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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 113, 96-06-11
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 113, 11 June 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PARTY BLASTS CFE TREATY QUOTA.
[02] TRANSCAUCASIAN INTELLIGENCE, MILITARY ROUND-UP.
[03] KAZAKHSTANI PARLIAMENT DELAYS CRUCIAL VOTE.
[04] KAZAKHSTAN UNHAPPY WITH CHINESE NUCLEAR TEST.
[05] UN NEAR END OF THE ROPE IN TAJIKISTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] CROATIAN POWER-SHARING STALEMATE.
[07] CONFERENCE ON SERBS IN CROATIA CANCELED.
[08] SERBIAN ULTRANATIONALIST LEADER ADMITS "THE SERBS HAVE LOST."
[09] RUMP YUGOSLAV MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS.
[10] U.S. BANKERS VISIT RUMP YUGOSLAVIA.
[11] SERBS STAGE "ANTI-MUSLIM ORGY."
[12] SLOVENIA SIGNS EU AGREEMENT.
[13] ROMANIAN OPPOSITION ALLIANCE INSISTS ON RAISING ELECTORAL HURDLE.
[14] ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT IN ROMANIA.
[15] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT VISITS MOLDOVA.
[16] BULGARIAN CABINET RESHUFFLE: TOO LITTLE TOO LATE?
[17] BULGARIAN POLICEMEN SENTENCED FOR KILLING SUSPECT.
[18] ALBANIAN POLICE CONTINUE TO HOLD MEMBER OF ELECTORAL COMMISSION.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PARTY BLASTS CFE TREATY QUOTA.
The National Democratic Party of Georgia has released a statement
categorically opposing the Georgian Defense Ministry's decision to give Russia
half of Georgia's conventional weapons quota under the CFE treaty, and urging
parliament to reject the law on the deployment of Russian military bases in
the country, BGI news agency reported on 8 June. The statement charges that
such decisions are the prerogative of the president and the parliament, not
the military. The Georgian Defense Ministry press center defended the decision,
saying the state lacks funds to purchase arms and under the plan Russia will
provide military equipment for Georgia's half of the quota. (The CFE treaty
sets Georgia's quota at 220 tanks, 220 armored vehicles, 285 artillery
installations, 100 planes, and 50 helicopters.) -- Irakli Tsereteli
[02] TRANSCAUCASIAN INTELLIGENCE, MILITARY ROUND-UP.
Following the 6 June visit of Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director
Vyacheslav Trubnikov to Baku, Azerbaijani National Security Minister Namig
Abbasov said the two sides had reached a "verbal" agreement to cooperate,
according to a 9 June Interfax report monitored by the BBC. Cooperation will
involve the coordination of intelligence activities, staff training, and
exchanges of information, Turan reported on 7 June. Meanwhile, a delegation
from Tur-key's National Intelligence Organization held talks with officials of
Georgia's Security Ministry on 7 June, according to an Iprinda report
monitored by the BBC on the same day. Also, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Sefer
Abiev and Turkish Chief of Staff Hakki Karadayi signed a military agreement on
technical, scientific, and educational cooperation in Ankara on 10 June,
Turkish media reported. -- Lowell Bezanis
[03] KAZAKHSTANI PARLIAMENT DELAYS CRUCIAL VOTE.
The Kazakh-stani parliament on 10 June postponed by 48 hours voting on an
amendment to the pension law, raising fears of a no-confidence vote in the
government, Russian and Western media reported the same day. A second failure
to pass the bill, which was already rejected on 23 May, would constitutionally
require President Nursultan Nazar-bayev to either dissolve parliament or
dismiss the government. The amendment would raise by three years the age of
retirement in Kazakhstan, from 60 to 63 for men and 55 to 58 for women.
Lawmakers apparently fear a loss of public support if they vote in favor of
the bill. There is one pensioner for every two workers in Kazakhstan, Russian
Public TV (ORT) reported. -- Bruce Pannier
[04] KAZAKHSTAN UNHAPPY WITH CHINESE NUCLEAR TEST.
The Kazakhstani Foreign Ministry on 10 June expressed its concern over a
Chinese nuclear test conducted on 8 June at the Lop Nor testing area, Reuters
reported. Russia and Mongolia also voiced their displeasure at the test
especially as the Chinese had stated their intention to join the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) just two days earlier. China announced it will conduct
one more test in September. -- Bruce Pannier
[05] UN NEAR END OF THE ROPE IN TAJIKISTAN.
UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali on 10 June questioned "the
sincerity and intentions" of the Tajik opposition and government in resolving
the civil conflict in Tajikistan, now entering its fifth year, Reuters and AFP
reported. Ghali noted the situation had deteriorated and is now at its worst
stage since the civil war in 1992. The UN Mission of Observers in Tajikistan
(UNMOT) has been denied access to areas held by both sides and a patrol came
under sniper fire in May, and later a UN team was detained for three hours and
robbed in an area under rebel control. The opposition denies responsibility.
Meanwhile, the new UN special envoy to Tajikistan, Gerd Merrem, announced that
talks between the two sides could resume in July. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] CROATIAN POWER-SHARING STALEMATE.
The president of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Vlado Gotovac, said
he assumes there will be no continuation in negotiations on power-sharing that
started last week between the HSLS and the ruling Croatian Democratic
Community (HDZ), Slobodna Dalmacija reported on 11 June. Secret negotiations
between the two parties have encountered shock and criticism, which Gotovac
tried to defuse on 9 June by presenting to the public a set of conditions
handed to HDZ by HSLS. HDZ on 10 June presented to the HSLS in return its own
program of starting points for the negotiations. Gotovac commented that the
HDZ program was vague and did not respond to the HSLS conditions. -- Daria
Sito Sucic
[07] CONFERENCE ON SERBS IN CROATIA CANCELED.
Representatives of the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) informed the public
that the conference "Serbs in Croatia--yesterday, today, tomorrow," which was
scheduled for the end of June, will be canceled due to the campaign against it
by the Croatian state-run media, Nasa Borba reported on 11 June. The
conference was labeled by the media as anti-Croatian and boycotted by the
state authorities, the opposition, and the church. HHO president Ivan Zvonimir
Cicak said that most of the opposition and Catholic Church leaders share the
government's negative attitude regarding the return of Serbs to Croatia, which
is one of five conditions presented to Croatia for membership in the Council
of Europe. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[08] SERBIAN ULTRANATIONALIST LEADER ADMITS "THE SERBS HAVE LOST."
Deputy Vice President of the Serbian Party of Unity (SSJ), Borislav Pelevic,
on 10 June called for normalization of relations between rump Yugoslavia and
Croatia. The SSJ, led by accused war criminal Zeljko Raznatovic, alias "Arkan,
" ought to accept that "the war is over. The Serbs have lost," said Pelevic.
Referring to the territory of eastern Slavonia once held by rebel Serbs but
now returned to Croatia, Pelevic said the loss was cemented in November 1995,
when Croatian authorities concluded an agreement with the rebel Serbs. "We are
not happy to have Croats as neighbors ... but as things are we must cooperate
with them," he added. -- Stan Markotich
[09] RUMP YUGOSLAV MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS.
Deputy Commander of the rump Yugoslav Army General Staff, Major General
Radoslav Martinovic, said on 9 June that Belgrade will not allow the Dayton
accord to bring rump Yugoslavia into a militarily "unfavorable" position with
respect to the other signatories. The general said rump Yugoslavia "will not
reduce in any meaningful sense its military potential. In cases where it is
expected to do so, [Belgrade] may opt to have the purpose of some hardware ...
changed," Montena-fax reported. In another development, on 11 June Nasa
Borba reported that there appears to be a shake-up in the rump Yugoslav
defense and military establishment. -- Stan Markotich
[10] U.S. BANKERS VISIT RUMP YUGOSLAVIA.
A delegation of major U.S. banks, headed by Fulvio Dobric, visited with their
rump Yugoslav counterparts on 10 June, Tanjug reported. The U.S. delegation
was the first of its kind to visit Belgrade since sanctions against rump
Yugoslavia were lifted in 1995. The U.S. delegation refused to reopen banking
links, at least until the rump Yugoslav banks rejoin international financial
institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank. -- Stan Markotich
[11] SERBS STAGE "ANTI-MUSLIM ORGY."
This is how UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski on 10 June described the actions of
about 100 angry Serb civilians the previous day, AFP reported. The "welcoming
committee" confronted the UN representatives and Muslims wanting to visit
Koraj near Serb-held Doboj. The Serbs chanted anti-Muslim insults and chased
the UN vehicles in cars. Janowski noted that only one attempt in 10 by Muslims
to visit their former homes in the past 10 days has succeeded. He added that
the UNHCR's "job is linked to unification [of the separate entities into one
Bosnia] and here it hasn't worked, basically. ... We're still seeing a huge
wall of hostility especially by Republika Srpska toward any moves that would
bring the formerly warring ethnic groups together again." There has been no
effort by IFOR to enforce the central Dayton principle of the right of
refugees to go home. -- Patrick Moore
[12] SLOVENIA SIGNS EU AGREEMENT.
Slovenia officially signed a partnership agreement with the EU on 10 June at a
Luxembourg meeting of EU foreign ministers, making it the tenth country to do
so, AFP reported. Following the signing, Slovenian Premier Janez Drnovsek
officially submitted an application for Slovenia's EU membership. -- Stan
Markotich
[13] ROMANIAN OPPOSITION ALLIANCE INSISTS ON RAISING ELECTORAL HURDLE.
The parliamentary faction of the main opposition alliance, the Democratic
Convention of Romania, on 10 June demanded that the Chamber of Deputies revise
the electoral law and raise the minimum percentage of votes necessary for a
party to gain representation from 3% to 5%, Radio Bucharest reported. Before
the local elections held on 2 June, the Party of Social Democracy in Romania
(PDSR), the main governing formation, had also favored raising the "electoral
hurdle." Following its relatively poor performance in the local elections,
however, the PDSR changed its position, apparently fearing that a higher
hurdle would leave out prospective coalition partners, in particular extremist
formations such as the Greater Romania Party and the Party of Romanian
National Unity. -- Michael Shafir
[14] ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT IN ROMANIA.
Robert Mugabe on 11 June ends a three-day visit to Romania by signing a
commercial accord between the two countries, Romanian media reported on 10-11
June. Mugabe was received by President Ion Iliescu, Premier Nicolae Vacaroiu,
and the chairmen of the two chambers of parliament. -- Michael Shafir
[15] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT VISITS MOLDOVA.
Askar Akayev, on a one-day visit to Chisinau, and his Moldovan counterpart,
Mircea Snegur, on 10 June signed 11 documents on cooperation between their two
countries, local press agencies reported. Akayev said that his country has
"always demonstrated a firm stance in condemning separatism anywhere" and that
Kyrgyzstan was backing "the wise, flexible, and firm policy" of Snegur for the
settling of the conflict in the Transdniester region. He also said that the
"preservation and deepening of CIS integration" will be possible only if Boris
Yeltsin wins the Russian presidential election. -- Michael Shafir
[16] BULGARIAN CABINET RESHUFFLE: TOO LITTLE TOO LATE?
Not only the opposition, but also members of the ruling Bulgarian Socialist
Party (BSP) have criticized the government changes made on 10 June, Bulgarian
and Western media reported. Former Prime Minister Andrey Lukanov said he
"won't support the reshuffle, because it is inadequate," while former BSP
Chairman Aleksandar Lilov called it "partial and insufficient," adding, "now
is our last chance to form a strong government with or without [Prime
Minister] Zhan Videnov." Lukanov and Lilov are seen as the main backstage
power brokers within the BSP. Former Sofia party leader Aleksandar Marinov
said the government might fall by a no-confidence vote on 13 June. He said
Videnov's "authoritarian positions" are one of the most serious problems.
Meanwhile, Lilov and parliamentary Foreign Policy Commission Chairman Nikolay
Kamov announced they will not seek the BSP presidential candidacy, Duma
reported. -- Stefan Krause
[17] BULGARIAN POLICEMEN SENTENCED FOR KILLING SUSPECT.
A Sofia military court on 10 June convicted six policemen of killing or
helping to kill a suspect in custody, 24 chasa reported. Four of the
officers received prison terms of between four and 20 years, while two
received suspended sentences. The officers beat 22-year old Hristo Hristov to
death in a police cell on 5 April 1995. Hristov, who had no criminal record,
had been arrested on suspicion of theft earlier that day. When his parents
came to see him in the evening, they found him dead and handcuffed to a
radiator. An autopsy established that Hristov died of massive hemorrhage; his
aorta was torn and several ribs were broken as a result of severe beating.
Bulgarian National Police Chief Hristo Gatsov resigned over the case on 12
April 1995. -- Stefan Krause
[18] ALBANIAN POLICE CONTINUE TO HOLD MEMBER OF ELECTORAL COMMISSION.
Dritan Belinjeri, a member of the electoral commission in the Tirana district
Vurri e Bamit, has been in police custody since the parliamentary elections on
26 May, Poli i Qendres reported on 11 June. The 21-year-old Belinjeri, who
was representing the Democratic Alliance on the commission, was reportedly
arrested for protesting "open violations [of the electoral procedure] by the
head of the commission." He has allegedly been beaten badly. Meanwhile,
Gazeta Shqiptare reported that Democratic Party leader Tritan Shehu
expressed his readiness for a round-table dialogue with the opposition. --
Fabian Schmidt
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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