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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 99, 96-05-22
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 99, 22 May 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] UN SECURITY COUNCIL DENOUNCES OPPOSITION OFFENSIVE.
[02] DEFENSE INDUSTRY CONVERSION IN UZBEKISTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[03] BILDT FAILED TO OUST KARADZIC?
[04] BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT THREATENS TO BOYCOTT ELECTIONS.
[05] NATO NOT TO HUNT DOWN KARADZIC?
[06] SERBIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH NEW ACTING BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT.
[07] SERBS TORTURED SEVEN MUSLIM PRISONERS.
[08] SERBS BEGIN DEMILITARIZATION IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
[09] NATO TROOPS TO PARTICIPATE IN JOINT MILITARY MANEUVERS IN ROMANIA.
[10] MOLDOVAN CAPITAL WARNS OF SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
[11] OSCE MISSION HEAD'S MANDATE ENDS IN MOLDOVA.
[12] COUNTERFEIT WESTERN BILLS FLOOD BULGARIA.
[13] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES BANKING LAWS.
[14] BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER IN CHINA.
[15] RECORD ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ALBANIA.
[16] PROSECUTOR DEMANDS LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR FORMER ALBANIAN COMMUNISTS.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] UN SECURITY COUNCIL DENOUNCES OPPOSITION OFFENSIVE.
Responding to an appeal from Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov, the UN
Security Council held a session on 21 May to discuss the situation in
Tajikistan, particularly in the Tavil-Dara region, Reuters and AFP reported
the same day. Security Council President Qin Huasun of China read a statement
condemning "the planned and organized offensive by armed Tajik opposition in
the Tavil-Dara region," and saying "that all such actions further aggravate
the already serious humanitarian situation in Tajikistan." The statement
called the offensive "totally unacceptable" and demanded an immediate
cessation of hostilities in accordance with the Tehran ceasefire agreement
signed in 1994, which was extended by another three months on 19 May. -- Bruce
Pannier
[02] DEFENSE INDUSTRY CONVERSION IN UZBEKISTAN.
U.S. Department of Commerce Undersecretary Barry Carter and Uzbek Prime
Minister Utkir Sultanov on 16 May signed an agreement establishing the basic
principles of Uzbek defense industry conversion, the BBC reported on 18 May.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov is scheduled to visit Washington, D.C. in June
1996. -- Roger Kangas
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[03] BILDT FAILED TO OUST KARADZIC?
High Representative for Bosnia Carl Bildt and commander of IFOR ground troops
Lt. Gen. Sir Michael Walker, meeting with the Bosnian Serb leadership at Pale
on 21 May, failed to receive a commitment that the Bosnian Serb leader and
indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic would resign, international agencies
reported. Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic noted that the effort to unseat
Karadzic has failed, AFP reported. Meanwhile, in an interview with the B 92
radio station, Bildt said he will ask Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic to
help arrest Karadzic and another indicted war criminal, Bosnian Serb Gen.
Ratko Mladic. Nasa Borba on 22 May commented that if Bildt reports to the UN
Contact Group that Milosevic has failed to help implement the Dayton peace
agreement, sanctions to the rump Yugoslavia could be resumed. -- Daria Sito
Sucic
[04] BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT THREATENS TO BOYCOTT ELECTIONS.
Vice President Ejup Ganic has said his government will not take part in the
vote slated for mid-September unless indicted war criminals Karadzic and
Mladic are removed from power. He also demanded a change in the election rules
to ensure that people can vote in home areas from which they have been
expelled. "The danger of these elections, if they are not done correctly, is
that they will verify ethnic cleansing. They will become a blueprint for how
to ethnically expel people," the New York Times on 22 May quoted him as
saying. Ganic's views are in keeping with the Dayton agreement, but its key
architect, Richard Holbrooke, now seems to have doubts about the principles
Ganic recalled. Holbrooke told the BBC on 21 May that massive and involuntary
demographic changes have become "a fact of life" in Bosnia. He added, however,
that elections must take place this year even if they are "flawed" lest they
never be held. -- Patrick Moore
[05] NATO NOT TO HUNT DOWN KARADZIC?
Atlantic Alliance sources on 21 May said that IFOR troops will not go after
Karadzic for fear the move could lead to casualties among the peacekeepers,
Onasa reported. The head of the Hague-based war crimes tribunal, Justice
Richard Goldstone, said however that he cannot "believe that 60,000 [IFOR]
troops would have difficulty" in arresting the war criminals, The New York
Times noted on 22 May. Meanwhile in Washington, State Department spokesman
Nicholas Burns said the U.S. has spoken to Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic about his obligation to make sure the Bosnian Serbs observe all
aspects of the Dayton accord, including bringing war criminals to justice.
Milosevic reportedly told the Americans that he wants the Bosnian Serbs to
comply, but he did not say what he will do about it, Onasa added. Burns also
called Karadzic's plans for a referendum "a lot of hot air," adding that "it
won't happen because we won't let it happen," Reuters stated. -- Patrick
Moore
[06] SERBIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH NEW ACTING BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT.
Meanwhile, Milosevic met with Biljana Plavsic on 21 May, Nasa Borba reported
the following day. Recently appointed by Karadzic, she was accompanied by
vice president Nikola Koljevic. Their meeting focused on major political
issues in Bosnia, with Milosevic encouraging the Bosnian Serbs to set up and
respect "democratic institutions" before the elections. Milosevic recently has
come under pressure from the international community to secure a change in
the leadership of the Bosnian Serbs, in particular Karadzic's removal from
power. -- Stan Markotich
[07] SERBS TORTURED SEVEN MUSLIM PRISONERS.
Bosnian Serb policemen beat and abused seven uniformed Muslims arrested by
U.S. IFOR troops in eastern Bosnia earlier this month and then handed them
over to the local police force. A UN spokesman said the torture to obtain
confessions took place in a prison in Zvornik, Oslobodjenje reported on 22
May. The men, whose origin and identity are unknown, are now being held in
Bijeljina, where they have received some medical attention. The Muslims were
armed, and explosions were heard before they surrendered to the Americans.
Bosnian officials maintain they may be refugees from Srebrenica who have been
hiding out in the woods and mountains, but NATO said they looked too well fed
and groomed to have been living rough since last summer. -- Patrick
Moore
[08] SERBS BEGIN DEMILITARIZATION IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
Jacques Klein, UN administrator for the Croatian Serb-held eastern Slavonia,
has announced that Serbian demilitarization in the region began on 21 May
following the full deployment of the 5,000-strong multinational UN
peacekeeping force (UNTAES), international and local media reported.
Demilitarization is to be completed within one month. UN sources said the
Serbs have already withdrawn most of their heavy weapons to Serbia and
Montenegro. Croatian Radio on 21 May reported that telephone lines between
eastern Slavonia and other parts of Croatia have been partly restored as a
step toward full reintegration with the rest of Croatia. -- Daria Sito
Sucic
[09] NATO TROOPS TO PARTICIPATE IN JOINT MILITARY MANEUVERS IN ROMANIA.
At the request of President Ion Iliescu, the Chamber of Deputies on 21 May
approved the participation of NATO troops in six joint military exercises to
be held on Romanian territory this year within the framework of the
Partnership for Peace program, Radio Bucharest reported on the same day.
Socialist Labor Party deputy Silviu Somacu vehemently opposed the proposal,
raising arguments described by Adevarul as "typical of communist
propaganda." Some deputies called him a "dirty Communist," and fist-fight was
narrowly averted, Evenimentul zilei reported. -- Michael Shafir
[10] MOLDOVAN CAPITAL WARNS OF SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The Chisinau Mayor's Office has declared a state of emergency "in connection
with the danger of spread of acute diarrhea, cholera, and other infectious
diseases," BASA-press reported on 20 May. Deputy Major Dumitru Gatcan said the
office has banned selling perishable products on the streets. An official of
the National Hygiene and Epidemology Center told BASA that the cholera danger
persists this year, especially in the Transdniester region, where most cases
were reported in 1995. -- Michael Shafir
[11] OSCE MISSION HEAD'S MANDATE ENDS IN MOLDOVA.
Michael Wygant, whose mandate as head of the OSCE mission in Moldova has ended,
on 20 May met with President Mircea Snegur, BASA-press reported . Snegur said
the mission has helped Moldova maintain peace and take steps toward reaching a
settlement to the Transdniestrian dispute. At the same time, he insisted that
such a settlement "must proceed from the premise of Moldova's independence,
sovereignty, and territorial integrity, [which are] recognized by the
mediators." Wygant said the time when "theoretical discussions will be
replaced by practical action in a united, integral, and independent Moldova"
was not far off. -- Michael Shafir
[12] COUNTERFEIT WESTERN BILLS FLOOD BULGARIA.
With the lev continuing to fall against the U.S. dollar and with many
Bulgarians trying to trade their lev savings for hard currency, large amounts
of counterfeit U.S. and German bills are circulating in Bulgaria, Bulgarian
National Bank Deputy Governor Dimitar Dimitrov told Bulgarian TV on 21 May. A
senior police official estimated that "dozens of millions" of counterfeit U.S.
dollars are on the Bulgarian market. According to 24 chasa, the bogus bills
come from the Middle East via Turkey. In other news, Bulgaria and the EU on 21
May agreed to boost nuclear safety at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, RFE/RL
reported. Kozloduy's Reactor No. 1 was shut down for EU-sponsored safety tests
last week. Bulgarian and EU experts will jointly decide when it will go back
on line. -- Stefan Krause
[13] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES BANKING LAWS.
The Bulgarian parliament on 21 May passed on first reading a law on
compensating citizens and enterprises that have lost their savings in banks
facing bankruptcy proceedings, Bulgarian media reported The law envisions full
compensation for citizens and 50% compensation for companies. Finance Minister
Dimitar Kostov estimates these measures will cost 20 billion leva ($159
million). -- Michael Wyzan
[14] BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER IN CHINA.
Zhan Videnov on 21 May reaffirmed that Sofia remains committed to its "one
China" policy, Trud reported. Speaking in Beijing, he commented that
Bulgaria will not establish official contacts with Taiwan. Videnov also said
that Tibet is an "autonomous region" in China and that the Tibetan issue is
China's internal affair. Videnov told his Chinese counterpart, Li Peng, that
his government considers good relations and cooperation with Beijing one of
its foreign-policy priorities. Several bilateral agreements have been signed
so far, including ones on cooperation in public security, education, science,
and patents. Videnov is the first Bulgarian prime minister to visit China in
some 40 years. -- Stefan Krause
[15] RECORD ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ALBANIA.
According to an IMF report, Albania continues to be the poorest European
country, but its economy is the fastest-growing in Europe, AFP reported on 21
May. The report states that the economy grew by 11% last year, while the
budget deficit was 7% of GDP and annual inflation only 6%. Foreign investment
amounted to $2.5 billion, and remittances from Albanians working abroad
reached $400-600 million. However, wages remain low--at an average of $70 a
month--and unemployment is still widespread. The Frankfurter Rundschau on 22
May reported that official unemployment is 15% but soars to almost 50% in the
former industrial regions in the north. -- Stefan Krause
[16] PROSECUTOR DEMANDS LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR FORMER ALBANIAN COMMUNISTS.
Prosecutor Arjan Sulstafa on 21 May demanded that former President Haxhi
Lleshi, Deputy Prime Minister Manush Myftiu, Supreme Court Chairman Aranit
Cela, and Deputy Interior Minister and head of the secret police Zylyftar
Ramizi be sentenced to life imprisonment, Reuters reported. He also urged that
the fifth defendant, former Prosecutor-General Rrapi Mino, receive a 25-year
sentence. The five former officials are charged with crimes against humanity
while in power. They are also accused of ordering the internal exile of
political opponents. -- Stefan Krause
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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