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OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 2, 3 January 1996
CONTENTS
[1] ADMIRAL SMITH SAYS "BANDITRY" IS NOT IFOR'S BUSINESS.
[2] IFOR DEPLOYMENT GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN.
[3] IZETBEGOVIC ANGRY OVER NEW YEAR'S FESTIVITIES.
[4] CROATIAN OPPOSITION TRIUMPHS IN ZAGREB LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
[5] SERBIAN OPPOSITION AHEAD . . .
[6] . . . OR IS IT?
[7] FLOODS CONTINUE IN ROMANIA.
[8] SIX BULGARIAN POLICEMEN CHARGED WITH MURDER.
[9] FORMER BULGARIAN PREMIER CRITICIZES VIDENOV.
[10] GREEK SOCIALISTS CALL FOR PAPANDREOU'S REPLACEMENT.
[11] ALBANIAN SOCIALIST PARTY TAKES NANO OFF ITS CANDIDATES LIST.
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 2, Part II, 3 January 1996
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[1] ADMIRAL SMITH SAYS "BANDITRY" IS NOT IFOR'S BUSINESS.
AFP quoted a U.S.
State Department spokesman as calling the reports of the abductions of
16 Muslims (see Top Story) "troubling." But IFOR's commander, Admiral
Leighton Smith, told Bosnian Serb television on 2 January that dealing
with missing persons and freedom of movement are the functions of the
yet-to-be-established police force, not of his troops. Some observers
suggested, however, that IFOR's mandate is so tough that Smith could
make the abductions his business if he so chose. The BBC said that the
Serbs are testing the will of the international community, and that if
they can get away with a little bit in Sarajevo now, they will get away
with much more in the towns and valleys later. Reuters reported the next
day that NATO and Bosnian Serb representatives will meet to discuss the
abductions. -- Patrick Moore
[2] IFOR DEPLOYMENT GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN.
Hina noted on 3 January that
the arrival of U.S. forces is moving along on or ahead of schedule. Some
3,500 American troops have arrived in Bosnia to date as the countdown
proceeds to the 19 January deadline for the separation of hostile
forces. Reuters noted that the various armies are busy removing up to
seven million land mines in keeping with the Dayton agreement. In his
confidence-building press conference on Bosnian Serb television, Admiral
Smith said that the foreign Islamic fighters backing the Bosnian
government were leaving in large numbers. Reuters also discussed the
problems of post-traumatic stress disorder among Sarajevans. -- Patrick
Moore
[3] IZETBEGOVIC ANGRY OVER NEW YEAR'S FESTIVITIES.
Bosnian President Alija
Izetbegovic said he felt "uncomfortable" watching pictures of revelry in
restaurants and cafes on state-run television. These included behavior
and symbols "strange to our people," such as Christmas trees, Santa
Claus figures, and ornaments on tables sinking with food and drink. AFP
on 3 January quoted him as saying that the hard partying was limited to
a tiny minority: "only a few impudent and callous ones dared to get
plastered and to grimace in front of the cameras as if nothing has
happened while the graves and wounds are still fresh." He also attacked
broadcasters for allegedly approving of "European vices such as alcohol,
drugs and pornography." Religious conservatives around Izetbegovic may
find it difficult to convince the Bosnian Muslims -- a secular European
people -- to continue the habits of wartime austerity now that peace has
returned. -- Patrick Moore
[4] CROATIAN OPPOSITION TRIUMPHS IN ZAGREB LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
Opposition
parties on 2 January succeeded in electing Goran Granic of the Croatian
Social Liberal Party (HSLS) mayor of the capital and Zdravko Tomac of
the Social Democratic Party (the reformed communists) as speaker of the
county assembly. This followed over a month of obstruction by President
Franjo Tudjman and deputies from his Croatian Democratic Community
(HDZ). Nasa Borba wrote on 3 January that it was unexpected that the HDZ
legislators ended their boycott and let the government get on with its
work. The HDZ is a minority in both bodies but has enough votes to block
a quorum. Its leaders apparently realized they had no hope of persuading
the HSLS to join them in a coalition or in improving their standing by
forcing new elections. Tomac told the Feral Tribune that the future of
Croatian democracy would be made or broken in Zagreb. -- Patrick Moore
[5] SERBIAN OPPOSITION AHEAD . . .
A survey conducted in November and
reported in Nasa Borba on 3 January showed that opposition leaders and
their parties are most popular with rump Yugoslav youth who plan to vote
in upcoming elections. In the poll of some 1,200 college and university
students, 26.8% of respondents chose Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic
Party of Serbia (DSS). Zoran Djindjic's Democratic Party (DS) gained
22.8%, Vojislav Seselj's ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS)
17.5%, and Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Renewal Movement 11.5%. Only 6.6%
said they would vote for Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's
Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), while a mere 2.8% intended to back
Mirjana Markovic, Milosevic's wife and head of a small leftist party. --
Stan Markotich
[6] . . . OR IS IT?
Serbia's youth, however, appear to be out of step withbroader public opinion. Also conducted in November, and reported in Nasa
Borba on 19 December under the banner "There's Nothing New in Serbia," a
survey of some 2,000 people revealed that most of the public favored the
status quo. Milosevic remained among the most popular political figures
for 50.9% of respondents. Also topping the list were accused war
criminals, with Bosnian Serb military leader General Ratko Mladic
receiving approval from 50% of respondents, and his civilian
counterpart, Radovan Karadzic, 36%. The most unpopular figures were
opposition leaders Seselj (65.9%), Draskovic (60.7%) and Djindjic
(57.3%). The ruling Socialist Party of Serbia remained the party of
choice for most voters. -- Stan Markotich
[7] FLOODS CONTINUE IN ROMANIA.
Heavy rains have continued to provoke floods
in various Romanian provinces, Radio Bucharest reported on 2 and 3
January. The rivers Mures, Crisul Alb and Crisul Negru have flooded
hundreds of hectares of agricultural land, dwellings, and local roads in
southern Transylvania and the Banat. Floods were also registered in
southern Romania, especially in the Dambovita, Prahova, and Olt
counties. Hundreds of families had to be evacuated, while an eight-year-
old boy reportedly drowned. Meanwhile, the Danube is expected to reach
critical levels on 3 and 4 January. -- Dan Ionescu
[8] SIX BULGARIAN POLICEMEN CHARGED WITH MURDER.
Bulgarian newspapers on 3
January reported that six policemen from Sofia were charged with the
murder of 22-year old Hristo Hristov. Hristov was arrested for theft on
5 April 1995 and died a few hours later in police custody. The autopsy
then showed that he died of a massive hemorrhage; he had a torn aorta
and several broken ribs as a result of severe beating. The six policemen
were arrested the following day and later placed under house arrest; if
convicted, they face up to 30 years in prison or the death penalty.
According to Duma, the indictment was issued on 27 December. -- Stefan
Krause
[9] FORMER BULGARIAN PREMIER CRITICIZES VIDENOV.
Andrey Lukanov of the
ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), in an interview with RFE's
Bulgarian Service on 2 January, accused "a group of people" within the
BSP and the government of waging a campaign against him for "clearly
materialistic reasons." Lukanov said they unjustly accuse him of being
hungry for power and of wanting to become prime minister again. He named
people in the government's press center and the financial group Orion,
which is said to be close to the government, as being behind this
campaign. Lukanov said that "the government has to put its house in
order" and said he expects Prime Minister Zhan Videnov to take a clear
position. Orion Chairman Nikola Krivoshiev, in an interview published by
24 chasa on 3 January, said Lukanov and others in the BSP have failed to
help Videnov ever since the BSP returned to power. He accused Lukanov of
wanting to use economic power to achieve political power. Until
September 1995, Krivoshiev held a 49% stake in the BSP daily Duma. --
Stefan Krause
[10] GREEK SOCIALISTS CALL FOR PAPANDREOU'S REPLACEMENT.
Senior members of
the governing Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) on 2 January called
for the immediate replacement of Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou,
Reuters reported the same day. They said a new premier has to be elected
in order to avoid a power vacuum both in the government and in PASOK.
Papandreou has been in hospital since 20 November 1995, and his lung and
kidney functions are supported by machines. Government spokesman
Tilemachos Hytiris said any move to elect a new prime minister is
unacceptable and unconstitutional; the premier can be replaced only if
he dies or resigns. Defense Minister Gerasimos Arsenis and former
Industry and Trade Minister Kostas Simitis are seen as the strongest
contenders to succeed Papandreou. -- Stefan Krause
[11] ALBANIAN SOCIALIST PARTY TAKES NANO OFF ITS CANDIDATES LIST.
The
Socialist Party scheduled its pre-election party congress for 23 March
1996 and decided to take imprisoned party leader Fatos Nano off the
candidates list for June's parliamentary elections, ATSH reported on 27
December. At a previous meeting, the party leadership reportedly decided
that a number of other legislators, who held office before 1991 and are
banned from running for parliament by the "genocide law" adopted in
September, will not attempt to stand again. They include Party General
Secretary and former Interior Minister Gramoz Ruci, transition
government Prime Minister Ylli Bufi, former Parliamentary Speaker
Kastriot Islami, former Finance Minister Leontiev Cuci, former Health
Minister Sabit Brokaj, former member of the Albanian Workers' Party's
Central Committee Dritero Agolli and former Culture Minister Moikom
Zeqo. -- Fabian Schmidt
This material was reprinted with permission of the Open Media Research Institute, a nonprofit organization with research offices in Prague, Czech Republic.
For more information on OMRI publications please write to [email protected]
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