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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 91, 96-05-10
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 91, 10 May 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] PRIMAKOV VISITS STEPANAKERT, YEREVAN.
[02] TURKEY WITHDRAWS FINANCING BID FOR BAKU-SUPSA PIPELINE.
[03] ANTI-IRANIAN DEMONSTRATION IN BAKU.
[04] MALARIA EPIDEMIC IN AZERBAIJAN.
[05] INTEGRATION EFFORTS IN CENTRAL ASIA.
[06] AUTHORITIES RELEASE TAJIK DEMOCRATIC PARTY MEMBERS.
[07] RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT THREATENS TO PULL OUT OF TAJIKISTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[08] UNHCR REJECTS DEADLINE FOR RETURN OF REFUGEES.
[09] WAR CRIMES UPDATE.
[10] U.S. WARNS SERBIA OVER KOSOVO.
[11] MAJOR STRIKES IN SERBIAN INDUSTRIAL CENTER.
[12] CROATIAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS SUES VJESNIK FOR LIBEL.
[13] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT IN FRANCE.
[14] ROMANIAN PREMIER'S DUTCH VISIT.
[15] MOLDOVA RECEIVES WORLD BANK LOAN FOR AGRICULTURE.
[16] BULGARIAN NATIONAL BANK RAISES INTEREST RATE AMID DEEPENING FINANCIAL
CRISIS.
[17] MONARCH TO BE ALLOWED TO RETURN TO BULGARIA.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] PRIMAKOV VISITS STEPANAKERT, YEREVAN.
Russian Foreign Minister Yevgenii Primakov held talks in Stepanakert on 9 May
with Robert Kocharyan, president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-
Karabakh, Russian Public TV (ORT) reported. Primakov said he was "very
satisfied" with the talks but refused to give details. On returning to Yerevan,
Primakov again discussed possible solutions to the Karabakh conflict with
President Levon Ter-Petrossyan, according to Radio Rossii. Ter-Petrossyan
noted the importance of extending the two-year-old ceasefire until the signing
of a political settlement of the conflict, ITAR-TASS reported on 10 May. --
Liz Fuller
[02] TURKEY WITHDRAWS FINANCING BID FOR BAKU-SUPSA PIPELINE.
Turkey has withdrawn a proposal to provide $250 million for a pipeline running
from Baku to the Georgian Black Sea port of Supsa, Reuters reported on 9 May.
The move was prompted by last week's decision by the Azerbaijani International
Oil Consortium (AIOC) and Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR to reject
Turkey's conditions for building the line, which amounted to their commitment
to building another pipeline down to Turkey's Mediterranean port of
Ceyhan. Earlier in the week, the AIOC announced that it would finance the Baku-
Supsa line. Turkish Foreign Minister Emre Gonensay will travel to Washington
to seek U.S. support for the Baku-Ceyhan route. Turkey has committed itself
to exploring alternatives to the Baku-Supsa-Ceyhan line with Georgia
and Azerbaijan. -- Lowell Bezanis
[03] ANTI-IRANIAN DEMONSTRATION IN BAKU.
Some 100 people demonstrated outside the Iranian Embassy in Baku on 9 May to
demand a halt to the persecution of ethnic Azeris in Iran, RFE/RL reported.
Hundreds of Iranian Azeris living in Azerbaijan have reportedly been arrested
for demonstrating in support of Azeris who stood as candidates in the Iranian
parliamentary election. -- Liz Fuller
[04] MALARIA EPIDEMIC IN AZERBAIJAN.
The incidence of malaria in Azerbaijan has skyrocketed in recent years, with 2,
802 cases reported in 1995 compared with only 23 in 1993, Western agencies
reported on 9 May quoting a World Health Organization report. The majority of
those affected are reportedly persons displaced as a result of the Nagorno-
Karabakh conflict. The WHO expressed concern that the disease could spread to
neighboring countries. -- Liz Fuller
[05] INTEGRATION EFFORTS IN CENTRAL ASIA.
The presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan reconfirmed their
commitment to further economic integration in a joint statement at the 6 May
summit in Bishkek. In addition to general comments on political and regional
cooperation, the statement, published in Narodnoe slovo on 7 May, stressed
the need for the states to "make effective use" of their industries and create
a "mutually beneficial division of labor." One area of expressed concern was
water resource management. In an effort to promote integrative measures, a new
weekly, Central Asia: Problems of Integration, will be launched. --
Roger Kangas
[06] AUTHORITIES RELEASE TAJIK DEMOCRATIC PARTY MEMBERS.
The two Tajik Democratic Party (DPT) representatives who were arrested on 1
May (OMRI Daily Digest, 3 May 1996) have been released by the authorities,
according to an 8 May Voice of Radio Free Tajikistan report monitored by the
BBC. The still unnamed men were held for spreading anti-government propaganda
and possessing copies of the outlawed newspaper Charoghi Ruz. No reason
was given for their release. -- Bruce Pannier
[07] RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT THREATENS TO PULL OUT OF TAJIKISTAN.
The Red Cross/Red Crescent, which was on the verge of obtaining its own
chapter in Tajikistan, is now saying it may leave the Central Asian country
all together, according to a 7 May Radio Voice of Free Tajikistan report
monitored by the BBC. Complaining of government interference at times and
total indifference at others, the organization said it may "cease its
activities in Tajikistan." The group was instrumental in the last official
exchange of prisoners between the government and the opposition, which took
place in November 1994, and has rendered aid to Tajik refugees inside northern
Afghanistan. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[08] UNHCR REJECTS DEADLINE FOR RETURN OF REFUGEES.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata, at the end of her visit to
Bosnia on 9 May, said that it is unrealistic to set dates for the return of
refugees. At best, she expects that about 500,000 people can go home this year,
most of whom are currently in the region. The UNHCR earlier wanted to resettle
in 1996 about 900,000 of the 2.4 million refugees and displaced persons.
Germany, Slovenia, and some other countries have set down timetables for the
refugees' return based on the schedules envisioned in the Dayton agreement.
The civilian portions of that treaty have been so unevenly implemented,
however, that resettlement plans based on it are less than realistic. Austria
has extended the deadline for refugees to leave there from June 1996 to August
1997, Reuters noted. -- Patrick Moore
[09] WAR CRIMES UPDATE.
The OSCE has said that the continued presence of indicted war criminals on
Bosnian territory is a great potential danger to the elections, which the
Dayton treaty says must be held by mid-September. The OSCE's current chairman,
Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, argued that "the fact that [indicted war
criminals] remain complicates the process of creating a climate without
violence and intimidation, which is a pre-requisite for the holding of
elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina," Reuters reported on 9 May. In The Hague,
some charges have been dropped against Dusan Tadic, the Bosnian Serb who is
the first indicted war criminal to stand trial. Potential witnesses have been
intimidated into not testifying, international media noted. Tadic will soon
have company in his prison, however, because Zejnil Delalic was handed over to
the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on 8 May, Onasa
reported the next day. He was arrested in Munich in March and is the first
Muslim to be sent to The Hague. His lawyer is Edina Residovic, who was the
public attorney at the 1983 Bosnian trial of "Islamic fundamentalists." --
Patrick Moore
[10] U.S. WARNS SERBIA OVER KOSOVO.
Secretary of State Warren Christopher warned Serbia on 9 May that the U.S.
will maintain an "outer wall" of sanctions until the situation in Kosovo
markedly improved. This could mean blocking Belgrade's membership in the UN,
the World Bank, the IMF, and the OSCE. At a meeting with Albanian Foreign
Minister Alfred Serreqi in Washington, Christopher expressed concern over the
rising violence in the region. He also noted that the U.S. wants to proceed
rapidly with the opening of a U.S. Information Agency office in Pristina. --
Fabian Schmidt
[11] MAJOR STRIKES IN SERBIAN INDUSTRIAL CENTER.
Up to 15, 000 workers took to the streets in Nis on 9 May for the second
consecutive day in what is the most serious workers' protest in Serbia for at
least three years, Nasa Borba reported. Employees from the electronics group
El-Nis (consisting of 42 companies) have said they will continue to strike
until their demands for wage payments and a share in the companies are met.
According to Reuters, some workers have received no pay since December 1995.
National Bank Governor Dragoslav Avramovic has said he supports the workers'
protest, adding that the government likely faces prolonged labor unrest if the
demands are not met. * Stan Markotich
[12] CROATIAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS SUES VJESNIK FOR LIBEL.
Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, head of the Croatian branch of the Helsinki Committee
human rights group, on 9 May filed a libel suit against the country's main
state-run paper over accusations that he worked for the former Yugoslav secret
police (see OMRI Daily Digest, 7 May 1996), Reuters reported. Cicak also met
with visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Jose Ayala-Lasso to report
on alleged abuses in Croatia, which is expected to gain membership in the
Council of Europe at its ministerial meeting on 15 May, Novi list reported.
One condition for its acceptance into that body is freedom of the media.
Reporters Without Borders noted in a recent letter to the Council of Europe "a
toughening of pressure against independent media since Croatia's admission
into the Council of Europe," Reuters reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[13] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT IN FRANCE.
Kiro Gligorov and Macedonian Foreign Minister Ljubomir Frckovski have met with
their French counterparts, Jacques Chirac and Herve de Charette, in Paris,
Reuters reported on 9 May. Chirac said he supported both a rapprochement
between the EU and Skopje and an EU association agreement with Macedonia. He
also supported NATO membership of Macedonia Talks focused on a cooperation and
trade agreement. Gligorov signed the Paris Charter for a new Europe, which
includes a commitment by signatory states that they will not use force to
change their international borders. The charter was adopted in 1989 by 34
member countries of the CSCE. -- Fabian Schmidt
[14] ROMANIAN PREMIER'S DUTCH VISIT.
Nicolae Vacaroiu, during a two-day official visit to Holland earlier this week,
met with his Dutch counterpart, Wim Kok, and the chairmen of the two chambers
of parliament. He was also received by Queen Beatrix. Vacaroiu discussed
improving bilateral economic relations, including boosting Dutch investments
in Romania, and opened a Romanian information office in Amsterdam. He told
Radio Bucharest that Dutch investments are the fifth largest in Romania and
that trade between the two countries grew by 60% last year, reaching about
$500 million. He added that he hoped overall trade will reach $1 billion by
the end of 1996. -- Michael Shafir
[15] MOLDOVA RECEIVES WORLD BANK LOAN FOR AGRICULTURE.
The World Bank on 8 May announced it has approved a $10 million loan to
support Moldova's efforts to boost agricultural exports and increase farmer's
incomes, RFE/RL reported. The funds will be used mainly to help develop higher-
quality grape varieties, improve wine-making procedures, and create more
efficient management structures for future projects. An estimated total of
$18.5 million is required for this first project, with additional funding
coming from the Moldovan government. -- Matyas Szabo
[16] BULGARIAN NATIONAL BANK RAISES INTEREST RATE AMID DEEPENING FINANCIAL
CRISIS.
The Bulgarian National Bank on 9 May raised its basic lending rate from 67% to
108%, Bulgarian and international media reported. At the same time, it
increased its fixing of the lev from 112.84 to 122.56 to $1, while foreign
exchange bureaus quoted the lev at 150-160. Savers responded by withdrawing
their deposits from banks, and shops stated prices in dollars. Finance
Minister Dimitar Kostov noted that the government would soon announce the
liquidation of firms whose combined losses account for 25% of total enterprise
losses. Bulgaria also wants to sell 25% of the national telecommunications
company. An IMF mission is currently in Sofia to determine whether progress
on structural reform merits awarding a standby credit to support the lev.
IMF Bulgaria mission chief Ann McGirk noted that progress was being made at
the negotiations, but local observers fear that the government's indecisiveness
will cause hyperinflation. -- Michael Wyzan
[17] MONARCH TO BE ALLOWED TO RETURN TO BULGARIA.
Bulgaria's former King Simeon II will be allowed to return to Bulgaria some 50
years after leaving the country, Bulgarian media reported on 9 May. The 58-
year-old Simeon abdicated in 1946 and now lives in Spain. Authorities have
renewed the ex-monarch's passport, and he plans to return to his native
Bulgaria for "a private visit." A spokesperson for Simeon said recent reports
in Bulgarian papers alleging that the king wants to return to power are false.
-- Stan Markotich
Compiled by Victor Gomez and Jan Cleave
News and information as of 1200 CET
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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