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Friday, October 5, 2007 Volume 11 Number 185
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| next issue  NOTE TO READERS:
"RFE/RL Newsline" will next appear on October 9. Russia
FRANCE TELLS RUSSIA TO STOP 'COMPLICATING' MATTERSJust days before he is scheduled to visit Russia, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in Sofia, Bulgaria, on October 4 that Russia is "complicating" the world's problems, news agencies reported. He did not give specifics but said Russia needs to understand that "big countries" have responsibilities, including helping to solve world problems. Sarkozy also accused Russia of using its oil and gas to impose its will on Europe. Sarkozy has often been openly critical of Russia as a bully. His predecessor, Jacques Chirac, worked closely with President Vladimir Putin and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in active opposition to U.S. policies (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 28, September 18 and 19, and October 4, 2007). PM PUTIN MARKS 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF SPUTNIK LAUNCH President Putin said in a statement on October 4 to mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik-1 that that it "was a truly historic event that started the space age.... We are rightly proud that it was our nation that opened the way to the stars for humanity," news agencies reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 4, 2007). First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov told a group of schoolchildren at the research center near Moscow named after space pioneer Sergei Korolyov that "50 years in cosmic terms is a mere instant, and yet it fundamentally changed the nature of all humanity." State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said that "unique space technologies make Russia really competitive.... The space program is back in the focus of the government's attention." The Gazprom-owned daily "Izvestia" wrote that "we were first.... At 22:28 Moscow time on October 4, 1957, humanity entered a new space age. The Soviet Union sent the Earth's first artificial satellite into orbit." The space agency Roskosmos noted in a statement that "on that day in 1957...America was seized by panic." At a meeting of U.S. and Russian scientists in Moscow on October 4, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said that "without Sputnik, there would have been no [U.S.] Apollo" program aimed at moon-landing missions. He added that "we have learned much from each other, and I think we can go farther together than either of us can go separately." Russia plans to send a probe to a moon of Mars and a manned moon mission by 2025. PM RUSSIA, CHINA BLOCK SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION ON MYANMAR Konstantin Dolgov, who is Russia's deputy ambassador to the UN, said on October 4 that "it's not for the Security Council to lead" on dealing with the situation in Myanmar, iht.com reported. He added that "we don't think that there is a situation that threatens international peace and security at this point in time, but, of course, regional action is very important to prevent that." He strongly endorsed efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to seek a way out of the impasse. China's ambassador to the UN, Wang Guangya, said that "no international imposed solution can help the situation." He stressed that Beijing supports the efforts of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, to help promote national reconciliation in Myanmar. Wang added that the international community, Myanmar's neighbors, and China all "want to see that country achieve stability and achieve democracy, achieve good governance, achieve a better way of life for its people." President Putin recently called possible sanctions against Myanmar "premature" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," January 16, May 16, and October 1, 2007). On January 12, Russian and Chinese diplomats both vetoed a U.S. resolution in the Security Council criticizing Myanmar for human-rights abuses. The Russian daily "Vremya novostei" wrote on January 15 that "for the first time in 35 years, Moscow and Beijing have acted together to prevent the UN Security Council from passing a resolution." In 1972, the two countries jointly vetoed a resolution on the Middle East. The last time Russia cast a veto was in 2004 against a U.S.-British resolution on Cyprus, the daily added. PM ACTIVISTS SAY NO PROGRESS IN RUSSIA-EU HUMAN-RIGHTS DIALOGUE Representatives of leading Russian civil-society groups expressed their frustration in Brussels on October 3 with what they say is a complete lack of progress in the EU's human-rights dialogue with Russia, RFE/RL reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 4, 2007). Speaking for the 11-member group, Lev Ponomaryov, chairman of the For Human Rights activist group, said Russian authorities ignore the views of civil society in the country, and take no action after meetings with the EU. He argued "that the existing consultations with the European Union are not effective.... Now that they are being held for a [sixth] time, they have reached a dead end." He added that "the main problem is that it is a dialogue between the deaf and the blind. We say one thing [to the EU] -- and [Russian authorities] do not attend our talks with our Western interlocutors -- and [EU officials] say another thing at their talks with their...colleagues where we are not present. After all that, there is no follow-up." PM EU LEGISLATORS REBUKE PATRIARCH'S ANTIGAY COMMENTS Former British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who is a member of the British Parliament, and several dozen members of the European Parliament said in a formal petition on October 4 that they object to recent remarks against homosexuals made by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Aleksy II before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 3, 2007). The legislators stressed that they urge him "to avoid the use of language inciting intolerance, and to respect, rather than seek to deny, the fundamental rights of sexual minorities." PM PUTIN ENDORSES PROPOSAL TO SHIFT CASES FROM STRASBOURG TO RUSSIAN COURTS President Vladimir Putin and Supreme Court Chief Justice Vyacheslav Lebedev met in Moscow on October 3 to discuss judicial reform, "Rossiiskaya gazeta" reported on October 4. Putin approved of Lebedev's suggestion that the jurisdiction of Russian courts be expanded to include cases now currently awaiting consideration at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. According to the government daily, the move would "simplify the life of the Strasbourg court" by reducing its workload. Putin was quoted as saying the change would "improve Russian jurisprudence, particularly in the area of civil cases, and ensure the legal rights and interests of citizens of the country." Some 12,000 complaints from Russia were brought to the court in 2006, amounting to one-fifth of all the cases sent to Strasbourg that year. RC REGIONAL BUSINESSES WELL REPRESENTED ON UNIFIED RUSSIA PARTY LIST The pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party has submitted its list of candidates (http://www.edinros.ru/file_dir/225.doc) for the December 2 State Duma elections to the Central Election Commission, Russian media reported on October 4. RBK noted that market analysts are studying the list carefully to determine which business interests -- both local and national -- will likely have influence in the next Duma. The agency said deputies connected with businesses in the regions will be in a position to deal with governors, trading political influence in Moscow for concessions and privileges on the local level. RBK added that Ingosstrakh intends to launch a new investment fund called Dividendnyi that will take into consideration the "political stability" of the companies included in the portfolio, although no companies have yet announced plans to create a fund based exclusively on the party list. Investment analysts at Da Vinci Capital and Renaissance Investment Management also told the agency they are monitoring Unified Russia-affiliated businesses carefully. RC SLAIN JOURNALIST REMEMBERED ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH RFE/RL's Prague broadcast headquarters on October 4 hosted a conference to mark the occasion of the first anniversary of the October 7, 2006, slaying of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya (see "RFE/RL Newsline, October 10, 2006). Some 15 other memorial gatherings are scheduled over the next few days in cities from Moscow to Washington. Dmitry Muratov, editor in chief of Politkovskaya's newspaper, "Novaya gazeta," told the RFE/RL conference by videolink from Moscow that Russian security agents were involved in the assassination and that they are now working to stymie the investigation. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek told the conference that international pressure on Russia to strengthen the rule of law must be increased. "The outcome of the investigation of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya will attest to the current situation in Russia," Topolanek said. Edward Lucas, a deputy editor at "The Economist" who was formerly its Moscow bureau chief, said the killing "was a symptom of a process that probably started way back in 1991 when they failed to liquidate the KGB." That process, he said, is "still accelerating." RC RUSSIANS SHOW RELATIVELY WEAK ATTACHMENT TO 'DEMOCRATIC VALUES' A new study by the Pew Research Center (http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=258) shows that 53 percent of Russians have a positive attitude toward a market economy, 46 percent view the activity of foreign companies in Russia positively, and 82 percent believe that increased international trade is good for the country. Russians showed less support for what the study calls "core democratic values." Thirty-four percent said they think the ability to criticize the authorities freely is important, while the same percentage agreed that it is important to maintain civilian control over the armed forces. Forty percent spoke out against media censorship; while 41 percent value fair, multiparty elections; and 45 percent consider freedom of religion important. Seventy percent of Russians think having an impartial legal system is important. In all these categories except the last, Russia fell below the average among 35 developing and transitioning countries included in the study. RC NIZHNY NOVGOROD ACTIVIST QUESTIONED OVER EUROPEAN CONTACTS Zakhar Prilepin, editor of the Nizhny Novgorod bureau of "Novaya gazeta," was detained by police for several hours on October 3 and questioned about his contacts during a recent trip to Warsaw for a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, "The Moscow Times" reported on October 5. Prilepin told the daily that Maksim Bedyrev, the head of the local organized-crime section of the police, quizzed him about his meetings with the representatives of six European embassies. Officials in Nizhny Novgorod recently confiscated computers from a local NGO and have investigated the "Novaya gazeta" bureau for allegedly using pirated computer software. They also forcibly broke up opposition demonstrations in March and April (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 30, 2007). RC PUTIN SHOWS HIS GRATITUDE President Putin purchased an apartment in Tel Aviv for Mina Yuditskaya, who taught him German in the ninth and 10th grades, "Komsomolskaya pravda" reported on October 4. The purchase was apparently made shortly after Putin visited Tel Aviv in 2005, during which he spent 40 minutes drinking tea with Yuditskaya. She told the daily that shortly after the visit, an unidentified representative of the president showed up at her door. "The man told me that Putin is a very grateful person," Yuditskaya said. "He doesn't forget about those who did something nice for him." Yuditskaya said she was shown two apartments -- one "huge and luxurious" -- and she chose a small one located near a clinic and drugstore. "It is convenient for me here," she told the daily. "The floor is easy to clean." She added that the president's representative handled everything connected with the purchase. RC CHECHEN JOURNALIST CALLS ON WEST TO NOT IGNORE CHECHNYA In comments during a London ceremony recognizing her work as a noted Grozny-based journalist and activist, Natalya Estemirova called on the West on October 4 to "not forget" the people of Chechnya, who she said "remain" victims of human rights abuses, Reuters reported. Her remarks came as she received the first annual Anna Politkovskaya Award for women defenders of human rights in war. Estemirova also stressed that Chechens still routinely face disappearances, killings, and torture, and that it is necessary to keep the public aware of the situation. RG
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