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OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 197, 10 October 1995
CONTENTS
[1] NATO PLANES HIT SERBS NEAR TUZLA.
[2] SERBS STEP UP "ETHNIC CLEANSING."
[3] SERBIAN UPDATE.
[4] MEETING ON MUSLIM-CROAT FEDERATION.
[5] TUDJMAN ON WAR CRIMES IN CROATIA.
[6] MACEDONIA RATIFIES ACCORD WITH GREECE.
[7] INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION CONFERENCE IN BUCHAREST.
[8] MOLDOVAN PARTY PROPOSES EARLY PRESIDENTIAL, PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS.
[9] MOLDOVAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON CONFLICT WITH TIRASPOL.
[10] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES PRIVATIZATION LIST.
[11] ALBANIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRAT MEETS WITH EUROPEAN LEGISLATORS.
[12] TURKEY, ESTONIA DISCUSS CFE.
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 197, Part II, 10 October 1995
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[1] NATO PLANES HIT SERBS NEAR TUZLA.
Six jets of the Atlantic alliance
attacked the Bosnian Serb command-and-control center near Tuzla on 9
October. The Serbs had shelled a refugee camp and later killed a
Norwegian peacekeeper. The BBC quoted Bosnian Serb leader Radovan
Karadzic as saying that the shells were fired by "the Muslims" against
their own people in the hope of bringing in NATO on their side. This is
frequently the Bosnian Serb line following particularly outrageous acts
against civilians. Croatian dailies on 10 October reported that Bosnian
government forces stand poised to take the strategic town of Mrkonjic
Grad, western Bosnia. Finally, the Bosnian government has suspended
implementing the latest cease-fire because the preconditions of
restoring energy and water supplies to Sarajevo have not been met. --
Patrick Moore
[2] SERBS STEP UP "ETHNIC CLEANSING."
The International Herald Tribunereported on 10 October that Bosnian Serbs are clearing the last Muslims
and Croats out of northern Bosnia, an area where the Serbs were in the
minority before the war. An aid official called it a "life-threatening
situation," and there are reports that men and boys have been taken away
and killed. Meanwhile in The Hague, the war crimes tribunal has heard
the first testimony in the trial of Serbian concentration camp guard
Dragan "Jenki" Nikolic. Judge Richard Goldstone said it was time to hear
"the voice of the victims," the BBC reported on 9 October. A Muslim
cleric told of the atrocities committed by Serbian "special forces."
Nikolic is believed to be still at large on Serbian-held territory. In
another development, Croatian officials announced the discovery of a
mass grave of murdered Croatian civilians in an area recently retaken
from the Serbs. -- Patrick Moore
[3] SERBIAN UPDATE.
Following his meeting with Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic in Belgrade on 9 October, EU mediator Carl Bildt told
reporters that the main focus of discussion was the upcoming peace talks
scheduled to be held in the U.S. on 31 October, BETA reported.
Meanwhile, the same agency reports that the Helsinki Committee for Human
Rights in Serbia has observed that campaigns to forcibly mobilize
refugee youths in Serbia have intensified recently and that the Ministry
of Interior appears to be behind the latest wave of press-ganging. --
Stan Markotich
[4] MEETING ON MUSLIM-CROAT FEDERATION.
Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic
has met with Kresimir Zubak and Ejup Ganic, president and vice president
of the Muslim-Croatian Federation, to discuss the future form of the
federation, the BBC reported on 9 October. Izetbegovic said progress on
the federation was slow, but he emphasized the goodwill on both sides.
Zubak underscored the need for the federation to be up and running as
soon as possible. Meanwhile, Bosnian Minister for Refugees Muhamed Cero
said the Croatian government's desire for Bosnian refugees to be quickly
resettled is interference in Bosnia's internal affairs. He added,
however, that the Croatian government's decision to abolish refugee
status for Bosnian refugees has been suspended. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[5] TUDJMAN ON WAR CRIMES IN CROATIA.
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman,
asked at a 6 October news conference about recent war crimes in Croatia,
said some of the 120,000 Croatian refugees who have returned to their
homes in Krajina cannot resist the desire for revenge. According to the
BBC on 9 October, he condemned all acts of revenge and looting. Tudjman
also said that accusations of war crimes were aimed at preventing
Croatia from regaining eastern Slavonia. Asked about the possibility
that Krajina Serbs will return, Tudjman said they could come back on an
individual basis, but it was not possible that all 250,000-300,000 be
allowed to return. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[6] MACEDONIA RATIFIES ACCORD WITH GREECE.
The Macedonian parliament on 9
October ratified the interim accord with Greece, international agencies
reported the same day. Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski called the
agreement "one piece of a complex mosaic," saying it ended one of the
most difficult periods for Macedonia and paved the way to normalizing
relations with both Greece and the rump Yugoslavia. "Macedonia is a
state with solid foundations, we are clear about where we are going, and
we will not change tack," he said. Greece is expected to lift the
embargo by 13 October; and a Greek government delegation arrived in
Skopje on 9 October for the second round of talks, which will focus on
opening liaison offices in Skopje and Athens as well as on visa and
transit regulations. Meanwhile, Nova Makedonija on 10 October reported
that Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov's condition is stable and that
rehabilitation treatment is having a "positive effect." -- Stefan Krause
[7] INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION CONFERENCE IN BUCHAREST.
The 94th conference
of the Inter-Parliamentary Union opened in Bucharest on 9 October,
international media reported. President Ion Iliescu, Chamber of Deputies
Chairman Adrian Nastase, and Senate Chairman Oliviu Gherman addressed
the opening sesssion. Nastase was elected chairman of the week-long
conference, which is to discuss the global political and economic
situation, the role of parliaments in fighting corruption, and the
future role and strategy of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. UN Secretary-
General Boutros Boutros Ghali, in a message read to the gathering, said
if emergency measures are not taken to restore the financial health of
the UN, the organization will suffer irreversible damage. -- Michael
Shafir
[8] MOLDOVAN PARTY PROPOSES EARLY PRESIDENTIAL, PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS.
The
Social Democratic Party of Moldova (PSDM) has issued a statement
suggesting that presidential and parliamentary elections be held early
and at the same time, Infotag and Radio Bucharest reported on 9 October.
The PSDM believes that holding elections early rather than waiting for
another 14 or so months would not only reduce the "ruinous consequences"
of the tension between the parliament and the government but would also
exclude a possible confrontation between the newly elected president and
parliament. -- Matyas Szabo
[9] MOLDOVAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON CONFLICT WITH TIRASPOL.
Mihai Popov,
addressing the UN General Assembly on 9 October, said any proposal for a
solution to the conflict with the breakaway republic of Transdniester
must provide for Moldovan integrity and sovereignty over all its
territory. Citing a Foreign Ministry press release, BASA-press reported
that Popov said a political settlement to the conflict would have to be
based on the "complete, orderly, and unconditional withdrawal of the
Russian troops, in accordance with bilateral agreements and OSCE
resolutions." He expressed hope that Russian decision-makers would speed
up the enforcement of the 1994 Moldovan-Russian agreement on the
withdrawal. -- Michael Shafir
[10] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES PRIVATIZATION LIST.
The Bulgarian
government on 9 October approved a list of enterprises to be included in
the first wave of mass privatization. According to Kontinent, the firms
have a combined capital of 210 billion leva ($3.09 billion). Some 65% of
the assets will be privatized, while 35% will "be controled by the
state," the newspaper said. Demokratsiya reported that apart from a few
companies such as Neftohim and Plama (Bulgaria's two biggest oil
refineries), most enterprises on the list are losing money or are de
facto bankrupt. The list was reportedly drawn up by Kalin Mitrev, head
of the Center for Mass Privatization, which comes under the direct
control of Prime Minister Zhan Videnov. -- Stefan Krause
[11] ALBANIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRAT MEETS WITH EUROPEAN LEGISLATORS.
Skender
Gjinushi, head of the Social Democratic Party of Albania, has met in
Brussels with socialist deputies from the European Parliament, Koha Jone
reported on 10 October. The meeting took place three days before
Albanian President Sali Berisha's visit to the EU's headquarters in
Brussels on 12 October. Gjinushi rallied for support against the law
condemning genocide and crimes against humanity committed in communist
Albania, which was approved by the parliament last month. The Albanian
opposition argues that the law aims to weaken its chances in the
upcoming elections. Article 3 of the law states that those who held high
government posts before 31 March 1991 cannot run in elections until
2002. Under the law, Gjinushi, who was minister of education before that
date, would not be able to run. -- Fabian Schmidt
[12] TURKEY, ESTONIA DISCUSS CFE.
Estonian Foreign Minister Riivo Sinijarv
held talks with his acting Turkish counterpart, Coskun Kirca, in Ankara
on 9 October, the Turkish Daily News reported the next day. Their
discussions reportedly focused on Russia's efforts to alter the
Convential Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. Both countries are seeking a
solution that would not change the level of conventional arms near their
borders, Sinijarv told a press conference in Ankara. They also signed
agreements pledging cooperation on tourism and transport. -- Lowell
Bezanis
This material was reprinted with permission of the Open Media Research Institute, a nonprofit organization with research offices in Prague, Czech Republic.
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