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Russia says Abkhaz rebels shot down plane
Russian authorities said on 22 April that it must have been Abkhaz rebels who shot down an
unmanned Georgian spy plane over the secessionist region of Abkhazia. The Russian foreign
ministry also said the flight breached a 1994 peace accord which had ended fighting in the
province.
The Georgian defence ministry, however, insists that it was a Russian MiG-29 plane which
shot down the reconnaissance drone on 20 April, calling it an act of "open
aggression". The ministry showed video of what could be identified as a MiG-29
shooting down the drone with a missile. Temu Iakobashvili, the Georgian minister in charge
of matters concerning the seceded regions, said "We have hard evidence proving that
this is the Russian military aircraft shooting down Georgian UAV" [Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle].
Russia's foreign ministry, on the other hand, said the drone had been shot down by Abkhaz
anti-aircraft weapons, and the Abkhaz administration said its own forces had shot down the
UAV because it was violating Abkhaz airspace and breaching ceasefire agreements.
The two separatist regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia are tacitly supported by Russia, and
Russian and UN peacekeepers have been deployed in these regions since the early 1990s. The
Georgian government alleges that Russia has been ratchetting up the tension in order to
damage Georgia's hopes of joining NATO.
NATO deputy spokesman Robert Pszczel commented "there are some things that require
clarification... The sooner the issue gets clarified, the better …. the territorial
integrity of Georgia, like other countries, is paramount... We would like to see calm, to
see any disputes settled."
Georgia's Foreign Minister, Davit Bakradze, who has been in the United States on a working
visit, held meetings with the UN and the US State Department officials, and in the US
Senate. These were in anticipation of a closed door meeting of the UN Security Council to
consider a situation in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone.
Georgia - key facts
Sakartvelos Respublikis
Republic of Georgia (Gruziya)
Geography 69,700 square km (26,900
square miles) in area. Georgia, occupies the western part of the Caucasus Mountains;
it is flanked by Russia to the north, Azerbaijan and Armenia to the east and
south-west and Turkey to the south. Its western border runs along the Black Sea. Its
frontier with Russia includes a mountainous stretch bordering Chechnya. The capital Tbilisi
is referred to in some European languages and formerly in Russian as Tiflis.
Population 4,489,000 as of January 2001, the latest estimate by the
State Statistics Department. According to Central Election Commission estimates, there are
2.8 million eligible voters.
Ethnic composition As of 1997, 69% Georgian, 9% Armenian, 7.4%
Russian and 5% Azeri. Other small indigenous minorities include Ossetians (3%), Abkhazians
(2%) and Adzhars.
Language Georgian, written in a unique ornate, rounded alphabet. It
is the largest among the Ibero-Caucasian languages, a non-Indo-European group. The script,
with 33 letters, draws on ancient Eastern Aramaic.
Religion The Orthodox Church of Georgia is one of the oldest
Christian communities in the world, dating back to 337. Most Georgians belong to this
faith. There are small communities of Muslims, Catholics, Slav Orthodox believers,
Armenian Apostolics and Zoroastrians.
Government Georgia is defined as a democratic republic under the
constitution adopted on 24 August 1995. The president is directly elected for a five-year
term and cannot serve more than two terms.
Armed forces Estimated at 17,500 by the International Institute for
Strategic Studies. The defence ministry publishes no figures. US military advice and
training has recently been attempting to bring Georgia's armed forces up to modern
standards.
Economy Traditionally agricultural, producing fruit, wine,
oils, tobacco and spices. Industries include manganese and coal mines, crude oil and gas
production and food processing. Privatisation began after independence in 1991 and the
selling off of communications and manufacturing enterprises are continuing. The
International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated gross domestic product in 2002 at
$15 billion or $2,900 per person. The consumer price index rose 5.6% in 2002. GDP growth
was 5.4% in 2002 and is projected to be 8% to 9% in 2003.
Currency Lari. The exchange rate was 2.1 lari to one U.S. dollar as
of 31 October 2003.
History Under Tsarist rule from 1801, Georgia
(Gruziya) became a Soviet Socialist Republic in 1921 and constituent of the USSR in
1936. Independent from 1991. South Ossetia and Abhazia seceded in 1991-2,
leading to a destructive civil war till 1993. |
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Berliner Zeitung newspaper rocked by Stasi
scandal
After the admission by two editors at the German daily newspaper, Berliner Zeitung,
that they had informed for the East German secret police, the Stasi, when they were
younger, all staff at the paper agreed to have their files investigated for links to the
former secret police.
Originally East German, after reunification in 1989 the Berliner Zeitung made a
successful transition to the market economy. It became the capital's largest subscription
daily, and it is now British-owned. It emerged at the end of March that the editor of Berliner
Zeitung's magazine, Thomas Leinkauf, had informed for the Stasi. Leinkauf admitted to
having worked for the Stasi for two years when he was a student in the 1970s. The paper's
chief editor Joseph Depenbrock said the credibility and independence of the paper had been
harmed.
Then at a staff meeting another senior journalist, Ingo Preissler, announced that he had
been an informant for 10 years, until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. A meeting was
called to discuss the crisis, and staff agreed they would apply for access to their Stasi
records. Employers have no legal power to access these records.
Berliner Zeitung started in 1945, and until 1989 was regarded as a mouthpiece of
the East German regime. Working with two historians, chief editor Depenbrock said he would
now carry out an investigation into the paper's history and its links with the former
communist regime.
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Public transport strike hits Budapest
Strikes by staff of Budapest's national public transport company BKV, and the VDSzSz (Free
Railway Workers' Union), successfully crippled public transport in the capital on the
morning of 7 April.

While the VDSzSz strike was the latest in a long-lasting dispute between
the union and management of MÁV, the national railway operator, it was the first time
ever that an all-out strike had been called by the employees of BKV. Their strike, in
which all employee unions participated, was launched at midnight on Sunday 6 April; the
strike officially ended at 2 pm on the Monday.
BKV workers were taking industrial action in protest against the company’s new reform
proposals which, according to unions, could end up in job cuts. The BKV management said it
was planning yearly savings of 2 billion forints (£6.35 million), and a closing of six
bus routes. The unions said that was unacceptable. Budapest City Council, meanwhile,
has asked for a 18.5 billion (£58.73 million) state subsidy to resolve BKV’s financial
crisis.
At MÁV, on the other hand, the negotiating positions of the union and management have not
changed since January this year. The VDSzSz union is still demanding a 10% wage rise on
top of the 6.9% offered it by the management, as well as a one-off payment of 250,000
forints (£794) for every MÁV employee, following the sale and privatisation of the
company’s profitable freight branch MÁV Cargo, in December 2007.
Prime Minister braves isolation
“I think the person of the prime minister is only important for a couple of people in
this country,” On 4 April Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány emphasised that it was the
programme of the prime minister and the government that mattered not the personality.
His comment followed the announcement by the SzDSz (Alliance of Free Democrats) that would
leave the government coalition. “… I’m not at all happy with the SzDSz’s decision
to leave the coalition, and I strongly believe that a coalition government would be more
favourable for the country,” Gyurcsány stated.
The most likely scenario now, he said, would be the formation of an open, one-party
Socialist government, with ad hoc support from the SzDSz, and, in some cases, from the
centre-right Magyar Democratic Forum. Once the SzDSz had left the coalition, the
Socialist parliamentary party was left with a slight minority in Parliament, needing six
additional votes from other factions for a simple majority, when all MPs were present at a
vote.
The PM also said the greatest challenge the government had to face was not its conflict
with the liberals, but the increasing strength of the anti-reform movement, led by the
main opposition party Fidesz.
Fidesz had embarked on continuous threats of referenda aiming to overturn bills earlier
approved by Parliament. The government, he said, had to find a “very delicate balance”
between those who want more radical reforms, and those who would not accept change of any
kind. Referring to the SzDSz insistence on its original reform programme, Gyurcsány said
“it’s much better to accomplish moderate reforms than to fail with radical ones.”
Asked about the possibility of going to the country with early elections, the PM said, “The
problem with early elections is that we have no idea what the programme of the opposition
parties would be.” The popularity Fidesz had gained in the past two years was entirely
based on anti-reform slogans.
Balaton airport qualifies to join Schengen
The FlyBalaton Airport near the village of Sármellék, at the western end of Lake
Balaton, qualified as a Schengen border from 30 March. The first airliner to arrive under
the new rules landed on 1 April.
When it was built in 2005 the terminal at FlyBalaton had already been planned and
constructed to meet Schengen regulations. Speaking for the airport operator, Eszter
Takács explained “This meant that only some information boards and internal
environmental modules were necessary to securely separate incoming and outgoing passenger
movement across borders.” Since May 2006 FlyBalaton had already been receiving
international flights. “FlyBalaton airport has undergone considerable development during
2006 and 2007 and has now served as many as 170,000 passengers,” she said. Now
acknowledged as Schengen-compliant the airport expected traffic to increase.
Sármellék International Airport
Sármellék Nemzetközi Repülotér is also known as FlyBalaton
Airport. It is an international airport located at the western end of Lake Balaton near
the village of Sármellék, in Zala county, and close to the town of Keszthely. Its
significance is due to being near the holiday resorts of Lake Balaton, and the thermal
spas of Hévíz and Zalakaros.
A military airport was already located there in the 1940s. It was given a hard surface in
the 1950s and functioned as a Hungarian military airport until 1960. Between 1960 and the
autumn of 1990 it was taken over as a Soviet military airport, alongside other Soviet
military bases in the area - being left as a blank space on maps of the time. The current
runways were constructed in 1982.
After Soviet forces left the area in 1990, there was ambition to use the large air base as
a rival to the international hub at Vienna Schwecat. Sármellék has operated as a public
airport since 1991 and became the second Hungarian international airport after Budapest
Ferihegy in May 2002. Since August 2002 the airport has been owned by the local
governments of Sármellék and Zalavár, and since 2004 operated by an Irish-Hungarian
investment group Cape Clear Aviation Ltd. It frequently operates charter flights to
Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig and Düsseldorf in Germany, Billund and Copenhagen in
Denmark, Amsterdam in The Netherlands and Moscow in Russia. |
First to ratify Treaty of Lisbon
Hungary became the first EU member to ratify the new reform treaty
following an overwhelming parliamentary vote on 17 December 2007.
A clear majority of 325 members of parliament voted in favour of the new EU Treaty, with
only 5 opposed and 14 abstentions. "Hungary is behind this new Treaty, which retains
the virtues of the Constitution and is also in the interest of Hungary," Prime
Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány said.
The majority of EU members are expected to opt to ratify the new treaty through their
national parliaments. |
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Shady business may led to murder of developer
In mid April new evidence emerged in the case surrounding a prominent Lithuanian
businessman who disappeared in Kaliningrad in 2007. Police recently reclassified the
investigation into the disappearance of Stanislovs Jucius to pre-meditated murder.
Authorities believe that his death may be linked to local business practices in Lithuania
and Kaliningrad. Prosecutors in Kaliningrad have revealed evidence of numerous death
threats levelled against the businessman over real estate development projects, corporate
debt and murky real estate deals.
Things to know about Kaliningrad
Population: About 1 million, a fall of
500,000 since Soviet days.
Size: The area is half the size of Belgium - 15,000 square kilometres. It
is bordered by Poland to the south, Lithuania to the north and east and the Baltic Sea to
the west.

Capital: Kaliningrad city and port
Strategic importance: Kaliningrad port is headquarters of the Russian
Baltic Fleet, and was formerly a closed Soviet military zone.
Economy: According to the World Bank, Kaliningrad receives proportionally
more foreign direct investment than Russia as a whole, but far less than neighbouring
Baltic countries. Some estimates suggest the enclave's residents are 65 times poorer than
EU citizens.
Amber: Kaliningrad is the world centre of production of amber -
fossilised tree resin used for jewellery and decoration - most of which is smuggled out
via Poland and Lithuania.
Health issues: Residents have the highest incidence of AIDS in Europe.
There are 3,794 officially registered cases of HIV infection. The official figures
probably represent just one-fifth of the extent of the problem. Its port is thought to
have been the first place where the disease got into Russian territory, spread by
prostitution and drug use. There are estimated to be as many as 3,000 prostitutes in the
enclave.
Crime: EU officials have called Kaliningrad a "black hole" of
criminality. Organised crime is rampant in the enclave, and crime may account for half of
the enclave's income.
History: Kaliningrad was formerly the Prussian port of Königsberg,
capital of East Prussia. It was captured by the Red Army in April 1945 and ceded to the
Soviet Union at the Potsdam conference. It was renamed in honour of senior Soviet leader
Mikhail Kalinin, although he never actually visited the area.
Architecture: Much of the city's historic heart was levelled by British
fire bombing in 1944, and aggressive Soviet attempts to remove German cultural symbols
demolished most surviving monuments, churches and castles.
Significant residents: Philosopher Immanuel Kant was born in what is now
Kaliningrad (1724), and is buried there (1804). More recently, President Vladimir Putin's
wife Lyudmila was born in the enclave.
Tourism: Around 70,000 German tourists, most with family roots in East
Prussia, visit the enclave every year. Ethnic Germans were expelled from the area under
Stalin. |
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Kosovo Serbs aim to form their own parliament
On 7 May the Serb leader in Kosovo Marko Jakšić said that after the 11 May elections the
Serbs would set up their own parliament in Kosovo. “The Kosovo Serbs need a
representative body in order to exercise their legal and legitimate rights,” he said,
“this is of the utmost importance given the Kosovo Ministry’s plan for the functional
division of the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo.”
Jakšić claimed that the Kosovo parliament was full of “puppets” of the West, who
would definitely not work in the best interests of Kosovan Serbs. A parliament of their
own would be the “only way for the Serbs to be able to survive in Kosovo.”
Draft constitution signed
Kosovan political leaders, together with members of the Kosovo Constitution Commission,
signed a draft constitution on 7 April. President Fatmir Sejdiu described this as
"another step towards establishing the basis of a functional independent, sovereign
and stable state".
EU Special Representative to Kosovo Pieter Feith, whose approval was also necessary, said
the draft contained all the provisions for the "consolidation of Kosovo as a modern,
multi-ethnic state". In part, the document is modelled after the US Constitution. The
preamble has a special article guaranteeing the rights of Kosovo Serbs and other
minorities.
The draft was forwarded to parliament for formal approval, with debate planned to begin on
9 April. The new constitution is expected to take effect on 15 June, nearly four months to
the day since independence was declared.
Hague Tribunal acquits former prime minister
Ramush Haradinaj, a former prime minister of the Kosovo province and also previously a
commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army, on 3 April was acquitted of war crimes by
the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. The judge said much of the evidence
had been inconclusive or non-existent.
He was found not guilty on 37 counts, including murder, persecution, rape and torture. But
another former liberation army commander, Lahi Brahimaj, was sentenced to six years for
torture and cruel treatment. A third accused man was also found not guilty.
All three had denied committing war crimes in Kosovo in 1998 while fighting against Serb
forces. They had been accused of driving Serb and Roma civilians from their homes, and
targeting Kosovo Albanians who were thought to have been collaborating with Serb forces.
Ramush Haradinaj had been a KLA commander fighting Serb forces in the west of the country
in 1998, and later became prime minister in UN-run Kosovo. After the war, with Kosovo now
under a UN mandate, he formed a political party the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo. It
came third in the elections of 2004, but joined the governing coalition, and Haradinaj was
then chosen as prime minister. His indictment by the war crimes tribunal in 2005 led to
his resignation as PM. When he flew off to the Netherlands to face the Hague Tribunal
charges hundreds from the Kosovo Albanian community turned out to bid him farewell.
Having returned to Kosovo, Haradinaj promptly resumed his post in the
political party Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, and lost no time in
criticising the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci for failing to have a
governing programme in place. The citizens of Kosovo should take offence, he said, when
Thaci said his government had been too busy resolving Kosovo's status to have a domestic
political programme in place.
Competition for new anthem
On 11 March a month-long competition to choose an anthem for the newly independent nation
was announced by Parliament. “It should follow the criteria set by UN envoy Martti
Ahtisaari's comprehensive status proposal,” Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi said, “meaning
it will have to respect all communities living in Kosovo.” The anthem should be no
longer than 60 seconds and sound different from that of any other country. The competition
would be open to everyone, and the winner will receive 10,000 euros (about £7,700).
The Kosovan Parliament has already approved a flag and a coat of arms.
Kosovo declares its independence
On 17 February the Parliament of Kosovo in Priština approved a Declaration of
Independence. The extraordinary session was called for 3 pm, by the President and Prime
Minister. The declaration, which proclaimed Kosovo to be an independent and sovereign
state, was voted by all MPs of Kosovo’s Parliament, except Serb MPs, which did not
attend the extraordinary session. MPs present unanimously endorsed the unilateral
declaration of independence.
The declaration, read by Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, said Kosovo would be a
"democratic country that respected the rights of all ethnic communities."
The session of Parliament was also attended by the representatives of the European Union
and USA.
After the declaration of independence had been read by the Prime Minister of Kosovo,
Hashim Thaçi, it was signed by all MPs present, by Kosovo’s President Fatmir Sejdiu, by
the Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi and by the Speaker of Parliament Jakup Krasniqi.
Parliament also approved proposals for a flag and state symbols. The flag of the new state
of Kosovo is blue with the yellow map of Kosovo in the middle and six white stars above
it.

"The independence of Kosovo marks the end of the dissolution of the
former Jugoslavija," Thaçi said, but added that "Kosovo was a unique case that
should not set a precedent." He said the new country’s governance would be
constructed in accordance with the UN plan drawn by former Finnish President, Martti
Ahtisaari - at the end of negotiations which did not produce a deal. The international
military and civilian presence envisaged in the Ahtisaari plan would be welcome. Thaçi
emphasised "There should be no fear of discrimination in the new Kosovo … We will
abide by the obligations in Ahtisaari's plan and we will fulfil these obligations in the
future - especially Annex 12 of his plan, the one that deals with the rights of ethnic
communities."
The declaration also welcomed an EU judicial and police mission in Kosovo, and urged NATO
to continue with its current peacekeeping mission. It pledged that Kosovo would contribute
to reconciliation in the Balkans and expresses a wish for "good relations with all
our neighbours, especially Serbia".
Tens of thousands of Kosovan Albanians took to the streets to celebrate, with cars
circling Priština draped with Albanian and U.S. flags, with dancing to the sound of
traditional drums, and with fireworks. No incidents were reported and Thaçi said on TV
that he expected ethnic Albanians in the province to celebrate "with dignity".
Bulgaria hopes for reconciliation between
Kosovo and Serbia
Czech Republic hesistant
Georgia concerned at implications
Hungary calls for joint EU position on recognition
Poland expected to recognise independence
Slovakia - official stance on Kosovo needs time
Uneasy recent history in Kosovo
Ethnic Albanians make up 90% of Kosovo's estimated population of two
million. Of some 200,000 Serbs now left in Kosovo, about half live in enclaves protected
by NATO forces.
1989 Ethnic Albanians protest with strikes
and demonstrations against oppressive rule from Belgrade. Serb leader Slobodan Milošević
sets about removing Kosovo rights to autonomy, given in the 1974 Jugoslav constitution.
1990 Ethnic Albanian MPs in the province declare
Kosovo independent from Serbia. The Belgrade government dissolves Kosovo's autonomous
assembly and government.
1991 Albania recognises Kosovo as independent.
1992 Writer Ibrahim Rugova is elected President
of the self-proclaimed republic.
1998 Serb police say they have eliminated the
nucleus of the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army, killing guerrilla leader Adem Jasari.
The claim proves to be premature. In March Serb police continue their
onslaught against separatist guerrillas. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says
the United States will not tolerate a return to bloodshed and holds Milošević
responsible. In September NATO issues an ultimatum to Milošević to stop
attacks on Kosovo Albanians or face air strikes.
1999 In March Kosovo Albanians
sign a peace deal in France. Belgrade rejects it. Peace talks end in failure. NATO begins
air strikes against Jugoslav positions in Kosovo on 24 March. In June
Milošević agrees to withdraw troops from Kosovo. NATO suspends air operations. U.N.
approves peace plan for Kosovo and the establishment of Kosovo Peace Implementation Force
(KFOR). NATO troops enter Kosovo one day later. NATO and the Kosovo Liberation Army sign a
formal agreement requiring ethnic Albanian guerrillas to disarm. In November
U.S. President Bill Clinton visits Kosovo and urges ethnic Albanians to forgive Serbs,
saying "time for fighting is past".
2000 Violence in the city of Mitrovica kills
eight ethnic Serbs in February. Kosovo Serbs demand the return of Serb
forces. In October there are the first free elections in Kosovo. Ibrahim
Rugova claims victory, raising hopes for co-existence with the ethnic Serb minority.
In November Rugova urges the world to recognise the territory as
an independent state. EU foreign ministers reject the call.
2002 Kosovo's main ethnic Albanian parties reach
a power-sharing deal at the end of February. They agree to elect Rugova
president with Bajram Rexhepi as prime minister. In June Serb
leaders formally end the boycott of Kosovo's new government and take an oath of office
alongside their ethnic Albanian colleagues. In October Serbian and
Kosovo Albanian leaders open their first direct talks since 1999 but Rexhepi stays away.
In December the U.N. unveils a 'road map' setting out the
conditions Kosovo must meet by mid-2005 before further talks on its final status.
2004 Worst violence between Albanian and Serb
ethnic communities since 1999.
2005 March
Ramush Haradinaj resigned as prime minister after being indicted for war crimes. Haradinaj
had been in the job for only three months before his indictment, but huis acqyuittal did
not come until 2008. He was replaced by Bajram Kosumi, deputy leader of the Alliance
for the Future of Kosovo (AAK). Regarded as a moderate, his key priority was the pursuit
of independence for Kosovo, and to seek integration with the EU and NATO.
The next Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi was a former teacher of Albanian
language and literature. As a student, he was sent to prison in 1981 for organising ethnic
Albanian protests against Serb rule. He later supported the goals of the Kosovo Liberation
Army but was not actively involved in combat.
October UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said
that talks should start soon on whether Kosovo should remain part of Serbia or be given
independence.
2006 January President
Ibrahim Rugova dies.
February UN-mediated talks between Albanian and
Serbian negotiators about the future status of the province start in Vienna.
March Former KLA leader Agim Ceku was nominated
as Prime Minister.
October Contact Group proposes delay in status
decision.
2007 March UN Security Council receives UN
envoy Martti Ahtisaari’s status plan. Russia calls for more talks between Serbia
and the ethnic Albanians. No UN resolution can be agreed.
July EU, Russia and US troika appointed
to mediate between Serb and Albanian parties. Renewed talks began in September.
November General and municipal elections
2008 February Kosovo declares unilateral
independence, backed by some EU countries and by the US.
President: Fatmir Sejdiu
Prime Minister: Hashim Thaçi |
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Cruise ship stuck on a sandbank
Latvian authorities have begun evacuating hundreds of people from a cruise ship stuck on a
sandbank. The Bahamas-registered Mona Lisa ran aground off Latvia on 4 May with
nearly 1,000 people on board, and tugs have so far been unable to free the ship.
Most of the passengers are German. The ship set sail from the German port of Kiel on 1 May
for a 10-day Baltic cruise. It had been en route to Riga in Latvia when it hit a sandbank.
A total of 984 people were on board - 651 of them passengers, mostly elderly German
tourists. Not all of the crew are being evacuated.
It was not clear how the 30,000-tonne Mona Lisa came to run aground some 18 km
off the Latvian coast in normal weather conditions. Six Latvian and one Swedish vessel
have been involved in the salvage and evacuation. Passengers were being taken to the port
of Ventspils, about 37 km away.
National Bolshevik leader arrested
A Riga court decided on 15 April to arrest the controversial former leader of the National
Bolshevik Party, Vladimir Linderman. He has been wanted for a number of serious charges
including the alleged planning of an assassination attempt on former President Vaira
Vike-Freiberga.
Vladimir Linderman has spent the past six years hiding out in Russia. He was extradited to
Latvia on 20 March. Linderman, who also goes by the nom de guerre “Abel” , stands
accused of orchestrating a plot to kill the President in 2002 along with three other
members of the Latvian branch of the National Bolshevik Party, a group that advocates an
extremist ideology. He was arrested in Russia earlier this year for breaches of the
Russian immigration code.
Voters may get power to throw Parliament out
A campaign to amend the constitution appears to have been legally successful. The campaign
needed about 149,000 signatures to force Parliament to vote on the issue. The Central
Election Committee said on 12 April that more than 213,000 people had signed the
petition. It was aimed to give citizens the constitutional right to disband Parliament
through referenda. The campaign was spearheaded by the Free Trade Union of Latvia, which
has been aiming to make Latvia the only country in the European Union where it is possible
for the people to directly dissolve the legislature.
It has been clear that Latvians are angry, claiming to have the worst leadership in the
European Union. Yet it was the citizens who elected the current Parliament and produced
the resulting coalition government. The campaign demands the constitutional right to
dissolve Parliament (and thus the government as well). It may not be logical, but it has
reflected the public mood, with some 65,000 more signatures than necessary. It was equally
impressive that voters were prepared to travel long distances to signature-gathering
points, and queue in long lines for their turn.
The amendments in the petition, worded under the guidance of former Constitutional Court
Chairman Aivars Endzins, will be sent to President Valdis Zatlers, who in turn will pass
them on to Parliament for a vote. It is not likel;y that MPs will be persuaded to give the
electorate the right to sack them. What will inevitably follow is a referendum, most
likely toward the end of summer. For that to succeed, more than half of all registered
voters must say “yes” to the amendments, which if the public mood remains the same
could well happen.
It has become all too apparent that the elections in October 2006 had produced a ruling
coalition of three parties that appeared to have been capable of nothing more than
advancing their own, oligarchic business interests. Back in 2006 the media had shown
substantial evidence why the People’s Party, the Greens and Farmers Union and the Latvia’s
Way/Latvia’s First Party union should not have been supported, but voters at the time
ignored the warnings.
Latvia - factfile
Population 2.3 million, of which 58% are Latvian
and 29% are Russian. Two other Russian-speaking minorities are Belarussians (5%) and
Ukrainians (4%). Lithuanians, Estonians and Poles make up the remaining 4%.
Language The official language is Latvian, but Russian is widely
spoken. Latvian is a Balto-Slavic language, similar only to Lithuanian.
Religions Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox.
Geography Its area is 64,589 sq km (24,937 sq
miles). The country is situated with the Baltic Sea to the west, Estonia to the north,
Lithuania to the south and Belarus and Russia to the east. It is mainly flat and over 40%
forested.
Capital: Riga, population 740,000, with a high proportion ethnic Russian.
History In the past Latvia had been occupied at
different periods by Swedes and by Germans. In 1721 it was absorbed by Russia. In 1918 it
became an independent state, but in 1940, under the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, became a
constituent republic of the Soviet Union. It was then occupied by Germany during the rest
of World War 2.
Following the Soviet WW2 victory in that region, thousands of Latvians were deported to
Siberia, while Russians and people from other Soviet republics started moving to Latvia
due to the manpower needs of the rapidly expanding planned economy.
The Perestroika reforms of the then President Mikhail Gorbachev prompted an
upsurge in nationalism across the Baltics in the late 1980s, and independence movements
won control in the region in 1990 after the so-called Singing Revolution.
Latvia's parliament voted for full independence and banned the Communist Party after the
failed Russian coup against Gorbachev in August 1991. The country was recognised by
the United States a month later and subsequently admitted to the United Nations.
In 1999, psychology professor Vaira Vike-Freiberga was elected as the first female
president in central and eastern Europe, and Latvia was invited to start negotiations for
EU membership later that year.
Political system The Republic of Latvia is a
parliamentary democracy. The 100-seat single chamber Saeima is elected for a four-year
period, with the latest elections held in October 2006.
President Valdis Zatlers
Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis
Economy Latvia launched itself on a path of reform along
market economy lines after it regained independence in 1991.
After a banking crisis in 1995 and a significant setback due to the Russian crisis in
1998, Latvia set about reducing its dependency on Russia. There was a period of budget
stringency and reorientation of exports to the EU and other western countries. It has now
developed into an open economy, with its stable currency, the lat, pegged to the
International Monetary Fund's Special Drawing Rights since 1994.
Latvia started accession talks with the EU in 1999 and continued to develop its financial
institutions to meet western standards and attract foreign investors.
Latvia still has the lowest per capita income of the accession countries, but in the
period 1998-2002 it had the fastest-expanding economy of the EU candidates, with average
growth of 5.1%. In 2002, its economy grew by 6.1%. The central bank plans to join the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM-2), the waiting room for the euro single currency,
in 2005 and replace the lat national currency with the euro in 2008. |
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Minister of Education resigns
An obvious casualty of the long-running teachers’ strike has been Roma Zhakaitene, the
Minister of Education and Science. She handed in her resignation on 7 April. She explained
her decision to leave the government was a matter of work-related stress.
A series on ongoing protests by Lithuanian teachers have aimed to put pressure on the
Minister because of the low salaries earned by teaching staff. Their actions were
symbolically supported in neighbouring Baltic countries. Teachers’ unions
representatives have been campaigning for Zhakaitene’s resignation since autumn 2007.
The minister had earlier indicated that she might leave the cabinet if this would reduce
social tensions in the Lithuanian school system.
Lithanian Government website
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Greece vetoes invitation to Macedonia for NATO entry
At the NATO summit in Bucharest on 2 April Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis vetoed a
NATO invitation to Macedonia to join.
Karamanlis outlined Greece's positions on the issue, emphasising there woyuld be no
consent to Macedonia’s NATO entry invitation if the "name issue" were not
resolved first.
Opposing the Greek position and supporting a NATO invitation without such a condition were
Turkey, Slovenija, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Lithuania. Other European countries
said they understood the Greek arguments, but Canada, Great Britain and Portugal refrained
from taking a stand on the issue.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy seems to have been the warmest supporter of the Greek
position, saying in his address that "We stand in solidarity with Greeks, we believe
that a solution must be found. I have Hungarian roots, but I also have Greek roots and I
fully assume them."
During a reception preceding the official dinner, Prime Minister Karamanlis held a brief
conversation with U.S. President George W. Bush who had come to the NATO summit firmly
intending to exert pressure on his partners for Macedonia, Albania, and Croatia to be
extended invitations for membership in NATO, and for opening of the process for accession
of Ukraine and Georgia.
President Bush stated in an interview for the German daily newspaper Berliner
Morgenpost that Macedonia already fulfilled the conditions for membership of NATO,
and emphasising that the problem with the country’s name would eventually be resolved.
Macedonia’s parliamentary assembly has declared it would not debate the name issue until
it had become clear whether Macedonia will receive an invitation for membership in NATO.
It needed to know if the latest proposal by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz for resolution of
the name dispute was to be regarded as final. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski was said to
be prepared for the Macedonian delegation to return from Bucharest to Skopje so that the
country’s leadership could assess the offer. The parliamentary assembly could then adopt
a resolution. But the VMRO-DPMNE party now in government has been categorical that the
name issue could only be solved after it had been put to Macedonian citizens in a
referendum.
What’s in a name?
International pressure to refuse use of Macedonia’s name
Greece has continued to threaten to veto the Macedonian government’s
bids to join NATO and the EU under the country’s name, Macedonia. The Greek government
remains adamant that it implies a claim on a northern province of Greece with the same
historical name and could destabilise the region. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said that
if bilateral ties and regional co-operation were to be improved, Skopje needed to
demonstrate good-neighbourly behaviour and abandon its use of the name. This has been a
long-standing policy of the Greek government.
The awkward acronym FYROM has been widely substituted (standing for Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia). President Branko Crvenkovski has said that his country
is prepared to join NATO under the name FYROM but will not make any concessions in the
search for an official name in the long term. “We have already made too many
concessions,” he said, his people are keen to “rid ourselves of this anachronistic and
degrading term.”
Typical of the pressure put on Macedonia was a letter circulated by Luigi Sandrin,
Director of the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR). In 2005 EAR announced a
competition on the topic “Support of minority rights/activities”. In due course a
project was selected with a promise of finance. Subsequently, after the project was well
underway, an extra condition was imposed: “The name Republic of Macedonia or Macedonia
is not to be used, notwithstanding the fact that it is the official denomination used by
the country itself and that all documents from Skopje (letters, reports etc.) will refer
to it in this form”.
Instead Sandrin quoted Resolution 817/1993 of the UN Security Council and Resolution
225/1993 of the UN General Assembly that the only denomination that could be used must be
“former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (with a small f and a small o
and with capital letters only in the beginning of the sentence). “Please, ensure that
all printed documents and external communication, as well as the web-sites, books and
other materials related to EU-funded projects follow this policy.” |
Macedonian Government website
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President and Transdnestr leader agree to meet
Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin and Igor Smirnov, the leader of the seceded
Transdnestr region agreed on 7 April by telephone to meet to discuss confidence-building
measures between Chisinau and Tiraspol.
Voronin and Smirnov have not met at any time for the past seven years. During that period
some negotiations has been conducted by ministers under the aegis of the OSCE. These
negotiations stopped in February 2006. The next month Ukraine imposed a new customs regime
for the Transdnestr region.
The Trasndnestran regime in Tiraspol branded the move as an economic blockade and refused
to take part in further talks until it had been cancelled. Since then mediators have
repeatedly appealed to both sides to resume dialogue, but so far have been unable to get
the parties together.
Moldovan President Voronin was in fact born in Transdnestr. He came to power under the
slogan of restoring the country’s territorial integrity and joining the Russia-Belarus
union. In 1991 Voronin decided not to put off the long-standing issue and came to Tiraspol
for negotiations with Smirnov, though little came of them. Soon after that meeting,
Voronin was proclaimed persona non grata in Transdnestr, for reasons never made clear.
NATO backs Moldova’s territorial integrity
The final declaration of the NATO summit in Bucharest expressed its support for the
territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and
Moldova, calling for a peaceful settlement of regional conflicts. "We are concerned
about the persistence of the conflicts in South Caucasus and in Moldova", the
declaration on 3 April said. "Our nations back the territorial integrity,
independence and sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova," it read,
adding that NATO would continue to support efforts to settle peacefully the conflicts in
the region.
April brings Russian gas price increases
Moldovagaz announced that the price of gas imported from
Russia would rise from $191 to $211 from 1 April. But sources in Moldovagaz said this
was not the final price. The increase is in line with the five-year agreement reached in
January 2007 between the Moldovan government and Russian energy supplier Gazprom, under
which the gas price for Moldova could be revised every three months. The agreement also
provided for a gradual increase in the gas price to $350 per 1,000 cubic metres in the
years to come. |
European Commission to increase assistance for Moldova
It was reported in early April that the European Commission would increase financial
assistance for Moldova. The country had been included in the Government Facilities
Programme, along with Ukraine and Morocco, and Moldova would receive the assistance in
2008.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU Commissioner for External Relations and the European
Neighbourhood Policy, presented a progress report on Moldova's achievements within of the
Neighbourhood Policy during 2007. She said the Programme's annual budget was €50 million
and was intended for countries that had achieved the best results in development in 2007.
She said the decision of her office was to propose to EU countries that the sum be divided
between the three states, "because Moldova has proved it works to become closer to
European standards".
"Moldova achieved successes in recent years, but still has room for improvement in
the fields of press freedom, struggle against corruption, democracy consolidation",
she said. The projected budget for EC financial assistance to Moldova in 2007-2010 was
some €210 million, and the detal would be defined within 3-4 weeks.
Moldova - part Romanian, part Russian
Much of contemporary Moldova was part of Romania until World War 2, when
it was annexed by the Soviet Union, and about 65% of its 4.5 million residents speak
Romanian. Moldova became independent in 1991, after its eastern, mainly Russian-speaking,
Transdnestr region had already broken away, fearing reunification with Romania.
In the summer of 1992, the two sides fought a short but bloody war, which ended when
Russian forces stationed in Transdnestr (the eastern side of the Dnestr River) intervened
on the side of the separatists. Some 2,000 Russian troops and thousands of tons of
military equipment are still located in the region. The secessionist region Transdnestr,
whose capital is at Tiraspol, has not been recognised internationally.

Ten years of inconclusive negotiations between the Moldovan and
Transdnestran administrations followed. Currently trilateral mediation by Russia, Ukraine
and the OSCE has been seeking a solution to the conflict.
Moldova is Europe's poorest state. The 2004 Human Development Report of the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) ranks Moldova 113th among 177 countries. In comparison, Albania
ranks 65th. Moldova's annual per capita GDP for 2003 has been estimated at $460. The
Communists came to power in 2001 promising a return to at least a Soviet-era standard of
living. But economic troubles and poverty have deepened, with Moldova becoming one of the
main suppliers for traffickers of human beings and human organs. The Moldovan economy is
dominated by often murky business interests. The Transparency International Corruption
Perceptions Index for 2004 ranks Moldova in position 114 among 146 countries, with
corruption being one of the fundamental features of Moldova's social and economic strata.
In the Transdnestr region, arms and drugs trafficking have flourished under
the control of criminal groups, and the separatist leadership is often seen as connected
with them. The volume of the annual narcotics business in Moldova is estimated to be about
$200 million to $250 million, a figure that is nearly four times the country's annual
direct foreign investment. One of the main factors generating corruption and fuelling the
actions of criminal networks in the country is customs activity. Trafficking, contraband,
and tax evasion are flourishing across the borders of the secessionist Transdnestr region
with Ukraine and Moldova.
A nation in transit
Link: An in-depth report on Moldova from the Freedom House
Foundation series Nations in Transit: Civil Society, Democracy, and Markets in East,
Central Europe and the Newly Independent States. The latest 2005 report can now be downloaded
as a PDF file.
|
Links:
Country information
and history
The Parliament of Moldova
Independent Moldovan website and news service
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Government ready to apply for EU membership
The Speaker of the Montenegrin Parliament Ranko Krivokapić announced on 20 March,
while on a visit to Slovenija, that Montenegro would apply to become a member of the EU in
the coming weeks. It was counting on Slovenija's support in the matter.
Krivokapić acknowledged the valuable support, especially of the Slovenian parliament.
"Slovenia is … the country that started and pushed its way through, making it
easier for other countries of the western Balkans to follow," he said.
On the question of recognising Kosovo, Krivokapić explained that Montenegro, which has
already signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU, would follow the
decision of the bloc. "We will make the decision at the moment when we can best
contribute to the stability of both the region and Montenegro," he explained.
No exact date for EU membership application
According to Miodrag Vuković, a senior official of the DPS party speaking on 23 March,
Montenegro would not be able to apply for EU membership during the presidency of
Slovenija. But it was not important to set a date, and that was not an EU requirement. “A
state independently evaluates if it has met conditions, as well as its own capacities,
guaranteeing that it shall be given a chance to continue with its application, and that it
would be positively accepted by those who make decisions”, Vuković said.
The Government of Montenegro and its working bodies would continue with their efforts to
meet the necessary conditions and submit an application.
From Illyria to the 21st century
The name Montenegro (black mountain) is Venetian in
origin referring to the black appearance of Mount Lovcen's pine forests. Crna Gora
is the same name in slavic.

Geography Montenegro borders Croatia and
Bosnia to the north, Serbia and Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south. About half of
the country is covered in thick forest. It has an Adriatic coastline, lowlands and high
mountain ranges. The Tara River gorge is the deepest and longest canyon in Europe.
Population & religion 620,145.
Montenegrins (62%) along with Serbs (9%), Albanians (7%), Slavik Muslims (15%), Croats
(1%) and others (1991 census). The majority of the population belongs to the Orthodox
Christian tradition (Montenegrins and Serbs); there is a substantial Muslim population and
some Roman Catholics.
Capital Podgorica
Language A variety of Balkan languages are in
use, with Serbian used in government.
Government Parliamentary republic. In May 2003
Filip Vujanović was elected by universal suffrage as President of Montenegro.
The next presidential elections are due in 2007. Local and parliamentary elections were
held in September 2006. The new government coalition is led by the Democratic Party of
Socialists, with Zeljko Sturanović as Prime Minister. The DPS has 41 out
of the 81 seats in the National Assembly.
History
The history of Montenegro begins in the early Middle Ages,
after the arrival of the Slavs into that part of the former Roman province of Dalmatia.
Before the arrival of the Slav peoples in the Balkans during the 6th century AD, the area
now known as Montenegro was inhabited principally by the Illyrians. Substantial Greek
colonies were established on the Adriatic coast during the 6th and 7th centuries BC, and
Celts are known to have settled there in the 4th century BC. During the 3rd century BC, an
indigenous Illyrian kingdom emerged with its capital at Skadar. The Romans mounted several
punitive expeditions against local pirates and finally conquered this Illyrian kingdom in
AD 9.
In 1516, Montenegro became a theocratic state under the rule of the prince-bishop
(vladika) of Cetinje, which continued through to the first half of the 19th century when,
in 1852. the vladika married, assumed the title of knjaz (Prince), and transformed his
land into a secular principality. From the 1860s wars against Ottoman Turkey expanded
Montenegrin territory. International recognition of the country came in 1878, and it
became a kingdom in 1910.
The Kingdom of Montenegro suffered severely from World War 1. Austro-German armies finally
overran Serbia, and Montenegro was invaded in 1916. King Nicholas fled to Italy and then
to France. Eventually the forces of Serbia liberated Montenegro from the Austrians, but
deposed the absent king. Serbia subsequently annexed Montenegro on 29 November 1918, and
Montenegro thus became the only Allied nation to lose its independence after the war.
The majority of Montenegrins fought in World War 2 for liberation. Tito's Partisans won
the war of liberation and acknowledged Montenegro's contribution, rewarding its efforts by
establishing it as one of the six republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of
Jugoslavija. Montenegro became economically stronger, gaining help from federal funds, and
becoming a tourist destination as well.
During the Jugoslav civil war in the 1990s the United Nations imposed a trade embargo
which affected many aspects of life in the country. Its location on the Adriatic Sea and
across Lake Skadar to Albania turned Montenegro into a hub for smuggling activity. The
republic's main economic activity became the smuggling of user goods - a de facto
legalised practice which it went on for years. The Montenegrin government either turned a
blind eye or took an active part in it. Smuggling made millionaires, including senior
government officials. Prime Minister Milo Ðukanović himself has been accused in various
Italian courts of having a role in widespread smuggling during the 1990s and in providing
safe haven in Montenegro for some Italian mafia figures. In February 2003 the federal
union of Serbia-Montenegro replaced the republic of Jugoslavija.
In May 2006 a referendum resulted in 55.5% voting for the independence of Montenegro. In
June this was acknowledged by Serbia. The European Commission continued separately
negotiating with Montenegro on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement originally
opened with federal Serbia-Montenegro. The SAA between Montenegro and the EU was signed on
15 October 2007 in Luxembourg.
Economy
Unemployment 18.5% (2004)
Currency is the euro
Trade with EU (2004): imports from EU25 €139 million; exports to EU25
€227 million.
Tourism and financial sectors have become the most dynamic factors in economic growth.
Foreign investment has come with the privatisation of state assets in telecommunications,
aluminium and banking. Foreign trade and customs policy are being aligned with EU
requirements. |
Elizabeth Roberts: Realm of the Black Mountain
- a history of Montenegro. Hurst & Co. London
2007
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|