RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 3, No. 19, Part II, 28 January 1999

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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 3, No. 19, Part II, 28 January 1999

A daily report of developments in Eastern and Southeastern
Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia prepared by the
staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

This is Part II, a compilation of news concerning Central,
Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Part I covers Russia,
Transcaucasia and Central Asia and is distributed
simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of RFE/RL
Newsline and the OMRI Daily Digest are online at RFE/RL's Web
site: http://www.rferl.org/newsline

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Headlines, Part II

* SLOVAK FOREIGN MINISTER EXPECTS EU NEGOTIATIONS THIS YEAR

* ANNAN SAYS WORLD MUST HEED 'LESSONS OF BOSNIA'

* ROMANIAN DEFENSE COUNCIL URGES POLICY CHANGES

* End Note: SLOVAKIA TO REOPEN INVESTIGATION INTO DUBCEK'S
FATAL CRASH?
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EAST-CENTRAL EUROPE

CANADIAN PREMIER PLEDGES SUPPORT TO UKRAINE... Visiting
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien has pledged support to
Ukraine in obtaining foreign loans to help the country
"develop a market economy and a solid democracy," Reuters
reported on 27 January. Chretien also hailed Ukraine's
decision to accede to an international treaty prohibiting
landmines. With Canadian assistance, Ukraine has already
destroyed 120,000 landmines in the country's arsenal of 7.6
million. On 28 January, the two sides signed seven
agreements, including on cooperation in environmental
protection, education, agriculture, and the food industry.
Last year, trade turnover between the two countries totaled
$64 million, up 50 percent from 1997. JM

...AS DOES ITALIAN PRESIDENT. Visiting Italian President
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro on 27 January called for international
assistance to help Ukraine overcome its financial problems,
saying that Ukraine "can count on Italy's support. We cannot
work miracles, but we can guarantee a real, concrete
friendship." He added that Italy will promote Ukraine's
interests at World Bank and IMF meetings. That promise
follows Ukraine's recent talks with an IMF mission in Kyiv,
which failed to result in the resumption of a $2.2 million
loan program (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 January 1999).
Ukrainian Television reported that negotiations with the IMF
will be continued next week. JM

BELARUSIAN WORKERS PROTEST HARDSHIPS, DEMAND LUKASHENKA'S
RESIGNATION. Some 10,000 workers took part in a trade union
rally in Minsk on 27 January to protest low living standards
and demand President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's resignation,
RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported. The protesters want the
government to increase wages (the monthly average currently
stands at $30) and improve the economic situation in the
country. They threatened to seek the government's dismissal
if their demands are not met by the end of March. A rally of
2,000 potash miners took place in Salihorsk, and some 60,000
private retailers around the country supported the trade
union action by going on strike for several hours. JM

LUKASHENKA ORDERS PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS TO RE-REGISTER. The
Belarusian president has signed a decree ordering public
organizations, trade unions, and political parties to re-
register between 1 February and 1 July, Belapan reported on
27 January. The new regulation stipulates that trade unions
and public groups must have at least 500 members to register
(the previous threshold was 10 members). Political parties,
which until now were required to have 500 members, must now
have at least 1,000. Opposition leaders have criticized the
decree as an infringement of citizens' rights. Social
Democratic leader Mikalay Statkevich told Belapan that
Lukashenka's aim is "to limit the participation of parties in
the political process." According to Statkevich, most of the
28 Belarusian parties registered by the Justice Ministry will
fail to enlist the 1,000 members needed to re-register. JM

GERMANY'S RUHRGAS ACQUIRES LARGEST STAKE IN EESTI GAS. The
German gas company Ruhrgas has bought an additional 11.38
percent stake in Eesti Gaas, ETA reported, citing the
Estonian Privatization Agency. Ruhrgas thus becomes the
largest shareholder in Estonia's main gas distribution
company, with a total of 32.08 percent of shares. Russia's
Gazprom had originally intended to buy the 11.38 percent
stake but, in the wake of the financial crisis in Russia, was
forced to revise those plans. JC

ESTONIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS ANTI-CORRUPTION LAW. Lawmakers on
27 January voted unanimously to adopt a new anti-corruption
law that was nearly three years in the making, ETA and BNS
reported. Under the law, high-ranking officials are obliged
to submit detailed accounts of all financial assets and
transactions. The list of such officials has been extended to
include ambassadors and heads of public television and radio
stations. The new law also states that high-ranking officials
will have to continue to submit financial declarations for
three years after quitting their posts. JC

ESTONIAN COMMISSION ON CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY WRAPS UP FIRST
SESSION. The Estonian Commission for the Investigation of
Crimes Against Humanity wrapped up its first session on 27
January, ETA reported. Chairman of the commission and retired
Finnish diplomat Max Jakobson stressed that the commission's
work is aimed not at taking legal action against anyone but
at clarifying "in as detailed a way as possible" what crimes
against humanity were committed in Estonia during the Soviet
occupations, from 1940-1941 and 1944-1991, and the Nazi
occupation, from 1941-1944. The six-member panel, which was
formed last year by President Lennart Meri and includes
publisher of "RFE/RL Newsline" Paul Goble, is to convene
again on 7 June. JC

KRISTOPANS WANTS AGRICULTURE MINISTER CONFIRMED NEXT WEEK.
Latvian Prime Minister Vilis Kristopans has said he hopes the
parliament will vote to approve Social Democrat Peteris
Salkazanovs as minister for agriculture on 4 February,
"Diena" and LETA reported on 27 January. He stressed that
before that date, it is essential that the draft agreement
between the prime minister and the Social Democrats be
signed. Following a meeting with the Social Democrats' caucus
on 27 January, the premier expressed confidence that the two
sides will reach agreement on all points. Caucus leader Egils
Baldzens, for his part, said he finds "unacceptable"
Kristopans's proposal that the Social Democrats vote for
everything approved by the Coalition Council, "Diena"
reported the next day. JC

ADAMKUS WRAPS UP VISIT TO FRANCE. On the last day of his
visit to France, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus told the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that Vilnius
is seeking membership in the EU and NATO because it has the
same values as those organizations, ELTA reported on 27
January. Noting that former President Algirdas Brazauskas
visited France in July 1997, the news agency quotes "Kauno
Diena" as commenting that the frequent visits of Lithuanian
heads of state to Paris indicate that ties with France have
been made a foreign policy priority as Lithuania seeks
support for its EU membership bid. JC

POLISH FARMERS CONTINUE PROTESTS. Some 4,000 farmers with
heavy farm equipment blocked 90 roads on 27 January to
continue to protest the government's agricultural policies
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 January 1999). The police used
force to unblock the roads in several localities, but no
injuries were reported. The government has threatened to fine
protesters but is also inviting the protesters to take part
in negotiations, claiming to have found "solutions" that will
facilitate the sale of farmers' produce. However, the
Farmers' Solidarity and the National Union of Farmers,
Agricultural Circles, and Organizations are refusing to
participate in such talks without radical Farmers' Self-
Defense leader Andrzej Lepper. Lepper said the same day that
the farmers' protest will escalate. He also demanded that he
appear live on public television "to explain the situation."
JM

POLISH CABINET TO RAISE ANESTHETISTS' WAGES. The government
has reached a "preliminary agreement" with anesthetists who
since December have been striking over low wages, PAP
reported on 27 January. Under the deal, the doctors will
return to work on 1 February. Their average monthly salary
will be 2,500-3,000 zlotys ($695-$833), up from the current
1,100 zlotys. The national average monthly salary in December
was 1,582 zlotys. JM

KWASNIEWSKI VETOES CONTROVERSIAL BILL ON PRIVATIZATION
WATCHDOG. Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski on 27
January vetoed a bill providing for a prosecutor-general's
office that would supervise the sale of state-owned
industries, Polish media reported. The bill was passed by the
parliament earlier this month, despite opposition from the
Freedom Union (UW), Solidarity's coalition partner. The UW
believes the bill would obstruct privatization. UW leader and
Deputy Prime Minister Leszek Balcerowicz commented that
Kwasniewski's veto is "good for Poland." Polish media say
that the parliament is unlikely to override the veto. JM

CATHOLIC CHURCH SEEKS INDEPENDENCE FROM CZECH GOVERNMENT.
Cardinal Miloslav Vlk on 27 January said that the main goal
for the Catholic Church's representatives on the government
commission for state-Church relations is to secure the
Church's independence from the state, CTK reported. Vlk said
the Church will continue cooperation with the state in some
social spheres but that its independence will not be achieved
until it is economically independent of the government. He
added that the two sides must also settle the issue of
property restitution. The Social Democratic government issued
a list of members to the commission later the same day. The
Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren also said that it will
seek economic independence from the state during commission
talks. PB

CZECH GOVERNMENT DISMISSES COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE HEAD. Karel
Vulterin, the head of the Czech Republic's counter-
intelligence service, was fired on 27 January for allegedly
violating the secret services law, CTK reported. Deputy
Premier Pavel Rychetsky said Vulterin increased the country's
security risks and damaged foreign interests. He added that
the violations cannot be made public for security reasons.
Jan Ruml, the chairman of the Freedom Union, said the
dismissal is a bad move, particularly as the country is
months away from joining NATO. Jaroslav Jira was named acting
head of the counter-intelligence service. PB

SLOVAK FOREIGN MINISTER EXPECTS EU NEGOTIATIONS THIS YEAR.
Eduard Kukan on 27 January said that he expects the EU to
open accession negotiations with Slovakia this year, Reuters
reported. Kukan, who made his comments before a meeting with
his British counterpart, Robin Cook, said he has been told by
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine that Bratislava may
begin EU accession talks this year. In other news, Slovakia's
government will meet next week to discuss the "expediency" of
importing S-300 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. The
contract was signed by former Premier Vladimir Meciar three
months ago, but the Slovak Defense Ministry recently urged
the new government to abrogate it. PB

SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

ANNAN SAYS WORLD MUST HEED 'LESSONS OF BOSNIA.' UN Secretary-
General Kofi Annan said in Brussels on 28 January that the
international community must note the "lessons of Bosnia" and
not allow the issue of state sovereignty to deter it from
intervening to prevent "horror." Annan told NATO officials
that the international community should have "no illusions
about the need to use force when all other means have failed.
We may be reaching that point once again in the former
Yugoslavia. We're horror-threatened," Reuters quoted him as
saying. After meeting with NATO Secretary-General Javier
Solana, Annan told reporters that he is "pushing very hard
for a political settlement. If force becomes necessary we
will need to look at that. The threat is essential." NATO is
expected to issue an ultimatum to Belgrade on Kosova on 28
January (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 January 1999). The
international Contact Group will meet in London on 29
January. PM

SERBS LAUNCH ASSAULT IN NORTHERN KOSOVA. Serbian tanks and
artillery shelled positions of the Kosova Liberation Army
(UCK) in the hills along the road connecting Prishtina and
Podujeva on 27 January. "There was fierce fighting in the
same area around Podujeva as at Christmas time," a spokesman
for the UCK told "RFE/RL Newsline." Serbian sources in
Prishtina said that the assault was in response to an attack
on a Serbian police station, but UCK spokesmen denied any
knowledge of such an incident. A U.S. member of the OSCE
monitoring team told Reuters that the Serbs used "heavy
stuff," including tanks and armored personnel carriers,
before withdrawing to their bases before nightfall. PM

DID BELGRADE LAUNCH COVER-UP OF RECAK MASSACRE? The
"Washington Post" reported on 28 January that "Western
governments" recently intercepted telephone calls between two
top Serbian officials responsible for Kosova, namely Yugoslav
Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic and Interior Ministry
General Sreten Lukic. The two men's conversations indicated
that officials "at the highest levels of the Yugoslav
government" ordered security forces to "go in heavy" into
Recak and launch a "search-and-destroy mission" in response
to the killing of three Serbs. The top officials then
"systematically sought to cover up the assault," the
Washington daily added. Sainovic and Lukic tried to make the
killings look like the result of a battle in order to blunt
outrage from abroad in response to the massacre. PM

BELGRADE SAYS 'NO.' An unnamed senior official of the Clinton
administration told the "Washington Post" of 28 January: "We
have to have a full, independent investigation of [the report
of a massacre and cover-up] to get to the bottom of it. Those
responsible have to be brought to justice." In Belgrade, an
unnamed Yugoslav official told Reuters that the "Washington
Post" story "is a big manipulation by the CIA, who are
preparing to put in NATO troops and eventually [start]
bombingŠ. We are completely aware of the circumstances in
which we live and to give such an order [for a massacre and
cover-up] would be completely idiotic. So it's a pure
invention of the intelligence services in America who want at
any price to find excuses and pretextsŠto continue with
pressure and threats" against Serbia. PM

KOSOVARS NON-COMMITTAL ON CONFERENCE. UCK official Jakup
Krasniqi said in Dragobilj on 27 January that his talks with
U.S. envoy Chris Hill and his EU counterpart, Wolfgang
Petritsch, on a possible Kosova peace conference were
"useful" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 January 1999). Krasniqi
declined to commit the UCK to negotiations or to elaborate.
Hill told AP that "frankly speaking, we do not have much more
patience with this. The international community wants to see
the process move quickly and we need the participation of all
parties." In Belgrade, Serbian officials repeated their
position that the Kosovars must negotiate directly with
Serbian authorities without international mediation. PM

ALBANIAN PRESIDENT CLAIMS KOSOVAR MEDIATION SUCCESS.
Presidential public relations secretary Sotiraq Hroni told
dpa on 27 January that President Rexhep Meidani convinced
visiting Kosovar leaders earlier this month that they should
"set up a body representing them all in negotiations with the
international community and Yugoslav authorities." Hroni
added that the Kosovars "have all agreed in principle to meet
and establish an institution to represent all of them." He
predicted that several shadow-state and UCK representatives
will meet "possibly this month" in Vienna or Frankfurt to set
up "an executive board" representing all Kosovar groups. FS

IMBROGLIO OVER MACEDONIAN RECOGNITION OF TAIWAN. A Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said in Beijing on 28 January
that her government will "firmly oppose any country that has
established diplomatic relations with China to have any
official contacts with Taiwan." She urged the Macedonian
authorities to "wisely choose not to recognize the so-called
communiqué" that the Taiwanese and Macedonian foreign
ministers signed in Taipei the previous day (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 27 January 1999). In Skopje, President Kiro
Gligorov said that he did not know anything about Prime
Minister Ljubco Georgievski's plans to recognize Taiwan and
that he opposes such a move. It is unclear what Gligorov may
legally do, if anything, to counter Georgievski's move.
Taiwan's Vice Foreign Minister David Lee said in Taipei that
Taiwanese officials have been negotiating with Georgievski
and his political allies for over a year. Lee added that the
talks were kept secret from Gligorov and Beijing, AP
reported. PM

GRANIC HAILS AGREEMENT WITH MONTENEGRO. Croatian Foreign
Minister Mate Granic said in Zagreb on 27 January that the
recent agreement with Montenegro to reopen two border
crossings is a first step toward ending the dispute with
Belgrade over the Prevlaka peninsula (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
26 January 1999). In Strasbourg, the Council of Europe will
soon approve a "tough resolution" condemning Croatia for its
poor cooperation with the Hague-based war crimes tribunal,
"Jutarnji list" wrote on 28 January. The council is also
expected to be critical of Croatia's electoral law. PM

WESTENDORP WANTS PROGRESS ON PRIVATIZATION. The international
community's Carlos Westendorp told members of the
international Privatization Monitoring Commission in Sarajevo
on 27 January that they should quickly propose measures aimed
at speeding up privatization of state-owned assets in Bosnia-
Herzegovina. Foreign experts have frequently criticized the
slow pace of privatization as a major obstacle to economic
redevelopment of the war-torn country. PM

ALBANIAN DISARMAMENT PROGRAM BEGINS. The UN Development
Program (UNDP) on 27 January launched its voluntary
disarmament project in the central Albanian town of Gramsh
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 January 1999). As a first step,
villagers in Tunja, a remote village near Gramsh, handed over
about 120 weapons, 100,000 cartridges, and 120 grenades. The
UNDP project aims at the voluntary handover of weapons in
exchange for the improvement of local infrastructure. The
population of Gramsh is estimated to possess some 100,000
weapons, "Albanian Daily News" reported. FS

ROMANIAN DEFENSE COUNCIL URGES POLICY CHANGES. The country's
Supreme Defense Council on 27 January said that the country
risks another outbreak of unrest similar to the violent
miners' strike last week unless economic efficiency and the
social security net are improved, AP reported. The council
said that the government's policy changes should be in line
with the council's recommendations. The council was summoned
by Constantinescu earlier this week (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
26 January 1999) to review why Interior Ministry troops
failed to stop the coal miners' march on Bucharest. PB

MINISTER RESIGNS, SENATOR SUSPENDED IN ROMANIA. Gyorgy Tokay,
the minister for ethnic minorities, resigned for personal
reasons on 27 January, AP reported. Tokay is a member of
Romania's ethnic-Hungarian minority and had been minister
since 1996. Leaders of the Hungarian Democratic Party
nominated Senator Peter Eckstein to replace Tokay. The same
day, Romania's upper house voted to suspend ultranationalist
Senator Corneliu Vadim Tudor for urging coal miners to strike
last week. A Senate committee voted by six to four to ban him
from Senate sessions for 30 days for "not respecting the
professional code of the Senate." Tudor is the leader of the
Greater Romania Party. PB

BULGARIAN OFFICIAL OPTIMISTIC AFTER TALKS IN SKOPJE.
Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Marin Raykov said in Skopje
on 27 January that there was renewed confidence in Bulgarian-
Macedonian relations, BTA reported. Raykov, speaking after a
meeting with officials from the Macedonian Foreign Ministry,
said "we took the first step in the process of stepping up
our dialogue and meetings." Relations between the two
countries have been strained, and numerous bilateral
agreements cannot be implemented because of a disagreement
over which language should be used for those accords. Sofia
does not recognize Macedonian as a separate language but as a
Bulgarian dialect. Skopje insists that each document be in
Macedonian and Bulgarian. PB

BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES CURRENCY REVALUATION. Lawmakers
passed a law on 27 January that will revalue the national
currency on 1 July, dpa reported. The lev will be revalued by
1,000 percent. Opposition deputies voted against the measure.
In other news, the IMF said it will continue to support the
Bulgarian government's reform package, BTA reported. A deputy
director with the IMF said in Sofia after meeting with
Finance Minister Muravey Radev that he is impressed with
Bulgaria's accomplishments in 1998. PB

END NOTE

SLOVAKIA TO REOPEN INVESTIGATION INTO DUBCEK'S FATAL CRASH?

by Jolyon Naegele

	Slovak authorities are considering reopening the
investigation into Alexander Dubcek's fatal car crash in
1992. Dubcek was best known for introducing "socialism with a
human face" while Czechoslovak Communist Party leader in
1968.
	Late last year, Jaroslav Volf, the former head of
Dubcek's Social Democratic Party of Slovakia (SDSS) and a
member of parliament, received a commitment from Czech
officials to assist Slovakia in reopening the investigation
into Dubcek's car crash. The two sides discussed setting up a
joint investigative commission and handing over the findings
of the Czech investigation into the crash.
	SDSS spokesman Miroslav Spejl told RFE/RL last week that
the time has come to clear up uncertainties. He notes too
many questions remain unanswered in the Dubcek case. If a
political element is confirmed, investigators must determine
who was behind Dubcek's death, he argues.
	Slovak Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda's government is
currently reopening investigations into nearly a dozen cases
in which the previous government of Vladimir Meciar may have
been implicated. These include the 1995 abduction to Austria
of Michal Kovac Jr., the son of Slovakia's president at the
time, and the murder of a key witness to the abduction,
Robert Remias, who some say knew too much about the alleged
involvement of the Slovak intelligence service. The recent
murder in Bratislava of former Economy and Industry Minister
Jan Ducky, who also served under Meciar as head of the Slovak
gas monopoly, has thrust the Interior Ministry and the
Prosecutor-General's Office into the spotlight.
	The Slovak and foreign media have portrayed Ducky's
murder as the first of a top Slovak politician since the fall
of communism. However, such an assertion assumes Dubcek died
as the result of an accident in which no foul play was
involved. At the time of the crash, Dubcek was in political
limbo, having had to give up the post of speaker of the
Czechoslovak parliament following the June 1992 general
elections. He remained a parliamentary deputy and headed the
tiny Social Democratic Party, coming under increasing
criticism from among those who had won the elections: the
Czech center-right, led by Vaclav Klaus, and the Slovak
populists, led by Vladimir Meciar. Talks that summer between
Klaus and Meciar on loosening the bonds between Prague and
Bratislava resulted in an agreement to dissolve the
Czechoslovak state. Dubcek, though on the sidelines and
apprehensive about the split, began to appear as the most
logical choice to become first president of an independent
Slovakia.
	Dubcek's chauffeur-driven BMW skidded off the
Bratislava-Prague highway in heavy rain on 1 September 1992.
Dubcek's driver was a Czechoslovak Federal Interior Ministry
warrant officer named Jan Reznik. Dubcek said later in the
hospital that he had sensed something was wrong and had laid
down on the rear seat well before the crash. Reznik suffered
relatively minor injuries. But Dubcek was found lying 20
meters in front of the car.
	A study conducted by the Brno Forensic Institute
determined that Reznik must have been driving at between 114
km and 131 km per hour at the time the car went off the road
and that Dubcek apparently was catapulted out of the rear
window as the car spun out of control. Dubcek was flown to a
Prague hospital, where he died on 7 November 1992.
	Today, rumors persist that Dubcek may have been the
victim of a plot, although a strong motive is lacking. Jan
Langos, Czechoslovakia's last federal interior minister and
currently a Slovak parliamentary deputy with the ruling
coalition, told RFE/RL in 1997 that he remains convinced
Dubcek died as the result of an accident. He said the only
mistake made in the investigation was to permit the BMW to be
destroyed following examination by investigators.
	But a lawyer for the Dubcek family and the Slovak Social
Democratic Party, Liboslav Leksa, is virtually convinced foul
play was involved. Last year, he published a book containing
various documents from the investigation as well as his own
list of unanswered questions. Leksa also said he possesses
documents which he was unable to make public at that time. He
now lives in the Czech Republic and remains cautious about
voicing suspicions.
	Leksa's study suggests that if anyone knows whether or
not Dubcek's car crash was simply an accident, it would be
the driver, Reznik, who refused to cooperate with
investigators. Leksa says Reznik had worked for the Communist
secret police and did not enjoy Dubcek's trust.
	After the car crash, Reznik, though an Interior Ministry
officer, refused to cooperate with investigators. A Czech
military court in Ceske Budejovice in March 1993 convicted
him for having caused bodily injury and for failing to reduce
his speed to conform to conditions. He was sentenced to one
year in prison and banned from driving for two-and-a-half
years. The conviction was later confirmed by an appeals
court. But an amnesty declared in the newly independent
Slovakia saved Reznik from having to serve time.
	The full story of what happened to Dubcek may well
remain a mystery, just like the death in March 1948 of
Czechoslovak Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk, the son of the
country's founder and first president, Tomas Masaryk. Dressed
in his pajamas, Masaryk plunged to his death from a high
bathroom ledge into a courtyard at the Foreign Ministry in
Prague late at night. At the time, Masaryk's death was
labeled a suicide, but in later investigations, no definitive
answer has been found to the question: Did Jan Masaryk jump
or fall or was he pushed?

The author is an RFE/RL correspondent based in Prague.

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