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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 39, Part I, 1 March 2004 
 
DISPLACED PERSONS CAMPS IN INGUSHETIA TO CLOSE. Three tent camps in
Ingushetia that collectively house some 25,000 displaced persons from
Chechnya are to be closed by the end of March, ITAR-TASS reported on
27 February, quoting a Chechen Interior Ministry official. On 29
February, Igor Yunash, who is first deputy head of the Federal
Migration Service of the Russian Interior Ministry, said that the
Bart camp will close within days, as there are only 20 families with
a total of 67 people still living there. Chechen Deputy Prime
Minister Bekhlis Badaeva told ITAR-TASS on 29 February that the
Chechen government will cover the costs of the displaced persons'
return from Ingushetia and pay them a per diem allowance of 14 rubles
($0.49) per person to cover the cost of renting accommodation in
Chechnya, plus 6 rubles per day for food. LF


RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 39, Part II, 1 March 2004

HUNGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER DISAPPROVES OF SZEKLER-AUTONOMY DRIVE IN
ROMANIA. Interior Minister Monika Lamperth said during a 28 February
visit to Capus, Cluj County, that an "aggressive approach" to the
Hungarian minority's aspiration to autonomy cannot produce the
desired results, Mediafax reported. Lamperth was referring to the
draft law submitted by supporters within the Hungarian Democratic
Federation of Romania (UDMR) of the Szekler National Council (SZNT in
Hungarian, CNS in Romanian) initiative (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27
February 2004). The agency quoted Lamperth as saying: "I cannot agree
with initiatives likely to bring about a split in the ranks of the
UDMR and in the Hungarian [ethnic] community" of Romania,
"particularly when it runs the danger of eliminating the UDMR for the
decision-making process." A public-opinion poll recently conducted by
IMAS showed for the first time that the UDMR might fail to pass the 5
percent electoral threshold in the parliamentary elections slated for
November, Romanian media reported on 1 March. The poll showed the
UDMR is supported by just 3.8 percent of the electorate. MS


RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 40, Part II, 2 March 2004

RUSSIAN PARTIES IN ESTONIA, LATVIA PLAN TO UNITE, SEEK EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT SEAT. Three representatives of the United People's Party
of Estonia met with the council of the alliance For Human Rights in a
United Latvia over the weekend in Riga and decided to create a new
association called Russians of the European Union, or Russian League,
BNS reported on 1 March. The meeting issued a document stating that
there is no political force in Western Europe capable of defending
the rights of the ethnic Russian and Russian-speaking populations
that will soon be residents of the European Union. The document said
the league strives to become "a pan-European party of Russian
culture, economy, and social solidarity," and that gaining
"representation in the European Parliament will be the first step
toward fulfillment of that goal." The meeting formed a working group
that will launch efforts to create the new political force, with the
next meeting between the parties to be held in Tallinn later this
month. SG

SLOVAK ROMANY LEADERS TO BE PROSECUTED FOR INCITING CIVIL UNREST...
Prosecutor-General Dobroslav Trnka announced on 1 March after meeting
with Interior Minister Vladimir Palko that criminal proceedings will
be launched against members of the Romany Parliament, TASR and CTK
reported. Interior Ministry spokesman Boris Azaltovic said the
leaders of the organization will be charged with inciting civil
unrest -- an offense that carries a sentence of up to two years in
prison. The decision was made following Romany Parliament Chairman
Ladislav Fizik's appeal last week to members of the Romany minority
to block border-crossing points and highways in protest against the
continued deployment of police and military forces in eastern
Slovakia in the wake of recent rioting (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1
March 2004). MS

....AS INTERNATIONAL ROMANY ORGANIZATIONS DEMAND INVESTIGATION. The
Budapest-based European Center for Roma Rights (ERRC), the Slovak
Center for Roma Rights (CPR), and Amnesty International demanded on 1
March that Prosecutor-General Trnka launch an investigation into
police behavior during last week's riots in Trebisov, eastern
Slovakia, CTK reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 February 2004). CPR
member Edmund Muller said police acted with brutality not seen
recently against the Romany minority except in Kosova. Muller also
said police broke into flats and beat residents, and that Roma who
were detained were subjected to electric shocks. The Brussels-based
European Roma Information Office (ERIO) on 1 March urged the Slovak
government to withdraw police and military forces deployed after last
week's clashes. The ERIO also proposed that the European Commission
and the European Parliament dispatch a mission to Slovakia to monitor
the situation and help settle the dispute over reduced social
benefits. MS

HUNGARIAN PREMIER, FIDESZ CHAIRMAN MEET IN FRONT OF REPORTERS. A
planned meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy and
his predecessor, current opposition FIDESZ Chairman Orban, took place
on 1 March in the presence of journalists, Hungarian media reported
the next day. Medgyessy said during the meeting that he intends to
set up a Hungarian National Lobbying Council comprising the current
prime minister and his predecessors, as well as prominent public
personalities. The forum is to forge a common stance on important
issues after Hungary joins the EU. Medgyessy and Orban agreed on the
need to provide family benefits to ethnic Hungarians abroad. Orban
said the cabinet should issue a statement in support of autonomy for
the Transylvanian region inhabited by the Szeklers, and that the
private Hungarian-language Sapienta University in Romania must be
allotted more subsidies by the Hungarian government. In response, the
prime minister said autonomy can have many forms and cited similar
statements made by Bela Marko, leader of the Hungarian Democratic
Federation of Romania. Medgyessy also said that in view of the
current budget cuts, no exception can be made for allocations to
Sapienta University. MS

HUNGARIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT APPROVES REFERENDUM DRIVE ON DUAL
CITIZENSHIP. The Constitutional Court ruled on 1 March that the World
Federation of Hungarians can begin collecting signatures to force a
referendum on granting Hungarian citizenship to ethnic Hungarians
living in neighboring countries, "Nepszabadsag" and "Magyar Nemzet"
reported. Miklos Patrubany, chairman of the federation, said the
petition drive might be launched on 15 March, provided the National
Election Commission approves the format of the signature sheets this
week. MS


RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 41, Part II, 3 March 2004

TRANSYLVANIAN BISHOP PROMOTES AUTONOMY VISION IN BUDAPEST. "We do not
want a revision [of borders], we will be content with territorial
autonomy, but this minimal requirement should be unequivocally
supported by our [Hungarian] motherland," Hungarian media quoted
Reformed Bishop Laszlo Toekes as telling journalists in Budapest on 2
March. National Council of Transylvanian Hungarians Chairman Toekes
was accompanied by Szekler National Council head Jozsef Csapo and
parliamentary deputies representing the Hungarian Democratic Forum,
whose parliamentary group leader Karoly Herenyi backed their demands.
Toekes and Csapo said their organizations want to attend as full
members the next meeting of the Hungarian Standing Conference, which
includes representatives of the Hungarian government and of ethnic
Hungarian organizations abroad. Csapo rejected Hungarian Prime
Minister Medgyessy's 1 March rejection of the autonomy plans and his
citation of Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania Chairman Bela
Marko's support for his position (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 March
2004). Csapo noted that Marko was the first Transylvanian Hungarian
politician to oppose the plan, but added that no one is obliged to
embrace his opinions. MS

VOJVODINA LEADERS DRAFT NEW PROGRAM FOR AUTONOMY. Leaders of the main
Vojvodina-based political parties and NGOs agreed on the Subotica
Initiative in that city on 28 February, Deutsche Welle's "Monitor"
reported. The program aims to promote autonomy for the province in
the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the government,
replacing the autonomy abolished by then-Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic in 1988 in a move to consolidate his power. The Subotica
meeting was led by Jozef Kasza of the League of Vojvodina Hungarians
and Nenad Canak of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina. No
representatives of Belgrade-based parties were invited to the
gathering. Kasza described the province as "the road to Europe" for
Serbia, adding, "we will not allow any radicalization of Vojvodina."
Canak stressed the multiethnic and multicultural character of
Vojvodina. Since the victory of the ultranationalist Serbian Radical
Party (SRS) in the 28 December Serbian parliamentary elections, a
growing number of incidents against Croats and other ethnic
minorities have been reported in Vojvodina (see "RFE/RL Balkan
Report," 30 January 2004). PM


RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 42, Part I, 4 March 2004

RUSSIA'S TOP COP ADMITS COUNTRY HAS SKINHEAD PROBLEM. For the first
time, a senior federal-level official has admitted the existence of
"right-wing, extremist, fascist youth groups" in Russia, "Izvestiya"
reported on 3 March. According to the daily, acting Interior Minister
Rashid Nurgaliev told a meeting of top law enforcement officials on 2
March that Russia "is threatened by extreme manifestations of
extremism in the youth sphere." According to the daily, federal
officials have not previously acknowledged the existence of the
fascist youth movement, devotees of "white power" or skinheads.
Incidents that appeared to be racially motivated are normally
attributed to soccer fans or hooligans. "Nezavisimaya gazeta" on 3
March commented that in the recent past, high-level officials have
openly stated that there are no skinheads in Moscow or anywhere else.
Nurgaliev called on his ministry and the Federal Security Service
(FSB) to weaken the groups by "neutralizing" their leaders. JAC