REVIEW TOPICS:
Romania’s Foreign Intelligence Service says it acted within legal boundaries tapping phones
Romanian daily describes country’s intelligent services' treasure
No end to dirty tricks in Hungary’s secret service - weekly
Latvian government vaguely explains changes in laws on national security
Latvia’s security services fear arrival of large number of weapons ahead of May 9 - newspaper
Lithuania’s security service chief to be deprived of post and residence
Geremek stripped of honorary post in Poland over vetting refusal
Leader of Russian National-Bolsheviks under Federal Security Service scrutiny
Russian President’s mason councilor not a stranger to Romania’s security services
Ministry for National Security of Azerbaijan keeps silence on arrest of journalist murder suspects
Romania’s Foreign Intelligence Service says it acted within legal boundaries tapping phones
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| SRI of Romania emblem |
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The first deputy director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, or SIE, of Romania, Silviu Predoiu, said, after the hearing within the parliamentary commission in charge with the investigation of phone tapping, that SIE performed phone taps exclusively within legal boundaries, but it does not own phone tapping equipment, news agency Mediafax reports.
His colleague at the Romanian Intelligence Service, or SRI, its director, George Maior, has once again confirmed to the news agency that SRI acts under very strict internal and legal supervision, and phone taps are performed only in exceptional cases.
Romanian daily describes country’s intelligent services' treasure
Romanian daily Ziua launched, starting May 7, explosive series regarding the huge and exaggerated amounts of money SRI (Romanian Intelligence Service), SIE (Foreign Intelligence Service), STS (Special Telecommunications Service), SPP (Guard and Protection Service) as well as those within Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform and the Ministry of Justice dispose of. According to the paper, all these special services are annually allocated about EUR 315 million from the Romanian state budget. As related to its number of inhabitants, Romania spends more than any other European Union member state, and even than the US on the activity of special services, Ziua marks. This is in spite of the fact that in the developed European countries or in the USA, the state of alert is three times higher than in Romania, paper concludes. Ziua writes that Romania has 30,000 secret agents at the time being. Their exact number is, in spite of the Constitution, kept secret, according to the paper. However, the daily considers that SRI, SIE or other such services have weak performances. According to statistics, the information provided to the authorized institutions is useful only in 10% of the cases. A major part of this money is still used for illegal phone tapping or for the blackmailing of some politicians or businessmen, Ziua notes. Moreover, besides the budget allocations, secret services make hundred of millions of euros profit from the companies under cover, the paper adds.
No end to dirty tricks in Hungary’s secret service - weekly
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| Gyorgy Szilvasy |
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Hungarian weekly magazine Het Vilaggazdasag (HVG) asks in its latest issue dated May 7, whether the country’s National Security Office (NBH) has been taking political orders. In Hungary, the NBH is at the centre of attention because of its investigation into potentially criminal VAT and customs fraud at the EEA Foundation (Egymasert Egy-masert Alapitvany: For one another, One differently), the magazine says. Ibolya Simon, a representative of the EEA Foundation, was previously an officer in the NBH, and she continues to serve as the NBH's legal representative. Simon signed the indictment the NBH made of a HVG journalist claiming that because he had accused the NBH of withholding secret service documents, he was "constructing conspiracy theories."
Miklos Herczeg, the NBH officer in charge of classifying secrets, was appointed a junior officer in the Political Investigations Office in 1961. In 1963 he was promoted to the department in charge of counter-espionage against Middle Eastern and Far Eastern countries. Laszlo Hellebrand, the classification officer for the Information Officer; in the run up to the regime change, he was national security liaison officer in the GDR. It is still reasonable to ask how much objectivity can be expected of someone who was himself involved in creating the documents that he later classified, weekly says, noting that the activities of the classification officers should be subject to institutional control and audit, HVG marks. Among other things, the fact that NBH is in crisis is characterised by the HVG by the example of Simon: in her one-and-a-half page indictment, she makes 23 spelling mistakes. Dr Simon's foundation, which is staffed by NBH employees, provides money to "charities" which are run by former Interior Ministry's personnel office director Mrs Jozsef Csaszar.
The weekly finds curious that there are three Szilvasys among the names of the foundation members: Gyorgy Szilvasy is the minister without portfolio in charge of the NBH, Istvan Szilvasy is the Interior Ministry Central Hospital director, and Peter Szilvasy is a graphologist and employee of the foundation; they are brothers. In the recent past the NBH has acted not according to its constitutional duties but has been obeying orders issued idrectly by the political class, weekly concludes. The magazine mentions example of the way that journalists investigating Gyorgy Szilvasy's (49) summer house were harrassed by NBH agents. A bigger problem is that NBH authorities are demoralised, since they are being used to carry out tasks for which the people issuing the orders have no consitutional justification, weekly continues.
It says that only the NBH could have tapped the former education minister's Balint Magyar phone conversations. If this were not the case, the NBH would have unmasked the foreign spy network that was supposedly listening in on ministers' conversations. If it was unable to do this, then the leadership of the NBH should have been sacked. But the NBH went even further, leaking these conversations abroad. They thereby made both the Hungarian political elite and the leaker himself an object of international ridicule. Karoly Szita's files were leaked in a similar fashion. The original documents were in the NBH's possession, and the NBH is the only organisation that could have provided photocopies of those files to newspapers.
Latvian government vaguely explains changes in laws on national security
The Central Electoral Committee of Latvia has decided today, May 8, that national voting across Latvia on amendments to laws on state security suspended by the President is to takes place on July 7, 2007, news agency LETA reports. Latvian government explained necessity of urgent adoption this January of the disputable amendments to the national security laws with the analysis of situation in the last autumn when in Latvia held the NATO summit, news agency LETA reports from Riga.
This follows from a reply of the government the Constitutional court of Latvia. In the letter which today, on May 8, is to be considered at the governmental session, it is said that at the moment of adoption of amendments the assessment of the risks submitted by the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence and Service of Information Analysis, showed „an aggravation of the situation and increased level of threats in all spheres”. It follows from the further explanatory text that these reports had been made by last fall when the raised risk level was connected with the NATO summit, however, it is not explained whether the given level of threats persisted after the summit, i.e., by January 8, 2007, when the government approved disputable amendments, using such rights according to the Constitution. Members of the Latvian parliament from the New Era party suggested the Constitutional Court to evaluate correspondence of the amendments to the certain paragraphs of the laws. MPs have expressed doubts that adoption of the amendments had been caused by really "urgent necessity".
Latvia’s security services fear arrival of large number of weapons ahead of May 9 - newspaper
Latvia's security services fear that a large party of weapons could be smuggled into the country ahead of the Russia’s Victory Day, May 9, events, Riga-based daily Telegraf writes. Machine guns are being searched for on the Latvian frontier in the international-route coaches, using scanners, much to the passengers' annoyance, who complain that such inspections may be hazardous to their health. On May 5, passengers in a couple of buses staged rowdy protests against the security measures being taken, according to the paper. Tougher checks at the border are due to the recent disorders in Tallinn and the approaching May 9 events in Latvia. The fact that Latvian security forces and special services have strengthened their control over the frontier zone, became widely known owing to a trick of two citizens of Russia, presumably members of the National-Bolshevik party forbidden in Russia. They were detained May 4 in Balvi area of Latvia in an attempt of illegal border-crossing. The two detained Russian citizens carried a National- Bolshevik flag and the party’s propaganda literature; a frontier zone map, a compass, a battle knife and a gas pistol also were withdrawn. Illegals told the security agency officers that they had been engaged in natural resources research in the Russian Pskov area, however had not noticed any border-line. At the same time both Russian National-Bolsheviks could not explain why did they need banknotes of Latvia and Estonia in the Pskov area.
Lithuania’s security service chief to be deprived of post and residence
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| Arvydas Pocius |
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Arvydas Pocius , head of the Lithuanian State Security Directorate (VSD), has been facing at least two big problems, online paper Penki kontinentai reports. There are critical threats to his further operation in his present quality as security service chief and among others, it is also the former President of Lithuania who wants his protégé to become the new head of the State Security Directorate instead of Pocius. On the other hand, since Pocius comes from the city of Mariyampol, he got a state-owned 120 sq.m apartment in Vilnius at his disposal and has to leave it in case of dismissal. Chairman of parliamentary committee on national security and defence, Algirdas Matuliavichius, stated that these days the notary had issued transaction on privatization of the aprtment by Pocius; according to Matuliavicius, Pocius had paid only LTL 315. The chair of the commission doubts both of competency of such transaction, and in adequacy of a payment, referring to experts who estimate the appartment in LTL 480,000 saying that it is possible to sell it now for even LTL 600,000. Parliamentary Auditor committee which has raised this question, has already transferred materials on the deal to the State Office of Public Prosecutor, having recommended the VSD http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=1108 to suspend process of privatization. to stop the privatisation process. Penki kontinentai marks that there is trouble also with the recent authorisation by the VSD to privatize in total 39 state-owned apartments which had been evaluated as "unnecessary" in view of poor condition.
Geremek stripped of honorary post in Poland over vetting refusal
Polish European lawmaker Bronislaw Geremek (75) was removed from an honorary post in Poland for refusing to file a statement saying if he had ties to the communist-era secret police, news agency AFP reported, referring to the presidency. Geremek is a history professor, founder-member of the Solidarity trade union in the 1980s and former foreign minister. Geremek was stripped of his post on the advisory board of the committee of the the highest civilian honour awarded by the Polish President, Order of the White Eagle, Maciej Lopinski, a spokesman for the office of President Lech Kaczynski, was quoted by PAP news agency as saying. Polish authorities have also threatened to strip him of his mandate as a European lawmaker. AIA already reported last week that Geremek has refused to comply with an amended Polish law, requiring him to file a declaration on whether he collaborated with secret police during the communist era. Amendments to Poland's "lustration" law drastically extended the dragnet of the legislation, which previously affected only lawmakers, government ministers and judges, or around 30,000 of Poland's 38 million people. Poland's first democratically elected post-communist prime minister, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, 80, has also been removed from the advisory committee of the Order of the White Eagle, for refusing to submit a vetting declaration, according to news agencies reports.
Russian President’s mason councilor not a stranger to Romania’s security services - daily
Presence of Russian Alexandr Kondyakov, one of Vladimir Putin's councilors and Grand Secretary of the Great Russian Lodge, in Bucharest and the joining of his name to those of important Romanian officials has inflamed all the political breathing, according to daily Ziua. Kondyakov is. The first to mention him was President Traian Basescu, who claimed in an interview that there were information on foreign structures interested in destabilizing Romania and that it is very interesting to know whether, before the suspension vote, "a very important gentleman, Kondyakov", had met Romanian politicians. Later on, PIN (National Initiative Party) leader, Cozmin Gusa said the Russian businessman had also met ex-President Ion Iliescu.
PSD (Social-Democrat Party), with Ion Iliescu and Mircea Geoana at the top, strongly denied any approach of Putin's councilor, Ziua writes. However Kondyakov claimed that he came to Romania on behalf of the company he represented and that he had talks with several officials, but not on Basescu's suspension. The former head of SIE (Foreign Intelligence Service), Ioan Talpes, claimed, in his turn, that Kondyakov was part of a Bucharest-Moscow network which doesn't care about the state interests of the two countries, but of their own ones, to Romania's disadvantage. According to sources close to Ziua, Kondyakov is not a stranger at all to Ioan Talpes. "The man (Kondyakov or note) has been visiting Romania since 2000 and he met Ioan Talpes tens of times", the quoted sources mentioned. The same sources say that Putin's councilor met Talpes also when the latter was the head of the Foreign Intelligence Services, and then a vice-Prime Minister, and also after 2005.
On the other side, Romania’s Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu rejected May 7 PNL (National Liberal Party) senator, Radu Stroe, statement according to which the Russian mason has come to the meeting with the Romanian PM to make a consultancy offer for PNL. Kondyakov stated for the BBC, as quoted by Rador, that he was in Romania on the 11 and 12 April on behalf of the interest of the company he represents and that he had talks with many officials, but not on Traian Basescu's suspension, as the latter claims.
Leader of Russian National-Bolsheviks under Federal Security Service scrutiny
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| Eduard Limonov |
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Eduard Limonov, leader of the forbidden in Russia National-Bolshevik party, is asked to arrive for interrogation to the Russian federal Security Service (FSB) Moscow and Moscow Oblast Directorate, online paper Gazeta.ru reports. The reason of FSB interest is Limonov’s interview, published in the daily Gazeta, on April 5, 2007. Limonov supposes that forthcoming interrogation is aimed at keeping him silent, Gazeta.ru says. Limonov told Gazeta.ru that the invitation to visit FSB had been received by phone from the inspector to whom he talked on another matter in this April, Yaroslav Popov. In the interview to the Gazeta, he in the most rigid form criticized personally Russian President Vladimir Putin, told about preparing in Moscow and St.-Petersburg of ‘marches of Dissent’ and also demanded Putin's resignation and free parliamentary elections.
It was in the interview when Limonov expressed his attitude to war in the Chechen Republic, supported necessity of separation of this republic from Russia. Limonov’s sharpest statements concerned activities of the President of Russia, claiminig also that Putin uses the war in Chechnya to silence political opponents and to establish ‘a police regime’ in Russia. Gazeta.ru adds that some staff members of the daily Gazeta also received invitations to talk to the FSB interrogators and the author of the interview, Nadezhda Kevorkova, has already visited the FSB regional office. According to Limonov, FSB carries out the specified actions under the request of Office of Public Prosecutor. Forthcoming Limonov’s interrogation by the FSB is his second, following his performance in the mass media. In the middle of April, 2007, he was already asked to the FSB Moscow and Moscow Oblast Directorate’s investigatory department and interviewed by the FSB officers on his performance on air of radio Ekho Moskvy.
Ministry for National Security of Azerbaijan keeps silence on arrest of journalist murder suspects
In Tbilisi, Georgia, the country’s law enforcement agencies have arrested Tair Khubanov, and Teimuraz Aliev who are suspected of murdering Elmar Guseinov, editor-in-chief of the Monitor magazine, Caucasian Knot reports, referring to sources in law enforcement agencies. However, local observers are suspicious of the fact that they have been arrested on the eve of the trial of Farkhad Aliev, ex-Minister for Economic Development of Azerbaijan, who had been accused of organizing the journalist's assassination. Meanwhile, the Ministry for National Security of Azerbaijan would not make any comments on the news, having referred to the secrecy of investigation. Elmar Guseinov was shot dead on March 2, 2005, in Baku. Last summer the authorities of Azerbaijan tried to accuse Farkhad Aliev, ex-Minister for Economic Development, of organizing the journalist's assassination.
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