Valentinas Mite

Also by Valentinas Mite

• October 13, 2004

  Russia: Mourning Period Ends For Beslan Tragedy Amid Fears Of Interethnic Violence

  The 40-day mourning period for the victims of the Beslan hostage crisis has ended, and there are fears that interethnic violence could reignite in the region. The hundreds of victims of the school siege -- nearly half of them children -- were mostly North Ossetians. Relatives of the victims blame militants from neighboring Ingushetia for the tragedy. Tensions between Muslim Ingush and Christian Ossetians go back many decades.

• October 07, 2004

  Belarus: Polls Reveal Support For Lukashenka, But Enough To Change The Constitution?

  Still popular Though considered a pariah in the West, polls indicate that many Belarusians approve of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's policies. But these same polls show voters as seemingly reluctant to change the constitution to allow him to serve a third term in office A referendum scheduled for 17 October -- the same day as parliamentary elections -- will ask voters whether they favor removing an article in the Belarusian constitution that limits the president to serving two consecutive five-year terms. Lukashenka's second term in office expires in 2006. As RFE/RL reports, one key question is whether voter turnout will reach the threshold needed for the referendum to be valid.

• October 05, 2004

  Iraq: In Rebel Cities, Establishing Civilian Control May Prove As Tough As Military Victories

  U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says large-scale military operations are needed to regain control of rebel-held parts of Iraq. Rumsfeld referred to the Sunni city of Samarra -- recently retaken by coalition and Iraqi forces in a major offensive -- as the example to be followed. However, establishing effective civilian control over such areas may prove as difficult and challenging as any military victory. If such control is not established, elections will be cast in doubt. And if large numbers of Sunni Muslims cannot vote, there is a risk they will become further alienated after January's scheduled polls.

• September 30, 2004

  Iraq: Syria Agrees To Tighten Border Controls

  U.S. officials have announced that Syria has agreed to take steps to tighten control over its 600-kilometer border with Iraq. The announcement followed talks in Damascus between U.S., Syrian, and Iraqi officials. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the Syrians must now prove their commitment. The State Department has declined to discuss specific details of the agreement, and Damascus has yet to official comment on the talks. U.S.-Syria relations, never good, hit a new low earlier this year when Washington imposed economic sanctions on Damascus for its alleged support of terrorism and refusal to fight anti-American insurgents crossing the border into Iraq.

• September 23, 2004

  Central Asia: Shanghai Cooperation Organization Signs Agreement In Bishkek

  The Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) met today in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. Officials from the member countries -- Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and China -- discussed plans to develop regional economic cooperation and signed an economic agreement. The group was formed in 1996 to fight terrorism and Islamic extremism, but now is taking on other priorities aimed at regional development.

• September 22, 2004

  Iraq: Hostage Drama Continues As Another Beheaded Body Is Found

  An Iraqi militant group claims to have beheaded a second American hostage, two days after killing a U.S. civil engineer. The group -- Al-Tawhid wa Al-Jihad, led by Al-Qaeda ally Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi -- is threatening to kill a third hostage from Britain unless the U.S. releases its Iraqi women prisoners. The Iraqi Justice Ministry said today that one of female prisoner may be released, but the U.S. denied any knowledge of that claim. Meanwhile, fighting continued today as at least 10 people were killed after U.S. patrols scoured Baghdad's Al-Sadr City for militants.

• September 21, 2004

  Iraq: Militants Behead American, Threaten To Kill Two More Hostages

  A militant group in Iraq led by Al-Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi beheaded an American civil engineer yesterday. The group is threatening to kill another American and British hostage if the United States does not release all Iraqi women prisoners today. The decapitation came after militants killed three Iraqi Kurdish fighters. At least five other Westerners are being held hostage in Iraq, including two female Italian aid workers and two French reporters. So far more than 130 foreigners have been kidnapped. While many have been released, several others have been executed.

• September 15, 2004

  Iraq: U.S. Seeking To Reallocate Rebuilding Funds To Security

  Daily violence is stretching U.S. and Iraqi forces Washington is seeking to reallocate some $3.5 billion from Iraq's reconstruction fund and use the money to improve security. The plan would shift money away from Iraqi water, power, and other reconstruction projects in order to improve safety, boost oil output, and prepare for elections in January 2005. The move reflects changing priorities as an 18-month insurgency continues with no signs of ending.

• September 09, 2004

  Russia: Moscow Joins Countries Advocating Preemptive Stance On Terror

  The head of Russia's General Staff announced yesterday that Moscow is willing to strike against "terrorist bases" anywhere in the world. The comments come after the bloody school siege in southern Russia last week that left more than 300 civilians dead.

• September 08, 2004

  Belarus: Lukashenka Seeks To Change Constitution To Allow Third Term

  Alyaksandr Lukashenka (file photo) Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has announced a referendum in which voters will decide if he can seek at least five more years in office. The referendum will be held along with parliamentary elections scheduled for 17 October. Lukashenka's second term in office expires in 2006, and the current constitution does not allow him to run for a third term. The referendum will ask voters whether they favor removing an article in the constitution that limits the president to two consecutive five-year terms.

• September 03, 2004

  Russia: Authorities Have Poor Record On Hostage Crises

  Russians demonstrating against terrorism (file photo) Russia has encountered several hostage crises before Beslan. In most instances, it has dealt poorly with them. In the 1995 Budyonnovsk case, the militants escaped. In the 2002 Moscow theater siege, scores of innocent hostages died when Russian special forces stormed the building.

• September 02, 2004

  Russia: Putin Strong For Now, But Attacks May Undermine Long-Term Popularity

  President Vladimir Putin (file photo) The hostage standoff continued today at a school in Beslan, a town in Russia's southern republic of North Ossetia. Armed militants seized the building yesterday, and continue to hold some 350 people hostage, including 130 children. The demands and even the identity of the hostage takers remain unclear, but the siege is reminiscent of past hostage crises in which Chechen militants have demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from the war-torn republic. The Beslan hostage drama is just the latest in a string of violent incidents over the past week, following the simultaneous explosions of two Russian airplanes and this week's suicide attack outside a Moscow subway station. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly promised to defeat terrorism. But will the recent wave of attacks undermine his authority? RFE/RL reports that Putin's popularity may suffer -- but only in the long term.

• August 27, 2004

  Chechnya: Few Surprises Expected In Presidential Vote

  Chechnya's presidential election on 29 August is likely to bring few surprises to the war-ravaged Russian republic. Of the seven candidates, the Kremlin's favored candidate, Alu Alkhanov, is expected to win easily.

• August 25, 2004

  Russia/Belarus: Moscow, Minsk Say 'No Problems' In Relations

  Lukashenka and Putin's upbeat rhetoric was a clear change in tone from their talks last summer in Sochi (file photo) After a meeting this week in the sunny Russian resort city of Sochi, the presidents of Russia and Belarus declared there are "no problems" left in relations between their nations. But analysts do not agree with the rosy picture painted by Vladimir Putin and Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

• July 30, 2004

  Iraq: Officials Postpone National Conference

  Iraqi officials have postponed a national conference originally scheduled to begin on 31 July. The event, viewed as a crucial step in Iraq's transition to democracy, is now due to be held in mid-August. The official reason for the delay was to attract a greater number of participants -- but observers say the poor security situation could not be far from the organizers' minds.

• July 28, 2004

  Iran/Iraq: Recent Comments Suggest Problems In Baghdad-Tehran Relations

  Iranian President Khatami (pictured) has invited Iraq's prime minister to Tehran (file photo) Some Iraqi officials are waging a war of words with neighboring Iran. Iraqi Defense Minister Hazim Shalan al-Khuza'i called Tehran Iraq's "first enemy" and accused it of seeking to "kill democracy" in the country. However, al-Khuza'i's comments do not reflect the official position of the interim Iraqi government. Analysts say the statements indicate not only problems in relations between the two countries but also a lack of unity among members of the Iraqi government.

• July 21, 2004

  Iraq: Bulgaria, Philippines React Differently To Hostage Crises

  The Philippines and Bulgaria both deployed troops to Iraq. Both countries welcome warm relations with the United States, which is leading the Iraqi occupation. But when their nationals were taken hostage in Iraq, they responded in radically different ways. The Philippine government surrendered to the demands of the kidnappers and withdrew its troops from Iraq. But Bulgaria has refused to budge.

• July 16, 2004

  Iraq: Tribal Influence Still Strong, But Some Say Its Power Is Waning

  Al-Yawir is the first tribal leader to be Iraqi head of state Iraqi tribes are strong players in the country's postwar political game. Local analysts say the stability of the country will in large part depend on the new interim government's ability to strike deals with influential tribal leaders.

• July 14, 2004

  Iraq: Old Sabaean-Mandean Community Is Proud of Its Ancient Faith

  Iraq's Sabaean-Mandean religious community is one of the smallest and most peaceful in Iraq. Sabaeans insist their religion is one of the oldest in the world and consider themselves to be the followers of the message given to Adam, whom the Bible says is the first man created on Earth.

• July 13, 2004

  Iraq: Archives, Libraries Devastated By War, Looting

  Employees of Iraq's National Library and Archives are struggling to overcome the destruction wrought during the first weeks of the U.S.-led war. Many irreplaceable documents, photographs, maps, and books -- some centuries old -- were either destroyed in the fighting or were stolen in the rampant looting that followed. A vital part of Iraq's culture seems to have disappeared forever.

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