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OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 53, 14 March 1996
CONTENTS
[1] VIOLENCE AGAINST SERBS IN ILIDZA.
[2] FRANCE, SERBIA OPPOSED TO LIFTING ARMS EMBARGO.
[3] SARAJEVO MAYOR RESIGNS OVER CANTON ISSUE.
[4] OIC PLEDGES TO HELP BOSNIA.
[5] SERBIAN OPPOSITION LEADER ON CROATIAN, RUMP YUGOSLAV RELATIONS.
[6] MONTENEGRINS WARY OF SERBIAN "LINGUISTIC OCCUPATION."
[7] ROMANIAN BANKING SCANDAL.
[8] HUNGARIAN MINORITY PARTY IN ROMANIA TO APPEAL TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE.
[9] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT, OFFICIALS DISCUSS CORRUPTION.
[10] BULGARIA, SLOVENIA AGREE TO BOOST COOPERATION.
[11] GREECE, BULGARIA DISAGREE OVER OIL PIPELINE PROJECT.
[12] ONE ALBANIAN DROWNS, 30 MISSING AFTER BOAT CAPSIZES.
[13] UPDATE ON ALBANIAN JOURNALISTS' TRIALS.
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 53, Part II, 14 March 1996
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[1] VIOLENCE AGAINST SERBS IN ILIDZA.
Muslim gangs from Sarajevo continue to
terrorize the Serbs who resisted arson and intimidation from their own
side to stay in their homes in Ilidza, the BBC reported on 13 March.
There has been some increase in police protection, but over 100 cases of
actions against Serbs have been reported. Muslims have been telling
Serbs they intend to move into their homes, and many Serbs have fled or
are wondering what to do next, Reuters noted. The key issue for IFOR is
to prevent a repeat in Grbavica of the events of recent days in Ilidza.
Crack French and Italian patrols have accordingly been stepped up in
Grbavica, the next suburb slated to pass to federal control. Reports are
nonetheless already coming in of Serbian "intimidation squads" on the
move, AFP stated. -- Patrick Moore
[2] FRANCE, SERBIA OPPOSED TO LIFTING ARMS EMBARGO.
The ban on light arms
sales to the former Yugoslav republics was lifted on 14 March in keeping
with the Dayton agreement. The aim of the American architects of the
treaty was to allow the Muslims and Croats to achieve some kind of
parity with the heavily armed Serbs and thereby deter the latter from
new aggression. U.S. officials said they plan to go ahead with a
military assistance plan costing some $700-800 million, AFP reported.
Rump Yugoslav President Zoran Lilic said, however, that "it would be
unreasonable while the peace process is in progress to undertake to arm
any party." Serbia's traditional ally, France, has taken a similar view;
and Foreign Ministry spokesman Yves Dutriaux told reporters that "France
has two priorities in the region, stability and reconstruction.
Rearmament is not a priority." This view will be represented by the EU
at the 15 March conference in Ankara on arming the federation. --
Patrick Moore
[3] SARAJEVO MAYOR RESIGNS OVER CANTON ISSUE.
Tarik Kupusovic has resigned
over the Sarajevo authorities' decision to make the city a canton,
Oslobodjenje and Onasa reported. The Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ)
says it considers Sarajevo's cantonal arrangement unconstitutional, but
Omer Ibrahimagic, president of the city commission in charge of
transforming Sarajevo into a canton, has said it is in accordance with
the federal constitution. Ibrahimagic noted that under the new
arrangement, the mandates of the old city assembly deputies and
officials, including that of the mayor, cease to exist. Meanwhile, the
HDZ has appealed to Croatian President Franjo Tudjman for support in
protecting Bosnian Croat political and national interests. It has also
urged Croatian officials in the Bosnian Federation to halt their
involvement in implementing the civilian part of the Dayton peace
accord. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[4] OIC PLEDGES TO HELP BOSNIA.
An Islamic aid mobilization group on 12
March pledged to help Bosnia in its reconstruction and in pursuing
trials of war criminals, Onasa reported, citing Reuters. The pledge came
after a two-day meeting of the 51-nation Organization of Islamic
Conference (OIC). The OIC said the Islamic contribution would be within
the framework of the Dayton peace accord, and it asked OIC member states
to actively contribute to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of
Bosnia. In another development, Russia has said it disapproves of the
U.S. decision to grant military aid to the Bosnian Federation. It noted
that it will not take part in the 15 March Ankara Conference on military
aid for the Bosnian Federation, which is sponsored by the U.S. -- Daria
Sito Sucic
[5] SERBIAN OPPOSITION LEADER ON CROATIAN, RUMP YUGOSLAV RELATIONS.
Leader
of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Vojislav Kostunica on 13 March
said that relations between Croatia and rump Yugoslavia "certainly must
be normalized." He stressed, however, that any improvement in bilateral
relations would entail addressing "the question of the remaining Serbs
in Croatia as well as those Serbs who left Croatia," Beta reported.
Kostunica also commented that Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic had no
intention to discuss the topic with Croatian officials. Kostunica
alleged that the interests of the Serbs outside the rump Yugoslavia were
being harmed by Western powers, notably the U.S. -- Stan Markotich
[6] MONTENEGRINS WARY OF SERBIAN "LINGUISTIC OCCUPATION."
The MontenegrinPEN club's committee for the use of language and history of literature
on 11 March protested what it dubbed the "Serbianization" of the
Montenegrin language. According to the Club, the preference given to the
Ekavian variant of the language--which is spoken in Serbia--over the
local Montenegrin Ijekavian is clear evidence of creeping
"Serbianization." Montena-fax quoted club members as saying that since
"1989, there has been a grave process of linguistic Serbianization in
Montenegro--clearly under way in [many walks of] life, in the military,
police, political, cultural, and economic occupation of Montenegro." --
Stan Markotich
[7] ROMANIAN BANKING SCANDAL.
The Romanian National Bank has dismissed 10
executives from a leading commercial bank, the Cluj-based Dacia-Felix,
and assumed direct supervision over it. Romanian TV on 13 March said
bank president Ioan Sima, its vice presidents, and the entire
administrative council were dismissed and banned from holding leading
positions in the banking system for the next five years. Dacia-Felix was
accused of "grave" irregularities, especially in credit operations and
hard-currency transactions. National Bank Governor,Mugur Isarescu told
Adevarul on 14 March that the losses of the bank currently amount to 800
billion lei ($300 million). -- Michael Shafir
[8] HUNGARIAN MINORITY PARTY IN ROMANIA TO APPEAL TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE.
Iuliu Vida, leader of the Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania
(UDMR) caucus in the Chamber of Deputies, said the draft law on local
administration adopted by the chamber on 12 March will have a negative
impact on the right of minorities to safeguard their national identity.
Vida told a press conference that the UDMR will appeal the bill before
the Council of Europe. The legislation stipulates that the Romanian
language must be used at local council meetings even in regions where
the majority is not Romanian. He said there were no other legal venues
to appeal the bill, since it cannot be taken to the Constitutional
Court, Radio Bucharest reported on 13 March. -- Michael Shafir
[9] MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT, OFFICIALS DISCUSS CORRUPTION.
Mircea Snegur on 13
March discussed with senior Interior Ministry officials ways to combat
corruption, BASA-press and Moldpres reported. Snegur said that
corruption had spread to most branches of the administration. He added
that his "declaration of war" on corruption has resulted in a "political
offensive" against him. Meanwhile, the government's Commission for
Foreign Trade Regulation rejected accusations made by Snegur during a
recent parliamentary debate on corruption. The president had claimed
that the commission authorized the export of "huge quantities" of sun-
flower seeds and non-ferrous metals under dubious circumstances. --
Steliana Hanganu
[10] BULGARIA, SLOVENIA AGREE TO BOOST COOPERATION.
Slovenian President Milan
Kucan and his Bulgarian counterpart, Zhelyu Zhelev, meeting in Sofia on
13 March, agreed to improve cooperation between their countries,
Bulgarian and Western media reported. They also agreed to sign accords
on protection of investments and on avoiding double taxation. Kucan said
that while Slovenia supports Bulgaria's initiative for a meeting of
Balkan foreign ministers, it will attend only as an observer because
"Slovenia looks at the Balkans through the eyes of a Central European
country." Kucan also met with Prime Minister Zhan Videnov and
Parliamentary President Blagovest Sendov. In other news, Videnov on 14
March began a two-day official visit to Russia, Duma reported. -- Stefan
Krause
[11] GREECE, BULGARIA DISAGREE OVER OIL PIPELINE PROJECT.
Greece and Bulgaria
disagree over which companies should take part in a $700 million oil
pipeline project, Reuters reported on 13 March. The pipeline will have a
capacity of 600,000 barrels a day and will transport Russian crude oil
from the Bulgarian port of Burgas to the Greek harbor town of
Alexandroupolis. It will be built and operated by a Russian-Bulgarian-
Greek company. Sofia wants fewer Greek construction firms involved,
while Athens reportedly has promised a big share of the spoils to
private Greek firms. Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Construction
Minister Doncho Konakchiev said feasibility studies and economic reports
must be completed before deciding which companies take part. -- Stefan
Krause
[12] ONE ALBANIAN DROWNS, 30 MISSING AFTER BOAT CAPSIZES.
One Albanian
drowned and another 30 are missing after a boat capsized near Otranto,
Zeri i Popullit reported on 14 March. The group came from Maqella in the
Dibra region and wanted to illegally immigrate to Italy. The accident is
the latest in a series of maritime accidents. Small motor boats crossing
the Adriatic are mostly overfilled, and fires often occur, since the
boats carry additional fuel in canisters. -- Fabian Schmidt
[13] UPDATE ON ALBANIAN JOURNALISTS' TRIALS.
Populli Po chief editor Arben
Hasani was fined $1,000 on 12 March for publishing an article saying
that the Kosovars brought drugs and prostitution to Albania, Koha Jone
reported. The cultural organization Kosova brought the charges against
Hasani. On 18 March, he is to stand trial again--this time on charges of
reporting incorrect information. The Albanian secret service SHIK claims
that Hasani wrongly reported that a policeman in Shkoder had accused
SHIK of involvement in the killing of a local opposition politician.
Meanwhile, Koha Jone chief editor Aleksander Frangaj went on trial on 13
March for publishing an article about alleged corruption among police
officers in Gjirokastra. -- Fabian Schmidt
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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