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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 110, 96-06-06
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 110, 6 June 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] TRIAL OF KAZAKHSTAN'S DISMISSED SUPREME COURT CHIEF IMMINENT.
[02] TASHKENT TO UNDERGO RENOVATION. . .
[03] . . . AS PUSHKIN MONUMENT IS DISMANTLED.
[04] TURKMEN ANTHEM WRITER SOUGHT.
[05] TAJIK GOVERNMENT FORCES GAINING GROUND.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] MASS GRAVE FOUND NEAR SREBRENICA.
[07] SERBS CONTINUE TO HARASS CROSS-BORDER BUS LINE.
[08] NEW INCIDENTS IN MOSTAR.
[09] SERBS START DEMOBILIZING IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
[10] UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL CHIEF VISITS BELGRADE.
[11] U.S OFFICIAL OPENS INFORMATION CENTER IN KOSOVO.
[12] SLOVENIA'S GOVERNING COALITION TO CONTINUE.
[13] MACEDONIA, SLOVENIA TO BOOST COOPERATION.
[14] ROMANIA SETS DEADLINE FOR PRESIDENTIAL AND GENERAL ELECTIONS.
[15] FORMER MOLDOVAN COMMUNIST BOSS VISITS GAGAUZ REGION.
[16] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY LEADERSHIP TO RESIGN?
[17] BULGARIAN TV BOSS TO BE SACKED.
[18] ALBANIAN ELECTION UPDATE.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] TRIAL OF KAZAKHSTAN'S DISMISSED SUPREME COURT CHIEF IMMINENT.
Kenzhebulat Beknazarov, a spokesman for the Kazakhstani State Committee on
National Security, told ITAR-TASS on 4 June that the committee has evidence
that Mikhail Malakhov, the former chairman of the Kazakhstani Supreme Court,
received a foreign car worth $7000 as a bribe. Beknazarov told ITAR-TASS that
the Kazakhstani government may have to ask the Russian government to
extradite Malakhov, who is currenlty in Russia on a "private visit." Malakhov
lost his legal immunity after the Senate voted on 3 June to dismiss him from
his post. President Nursultan Nazarbayev had suspended Malakhov in early
April. According to a 3 June Kazakhstani TV report monitored by the BBC, four
other Supreme Court judges have offered their resignations, bringing the total
number of those who resigned to nine; no reasons were given for the
resignations. -- Bhavna Dave
[02] TASHKENT TO UNDERGO RENOVATION. . .
Extensive changes are to take place in Tashkent including the construction of
new parks and housing developments, the city's hokim, Kozim Tulyaganov, said
in an interview published in Pravda vostoka on 6 June. The plan, approved by
the cabinet at the end of 1994, calls for the renovation of the "old city"
part of Tashkent, which will entail the destruction of entire neighborhoods of
traditional Uzbek homes and their replacement with apartment buildings and
wide boulevards. OMRI has learned that UNESCO and residents of the old city
have repeatedly voiced their objection to the plan, which is already underway.
-- Roger Kangas in Tashkent
[03] . . . AS PUSHKIN MONUMENT IS DISMANTLED.
Uzbek authorities removed the statue of Aleksandr Pushkin from a central
square of Tashkent on the night of 4 June and took it to an undisclosed
location, Ekspress-Khronika reported on 6 June. Russians celebrate Pushkin's
birthday on 6 June. -- Bhavna Dave
[04] TURKMEN ANTHEM WRITER SOUGHT.
A presidential decree read on state radio offers the equivalent of $10,000 to
anyone who can pen a national anthem for Turkmenistan, Reuters reported on 5
June. The anthem must reflect the country's neutrality and historical
traditions. President Saparmurad "Turkmenbashi" Niyazov himself will be on the
panel of 14 judges to decide the winner. Results are expected by 1 October in
preparation for the 27 October celebration of Turkmen Independence Day. --
Bruce Pannier
[05] TAJIK GOVERNMENT FORCES GAINING GROUND.
Tajik government forces continue to drive opposition forces eastward and
southward in the latest offensive, according to ITAR-TASS and Reuters.
Fighting is now taking place near the village of Sagirdasht, which lies
between the town of Tavil-Dara and the Kalai-Khumb border post, Russian TV
(RTR) reported on 5 June. Four government soldiers are reported dead and 27
are wounded. Presidential spokesman Zafar Saidov denied allegations that
Russian forces are providing air support for the latest drive but for the
first time mentioned that the opposition forces are in possession of four
helicopters. Fighting was also reported near Komsomolabad, north of Tavil-Dara,
and at the Khorog border post. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] MASS GRAVE FOUND NEAR SREBRENICA.
UN investigators on 5 June dug out a small "test trench" at Nova Kasaba that
revealed at least six corpses, with more more certainly nearby. The entire
mass grave site may contain up to 2,700 mainly Muslim males murdered by the
Serbs after the fall of Srebrenica last July, Reuters reported. U.S. satellite
photos, survivors' testimonies, and journalists' accounts had suggested that a
huge grave was located in the peaceful valley. The Serbs maintain that any
Muslims buried in the area were soldiers killed in battle, but the latest
excavations reveal civilian clothing and skeletons with their hands tied
behind their backs. Meanwhile in Jajce, the body count in the mass grave of
mainly women recently discovered there is now 63, Onasa reported. Finally, the
remains of 20 Muslims gunned down by the Serbs in June 1992 were unearthed in
Jesevo, northwest of Sarajevo, AFP noted. -- Patrick Moore
[07] SERBS CONTINUE TO HARASS CROSS-BORDER BUS LINE.
Bosnian Serb police in Lukavica have created "certain problems" for a bus line
linking that Serb-held Sarajevo suburb with the rest of the city, UNHCR
spokesman Kris Janowski said on 5 June. Serb policemen told the bus driver:
"Do not play with your lives. We will pick you off the bus tomorrow," Onasa
reported. The UN is now considering bringing in foreign drivers, as is already
done on the Banja Luka-Zenica line where Danes drive buses with Danish license
plates. Bosnian Serb authorities seem determined to block the few bus routes
connecting the Republika Srpska with the Croat-Muslim Federation (see OMRI
Special Report, 4 June 1996). Freedom of movement and the unity of all Bosnia-
Herzegovina are two key principles of the Dayton agreement. -- Patrick
Moore
[08] NEW INCIDENTS IN MOSTAR.
During the past several days, Muslim-Croatian tensions flared in Mostar,
Oslobodjenje reported on 6 June. Croatian police arrested three Muslims and
in retaliation, fellow Muslims blocked the main Revolution Boulevard, which is
the demarcation line between the city's Muslim and Croatian communities. The
Muslims then dragged two Croats out of their cars, taking them hostage. After
the EU police intervened, both the detained Muslims and Croats were released.
Head of the EU police Piter Lambrehtce on 5 June denied that the Muslim
military police attacked a Croatian policeman inside the joint police forces'
headquarters, Oslobodjenje reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[09] SERBS START DEMOBILIZING IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
In Eastern Slavonia, which is due to be returned to the Croatian government
within two years, Serbs have started to demobilize their soldiers, AFP
reported on 6 June. A UN spokesman said Gen. Dusan Loncar, the commander of
the Serb forces in the territory, gave the order and demobilization will be
completed in 10 days. Then, the 5,000 Serbs will also hand over their barracks
and training areas to the UN transitional administration. Meanwhile, Milan
Djukic, a Serb deputy in the Croatian parliament, sent an open letter to
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman in which he wrote that this is the most
difficult time in history for Serbs in Croatia and asked the Croatian
president not to spread the hatred, Novi List reported on 6 June. -- Daria
Sito Sucic
[10] UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL CHIEF VISITS BELGRADE.
During his visit to rump Yugoslavia, President of the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Antonio Cassese failed to win a commitment
from the Belgrade authorities that they would pass a law on the extradition of
war criminals. Following 5 June meetings with Radovan Bozovic, speaker of the
federal parliament, Cassese said that "this [failure to adopt legislation] is
a blatant violation not only of the Dayton agreement but also of two UN
Security Council resolutions." For its part, Belgrade defended its lack of
compliance with Dayton by arguing that "the Yugoslav criminal code is in
keeping with international law and regulates the issues of extradition of war
crime suspects in an adequate way," Tanjug reported. -- Stan Markotich
[11] U.S OFFICIAL OPENS INFORMATION CENTER IN KOSOVO.
U.S Deputy Secretary of State John Kornblum presided over the opening of a
U.S. Information Center in Kosovo on 5 June, Nasa Borba reported the next
day. Aleksa Jokic and Milos Nesovic, representatives of the Serbian
authorities in the predominantly ethnic Albanian province, and Kosovar shadow-
state President Ibrahim Rugova also attended. Reuters reported that while the
center is not to have any official diplomatic role, Kornblum said it could
play a part in resolving ethnic tensions in the region. "We believe that by
allowing access to many new kinds of information resources and by providing a
center as a meeting place...we will be able to contribute to the foundations
for a democratic future," he said. Washington has made improvement in the
human rights situation in Kosovo a precondition to the formal recognition of
rump Yugoslavia. -- Stan Markotich
[12] SLOVENIA'S GOVERNING COALITION TO CONTINUE.
The coalition agreement uniting the Liberal Democratic party (LDS) and the
Christian Democratic Party (SKD) was to have come to an end formally on 4 June,
but on 5 June the SKD said it would stay on in accordance with the terms of
the current coalition arrangement until December elections. In a statement
reported by Radio Slovenija on 29 May, LDS Secretary General Gregor Golobic
said that terminating the agreement would amount only to "formalizing
relations to date" between the two parties. Ties appeared to have reached
their all-time low on 16 May when the SKD backed a no-confidence motion
against LDS Foreign Minister Zoran Thaler. Golobic also said the LDS and SKD
will continue to cooperate on some basis, enabling the government to continue
working. He discounted "rumors" of an upcoming vote of no-confidence in
Drnovsek. -- Stan Markotich
[13] MACEDONIA, SLOVENIA TO BOOST COOPERATION.
During a visit of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek to Skopje on 5 June
both sides agree that the "excellent political relations must be followed by
increased economic cooperation," Nova Makedonija reported. Drnovsek and his
Macedonian counterpart, Branko Crvenkovski, signed an agreement on mutual
protection of investments and announced that an agreement on free trade will
be signed in July. Drnovsek and Crvenkovski stressed their identical views on
the issue of the succession of the former Yugoslavia and both said their
countries wish to join the EU and NATO. -- Stefan Krause
[14] ROMANIA SETS DEADLINE FOR PRESIDENTIAL AND GENERAL ELECTIONS.
The government on 5 June announced that presidential and general elections
will be held in Romania on 3 November, local media reported. The announcement
came after a meeting with leaders of the parliamentary parties. In order to
avoid the delay that might have resulted from amending the electoral law,
the parliamentary "hurdle" will remain at 3%, instead of a proposed 5-
7%. Candidacies for the presidency will, as in 1992, require the backing of
100,000 supporters. In a related matter, it was announced that the final
returns of the 2 June local elections will be made public on 7 June only. --
Dan Ionescu
[15] FORMER MOLDOVAN COMMUNIST BOSS VISITS GAGAUZ REGION.
Ivan Bodiul, who was First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Moldovan
Soviet Socialist Republic in the 1960s, paid an unofficial visit to Comrat,
the capital of Moldova's autonomous Gagauz region, BASA-press reported on 5
June. Bodiul met with Gagauz Governor Georgii Tabunshchik and other local
officials. He expressed satisfaction about the way the Gagauz issue was
eventually settled through the setting up of an autonomous region within the
framework of the Moldovan state. The 78-year-old Bodiul, who currently lives
in Moscow, had talks with the Dniester separatist leaders in Tiraspol on 31
May. Some media in Chisinau have speculated that Bodiul might run as a
presidential candidate in the next Moldovan elections to take place in
November. -- Dan Ionescu
[16] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY LEADERSHIP TO RESIGN?
Prime Minister and BSP Chairman Zhan Videnov proposed that the BSP Deputy
chairmen and the Executive Bureau tender their collective resignation to the
party's Supreme Council on 8 June, Standart and Duma reported. Most of the
Executive Bureau's members agreed to this move. The last party plenum on 31
May obliged Videnov to make changes in the government and the party leadership
by 8 June. New people are expected to be elected to the BSP top level and
changes in the government approved. According to 24 chasa, Minister of
Economic Development Rumen Gechev, Industry Minister Kliment Vuchev, Finance
Minister Dimitar Kostov, and Agriculture Minister Svetoslav Shivarov will be
replaced. However, Shivarov and Gechev will keep their deputy prime minister
posts. -- Stefan Krause
[17] BULGARIAN TV BOSS TO BE SACKED.
The parliamentary Commission for Radio, TV, and the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency
on 5 June adopted a proposal of its Socialist majority recommending that the
parliament dismiss National TV Director-General Ivan Granitski, Trud and
Reuters reported. Granitski, whom the Socialists voted in less than a year ago,
was accused of having allowed professional and economic problems to build up
at the state TV. The commission ruled that Granitski had undermined the
prestige of the parliament and other state institutions and shown "disrespect
for political forces." The opposition abstained and demanded that a vote on
Granitski's dismissal be postponed until all parties discussed the issue.
Valeri Zapryanov and Stefan Stoev, the directors of the state TV's two
channels, News Director Pencho Kovachev, and other top TV managers resigned in
protest over the commission's vote. -- Stefan Krause
[18] ALBANIAN ELECTION UPDATE.
During a visit to Brussels on 5 June, leaders of the Socialists, Social
Democrats, Democratic Alliance, and the Party of the Democratic Right tried to
muster support from the EU, Western media reported. They said opposition to
President Sali Berisha and his Democratic Party was "not a question of Left
and Right but...of democracy versus dictatorship" and demanded that the
parliamentary elections be reheld. Representatives of the Belgian Socialists
and the German Social Democrats supported this demand. The EU Commission also
stepped up pressure on the Albanian government to repeat the elections in
districts where international monitors reported irregularities. EU Commission
President Jacques Santer and Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini canceled a
visit to Tirana. Meanwhile, the Socialists and Democrats said they are ready
to start a dialogue. On 4 June, protests continued in Permet, Saranda, and
Tepelena, but no incidents were reported. -- Stefan Krause
Compiled by Victor Gomez and Deborah Michaels
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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