Valentinas Mite

Also by Valentinas Mite

• September 28, 2005

  Ukraine: Yushchenko Announces Partial List Of New Cabinet Members

  Viktor Yushchenko (file photo) Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko is announcing the members of his new government, widely believed to be mostly technocrats. Meanwhile, Russian prosecutors have cancelled an arrest warrant for former prime minister Yuliya Tymoshenko. The decision was made after she went to Moscow voluntarily to give evidence to the military prosecutor's office and agreed to return for the investigation.

• September 27, 2005

  Uzbekistan: Defendants In Andijon Trial Reiterate Guilt, Blame Others

  Some of the defendants in court last week The trial of 15 people accused of launching an antigovernment uprising in the Uzbek town of Andijon in May is in its second week. In the proceedings, the defendants are pleading guilty and blaming foreign countries for instigating the violence. One of the defendants has alleged that the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent funded the revolt.

• September 10, 2005

  Ukraine: Former Prime Minister Tymoshenko To Go It Alone

  Yushchenko and Tymoshenko during last year's Orange Revolution Political divisions among the leaders of Ukraine's Orange Revolution are deepening. Former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko is pledging to lead a rival political force against President Viktor Yushchenko in next year's parliamentary elections. Tymoshenko spoke one day after Yushchenko dismissed her seven-month-old cabinet amid infighting and accusations of corruption among senior officials.

• September 09, 2005

  Ukraine: Acting Prime Minister Starts Consultations On New Cabinet

  Yekhanurov began consultations on forming a new cabinet today Ukraine's acting prime minister is holding consultations today to form a new government. Yuriy Yekhanurov says ensuring stability will be his top priority. Yesterday, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko dismissed his country's government, including two key figures: Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Petro Poroshenko. The move came amid a corruption scandal and government infighting. Some analysts predict that a cabinet of technocrats may surface in the wake of the crisis.

• September 08, 2005

  Ukraine: President Yushchenko Sacks Government In Growing Crisis

  Analysts say President Yushchenko had little choice (file photo) Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko today (8 September) sacked the government of Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko. The move comes amid recent allegations of high-level corruption and a string of resignations of top officials. Today, Mykola Tomenko, deputy prime minister for humanitarian affairs, and Petro Poroshenko, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, announced they are leaving the government. Another top official, Yushchenko's chief of staff Oleksandr Zinchenko resigned on 3 September.

• September 07, 2005

  Iraq: President Claims Hussein Confessed To Crimes

  Saddam Hussein (file photo) Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has told state television that an investigating judge "was able to extract confessions" from deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Talabani said Saddam had confessed to crimes, including killings, committed during his regime. Talabani said some of the confessions involve cases currently under investigation. Last week, the Iraqi government confirmed that the former president would go on trial on 19 October.

• September 06, 2005

  Ukraine: Yushchenko’s Team Hit With Resignations, Accusations

  Oleksandr Zinchenko accused some in the current government of being worse than the previous one Political temperatures are rising in Ukraine. The former chief of staff of President Viktor Yushchenko has resigned and accused several senior government officials of corruption. Separately, the head of Ukraine's National Television and Radio also stepped down. Analysts see the moves as a sign of an emerging political struggle ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

• September 01, 2005

  Russia: Basaev Rejoins Chechen Rebel Government

  Shamil Basaev (file photo) Chechen warlord Shamil Basaev, who claims responsibility for last year's deadly Beslan school seizure and other terrorist attacks, has rejoined Chechnya's separatist government as deputy prime minister. The appointment may seem surprising, given Basaev's radical stance. But analysts say for the separatists, it is a logical step.

• August 29, 2005

  CIS: Turkmenistan Reduces Ties To ‘Associate Member'

  Is the CIS good for anything but photo opportunities? The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is losing one of its current full members, Turkmenistan. Instead, Ashgabat will become an “associate member.” In a letter to the participants of Kazan's summit, Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov called for the change in his country’s ties with the CIS, saying they are in line with his policy of permanent neutrality. Niyazov, also known as Turkmenbashi (Father of the Turkmen), was the only CIS leader who did not attend the Kazan summit.

• August 26, 2005

  CIS: If It's So Ineffectual, Why Do Leaders Keep Meeting?

  Leaders from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are holding a summit today in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. They are due to discuss CIS reform, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and other issues. The meeting, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is expected to end with agreements being signed on terrorism, fighting extremist groups, and on curbing illegal migration. But the CIS is widely considered to be ineffectual in its goal of preserving close economic and defense ties between the former Soviet states. So why do the leaders keep meeting?

• August 25, 2005

  Tatarstan: Kazan Celebrates Its 1,000th Anniversary, 'Equilibrium Of Cultures'

  Celebrations marking the 1,000th anniversary of the capital of Kazan kick off today. Kazan, on the banks of the Volga River, is the capital of the mainly Muslim republic of Tatarstan, some 700 kilometers east of Moscow. The Tatars trace their lineage back to the Mongols who raced across Russia in the 12th and 13th centuries. In the 16th century, Kazan became part of the Russian Empire. But the city has worked hard to preserve its ancient cultural identity, which will be showcased during the festivities.

• August 23, 2005

  Ukraine: Official Misstatements Show Lack Of Unity In Foreign Policy

  Officials in Ukraine over the past several days have found themselves voicing different, often contradictory, opinions on the future of the country's foreign relations. The new administration has made no secret of its intention to pursue closer ties with the European Union. Beyond that, however, signals have been mixed on the course its foreign policy will take. As RFE/RL reports, it is unclear whether Kyiv has developed a united policy on several key issues.

• August 04, 2005

  Iraq: U.S. Facing Deadliest Period In Iraq In Months

  U.S. National Guard troops in Iraq (file photo) The United States is facing one of the deadliest periods for its forces in Iraq in months. On 3 August, 14 U.S. marines and their interpreter were killed by a roadside bomb in western Iraq. --> http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/08/96056b66-176f-41a1-a75b-0118b1a149b0.html Those casualties come a day after a six-member Marine sniper team died in a firefight in the same area. In all, 44 American service members have died in Iraq since 24 July.

• August 03, 2005

  Eastern Europe: Russian-Polish Tensions Rise Over Attack On Russian Children In Warsaw

  Polish Foreign Minister Adam Rotfeld has had his work cut out for him lately (file photo) Poland's relations with Russia have reached new lows. The formal reason for the exchange of current diplomatic unpleasantness is an attack on teenage children of Russian diplomats in Warsaw on 31 July. Moscow says the attack indicates strong anti-Russian sentiments in the country. Analysts say more serious disagreements are under the surface.

• July 27, 2005

  Ukraine: Has Yushchenko's Political Honeymoon Come To An End?

  President Yushchenko with his family Some 200 Ukrainian journalists have joined forces in asking President Viktor Yushchenko to formally apologize for what they say was rude behavior during a recent news conference. The Ukrainian president was angered when a reporter pressed him to address reports about his son's lavish lifestyle. Analysts say it is not the first row between Yushchenko and the press -- but it may be the latest sign the president's political honeymoon is coming to an end.

• July 25, 2005

  Egypt: Bombing Search Focuses On Six Pakistani Men

  Sharm el Sheik on 24 July Egyptian police say they are searching for six Pakistani men who were in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh when a series of bomb blasts on 23 July killed over 60 people. Officials say the six may have had a direct role in the bomb blasts or in planning the attack.

• July 21, 2005

  Belarus: Regime Increases Pressure On Private Universities, Other Institutions

  Belarusian authorities are tightening their grip on independent institutions in the wake of popular upheavals that helped unseat governments in Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. But the government of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is not just shutting some schools down and harassing others. It's also spearheading a new campaign to inculcate the nation's schools and students with a new "Ideology of the Republic of Belarus."

• July 19, 2005

  Ukraine: Yushchenko Orders Law-Enforcement Overhaul

  A Kyiv traffic officer Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has called for a shake-up of law-enforcement agencies in an attempt to crack down on corruption and organized crime. The president ordered the disbanding of the country's traffic police, known by the acronym DAI. He also called for replacing regional police chiefs.

• July 17, 2005

  Iraq: Prime Minister Makes Landmark Visit To Iran

  Al-Ja'fari (file photo) With a Shi'a-dominated government in place in Baghdad, a closer relationship now appears to be developing between Iraq and Iran. Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Ja'fari was in Tehran over the weekend to discuss security issues and future relations between the two countries. Al-Ja'fari met today with outgoing President Mohammad Khatami during the first top-level visit since the two countries waged an eight-year war in the 1980s.

• July 13, 2005

  Ukraine: Would Hike In Russian Gas Prices Prove A Blessing In Disguise?

  Would higher prices force Ukraine to make abrupt economic reforms? Russia's State Duma is urging the government to consider exporting natural gas to Ukraine at world prices. The Duma's recommendation comes amidst Russian accusations that Ukraine is stealing Russian gas transiting its territory, a claim Kyiv strongly denies. Ukraine is highly dependent on Russian energy resources, and higher prices could seriously strain its economy. Others believe such a price hike might serve as a blessing in disguise by pushing the Ukrainian government to implement economic reforms that it wouldn't have adopted otherwise.

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