Tiraspol - Moldova - Mafia in Uniform

Did you say "proof", Ulvetann? Check this out. The Moldovian President claim he can prove Tiraspol sold weapons to Iraq. I bet those weapons were delivered by none other than Viktor Bout (also spelled Victor Bout). And one of his planes were in Baghdad just a few days ago (Flight BIS6371. Running on US DOD fuel)...

It would be interesting to have an statement from the US ambassador William Hill, head honcho of the OSCE office Eastern Europe, regarding OSCEs 'quietness'. What part has William Hill in this? what is his reason in delaying the progress in these countries? Who's telling him to stand down, instead of initiating new talks? Why is he in charge? He must be influential?! He surely knows this geographical area as if it is his own backpocket. He has earlier been very active in Voice of America, A statefunded organization, being a true propaghandi, working his way up more or less quietly. Anyone have any more info about this guys activities?

I want to put a face behind the name of this very important person.
(photo 2005) (OSCE/Victor Munteanu)

Related link, to the Biography of William Hill:
OSCE.ORG

Latest press release from OSCE, regarding the situation in Transdniestra, is that William Hill has urged the Transdniestrian authorities to return a confiscated school building to a Moldovan school in Ribnita.
The press release is dated to the 26. of September 2005.

During the height of the school crisis in summer 2004, Transdniestrian militia stormed the Evrica lyceum and evicted the pupils, teachers and parents from their premises. Since October 2004 the school has been forced to operate 'in exile', renting the premises of a kindergarten from a local factory.

William Hill furthermore stated, that:

"The local authorities in Ribnita have de facto stolen this building. They must give the building back to the school without any further delay and without any conditions".

Related newslink:
OSCE.org/Moldova

On the counterpart:
Russian Foreign Minister Defends Military Presence In Moldova.

Sergei Lavrov (file photo)
(Official Site) (Radio Free Europe)

8 November 2005 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today said Russia's military presence in Moldova's separatist province of Transdniester is essential to the region's stability.

Lavrov also said that the 1500 deployed russian soldiers were helping to keep the region peaceful.
After talks with his Romanian counterpart Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, Lavrov stated, the Russian forces are "honestly" fulfilling their peacekeeping mandate.

Related newslink:
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Personal note:
I find it appaling that governments are able to dig themselves so deep into the political mud, because of the profit of illegal trade amongst other issues in this geographically far away, but still, very tense hotspot.
I guess this area is a victim of bureaucracy and personal prestige, not only poverty and corruption. Not to mention, using this area as a vent for covert activities/terrorism and other tabus, stated in earlier postings, first and foremost by Hellmutt!

Moldova is being used, and they know it. -And 'nobody' listens.

Transnistrian power station cuts off supplies to Moldova (about 47% of Moldova's electricity needs). Moldova is now using reserve supplies...

As of 10th. of November, Interfax has released news originating from the Russian Foreign Ministry's second departement, director Vyacheslav Kovalenko. In this press-release, Interfax quote Kovalenko;

"We are very interested in the withdrawal of the remaining property, but that can be done only with progress in the Transdniestria settlement negotiations".

"An improvement in relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol will help with the withdrawal of the remaining military property".

This is indeed VERY contradictive to the statements of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week, covered in my previous post.

Related newslink:
Interfax
Are these people talking to each other at all? Or are they finally talking?! Oh, no, wait, it's all about bad politics, riiight. I almost did believe an solution was at end with this statement! -Not.
I would soon be liable to state that Russias REAL problem in handling this issue is that the Chain-of-Command regarding the 'Russian peacekeeping force' don't takes orders from the President of Russia anymore. And that is why Russia must state that they are needed in the area, otherwise they would loose their (political) face. I believe the russian bear has too much pride in accepting another loss.

Originally posted by Ulvetann

Russias REAL problem in handling this issue is that the Chain-of-Command regarding the 'Russian peacekeeping force' don't takes orders from the President of Russia anymore.

I wonder if you´re right and this could be the case. If so, they might have to eventually remove these troops and arms by force. This just in today:

Tiraspol has opened its own mint! Moldova do not recognise the Transnistrian coin.

Refugees from Transnistria have sent complaints against Moldova and Russia to the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights). Moldova for not providing houses and Russia for their military, economic and political support to Tiraspol. Some of the refugees will also send complaints to Strasbourg.


"complaints"... "petitions"... you get the idea...

Because of the latest developments with Romania allowing US to build at least one permanent military base on Romania soil, Russia may purge the CFE treaty!

Soj: Fall-out from Romania's Base Deal

I wrote a full-length piece on the CFE and it's importance back in June, which you can find here. In short, the CFE is one of the least glamorous but most important treaties for world security. While many people focus on chemical or nuclear weapons, the CFE deals with conventional weaponry likes tanks and helicopters. And despite the "showbiz" quality of nerve agents etc., it's tanks and helicopters which have killed millions of people in Europe's bloody past.

While the treaty has been signed by a number of western countries, it has not been ratified, which means it is not actually in effect, although many countries have acted more or less like it is.

If there's one thing the European continent does not need, it's for Russia and her allies to feel threatened by a build-up of conventional forces.


Click the link for the complete post by Soj.

How many people have so far been killed by nuclear/chemical weapons vs. conventional weapons? Conventional weapons are the biggest threat against world peace.

Related Links:
CFE : Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty

Some people don´t like investigations and exposure. They are threatening witnesses and journalists who investigate connections between some companies and "gun dealers like Victor Bout and Al Qaeda". People get threatened to hide the truth and not talk to media. Journalists are being told: "You’ll be in troubles if you investigate this case!"

Imho, I think Transdniestria is trying really hard, to change their true 'face', into a more tactically and 'respectable' face outwards to the public media.
Perhaps due to an general increased interest in the Tiraspol issue?

Has the Transdniesters truly realized that they are being observed?
Do they realize, that they need more of the similarity of that of a modern country, i.e. mint, flag, stamp, and 'free elections'?

It seems so...

They are at least up for an election, whereas they need 25% of the votees to show up, to validate the vote. -And they have the certainty that it will be met!

RFE/RL's Romania-Moldova Service correspondent Vitalie Condratchi said in Moldova's capital Chisinau this afternoon that, "The elections will [likely] be legitimate according to their election laws because the turnout was 23 percent of eligible voters at 12 o'clock noon. In order for the elections to be valid [under the local electoral laws], they need turnout of at least 25 percent."

The international community has declined to recognize the election and therefore did not send observers to the region's 278 polling stations.

I guess my question is, since the observers were absent; How likely are the result true to democracy?

Related link:
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
ITAR-TASS

Edited in another link (ITAR-TASS)

[edit on 11-12-2005 by Ulvetann]

hmmm. conflicting reports regarding international observers monitoring the election. BBC say no one (including Russia) is sending any monitors at all. RIA Novosti say "everyone" is sending observers to monitor this election.



Seems like they made the 25% limit. However, I doubt the election will be recognised by the rest of the world as a valid election if they didn´t monitor it. And after all, Trans-Dniester isn´t recognised as an independent country either so... This "election" is worthless I guess...

RIA Novosti: Voter turnout exceeds 37.8% in Moldovan self-proclaimed republic

There are many unclear statements, indeed!

I have observed comments, that OSCE don't accept the election. Other statements that only 23% voted, still the election was accepted. Some places it is stated that EU has got their own observers. 100'eds of journalists have supposedly observed the elections, whereof only a minority can report of errors regarding the election, etc. etc.

What is very interesting, is that pro-russian media very often says the opposite things of 'western' media! (Transdniestr-statements, i.e.)

My guess is that, history is being formed and bent, as we read/speak of this area. I don't think there will be more peace in that region, if Transdniestr 'win' their own independence!

Moldovan press says Ukraine has declared the elections as illegitimate. They also say observers from Ukraine, Russia and Poland observed the elections.

Andrei Stratan, the Moldovan Deputy Premier, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.

He stated today, the 14. of december, that Russia is a threat to the OSCE international image.

Stratan expressed regret that the Ljubljana forum failed to adopt final document and a declaration on Moldova. “At the same time, I believe it is useless to strive for sterile and in fact formal documents for the only sake of proving the presence of a consensus in the OSCE on essential issues”, the minister said.

In his words, in Ljubljana the Moldovan delegation was ready to negotiations on some issues, “but there exist certain principles, such as the observance of Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity that cannot be a subject of negotiations. At the same time, there can be no doubt that Transnistria has to be provided with a special legal status within the Republic of Moldova”.

He thinks that democratization and demilitarization of the left Dniester bank is an indispensable condition for solving the Transnistria problem, and that “the current Tiraspol regime is not able to ensure genuine democratization of the region. On the contrary, the regime uses intimidation methods to keep the population in awe”.

Related link:
Moldova.org Politicom

I could be quoting the whole article, but I think it is wiser that the interested people click the link to the source.

I believe, that what we see, is actually the pre-election stalemate, continuing to be a post-election stalemate, whereas the election itself has now become another 'issue' on top of the issue itself, democratizing and civilize, and not to forget, to have Transdniestrian illegalities stopped.
If anyone need a reminder of what Transdniestra and Tiraspol stand for, it is trade of arms, drugs, humans and I am sure the list could be even more detailed, but it shouldn't even be nessecary to repeat it.

“Chisinau had repeatedly stated that the Dniester theme actually remains the only problematic one in our relations with Russia,” Stratan noted. In his opinion, “Russia should withdraw its troops from the region in order to get the Dniester problem finally settled”.

“Some contradictions in politics and diplomacy should remain on the agenda of diplomatic discussions and should not tell on the economic, cultural and personal relations between our two countries,” Stratan believes. “Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be the subject of any negotiations,” he stressed, adding that “the Dniester Region should be doubtlessly given a special legal status within the bounds of Moldova”.

Related link:
News From Russia

If I were able to express my opinions about Transdniestra, I would surely start of the whole rant with something like; "This must surely be THE most, utterly, stereotypical example of very bad political work in progress?"

Here is yet an example of what is going on behind the backs of public media...

The EU has revoked the visa restrictions for eight Tiraspol officials, which it considered responsible for the closure of Romanian language schools located in the Transdniestrian region.

Let me get this straight? EU(!) are letting 'terrorists' go from non-grata persons, to be able to travel freely(?) in Europe?!?
And why is this happening, I hope You ask!?

(...) the British EU Presidency seeks from the Transdniestrian administration to reestablish the status of the Rabnita school and to create all the conditions for it to function. (...)

STFU! They Brits has, imho, made a horse-trade with these people! They have not even been assured that they actually WILL, and i quote;

(...)seeks (...)

Whenever did the The Government of Great Britain, and to add onto this, THE EU(!) approve to do a horse-trade with terrorists. Questionmark! -Why don't they start to give them alcohol, weapons and glass-beads? Oh, I forgot, they already have that!
Thankfully, the US has lifted none of the travel restrictions imposed on the 27 Tiraspol officials.

Related Link:
Moldova.org
Moldova.org

Ho, ho, ho.
Up towards christmas holiday weekend, the parts finally found together in a merry meeting, contemplating how to live peacefully together. STOP! if I continue writing like this, The Disney Company will most likely sue my merry 'hind off for plagiarism of a movie. -Or something.

Participants of Tirapol, Chisinau, Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE and the United States gathered, and the meeting lasted to midnight friday the 16th.

The representative of the European Union left the talks earlier because he had some important meetings.

In a nutshell, the meeting were NOT a success.
Again the parts are bargaining , ending up in a continued deadlock with little, or no progress at all.

Again, I must take the liberty of describing what I read, as something that resemble nothing, but a feudal society. Where what is supposed to be the cooperative enactment of a global community and it's complex organizations, aren't even able to give the farmers their right, to do their own land. I thought the meaning of overnational entities as UN, NATO and OSCE where there to put pressure/convince/remove supressors?
Of course it makes the whole issue a bit more tricky, when both USA and Russia is involved in this. Both countries has got semi-professional (obviously) politicians playing poker in a cold war context.

Anyway, what they got out of this meeting was:

Farmers from the Chisinau-controlled villages on the left bank of the Dniester river will be able to harvest their crop in exchange for a tax of 0.18 percent of agricultural production transported on the other side of the Ribnita-Tiraspol highway.

Ooooh. Awesome d00dz! U got qwnd!

Also, the sides decided to replace the alleged Transnistrian customs stations with militia and police stations.

Intriguing. May I ask what is the difference? Does this mean that the transdniestiran custom personell, exchange the colours of their socks? That they can wear a helmet instead of a top-hat?

Another issue that challenged disputes at negotiation envisaged the organisation of democratic elections in the Transnistrian region. Finally, the sides decided to institute an "evaluation mission" to asses this situation.

Didn't I say it, didn't I? Well, didn't I?(In a previous post).

Asked to comment on reaction of Transnistrians to the idea of an evaluation mission, Hill said that "it would be an exaggeration to say that the sides accepted the conduct of some free and democratic elections in the Transnistrian region. Negotiations were very difficult. Tiraspol accepted some positions, but it gave up later some points that we already regarded as coordinated. We were so late from this reason. I hope that concrete steps forward settlement of the problem would be taken in future, including in connection with tensions in the Dubasari district. The situation was and is difficult. The outcome could be much better," Hill added.

*Yawn* Does this not just sound like a politician? Couldn't he just say "No comments". It sure takes less time!

Related link:
Moldova.org


Aaand what happened the next week?...

OSCE and the meeting held, obviously *BEEEP* someone off!

Gheorghe Susarenco, lawmaker of the Christian Democratic People’s Party (PPCD), demanded the government on Thursday, December 22, to declare William Hill, head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova as persona non grata and to expel him from country.

Honestly, this whole Tiraspol-thread is, imo, more hilarious than a soapy opera on TV!
Susarenco tilted over W. Hills 'attitude' towards the negotiations.
My guess is that Susarenco see the whole OSCE & Co. as a bitter herb in their beeker of contempt and corruption.

He also:

(...)asked Premier Vasile Tarlev to sack Reintegration Minister Vasile Sova for "being incompetent and for not speaking one of the three official languages of the Moldovan Transnistrian republic."

I wish politicians would dress up in superhero tricots, bodystockings and capes! I would pay to see them have a go at each other!
Gheorghe Susarenco,

man of bad temper.
For the full context of this lawmakers temper-fit, please read the following related link.
Representative for OSCE! Photo borrowed from Ballonkings.com

Related link:
Moldova.org

Hey Ulvetann, your superhero is wearing orange. Any relation to the orange revolution?

A Romanian newspaper (Averea) writes about the "Smirnov clan" and say they´ve made themselves a huge fortune. The average monthly salary is some 35 dollars and no social security system exist. They also mention that the Smirnov´s built a mega-complex estimated to 500 million dollars.

Moldova Azi: Smirnovs “leashed” Entire Transnistrian Region, a Romanian Newspaper Claims

January 5 2006


The family of the separatist leader of the so-called Transnistrian republic, Igor Smirnov, has practically got under control this region, with family members seizing almost all economy sectors, and the political class is subdued 100%, Romanian newspaper Averea claims.

One of the two sons of Tiraspol’s leader has under his personal and exclusive control the customs, the other has control over the Sheriff group, monopolising the range of luxury markets and fuel stations in across the enclave.

Tiraspol separatist leaders and their families had been accused by the Moldovan and international media, and also by politicians, of dubious businesses and money laundering. Transnistria is considered by many persons as “Europe’s black hole”, where the regime is kept by drug-dealers, human and arms traffickers.

Happy New year, Hellmutt! Hope you had a fine time back in the old country!

Hm, I am not too updated on the whole Smirnov-thing. I guess You will manage to come up with more related stuff somewhat later!
For You, though, I have a rather mind-boggling scrap-note from RIA Novosti!

Brace yourself!
The latest news is, that "The Union of retired officers and petty officers" proposed the creation of the Public Collegiate (Chamber) in the self-proclaimed republic of Transdnestr in Moldova!!

Yep, You are reading correctly. The fired, disgruntled, corrupted, criminal feudalists are trying, by the handbook in "Medieval ruling for dummies", to create a House of Pensioned Terrorists!
All in thread with their dubious plan, to legalize/legitimize themselves, to make it harder for conventional politics to 'remove' them from the face of this planet.



Note:
Sergei Zaitchenko is the Chairman of the before mentioned union. No available photo's found, nor any more juicy information. Yet.

Since this proposal has to be approved by The Transdniestian President, Igor Smirnov, how about a small guess on the outcome of his decision, eyh?
"All opposing? One hand in the air!" [insert sound of AK-47]

Igor Smirnov, President: 2001 Presidential election poster.