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OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 198, 11 October 1995
CONTENTS
[1] ALLIES CLOSE IN ON BANJA LUKA.
[2] CROATS FIND MASS GRAVE IN KRAJINA.
[3] YASUSHI AKASHI RESIGNS.
[4] CROATIAN OPPOSITION BLASTS GOVERNMENT TV.
[5] SLOVENIAN-ITALIAN COMPROMISE.
[6] ROMANIAN NATIONALIST GENERAL DISMISSED FROM ARMY.
[7] UPDATE ON ILIESCU CONFLICT WITH EXTREME NATIONALISTS.
[8] SZUROS ON HUNGARIAN MINORITY IN ROMANIA.
[9] MOLDOVAN STUDENTS TO RESUME STRIKE.
[10] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT IN BULGARIA.
[11] EU GIVES ALBANIA $22 MILLION GRANT.
[12] GREECE TO LIFT EMBARGO ON MACEDONIA ON WEEKEND.
[13] TURKISH PREMIER-DESIGNATE PRESENTS GOVERNMENT PROGRAM.
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 198, Part II, 11 October 1995
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[1] ALLIES CLOSE IN ON BANJA LUKA.
Reuters on 11 October reported that the
allied forces of the Bosnian government, the Bosnian Croats, and Croatia
have taken two key western Bosnian towns. With the fall of Mrkonjic Grad
and Sanski Most, the way again appears open for a thrust toward the
Bosnian Serb stronghold of Banja Luka. Novi list quoted the chief of the
Bosnian general staff, General Ferid Buljubasic, as praising the
effectiveness of the cooperation between the three allies. Meanwhile in
Sarajevo, water and power have been or are being restored, as demanded
by the government. The Bosnian Serbs on 10 October said they were ready
to implement the ceasefire at one minute after midnight on that day or
the next but had no authorization to accept the government's offer of
implementation on 12 October. Clarification is expected soon. -- Patrick
Moore
[2] CROATS FIND MASS GRAVE IN KRAJINA.
The BBC on 10 October quoted UN
officials as saying they fear that the Serbs in western Bosnia will now
panic and flee as they did in Krajina in early August, setting off
another mass exodus. Novi list on 11 October cited remarks by UN
spokesman Chris Jankowski about his concern that many Muslim and
Croatian men in northern Bosnia have been killed by Serbian units under
the command of internationally wanted war criminal Zeljko Raznatovic
"Arkan." Reuters the previous day said that Croatian officials have
unearthed the mass grave of up to 50 elderly Croats, killed by the Serbs
in 1991. Two eye-witnesses of the massacre were present at the
exhumation in Petrinja. -- Patrick Moore
[3] YASUSHI AKASHI RESIGNS.
The latest UN special negotiator for the former
Yugoslavia has taken his hat, telling the BBC that he and the UN have
been made scapegoats for the intractable nature of the conflict. Akashi
will be replaced by another prominent UN official who has dealt with the
region, Ghana's Kofi Annan. The Bosnian government welcomed Akashi's
departure, telling Reuters on 10 October: "Akashi's replacement can only
bring a change for the better, and it could be the beginning of a new
phase of better relations between the Bosnian government and the UN.
Given Akashi's past record, especially his persistence in equating the
victim and aggressor, one can understand why the Bosnian government
welcomes this decision." -- Patrick Moore
[4] CROATIAN OPPOSITION BLASTS GOVERNMENT TV.
The election coalition of five
opposition parties held a press conference on 8 October to protest the
decision by Croatian Television (HRTV) to treat them as a coalition,
rather than five separate parties. They are now entitled to only one
bloc of free air-time. Election Commission President Krunislav Olujic
said that since they have not been legally registered as a coalition,
the opposition parties have the right to present themselves individually
in the electronic media, Slobodna Dalmacija reported on 11 October. The
leading opposition Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) also protested
HRTV's ban on its video clips, which TV officials called "meaningless,"
HINA reported on 11 October. The HSLS's clips have also been banned by
the company that owns most movie theaters. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[5] SLOVENIAN-ITALIAN COMPROMISE.
Slovenian Foreign Minister Zoran Thaler
said on Slovenian TV that the contents of a Slovenian-Italian compromise
proposal could lead to improved bilateral relations, BETA reported on 10
October. For his part, Thaler remarked that Slovenia was prepared to
"return to Italy" some 40 housing units that had belonged to ethnic
Italians forced to leave Slovenia in the wake of World War II. He added
that a full resolution of all outstanding questions was bound to the
issue of the status of Italy's ethnic Slovenian minority. -- Stan
Markotich
[6] ROMANIAN NATIONALIST GENERAL DISMISSED FROM ARMY.
Paul Cheler, commander
of the Fourth Transylvanian Army, has been dismissed and placed on
reserve, Romanian media reported on 10-11October. Cheler is well known
for his extreme nationalist, particularly anti-Hungarian, views. At a
press conference in Cluj on 9 October (which in itself is a breach of
the military code), Cheler protested his dismissal and attacked the
reforms under way in the Romanian army. His remarks were reminiscent of
a letter published last summer by 300 military in the weekly of the
extreme nationalist Greater Romania Party. The letter, which some media
speculate was inspired by Cheler, was considered to be an instigation to
revolt against President Ion Iliescu, whom the signatories accused of
undermining the Romanian army. Cheler threatened to sue those
responsible for his dismissal for allegedly failing to observe army
regulations that generals placed on reserve must be announced six month
ahead of their retirement. -- Michael Shafir
[7] UPDATE ON ILIESCU CONFLICT WITH EXTREME NATIONALISTS.
Evenimentul zilei
on 11 October reported that the Prosecutor-General's office has opened
an investigation into articles published in Romania mare and Politica by
Corneliu Vadim Tudor, the leader of the Greater Romania Party (PRM). The
office is to decide whether to recommend to lift Tudor's parliamentary
immunity, making possible his prosecution for having offended President
Ion Iliescu. Curierul national reports that Oliviu Gherman, chairman of
the Party of Social Democracy in Romania, and Ion Solcanu, a vice
chairman of the party, are in favor of ending the alliance with the PRM.
-- Michael Shafir
[8] SZUROS ON HUNGARIAN MINORITY IN ROMANIA.
Matyas Szuros, Hungary's first
post-communist president and currently leader of the Hungarian
parliamentary delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union conference in
Bucharest, said the 2 million ethnic Hungarians are fighting for their
survival in Romania, Radio Bucharest reported on 10 October. He noted
that Romania's new education law discriminated against ethnic Hungarians
and was a step backward in comparison with previous laws. He went on to
say that the "historic reconciliation" between Hungary and Romania "is
inconceivable as long as there is no reconciliation between the Romanian
majority and ethnic Hungarians." Interviewed by Reuters, Szuros spoke of
ethnic Hungarians' collective rights and recommended the creation of
"enclaves" in eastern Transylvania, where Hungarians form a compact
majority. -- Matyas Szabo
[9] MOLDOVAN STUDENTS TO RESUME STRIKE.
Moldovan students and teachers are
to resume their strike on 18 October to demand the government's
dismissal, strike chairman Anatol Petrencu told Infotag on 10 October.
The student strike began last spring, with the initial demand to rename
the official language from "Moldovan" to Romanian; later, economic and
social claims were made. After President Mircea Snegur submitted to the
parliament his initiative on renaming the official language, the
students suspended their strike. The moratorium on protest actions
introduced in the spring cannot continue because the government is
ignoring the strikers' economic demands, Petrencu said. -- Matyas Szabo
[10] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT IN BULGARIA.
Arpad Goncz arrived in Sofia on 9
October for an official three-day visit, Bulgarian and Hungarian media
reported the following day. "Both Bulgaria and Hungary wish to
participate in the post-war reconstruction of the former Yugoslavia,"
Goncz and his Bulgarian counterpart, Zhelyu Zhelev, said following the
first day of talks aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. During
discussions on EU membership, Goncz said Hungary would share with
Bulgaria its experience in negotiating with European organizations and
could assist in Bulgaria's admission to CEFTA and other European
organizations. Zhelev said that, instead of competing, the two countries
must help each other to achieve integration into European structures. --
Zsofia Szilagyi and Stefan Krause
[11] EU GIVES ALBANIA $22 MILLION GRANT.
The European Union has approved 17.5
million ecu ($22 million) grant to Albania as part of the PHARE regional
development program. It will be used, among other things, to improve
economic and social conditions. Meanwhile, President Sali Berisha said
his government has to step up the pace of economic reform to ensure
success for the Democratic Party in the spring 1996 parliamentary
elections. Reuters the previous day quoted him as praising "great
economic changes in Albania, especially the resolution of foreign debt,
rises in average salaries, privatization and production." -- Fabian
Schmidt
[12] GREECE TO LIFT EMBARGO ON MACEDONIA ON WEEKEND.
Greek government
spokesman Tylemachos Hytiris has announced that Athens will lift its
blockade on Macedonia on 15 October, Reuters reported on 10 October.
Talks in Skopje between Greek and Macedonian officials on measures
regarding trade and the movement of citizens "are being completed," he
said. Greece has sent police officers to Macedonia to help investigate
the assassination attempt on Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov.
Gligorov's condition, according to Nova Makedonija on 11 October,
continues to improve and an operation on his right eye went "according
to plan." He remains in intensive care, however. Meanwhile, the
country's Security Council issued a statement saying the country is
stable and its politics remain on course--under tightened security. --
Stefan Krause
[13] TURKISH PREMIER-DESIGNATE PRESENTS GOVERNMENT PROGRAM.
Tansu Ciller on
10 October presented her minority government's program to the
parliament, Turkish and international media reported the same day. The
five principle aims are a new election law, democratization, the
revision of Article 8 of the constitution (which bans separatist
propaganda), privatization, and anti-corruption measures. Ciller also
wants to conclude Turkey's customs union deal with the EU. She said her
government was committed to a comprehensive dialogue with Greece to
resolve outstanding problems. Meanwhile, the Confederation of Turkish
Labor Unions (Turk-Is) rejected Ciller's latest pay raise offer and
called a rally to coincide with the vote of confidence in the premier-
designate on October 15. -- 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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