN DAGHESTAN
27 November
Academician Nariman Aliyev, 77, a renowned viticulture specialist, was found shot dead together with his wife at their home in the village of Mamedkala in Derbent Raion on November 26. Daghestan's President Mukhu Aliyev told journalists the murder was the work of "destructive forces" out to destabilize the situation in the run-up to the December 2 elections to the Russian State Duma. Aliyev convened a meeting of law-enforcement and security officials the same day to discuss the investigation into the killings of the Aliyevs and of Farid Babayev, who headed the Daghestan organization of the opposition Yabloko party. Speaking in Makhachkala on November 25, Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky said Babayev was "a victim of Putin's authoritarian regime, which makes a point of physically annihilating its opponents," and that the Daghestan leadership shares responsibility for Babayev's murder, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. Yavlinsky recalled that Babayev repeatedly protested official corruption and human-rights violations and criticized the republic's leadership. He further characterized Daghestan as "the most complex and dangerous region" of Russia and said the central government should intervene to stabilize the situation there. Meeting with Yavlinsky on November 26, President Aliyev categorically rejected his criticisms. (RFE/RL)

RUSSIAN GAZPROM HEAD AGREES TO PRICE HIKE FOR TURKMEN GAS SUPPLIES
28 November
Aleksey Miller, the head of Russia's state-run gas monopoly, Gazprom, announced on November 27 that the company will accept the terms of a major price increase for imports of Turkmen natural gas, Turkmen Television reported. After a meeting in Ashgabat with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, Miller said an agreement was signed under which Russia will pay up to 50 percent more for Turkmen gas, increasing the price from the current $100 per 1,000 cubic meters to $130 in the first half of 2008, and to $150 in the second half of the year. Berdymukhammedov also discussed the Russian-backed project to construct a new gas pipeline skirting the Caspian Sea, intended to export gas from Central Asia through Russian territory, and promised to commit to start construction in early 2008. Berdymukhammedov recently met with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov in Ashgabat, where he similarly agreed to sign a final agreement soon on that new Caspian natural-gas pipeline, which is to transport some 230 million cubic meters of gas daily, representing an annual increase of about 20 billion cubic meters of gas. The existing gas pipeline, constructed in the mid-1970s, runs from Turkmenistan via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to Russia and currently pumps around 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. (RFE/RL)

Georgia's leading oppositionist arrested in Berlin
28 November
Georgia's former defense minister Irakly Okruashvili, who is currently a leader of political opposition to President Mikhail Saakashvili, has been arrested in Berlin upon a reques from the Georgian side. A source at the State Prosecution Service who reported the fact did not specify the date on which President Saakashvili's former closest political ally had been arrested.  In the meantime, Okruashvili's Tbilisi-based lawyer Eka Besselia told reporters Wednesday she did not have any information on on her client's detention in Germany. (Itar-Tass)

 

Turkmenistan to start work on Russia pipeline in '07
28 November
Turkmenistan will start building a new gas pipeline to Russia as soon as later this year after Moscow agreed to pay more for exports through an existing route, state Turkmen media reported on Wednesday.The agreement on the Russia-backed Caspian Gas Pipeline linking Turkmen gas with global markets via Russian territory has been delayed due to a pricing dispute since September."It has been agreed that the project should be launched before the end of the year," reported the state-owned Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper. Russian gas monopoly Gazprom agreed to raise the price it pays for Turkmen gas to $130 per 1,000 cubic metres from $100 in the first half of 2008.Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov met Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller on Tuesday."The Turkmen leader and the chief executive of Gazprom have stated their intention to speed up the construction of the new route," Neutral Turkmenistan wrote. The Russia-proposed pipeline would have a capacity of 10 to 20 billion cubic metres a year. It rivals an alternative route to Europe across the Caspian Sea which bypasses Russia. Turkmenistan, which currently exports most of its gas through Russia, is also working on a separate pipeline to China. Some analysts have questioned the country's ability to go ahead with so many projects at once but Turkmenistan says it has enough gas reserves for everyone. (Reuters)