2005 Bulgaria In Mountain Village

MR. WOLLACK: Let me give you an example in 1990 in Bulgaria. There was a group of five members of a Bulgarian mountain climbing club that wanted to get engaged in the election process, in Bulgaria's first multiparty election. They didn't want to join political parties but they wanted to watch the election. And that group, in six weeks, grew from five mountain climbers to 12,000 members, became the largest civic organization in Bulgaria. And they're still in existence today, the Bulgarian Association for Fair Elections and Civil Rights. ... [Read More]

J) Europe and Central Asia

Cultivation and Production. Turkmenistan is not a significant producer of illegal drugs, although small-scale opium cultivation is thought to occur in remote mountain and desert areas. Each spring, the GOTX conducts limited aerial inspections of outlying areas in search of illegal poppy cultivation. Upon discovery, opium crops are eradicated by Turkmen law enforcement. Some sensitive sources within the GOTX report that the Indian cannabis plant is cultivated in remote areas on small patches, particularly in the mountain village of Gary Gala, 304 kilometers to the west of the capital of Ashgabat in the Kopet Dag mountain range and, on a larger scale, in Takhta Bazar, a village 541 kilometers to the east of Ashgabat. This illicit cultivation is solely for domestic consumption. Much of the country’s male population smokes the dried flowering tops of the hemp. Data on potential cannabis yield and the level of its abuse is unavailable. ... [Read More]

J) Europe and Central Asia

The Drugs Prevention Advisory Service, launched in April 1999, is now supporting local drug action teams (DATS) in delivering all four aims of the drug strategy. In May 1999, the UK Anti Drugs Co-ordination Unit (UKADCU) published the UK’s first comprehensive counternarcotics plan, which set tough, binding targets to be monitored by appropriate government departments. Key targets include reductions in the number of young people using heroin and cocaine; availability of heroin and cocaine among young people; and recidivism by drug-misusing offenders (all by 25 percent by 2005, and 50 percent by 2008). Another key target is to increase the number of people accessing treatment services (by 66 percent by 2005, and 100 percent by 2008). ... [Read More]

Colombia

In November a specialized criminal court in Bogota began receiving evidence in the trial of two hired killers suspected of killing journalist, comedian, and human rights activist Jaime Garzon in 1999. AUC leader Carlos Castano was being tried in absentia for his role in organizing Garzon's death.On July 26, a specialized criminal court in Bucaramanga, Santander department, sentenced two paramilitaries to 19 years in prison for the 1999 murders of cameraman Luis Alberto Rincon and photographer Alberto Sanchez in the town of Playon. The offices of the Prosecutor General and Inspector General were awaiting a ruling on their appeals of "not guilty" verdicts issued in favor of two paramilitaries accused of murdering newspaper editor Guzman Quintero in Valledupar, Cesar department, in 1999. There were no developments in the investigation of the 2000 kidnaping and rape of journalist Jinet ... [Read More]

Europe and Central Asia

AlbaniaI. Summary Drug trafficking is a significant problem in Albania, which is a major transit country for heroin from Afghanistan and Turkey destined for markets throughout Europe. Organized crime groups use Albania as a transit point for drug and other types of smuggling due to the country’s strategic location, weak police and judicial systems, and porous borders. The most common illegal drugs are heroin, marijuana, and to a lesser extent, cocaine. Heroin is typically transported through the "Balkans Route" of Turkey-Bulgaria-Macedonia-Albania, and on to Italy, Greece and the Netherlands. Cocaine is smuggled from South America, via the United States, Italy, Spain, Greece or the Netherlands, and ... [Read More]

U.S. Government Assistance

On March 8 and 9, 2003, the Venezuela Guardia Nacional seized 5,020 kilograms of cocaine in a small fishing village located about 30 KM from the port city of Carupano, Venezuela. The seizure occurred as the result of information provided by DEA and Venezuelan sources. The cocaine was being stored in a small shack, allegedly waiting to be smuggled to a larger vessel for transshipment to Europe. Also seized were 11 small fishing boats and several small arms. ... [Read More]

Europe and Central Asia

Corruption. Corruption has been the most significant problem within Georgia's law enforcement agencies. Georgia's anti- corruption efforts continue to be hampered by the widespread tolerance of corruption within Georgian society. During 2001 the Government of Georgia formed a commission to reform the law enforcement agencies (so-called "power ministries"). The commission developed a strategy for reorganization that was forwarded to the Georgian National Security Council; however, no significant changes were made. In any case, none of these proposed measures can truly ameliorate the situation given the low wages of officials and poor standard of behavior from those in charge that nourish wide-scale, low level corruption. The new hope of eradicating corruption within the system emerged with the appointment of a new Minister of Internal Affairs, who has publicly and repeatedly announced his commitment to combating corruption and the trafficking ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

The New Romanian leu (plural lei) will be the official Romanian currency as of July 1, 2005. The tourist and diplomatic exchange rate is fixed by the National Bank (U.S. $1=28,000 lei [March 2005]) and fluctuates daily; other banks and exchange offices often use different rates.  The previous currency, also known as the lei, will continue to remain in circulation until December 2006.  The new lei will eliminate four zeros in the amounts cited; for example: 28,000 is equal to 2.8 new lei. ... [Read More]

Romania (07/05)

For territorial and administrative purposes, Romania is divided into 41 counties and the city of Bucharest. Each county is governed by an elected county council. Local councils and elected mayors are the public administration authorities in villages and towns. The county council is the public administration authority that coordinates the activities of all village and town councils in a county. ...

The IMF Executive Board approved in July 2004 a 24-month Stand-By Precautionary Arrangement for an amount equivalent to $367 million. The new program aims at strengthening the external current account balance, further reducing inflation, sustaining continued GDP growth, and preparing the economy for EU accession. The current program emphasizes continued prudent macroeconomic policies and progress with wide-ranging structural reforms. Key stabilization policies include a reduction in the general government budget deficit, a strengthening of the finances of state-owned enterprises through energy price adjustments and wage restraint, and measures to contain credit growth. Prioritization of expenditure will help finance investment in infrastructure. With the passage of a number of new and amended laws, the authorities have started an overhaul of the judicial system, which will contribute to improving the business climate, strengthening the judicial system's independence, and improve the ca ... [Read More]