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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 140, 96-07-22
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 140, 22 July 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] GOVERNMENT PURGE IN AZERBAIJAN.
[02] FIRST CENTRAL ASIAN AUTO PLANT OPENS IN UZBEKISTAN.
[03] TAJIK CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT QUICKLY BROKEN.
[04] TYPHOID EPIDEMIC WORSENS IN TAJIKISTAN.
[05] THREE BOMBS EXPLODE IN KYRGYZ CAPITAL.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] BOSNIAN SERBS CLOSE RANKS BEHIND KARADZIC.
[07] IS KARADZIC ANY CLOSER TO THE HAGUE?
[08] U.S. FIGHTER ACCIDENTALLY DROPS BOMB IN BOSNIA.
[09] CONTRACT FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF MOSTAR BRIDGE SIGNED.
[10] BOSNIAN FEDERATION VICE PRESIDENT RISKS ARREST IN BELGRADE?
[11] U.S. CONGRESS DELEGATION IN KOSOVO.
[12] SLOVENIAN COURT NOT TO DETAIN SERBIAN GENERAL.
[13] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT, FOREIGN MINISTER ON NATO MEMBERSHIP.
[14] NATO NAVAL EXERCISE IN ROMANIA.
[15] IMF APPROVES $580 MILLION LOAN TO BULGARIA.
[16] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT LAMBASTES GOVERNMENT OVER NATO.
[17] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST FACTION WANTS VIDENOV'S HEAD.
[18] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT HAS NO TIME TO MEET WITH U.S. OFFICIAL.
[19] FATOS NANO CALLS FOR REFORM OF ALBANIAN SOCIALIST PARTY.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] GOVERNMENT PURGE IN AZERBAIJAN.
President Heidar Aliev on 19 July accepted the resignation "on health grounds"
of Prime Minister Fuad Kuliev, Western agencies reported. At a session of the
Cabinet of Ministers to assess the country's economic performance for the
first six months of this year, Aliev then dismissed several more senior
ministers and officials, including Deputy Premier and Economics Minister Samed
Sadykhov and managers in the oil, gas and transport sectors. All were accused
of incompetence or corruption. Both Aliev and Parliament Chairman Rasul Guliev
had previously criticized Kuliev's government for failing to expedite economic
reform. No replacement for Kuliev has yet been appointed. -- Liz Fuller
[02] FIRST CENTRAL ASIAN AUTO PLANT OPENS IN UZBEKISTAN.
The Daewoo plant in Asaka, Andijon region, officially opened on 19 July with a
ceremony attended by President Islam Karimov, ITAR-TASS reported. The
automotive plant, the first of its kind in Central Asia, will produce minivans
and two models of cars and will be at full capacity in 2002. Karimov said that
the goal is to have 70% of the parts manufactured in Uzbekistan, RFE/RL
reported on 19 July. -- Roger Kangas
[03] TAJIK CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT QUICKLY BROKEN.
An agreement by representatives of the Tajik government and United Tajik
Opposition on ceasing hostilities in central Tajikistan was broken within 48
hours of its signing, ITAR-TASS and Reuters reported. Though the agreement on
a ceasefire in the Tavil-Dara region of Tajikistan was signed on 19 July,
reports from 21 July indicated that fighting had resumed between government
troops and the opposition. Both sides accuse the other of initiating the
latest battles. -- Bruce Pannier
[04] TYPHOID EPIDEMIC WORSENS IN TAJIKISTAN.
An epidemic of typhoid which broke out in late May has worsened, AFP reported
on 22 July. Heavy rains and flooding devastated sewage and drainage systems,
spreading the infection that has now been reported in areas as close as 18
kilometers to the capital Dushanbe. The World Health Organization
representative in Tajikistan, Rakhmatullo Rakhmonov, said 3,500 cases of
typhoid have been registered, mainly in rural areas, and 45 people have died
so far. He added that the "epidemic is generally under control." -- Bruce
Pannier
[05] THREE BOMBS EXPLODE IN KYRGYZ CAPITAL.
Bombs exploded on 19 July at three buildings belonging to Kyrgyzstan law
enforcement organizations, Russian television and Reuters reported. No
casualties were reported. The bombs were detonated almost simultaneously at
the Alamedin district prosecutor's office, a Bishkek police headquarters, and
a prison administration building. The Interior Ministry blames the incidents
on smuggling groups, which vowed to avenge police confiscations of contraband
alcohol, leather, and non-ferrous materials earlier this year. However, there
were also bomb explosions in April 1996 and police later arrested a former
disgruntled member of its own ranks. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] BOSNIAN SERBS CLOSE RANKS BEHIND KARADZIC.
Radovan Karadzic may have agreed to give up his party and state offices (see ),
but his supporters still clearly regard him as their leader, AFP reported on
22 July. Biljana Plavsic, his hard-line deputy who took over the presidency of
the Republika Srpska, told Bosnian Serb radio on 20 July that "there will be
no essential changes because the state and party policies were designed in a
broader circle that is still in place." Foreign Minister Aleksa Buha, who
replaces Karadzic as head of the governing Serbian Democratic Party, told Der
Spiegel that "no one can destroy Karadzic's authority.... There are examples
of men without any official function who determine the fate of their country." -- Patrick Moore
[07] IS KARADZIC ANY CLOSER TO THE HAGUE?
Those who have defended the step-by-step approach to dealing with Karadzic
have said that each move brings him closer to the war crimes tribunal. In any
event, Karadzic probably will not have to worry about U.S. troops coming to
arrest him. Vice President Al Gore on 21 July said "We don't believe that U.S.
troops should be assigned the mission of going door-to-door hunting a single
individual in circumstances where it would be very difficult to complete that
mission." But the tribunal's chief justice, Richard Goldstone asked: "With
regard to the tens of thousands of lives that [Karadzic] may have been
responsible for, is it too much to ask for some risk to be taken to bring him
to justice?" Nasa Borba and Onasa carried the report on 22 July. -- Patrick
Moore
[08] U.S. FIGHTER ACCIDENTALLY DROPS BOMB IN BOSNIA.
During a routine simulated attack on practice targets over the weekend, a U.S.
Navy fighter plane accidentally dropped
a 225 kg bomb over Bosnia-Herzegovina, AFP reported. The bomb exploded and
narrowly missed a base occupied by 600 NATO peace keepers, some 5 km from the
strategic Serb-held town of Brcko. No military or civilian casualties were
reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[09] CONTRACT FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF MOSTAR BRIDGE SIGNED.
Eastern Mostar Mayor Safet Orucevic has signed a contract with a Sarajevo-
based company for the reconstruction of Mostar's historical bridge, Onasa
reported on 20 July. Built by the Ottoman architect Hajrudin in 1596 and
destroyed by Bosnian Croat forces in November 1993, the bridge is a registered
UNESCO cultural monument. A Mostar-based institute for the preservation of
monuments will assist in the reconstruction. Fragments of the original bridge
that fell into the river are to be used. Meanwhile, EU Administrator Ricardo
Perez Casado is scheduled to quit his post on 22 July. He will be replaced by
Britain's Sir Martin Garrod. -- Fabian Schmidt
[10] BOSNIAN FEDERATION VICE PRESIDENT RISKS ARREST IN BELGRADE?
Ejup Ganic, who is scheduled to head a Bosnian economic delegation to Belgrade
on 25 July, could be arrested on war crimes charges when he arrives, AFP
reported citing the Belgrade-based Politika Ekspres. Serbian President
Slobodan Milosevic invited Ganic to Belgrade to demonstrate that Serbia is
determinate to re-establish relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina. But an arrest
warrant for Ganic--issued in July 1994 for his alleged responsibility for the
death of Yugoslav People's Army troops in Sarajevo in 1992--is still in force.
Nasa Borba on 22 July cited Ganic as saying that he will be heading a team
of people able to step up relations between the two countries. -- Daria
Sito Sucic
[11] U.S. CONGRESS DELEGATION IN KOSOVO.
Six members of the U.S. congress, headed by Democrat Eliot Engel, paid a visit
to Kosovo on 20 July, ATSH reported. They attended the inauguration of the
electronic library of the recently opened USIA office in Pristina. Shadow-
state President Ibrahim Rugova and Serbian administrator Aleksa Jokic were
also present. Engel had met earlier with Serbian President Milosevic in
Belgrade. -- Fabian Schmidt
[12] SLOVENIAN COURT NOT TO DETAIN SERBIAN GENERAL.
A Ljubljana district court on 19 July decided not to detain Gen. Milan
Aksentijevic, an ex-Yugoslav officer accused of seeking to undermine Slovenian
independence during the 1991 war (see ). Aksentijevic is awaiting
trial in Slovenia. The court observed that he had twice applied to visit
relatives in Slovenia and that "therefore there seems to be no danger that the
defendant will escape and avoid the trial," Reuters reported. In other news,
Davorin Kracun, a 45-year-old economics professor in Maribor, is to replace
Zoran Thaler as foreign minister, Thaler was defeated in a no confidence
motion earlier this year. -- Stan Markotich
[13] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT, FOREIGN MINISTER ON NATO MEMBERSHIP.
Ion Iliescu, in an interview with Die Presse on 19 July, reiterated his
positionthat Romania and Hungary will either join NATO together or not at all.
He said any "discrimination" in Hungary's favor would produce a "climate of
competition, mistrust, and instability." Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu, at
the end of a five-day working visit to the U.S., said that if priority were
given to some East European countries applying for membership, a new dividing
line would be created between NATO and Eastern Europe, Reuters reported. In an
apparent reference to Russia, he said such an approach would leave Romania
vulnerable to other competing influences. Meanwhile, on 19 July, the U.S.
Senate approved by "voice vote" a bill granting Romania permanent most-favored-
nation status. The bill now needs President Bill Clinton's approval. --
Michael Shafir
[14] NATO NAVAL EXERCISE IN ROMANIA.
A week-long naval exercise involving NATO forces and countries participating
in the Partnership for Peace program began on 22 July in Romanian territorial
waters in the Black Sea, Romanian and international media reported. The
exercise is described as the biggest of its kind staged within the framework
of the program. Some 30 ships from eight NATO countries, Romania, Bulgaria,
and Ukraine are taking part. -- Michael Shafir
[15] IMF APPROVES $580 MILLION LOAN TO BULGARIA.
The IMF on 19 July approved a $580 million loan to Bulgaria, Pari reported.
A first installment worth $116 million is expected to arrive this week and
will be used to pay $128 million owed to the London Club by 28 July. The
remaining installments will be spread over the next two years. The IMF agreed
to grant Bulgaria a new loan after the government announced strict austerity
measures and vowed to close down unprofitable state firms. -- Stefan
Krause
[16] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT LAMBASTES GOVERNMENT OVER NATO.
Zhelyu Zhelev on 19 July accused the government of isolating Bulgaria by not
applying for full NATO membership, Reuters reported. In his annual lecture to
the Atlantic Club, Zhelev said that owing to the government's reluctance to
seek closer ties with NATO, "Bulgaria is increasingly beginning to look like a
gap in the security framework." The president claimed that the government has
failed to capitalize on Bulgaria's strategic location in the Balkans. He also
noted that by favoring Greece over Turkey, Bulgaria has abandoned its
traditional policy of Balkan equidistance. In other news, the parliament on 19
July set the first round of the presidential elections for 27 October. The
next day, the BSP nominated Culture Minister Ivan Marazov as its vice
presidential candidate, Duma reported. -- Stefan Krause
[17] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST FACTION WANTS VIDENOV'S HEAD.
The Association for Social Democracy (OSD), a faction within the ruling
Bulgarian Socialist Party, has demanded that Zhan Videnov resign as BSP
chairman and prime minister before the October presidential elections,
Bulgarian newspapers reported on 22 July. The OSD said Videnov has failed as
prime minister and no longer enjoys the BSP's confidence. It also adopted an
alternative program for dealing with the present crisis and called for a
dialogue with other political forces on the course of reform. The OSD believes
that changes in the government and the BSP will help the party's candidate,
Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski, win the presidential elections. Pirinski is
also OSD deputy chairman. -- Stefan Krause
[18] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT HAS NO TIME TO MEET WITH U.S. OFFICIAL.
Sali Berisha on 19 July refused to meet with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
Timothy Wirth, arguing he had "no time and more important things on his agenda,
" Koha Jone reported. The daily quotes State Department sources who did not
want to be identified. Wirth undertook the visit as an initiative to restart
the dialogue between the U.S. and the Albanian government, which stopped after
the State Department sharply criticized the May elections, alleging
massive irregularities. Koha Jone wrote that Berisha is seeking to
"convert relations with the U.S. into a personal inat [spiteful defiance]." -
- Fabian Schmidt
[19] FATOS NANO CALLS FOR REFORM OF ALBANIAN SOCIALIST PARTY.
Imprisoned Socialist leader Fatos Nano last week sent a letter to party
members repeating calls for a comprehensive reform of the party, Koha Jone
reported on 21 July. He pointed out that the party will miss a historic chance
and become even more isolated politically if it proves unable to implement
such a reform. Meanwhile, Gazeta Shqiptare reported that the Center Pole
coalition has been excluded from round-table talks between the Socialists and
the ruling Democrats to discuss the upcoming local elections. Social
Democratic leader Skender Gjinushi called on the Socialists to participate
only in multi-party talks that include other opposition parties, Poli i
Qendres reported on 20 July. -- Fabian Schmidt
Compiled by Steve Kettle 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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