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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 120, 96-06-20
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 120, 20 June 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ANOTHER POLITICAL TRIAL IN GEORGIA.
[02] SHEVARDNADZE DEFENDS NADIBAIDZE.
[03] POLICE CORRUPTION IN ARMENIA.
[04] NEW MUFTI CHOSEN IN TAJIKISTAN.
[05] UZBEK PRESIDENT WILL MEET WITH CLINTON.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] U.S. TO START FIRST MAJOR REDEPLOYMENT OUT OF BOSNIA.
[07] BOSNIAN SERBS SET AGENDA FOR BRCKO.
[08] BOSNIAN SERBS TO SET UP SPECIAL WAR CRIMES COURT.
[09] ROW OVER NEW HERCEG-BOSNA GOVERNMENT CONTINUES.
[10] RUMP YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT PASSES LAW ON STRIKES.
[11] FINAL RESULTS OF ROMANIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS.
[12] STORMY DEBATE IN ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT OVER SECRET SERVICE ACTIVITIES.
[13] DNIESTER SENIOR OFFICIAL ON LEBED'S NEW FUNCTIONS.
[14] BULGARIAN AGREEMENT WITH IMF, WORLD BANK POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER.
[15] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS PART OF MEDIA LAW.
[16] U.S. WANTS ALBANIA TO HOLD NEW ELECTIONS...
[17] ...BUT ALBANIAN PRESIDENT GOES AHEAD WITH HIS AGENDA.
[18] CROATIAN PRESIDENT IN ANKARA.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ANOTHER POLITICAL TRIAL IN GEORGIA.
A Tbilisi court on 19 June sentenced Conservative-Monarchist Party head Temur
Zhorzholiani, an outspoken critic of Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze,
to four years' imprisonment on charges of illegal possession of drugs and a
revolver, NTV reported. Zhorzholiani was arrested last year despite his
immunity as a parliament deputy, and insists that the charges against him are
fabricated. Georgian observers have suggested that he was arrested because of
his friendship with former deputy security chief Teimuraz Khachishvili, who is
charged with the bomb attack against Shevardnadze in August 1995. -- Liz
Fuller
[02] SHEVARDNADZE DEFENDS NADIBAIDZE.
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze on 19 June said in Tbilisi that "there
are no grounds to suspect Defense Minister Vardiko Nadibaidze of organizing
some coup in Moscow," ITAR-TASS reported. Nadibaidze himself said that
outgoing Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev's resignation came as a
surprise to him, but that he would make no comment as it was an internal
Russian affair. According to Izvestiya on 20 June, the senior military
officials who met on 18 June--to allegedly plan the coup--did not in fact
discuss Grachev's resignation. Grachev and Nadibaidze are thought to have been
close personal friends. -- Liz Fuller
[03] POLICE CORRUPTION IN ARMENIA.
Speaking at a press conference in Yerevan on 19 June, Armenian Interior
Minister Vano Siradeghyan claimed that corruption had permeated the very
highest levels of the country's bureaucracy, and that the struggle against it
is being hampered by corruption within the ministry itself, Radio Rossii
reported. In 1995, 540 Interior Ministry employees were dismissed for
corruption, and criminal charges have been filed against 107 of them. An
investigation in 1994 established that Armenian Interior Ministry personnel
were not averse to using force to extract bribes. -- Liz Fuller
[04] NEW MUFTI CHOSEN IN TAJIKISTAN.
A congress of Tajikistan's Muslims on 19 June selected Khoja Amunullo
Negmatzoda as the new country's new Muslim spiritual leader, Radio Rossii and
Western media reported. Negmatzoda was previously the head of the Yakubicharm
Mosque located near the Tajik capital Dushanbe. The last state mufti,
Fatkhullo Sharifzoda, was assassinated in January. Prior to Sharifzoda, United
Tajik Opposition representative Ali Akbar Turajonzoda held the position.
Reuters speculated that Negmatzoda was a compromise candidate since he has no
allegiance to any particular clan in Tajikistan. -- Bruce Pannier
[05] UZBEK PRESIDENT WILL MEET WITH CLINTON.
White House spokesman Michael McCurry on 19 June announced that U.S. President
Bill Clinton will meet with his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, during the
latter's visit to the U.S. beginning on 25 June, ITAR-TASS and Reuters
reported. The move comes despite a public request by the Uzbek opposition
parties Erk and Birlik that Clinton not to meet with Karimov because of
Uzbekistan's poor human rights record. However, the number of U.S. companies
doing business in Uzbekistan has increased recently and observers have
speculated that a failure to meet with Karimov could prompt a negative
response toward U.S. businesses in Uzbekistan. An unnamed U.S. official also
said that his country appreciates Karimov's "very, very negative view of Iran,
" according to AFP. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] U.S. TO START FIRST MAJOR REDEPLOYMENT OUT OF BOSNIA.
Soldiers of the First Armored Division Headquarters, the Division Support
Command, and various liaison groups will begin IFOR's first significant move
out of the war-torn republic on 23 June. They will leave Lukavica in northern
Bosnia for Slavonski Brod, in Croatia, AFP reported on 19 June. There has been
much discussion in Western capitals about keeping the peacekeepers in Bosnia
into 1997 to deter any renewal of fighting, and U.S. Secretary of Defense
William Perry has endorsed the idea. President Bill Clinton, however, has made
election year promises that U.S. forces will leave Bosnia by December 1996.
Meanwhile in the Adriatic, NATO and WEU ships suspended their arms control
patrols, known as operation Sharp Guard following the end of the UN's arms
embargo on the former Yugoslavia. Finally, British commander Gen. Michael
Jackson said he will leave his post on 26 June with mixed feelings. He is
especially concerned with the failure to enforce the Dayton agreement's
civilian provisions. Britain's 8,700 troops constitute IFOR's second-largest
contingent. -- Patrick Moore
[07] BOSNIAN SERBS SET AGENDA FOR BRCKO.
The Republika Srpska's legislature, meeting in Pale on 19 June, elected
Vitomir Pavlovic, a professor of international law in Banja Luka, as the
Serbs' representative to the arbitration commission that will settle the fate
of Brcko, as specified in the Dayton agreement. The parliament also directed
the cabinet to set down the Serbian position on the future of the northern
Bosnian town and the surrounding land corridor that links the western and
eastern halves of the republic, Nasa Borba noted. Pavlovic said that
previous international conferences had "never disputed" that Brcko will remain
Serbian and that "it was agreed in Dayton that the Republika Srpska should
have 20 km more in that region," Onasa reported. The Bosnian government favors
making a neutral zone out of Brcko, which had a mainly Muslim population
before the war. -- Patrick Moore
[08] BOSNIAN SERBS TO SET UP SPECIAL WAR CRIMES COURT.
The Bosnian Serb parliament also adopted the proposal to establish a war
crimes court to try Bosnian Serbs indicted by the UN war crimes tribunal for
the former Yugoslavia, Nasa Borba reported. Parliamentary speaker Momcilo
Krajisnik proposed setting up the court because the constitution of the
Republika Srpska prohibits extradiction of its citizens. Officials have thus
legalized their persistent refusal to meet the Hague-based criminal tribunal's
demands to extradite indicted war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.
The Bosnian Serb parliament also passed a partial amnesty for people indicted
or convicted for "disturbing the Republic Srpska's social order." -- Daria
Sito Sucic
[09] ROW OVER NEW HERCEG-BOSNA GOVERNMENT CONTINUES.
Bosnian Vice President Ejup Ganic told the Bosnian Federation Constituent
Assembly on 19 June that the establishment of the new government of Herceg-
Bosna was a "huge step backward," Onasa reported. He also deplored the "lack
of political liberties" on the territory controlled by the Croatian Defense
Council. Opposition parties have proposed that both Federation President
Kresimir Zubak and Vice President Ganic be relieved of their duties because
they have not upheld the signed agreements on the federation. Zubak said he
and Ganic were unable to perform 80% of their duties because the institutional
framework was lacking, Hina reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[10] RUMP YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT PASSES LAW ON STRIKES.
The rump Yugoslav parliament has adopted a law on strikes that bans members of
the government administration and the police force from going on strike, Beta
reported on 19 June. The new law also stipulates that those providing
essential public services, such as teachers and hospital personnel, do not
hold strikes that "interfere with the work process." Other strikes may be held
only on the respective company's premises. -- Fabian Schmidt
[11] FINAL RESULTS OF ROMANIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS.
Romania's Central Electoral Office on 19 June released the final results of
the local elections held earlier this month, Radio Bucharest reported. The
ruling Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR) received 26.49% of the vote,
winning 2,742 mayoralties. The opposition Democratic Convention of Romania
(CDR) came second with 26.45%, followed by the Social Democratic Union (USD)
with 13.15%. The PDSR won 23.8% of the local councilor posts, the USD 15%, and
the CDR 13.4%. The CDR won the most county councilor posts, followed by the
PDSR and USD. -- Dan Ionescu
[12] STORMY DEBATE IN ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT OVER SECRET SERVICE ACTIVITIES.
At a session of the parliament's two chambers on 19 June, Senator Vasile
Vacaru, head of a joint parliamentary commission supervising the Romanian
Intelligence Service (SRI), spoke of "serious deficiencies" in the way the
service functions, Radio Bucharest reported. Vacaru pointed to confidential
documents having been leaked and phones tapped. SRI Director Virgil Magureanu
defended his organization. He also accused Corneliu Vadim Tudor, leader of the
extremist Greater Romania Party, of trying to bring the SRI into disrepute and
of forming an illegal intelligence structure of a paramilitary nature. Tudor
vehemently denied the accusations and asked for Magureanu's dismissal. Members
of the democratic opposition also called for the director's removal. -- Dan
Ionescu
[13] DNIESTER SENIOR OFFICIAL ON LEBED'S NEW FUNCTIONS.
Grigorii Marakutsa, chairman of the Dniester Supreme Soviet, welcomed the
appointment of Lt. Gen. Aleksandr Lebed as secretary of the newly created
Security Council of the Russian Federation and as presidential aide for
national security issues, Infotag reported on 19 June. Marakutsa expressed the
hope that the former commander of the 14th Russian Army "will promote the
Dniester conflict settlement." Referring to Lebed's strong criticism of the
Dniester leadership during his tenure in Tiraspol, Marakutsa said "personal
ambitions must yield to state interests." Lebed has described Igor Smirnov,
president of the self-proclaimed "Dniester Moldovan Republic," and his
associates as "criminals." -- Dan Ionescu
[14] BULGARIAN AGREEMENT WITH IMF, WORLD BANK POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER.
The World Bank's Board of Directors will not consider Bulgaria's application
for a structural adjustment loan until early September, Demokratsiya
reported on 20 June, citing the bank's representative in Sofia, Alberto
Mussalem. The bank is waiting for progress on structural reform, including the
closure of unprofitable enterprises, before it releases $60-80 million to used
to launch social programs for displaced workers. Meanwhile, the IMF's
Executive Board is to meet on 12 July to consider Bulgaria's application for a
$400-450 million standby credit, but the newspaper notes that the board will
likely postpone doing so until the World Bank decides on its loan. Since
foreign debt payments before the end of September will total $499.6 million
and the country's foreign reserves are below $600 million, any delay in
receiving international support may be disastrous. -- Michael Wyzan
[15] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS PART OF MEDIA LAW.
The parliament on 19 June passed articles regulating the activities of a
National Council for Radio and TV, which will be formed to oversee media
operations, Kontinent and Standart reported. The opposition opposed a
provision putting the council in charge of ensuring that the media abide by
the law and their licensing agreements, saying it violated the constitution.
The council can appoint and dismiss the directors-general of national TV and
radio with a two-thirds majority. It will be financed by the state budget.
Until now, media chiefs have been elected and dismissed by the parliament and
the state media's operations controlled by a parliamentary commission. The
changes become effective only after the media law is passed in its entirety. --
Stefan Krause
[16] U.S. WANTS ALBANIA TO HOLD NEW ELECTIONS...
U.S. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns has said "fairness seemed to be
lacking" in the Albanian election process, AFP reported. He has asked Tirana
to organize new and "totally democratic" elections in cooperation with the
OSCE. Burns argued that opposition parties were given only six or seven days
to prepare for the election re-run in 17 constituencies last weekend and that
international monitors noted "gross irregularities" in the elections on 26
May. Meanwhile, the Tirana-based Society for Democratic Culture, a U.S.-funded
non-governmental organization, has accused the state-run media of biased
coverage of the ballots, Reuters reported. -- Fabian Schmidt
[17] ...BUT ALBANIAN PRESIDENT GOES AHEAD WITH HIS AGENDA.
Sali Berisha has announced that the new parliament will convene on 1 July,
Reuters reported. However, the Socialists, the Social Democrats, the
Democratic Alliance, and other opposition parties will boycott the
legislature. Socialist deputy leader Namik Dokle said "the Socialist Party
does not recognize the results of the election and considers the new
parliament to be illegitimate," AFP reported. The Socialists, the strongest
opposition party, won five of the 115 direct seats in the 140-member
parliament. -- Fabian Schmidt
[18] CROATIAN PRESIDENT IN ANKARA.
Franjo Tudjman arrived in Ankara for a two-day state visit on 19 June, Western
and Turkish media reported. Four cooperation agreements in defense, education,
technology, and tourism were signed the same day. The long-awaited defense
agreement foresees cooperation in military training, logistics, and the
military industry. Turkey has already signed such agreements with Bosnia-
Herzegovina and Macedonia. -- Lowell Bezanis
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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