MINELRES: RFE/RL Newsline on minority issues

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: RFE/RL <listmanager@list.rferl.org>


RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 131, Part II, 13 July 2004

TRANSDNIESTER INTRODUCES LICENSING OBLIGATION FOR MOLDOVAN SCHOOLS. A
press release recently issued by the Transdniester Education Ministry
states that Moldovan schools located in Transdniester and subordinate
to the Education Ministry in Chisinau are now required to obtain a
licensing permit from the Tiraspol authorities, Infotag reported on
12 June. The separatist ministry said its decision was prompted by
the fact that "Romanian language and literature -- as well as
Romanian history taught in Moldovan schools --instill in the minds of
the children values contrary to those of the Transdniester Republic,
as well as to those imbedded in the Moldovan Constitution." MS


RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 133, Part I, 15 July 2004

TURKMENISTAN EXPLAINS MOVE TO HALT RUSSIAN RADIO. The Foreign Affairs
Ministry issued a press release on 14 July to explain why Russia's
Mayak radio station is no longer on the air in Turkmenistan,
turkmenistan.ru reported. Mayak went off the air on 10 July (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 13 July 2004). According to the press release,
broadcasts stopped because Turkmenistan is modernizing its radio
broadcast facilities and replacing outmoded equipment. The
refurbishing will require "a certain amount of time and significant
financial outlays," according to the Foreign Ministry. Mayak
representatives cast doubt on the official Turkmen explanation,
however. Sergei Kurokhtin, head of the station's news service, told
"Rossiiskaya gazeta" on 13 July that Turkmen authorities may have
been unhappy with Mayak's coverage of discrimination against the
country's Russian minority. "We are considering what course of action
we should take and we will consult with our embassy in Turkmenistan,"
Mayak Chairman Andrei Bystrytskii told the newspaper. DK


RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 133, Part II, 15 July 2004

MACEDONIAN COALITION REACHES REDISTRICTING DEAL. The governing Social
Democratic Union (SDSM), Liberal Democrats (LDP), and the ethnic
Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) agreed on 14 July on
a package of laws regulating a cut in the number of administrative
districts and the decentralization of the state administration, MIA
news agency reported. The final stumbling block was the ethnic
composition of the Skopje, Kicevo, and Struga districts. The
compromise was hammered out in what Macedonian media described as a
tense atmosphere among the coalition partners, with representatives
of the international community warning that the local elections
slated for mid-October should not be postponed on account of failure
to agree on the package now. After the meeting, the leaderships of
the governing parties held separate meetings to discuss the deal.
Parliamentary speaker Ljupco Jordanovski said parliament will discuss
the package as soon as the government approves it (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 8, 9, and 13 July 2004 and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 2 July
2004). UB


RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 134, Part II, 16 July 2004 
 
OSCE OFFICIAL DENOUNCES 'LINGUISTIC CLEANSING' IN TRANSDNIESTER. OSCE
High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Rolf Ekeus on 15 July
deplored the forced closure of a Moldovan high school in Tiraspol,
calling the measure "nothing less than linguistic cleansing,"
according to a press release issued by the HCNM's office in The
Hague. Ekeus issued the statement after Transdniestrian police
surrounded a school that uses the Latin script and authorities
removed the school's furniture and equipment. Parents and teachers
attempted to block the trucks being used to remove the equipment but
were themselves forcefully removed by police. The HCNM's office said
the incident was especially provocative as it occurred one day after
Ekeus visited the school and received assurances from Tiraspol
authorities that they will allow registration of students within one
week. Ekeus said the action "is further evidence of the
Transdniestrian disregard for basic human rights and education
standards." He also said the authorities are using thousands of
children "as pawns in a political game." The separatist authorities
claim that Moldovan is only one of the official languages in the
region and that it should be taught using the Cyrillic script, as in
the Soviet Union. MS