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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 114, 96-06-12
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 114, 12 June 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] AZERBAIJAN BETWEEN RUSSIA, TURKEY.
[02] KAZAKHSTAN AVERTS PARLIAMENTARY CRISIS.
[03] U.S. TO GIVE MORE MONEY TO KAZAKHSTAN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[04] BOSNIAN DISARMAMENT TALKS STILL STALLED.
[05] IFOR LIKELY TO STAY ON INTO 1997.
[06] EU ASKS IFOR TO GUARANTEE SECURITY BEFORE MOSTAR ELECTIONS.
[07] CONFUSION OVER EXPULSIONS OF CROATS FROM TRAVNIK AREA.
[08] SOROS CHARITY REOPENS IN RUMP YUGOSLAVIA.
[09] UN FORESEES EXTENSION OF MANDATE IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
[10] SERBIAN PRESIDENT UPSET BY HIS OWN RHETORIC.
[11] DEFENSE MINISTER ON PROBLEMS WITH ROMANIAN MILITARY.
[12] PART OF RUSSIAN TROOPS IN MOLDOVA REASSIGNED.
[13] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE AS PROTESTS CONTINUE.
[14] BULGARIAN ROUNDUP.
[15] SANTER AND DINI ON BALKAN TOUR...
[16] ...SAY MACEDONIA IS NEAR AN AGREEMENT WITH EU.
[17] ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS SET CONDITIONS FOR DIALOGUE WITH DEMOCRATS.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] AZERBAIJAN BETWEEN RUSSIA, TURKEY.
Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev told a visiting delegation of Russian
parliament deputies in Baku that Azerbaijan "gives priority" to relations with
Russia, ITAR-TASS reported on 11 June. He also said he was "pleased" that the
emigration of ethnic Russians from Azerbaijan had slowed, and offered to help
find a settlement to the Ossetiyan-Ingush conflict. The same day, Aliev hosted
a delegation from the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the Turkish Daily
News reported. He thanked Turkey for its support in Azerbaijan's dispute with
Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. In other news, nearly 200 kg of explosives and
printed propaganda literature, believed to be destined for Chechen rebels,
was intercepted on the Azerbaijani-Dagestani border, Russian media reported on
11 June. -- Lowell Bezanis
[02] KAZAKHSTAN AVERTS PARLIAMENTARY CRISIS.
The Kazakhstani parliament on 11 June averted a political crisis by voting 76-
29 in favor of a controversial pension bill that raises the retirement age by
three years, according to RFE/RL and Reuters. If parliament had voted against
the bill for the second time, President Nursultan Nazarbayev would have been
constitutionally required to either accept the resignation of the government
or dissolve parliament for the third time in as many years (see ).
Nazarbayev had blamed the previous parliaments for blocking his reforms and
this latest vote seems to support his claim that the country needs a strong
presidency to speed up the pace of its social and economic transition. --
Bruce Pannier
[03] U.S. TO GIVE MORE MONEY TO KAZAKHSTAN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT.
A U.S. Defense Department official, Laura Holgate, on 10 June said that the
U.S. government will give Kazakhstan an additional $40 million for its
nuclear disarmament program, RFE/RL and AFP reported. Although Kazakhstan
turned over the last of its tactical weapons by mid-1995, money is still
needed to safeguard nuclear materials and destroy missile silos. Under
agreements signed in 1993 and 1995, the U.S. has already given Kazakhstan more
than $80 million for its disarmament program. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[04] BOSNIAN DISARMAMENT TALKS STILL STALLED.
The disarmament treaty slated to have been signed last week remains on hold as
diplomats seek a way out of the latest impasse. The Bosnian Serbs insist on
signing separately as a de facto independent state, while the Bosnian
government demands that they sign as part of the Bosnian delegation. Since the
constitutional status of the Republika Srpska is at stake, neither party is
likely to back down quickly, Nasa Borba noted on 12 June. Signatories to the
regional arms control agreement required by the Dayton treaty are also to
include Croatia, rump Yugoslavia, and the Croat-Muslim federation. IFOR will
be obliged to enforce the pact, which will require massive cuts in the Bosnian
Serbs' arsenal. Reports from Sarajevo suggest, however, that the extra tanks
and guns will simply be sent to Montenegro for storage. -- Patrick
Moore
[05] IFOR LIKELY TO STAY ON INTO 1997.
Many important people are suggesting that NATO peacekeepers will stay on in
Bosnia into the new year, in contrast to original plans. AFP quoted U.S.
Defense Secretary William Perry on 12 June as saying: "NATO will not want to
give up on the investment they've made in Bosnia. If they feel some further
action [to prevent a new war] is necessary, they may very well want to
maintain a NATO force to do that. If they make that decision it will be my
recommendation that the United States participate... in any force so
designated, including ground troops." The statement is significant because the
U.S. generally follows the "[Gen. Colin] Powell Doctrine" of avoiding overseas
commitments with ground troops and, once committed, striving primarily to
minimize casualties. The U.S. envoy to the region, John Kornblum, also
indicated that the troops will stay on in Bosnia, Nasa Borba added. In
Washington, however, a State Department spokesman said the U.S. "has no plans"
to extend the withdrawal deadline despite heavy European pressure to do so. --
Patrick Moore
[06] EU ASKS IFOR TO GUARANTEE SECURITY BEFORE MOSTAR ELECTIONS.
A senior EU official in Mostar, Klaus Metscher, said the European Union has
asked IFOR to reinforce security before the 30 June elections in Mostar, as
voters fear for their safety, AFP reported on 11 June. Meanwhile, the NATO
Ambassador's Council on 12 June will discuss new ways for IFOR to help
international officials during Bosnia's first postwar election, AFP reported.
In another development, five Bosnian political parties have registered for the
Mostar elections, Hina reported on 11 June. Another coalition of five
opposition parties was rejected by the electoral commission for registering
late, Oslobodjenje reported on 12 June. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[07] CONFUSION OVER EXPULSIONS OF CROATS FROM TRAVNIK AREA.
Muslim<strong> </strong>Bosnian government authorities recently evicted some
11 Croat families from villages near Travnik that Bosnian Croat leader
Kresimir Zubak called "purely Croat," Onasa reported on 11 June. Vecernji
list on 12 June put the number of families involved at 20, but Hina later
said that four families had been allowed to return. The Muslims argued that
the Croats were not legally registered in the houses to which they had
returned after being expelled during the Croat-Muslim war of 1993. Travnik is
part of a pilot project of four towns--Muslim-controlled Travnik and Bugojno
and Croat-controlled Jajce and Stolac--to which Croat and Muslim refugees are
slated to return. This is one more example of tensions between the nominal
allies. -- Patrick Moore
[08] SOROS CHARITY REOPENS IN RUMP YUGOSLAVIA.
The humanitarian New York-based Soros Foundation was reregistered with
Serbia's Culture Ministry on 11 June under the name Foundation for an Open
Society and will now be able to resume its charitable work, Nasa Borba
reported on 12 June. The Soros Foundation was closed in February 1996,
following a local court ruling that its incorporation in 1991 was unlawful. --
Stan Markotich
[09] UN FORESEES EXTENSION OF MANDATE IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
Jacques Klein, the UN temporary administrator for Eastern Slavonia, said on 11
June that the mandate of the UN Transitional Authority in Eastern Slavonia
(UNTAES) should be extended at least six months beyond the expiration date of
15 January 1997, AFP reported. One of the parties must officially request an
extension of the 12-month mission of the 5,000-strong UNTAES forces. Klein
also said that local Serbs' demands for autonomy--which include having their
own government , flag, anthem, symbol, and regional citizenship--were
unrealistic. In another development, 16 prisoners escaped to Serbia from a
jail in Eastern Slavonia. A UN helicopter was involved in the search for the
fugitives, AFP reported. Eastern Slavonia is the last Serb-held part of
Croatia due to return to the Croatian government. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[10] SERBIAN PRESIDENT UPSET BY HIS OWN RHETORIC.
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic had attempted to have an interview
published 10 June in Der Spiegel pulled from publication, Nasa Borba
reported on 11 June. Milosevic went so far as to contact the German Foreign
Ministry "shortly before press time" to have "the authorized [status] of the
interview...downgraded." The president probably objected not to what was said
but rather to how his remarks were portrayed. The rapport between Milosevic
and the two Der Spiegel reporters was said to be "icy." But on 12 June Nasa
Borba reported that Milosevic's statement in the interview about "radical
changes at the top [leadership] of the Republika Srpska" is prompting
speculation and perhaps concern among prominent leaders of the Bosnian Serb
republic. -- Stan Markotich
[11] DEFENSE MINISTER ON PROBLEMS WITH ROMANIAN MILITARY.
Gheorghe Tinca told the Defense Ministry's staff that the situation of the
army was "discouraging," the daily Cotidianul reported on 12 June. Tinca
said the government's austerity program has made the army "insufficiently
prepared to face critical situations." Cotidianul and Reuters on 11 June
quoted Tinca as saying that Romania wants to buy U.S.-made F-16 fighter planes
and that discussions with Lockheed Martin will begin as part of the aviation
reforms. Reforms will also include the upgrading of aging Russian-made MiG-21s
and the purchase of U.S.-made Cobra and Lockheed Hercules C-130 transport
aircraft. The purchase of American-made equipment is part of efforts to
integrate with NATO. However, Tinca was cited as saying there were
difficulties with "identifying the funds necessary for the project." --
Michael Shafir
[12] PART OF RUSSIAN TROOPS IN MOLDOVA REASSIGNED.
The Joint Control Commission on 11 June approved the placement of former 14th
Army subunits in the security zone in the breakaway Transdniester republic, on
condition that the troops be pulled out of the composition of Russian troops,
BASA-Press reported. The approval meets halfway the Moldovan position that
Russian troops must be withdrawn in accordance with the 1992 agreement and
cannot be transformed into peacekeeping forces. The agency also reported that
a rotation of regular troops in the Russian forces was not carried out as
scheduled on 7 June because two trains carrying the troops were detained. A
military adviser to Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov denied reports that
the Tiraspol authorities had forbidden the departure of the trains in order to
prevent the evacuation of military equipment. -- Michael Shafir
[13] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE AS PROTESTS CONTINUE.
The parliament on 11 June debated a motion of nonconfidence in the government
of Prime Minister Zhan Videnov because of its economic and social policies,
Trud reported. During the 10-hour debate, Videnov said the new austerity
measures and structural reform program are "painful...[but] unavoidable."
Aleksandar Yordanov of the Union of Democratic Forces addressed Videnov in
Russian, saying that is "the language [the premier] understands best" and
because Videnov "rules on the principles of Soviet totalitarianism." The vote
is scheduled for 13 June, and the government is expected to win it. Meanwhile,
some 5,000 people protested in Sofia, demanding the government's resignation
and early elections, RFE/RL reported. Opposition and trade unions called for a
"united front" for the "salvation of Bulgaria." -- Stefan Krause
[14] BULGARIAN ROUNDUP.
A Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) commission on 11 June recommended Foreign
Minister Georgi Pirinski as BSP presidential candidate, Kontinent reported.
Other candidates who were named at regional conferences declined to run, with
the exception of Parliament President Blagovest Sendov, who is not a party
member. He and Pirinski have not yet declared candidacies, but Standart
quoted an unnamed BSP deputy as saying that Pirinski "does not want to be a
tool in the party's hands." The BSP candidate is to be nominated on 15 June.
In other news, Prosecutor-General Ivan Tatarchev invalidated Sendov's recent
decision to designate a guarded zone around the parliament building. Finally,
the government announced that it will not pay for a national meeting of
breakaway Orthodox clerics under Metropolitan Pimen. At the meeting, scheduled
for 1 July, the clerics might declare independence from the official church,
which is headed by Patriarch Maksim. -- Stefan Krause
[15] SANTER AND DINI ON BALKAN TOUR...
President of the EC Jacques Santer and the current chairman of the EU Council
of Ministers, Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini met Bosnian, Croatian,
rump-Yugoslav, and Macedonian leaders in those countries' capitals during 7-10
June. The EU is preparing a broader Balkan conference next week, Reuters
reported. In Belgrade, Santer said, "it is very important that we normalize
our relations in this region," adding that "we see very positive prospects for
[rump] Yugoslavia for the near future." Concerning Bosnia, Dini said that "the
holding of elections not later than 14 September [is] essential for the peace
process." He added: "We are aware that [basic] conditions are not fulfilled
... [but] in three months a lot can be done." -- Fabian Schmidt
[16] ...SAY MACEDONIA IS NEAR AN AGREEMENT WITH EU.
Dini pointed out that Macedonia is quite close to a trade and cooperation
agreement with the EU, which is "a very important move in the establishment of
closer relations with the EU." Meanwhile, Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov
on 10 June met special adviser to U.S. President Bill Clinton, Richard Clarke,
to discuss the role of UNPREDEP. Clarke stressed U.S. support for "strong
military ties and ... for the territorial integrity of Macedonia," AFP
reported. No decisions have, however, been made so far. U.S. Defense Secretary
William Perry will hold talks in Skopje on 12 June on that issue. The U.S. has
550 troops in the 1,000-strong UNPREDEP force. In other news, Nova
Makedonija reported that a new round of Greek-Macedonian talks on the name
issue started in New York on 11 June but that no breakthrough is expected. --
Fabian Schmidt and Stefan Krause
[17] ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS SET CONDITIONS FOR DIALOGUE WITH DEMOCRATS.
Following a proposal by Democratic Party leader Tritan Shehu for round-table
talks between the government and the opposition, the Socialists demanded that
the Democrats acknowledge massive irregularities in the elections. A socialist
spokesman said that "our only precondition [for talks] is that [the Democrats]
move away from the coup d'etat." The Socialists demand an annulment of the
election results and investigations into the irregularities. Meanwhile ATSH
reported that Parliamentary Speaker Pjeter Arbnori called the Albanian
parliament a "temple of democracy." The Central Electoral Commission has so
far received over 100 complaints of irregularities. -- Fabian Schmidt
Compiled by Victor Gomez and Susan Caskie
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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