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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 233, 96-12-04
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 233, 4 December 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] GEORGIAN-RUSSIAN MILITARY TALKS.
[02] LAST-MINUTE OSCE COMPROMISE ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH.
[03] KAZAKSTANI PENSIONERS DEMAND RESULTS.
[04] KYRGYZ MINISTRIES CUT.
[05] MINISTRY ABOLISHED IN TURKMENISTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] BELGRADE CLAMPS DOWN ON INDEPENDENT RADIO STATION.
[07] CROATIAN RAIL WORKERS HALT ALL TRAINS.
[08] CROATIAN PRESIDENT IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
[09] EXPULSIONS CONTINUE IN BOSNIA.
[10] CALL FOR JUSTICE ON BOSNIAN WAR CRIMES.
[11] WASHINGTON WARNS SERBIA.
[12] MASS PROTESTS CONTINUE IN SERBIA.
[13] NATIONAL STRIKE IN BULGARIA.
[14] MOLDOVA'S OUTGOING PRESIDENT URGES RUSSIAN TROOPS WITHDRAWAL.
[15] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT ACCEPTS CABINET RESIGNATION.
[16] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT, HUNGARIAN PREMIER DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS.
[17] LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS IN MACEDONIA.
[18] ALBANIA CHARGES MONTENEGRO WITH BLOCKING RAILROAD LINE.
[19] ALBANIAN COURT SENTENCES COMMUNIST-ERA OFFICIALS.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] GEORGIAN-RUSSIAN MILITARY TALKS.
Georgian Defense Minister Vardiko Nadibaidze and his Russian counterpart
Igor Rodionov met on 3 December in Moscow to discuss "issues of mutual
interest," no details of which were subsequently disclosed, ITAR-TASS
reported. On the same day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir
Andreev told journalists that at last week's round of inter-governmental
Russian-Georgian talks in Tbilisi, the Georgian side "raised or repeated
some problems that do not promote Russian-Georgian relations." Specifically,
Georgia refused to endorse a Russian draft agreement on developing military
cooperation. Agreement has also not been reached on payment in Georgian
laris to finance the presence of Russian troops in Georgia. -- Liz Fuller
[02] LAST-MINUTE OSCE COMPROMISE ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH.
A last-minute compromise wording proposed by the U.S. prevented Armenia and
Azerbaijan from vetoing the final communique by the OSCE summit in Lisbon,
international media reported on 3 December. Armenia had objected to an
article of the draft communique which upheld Azerbaijan's territorial
integrity as a guiding principle for settling the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. The provision was included following vigorous efforts by
Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliev, who said he would block the entire
document unless it formally recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of
Azerbaijan. Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky told RFE/RL that Flavio
Cotti, the Swiss chairman of the OSCE, might condemn Azerbaijan's tactic.
Yet, according to CNN, Aliev's position was strongly backed by the European
Union. As a result of the compromise, the contentious language was removed
from the final communique and adopted as a separate document. -- Emil
Danielyan
[03] KAZAKSTANI PENSIONERS DEMAND RESULTS.
The Pensioner's Fund of Kazakstan has appealed to local government
officials to take action in paying arrears to pensioners, who in some cases
have not been paid for several months, according to a 3 December ITAR-TASS
report. Unpaid pensions total 40 million tenge (about $545,000) despite
government efforts to free money for payments. Inspectors have found many
cases of pension money being loaned by state officials to commercial
enterprises or as short-term loans for quick profits, some funds being
simply embezzled or misappropriated. The ITAR-TASS report claims some
pensioners have given up on using official channels and are engaging in
actions such as blocking roads and rail lines to bring attention to their
plight. -- Bruce Pannier
[04] KYRGYZ MINISTRIES CUT.
President Askar Akayev signed a number of decrees on 2 December, reducing
the number of ministries in the Kyrgyz government from 22 to 15 and cutting
the government staff by 3,000 people, RFE/RL reported. Among the changes,
former Finance Minister Kemelbek Nanayev was appointed First Deputy Prime
Minister and is replaced by Taalaibek Koichumanov, the former economics
minister. The economics ministry ceases to exist. The ministries of
education, culture, and agriculture and water were combined. Akayev's
decree on cutting personnel will effect 30% of the presidential and
parliamentary staffs, 20% of government and ministerial officials and at
least 10% of local government staffs. On 25 November Akayev signed a decree
allowing private ownership of land, effective on 1 January. -- Bruce
Pannier and Naryn Idinov
[05] MINISTRY ABOLISHED IN TURKMENISTAN.
Turkmenistan's Ministry of Construction and Architecture was abolished by
presidential decree on 3 December, ITAR-TASS reported the same day. In an
address to ministry personnel, President Saparmurat Niyazov charged that
the ministry's enterprises have been unprofitable, operate at 50% of their
capacity and construct facilities which are substandard. The industry is to
be de-centralized with existing enterprises shared out between regional
administrations, the republic's ministries of building materials, power-
engineering, and Turkmenneftgaz. -- Lowell Bezanis
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] BELGRADE CLAMPS DOWN ON INDEPENDENT RADIO STATION.
In another effort to muzzle the independent media and thwart the ongoing
peaceful protests in Serbia, the Belgrade authorities have taken Radio B 92
off the air. The radio station has been giving extensive coverage to the
protests. B 92 Editor Veran Matic told reporters that the station received
a letter from the federal Ministry of Transport and Communications saying
that B-92 does not have the necessary authorization to broadcast. The
student-run Radio Index has also been taken off the air. VOA reported today
that B 92 is continuing to broadcast on VOA's Serbian-language frequencies.
-- Stan Markotich
[07] CROATIAN RAIL WORKERS HALT ALL TRAINS.
The railroad union has shut down the country's railroad network, accusing
the state railroads management of blacklisting and firing workers who took
part in a general strike six days ago (see OMRI Daily Digest, 3 December
1996), Novi List reported on 4 December. Union President Zlatko Pavletic
said only army trains will continue to run if needed. He added that all
other traffic will be suspended until the rail worker who was sacked on 2
December for continuing to strike is reinstated. The railroads management
has denied threatening or sacking workers who refused to sign written
statements criticizing the strike. Meanwhile, Hungarian Television (MTV)
said some 600 freight cars have been held up on the Croatian-Hungarian
border owing to the strike, Reuters reported on 3 December. MTV added that
rail traffic between the two countries has virtually ground to a halt. --
Daria Sito Sucic
[08] CROATIAN PRESIDENT IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
For the first time since 1991, Franjo Tudjman has visited the last Serb-
held territory in Croatia, international and local media reported on 3
December. Speaking in the region's main town of Vukovar, the Croatian
symbol of war-time suffering, Tudjman said his visit as president of
Croatia is a sign that peaceful reintegration is on the right track,
Vecernji List reported. He added that his visit is a signal for Croatian
refugees that they should return to their homes and for local Serbs that
they should opt for the Croatian state. Tudjman met with UN administrator
for eastern Slavonia Jacques Klein and with a group of local Serbian
officials. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[09] EXPULSIONS CONTINUE IN BOSNIA.
The UN reported that over 30 Muslims have been driven from their homes in
the Bosanska Gradiska area of northern Bosnia over the past ten weeks,
Oslobodjenje noted on 4 December. Their property is being taken by Serbs
whose former homes in Donji Vakuf are now under federal control. A report
by Human Rights Watch says that Serbian paramilitaries were involved in the
expulsions and that the local authorities did nothing to stop them.
Meanwhile, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights noted in its latest
newsletter that the campaign to force Serbs to leave Ilidza is continuing.
One man noted that "after every quarrel or beating, four or five Serb
houses are sold cheap." -- Patrick Moore
[10] CALL FOR JUSTICE ON BOSNIAN WAR CRIMES.
The International Crisis Group--an NGO consisting of prominent people and
headed by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell--has called for tough
measures against war criminals. Noting that the big fish are still on the
loose, it wants IFOR to receive a mandate to arrest indicted individuals,
the VOA reported on 3 December. The ICG urges donors to withhold aid from
any country or locality that harbors war criminals and to give the money
instead to the underfunded Hague-based war crimes tribunal instead. --
Patrick Moore
[11] WASHINGTON WARNS SERBIA.
U.S. press spokesman Michael McCurry said on 3 December that Washington
could retaliate against Belgrade in the wake of the clampdown on two
independent radio stations. He noted that the U.S. still maintains its own
"outer wall" of sanctions against federal Yugoslavia and could block that
country's return to international organizations, AFP reported. Washington
is also working to prevent EU countries from extending trade benefits to
Belgrade at a meeting slated for 6 December, the BBC reported on 4
December. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said that "the Serbian
government has painted itself into a corner," the VOA noted. Numerous
international journalists' organizations and other NGOs have joined in the
protest. Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia rejected the complaints,
arguing that "elections in a country are above all a domestic matter," AFP
reported. -- Patrick Moore
[12] MASS PROTESTS CONTINUE IN SERBIA.
For the 15th consecutive day, mass demonstrations took place throughout
Serbia to protest the authorities' decision to nullify the results of last
month's run-off municipal elections, Nasa Borba reported on 4 December.
An estimated 100,000 people again gathered in Belgrade. Demonstration
organizers have vowed to continue with the protest action until all second-
round municipal election returns are "honored." Meanwhile, Belgrade's
electoral commission has questioned the legality of the nullification of
the election results, which showed the opposition Zajedno coalition
winning in the 12 largest municipalities. AFP on 3 December reported that
the commission has sent a letter to authorities outlining its position. CNN
on 4 December reported that the regime is stepping up the police presence
at demonstrations. -- Stan Markotich
[13] NATIONAL STRIKE IN BULGARIA.
The Confederation of the Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (KNSB) has
called a 24-hour national strike for 4 December, Reuters and local media
reported. Some 1 million people--mostly miners, teachers, and light
industry workers--are expected to support the strike. KNSB spokesman
Snezhana Lyubenova said the action is to protest "incompetence and
corruption within [Premier] Zhan Videnov's Socialist cabinet." The KNSB
believes that the strike will help force early parliamentary elections.
Another large trade union confederation, Podkrepa, has urged its members
to join the strike if they wish, but it has not given its official backing.
Some opposition parties have also expressed their "moral support,"
Kontinent noted. -- Maria Koinova
[14] MOLDOVA'S OUTGOING PRESIDENT URGES RUSSIAN TROOPS WITHDRAWAL.
Mircea Snegur, addressing the OSCE summit in Lisbon on 3 December, urged
Russia to withdraw its troops from eastern Moldova, BASA-press reported. He
complained that Moscow has not "honored the commitments" laid down in an
October 1994 bilateral agreement. The troops withdrawal was a key factor to
finding a peaceful settlement to the Dniester conflict, he added. Snegur
also appealed to the summit to issue a "political declaration" on "the
current state of affairs" in Moldova. The 1994 Russian-Moldovan accord has
not yet been ratified by the Russian State Duma. -- Dan Ionescu
[15] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT ACCEPTS CABINET RESIGNATION.
The parliament on 3 December unanimously accepted the resignation of Andrei
Sangheli's government, BASA-press and Infotag reported the same day. It
also asked the government to continue carrying out its duties until a new
cabinet has been formed. Before the 1 December presidential run-off,
Sangheli had said his government would resign immediately after the run-off
results had been released in order "to allow the new president to form a
cabinet with which he can cooperate in a more efficient way." Meanwhile,
President-elect Petru Lucinschi described the cabinet's decision to step
back as "just," arguing that Sangheli had not been "frank" about his
ministers' mistakes. -- Dan Ionescu
[16] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT, HUNGARIAN PREMIER DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS.
Emil Constantinescu and Gyula Horn, meeting in Lisbon on 3 December during
the OSCE summit, agreed that Romania's new foreign minister will visit
Hungary soon, Romanian media reported the same day. Horn said that the
Hungarian parliament will ratify the friendship treaty next week. That
document was signed in September and ratified by Romania in October. The
previous day, Horn had noted that Hungary backs Romania's efforts to
achieve EU and NATO integration, and he had offered to "do [his] utmost to
fulfill [that] goal." Constantinescu said Romania has the "historic chance"
to become a stabilizing factor in the region. He added that all neighbors
are "viewed as partners and not competitors" on the road toward
integration. -- Zsolt Mato
[17] LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS IN MACEDONIA.
Preliminary results show that 114 of the country's 123 mayors have so far
been elected following last week's local ballot, MILS reported on 3
December. The governing Social Democratic Alliance won 52 mayoralties, the
right-wing opposition coalition 28, and the ethnic Albanian Party of
Democratic Prosperity 12, plus one in coalition with the Democratic
People's Party (PDP). The Party of Democratic Prosperity of the Albanians
won only four mayoral mandates plus three in coalition with the PDP. The
Socialists won three, the Turkish Democratic Party two, and the Serbian
Democratic Party and the Party for Full Emancipation of the Roma one each.
Returns have still to come in from Valandovo, Ohrid, Prilep, and
Probishtip. -- Fabian Schmidt
[18] ALBANIA CHARGES MONTENEGRO WITH BLOCKING RAILROAD LINE.
Albanian authorities have criticized Montenegro for refusing to unblock the
Shkoder-Podgorica railroad line, international agencies reported on 3
December. The link has been closed for more than three years owing to
international sanctions imposed against the federal Yugoslavia. The
Albanian railroads have repaired their part of the line and are ready to
reopen it. The line was scheduled to have opened at the beginning of this
year. Local traders and the Albanian economy have suffered considerable
losses as a result of the closure. Completed in August 1986, the Shkoder-
Podgorica line is Albania's only connection with the international railroad
system. -- Fabian Schmidt
[19] ALBANIAN COURT SENTENCES COMMUNIST-ERA OFFICIALS.
A Tirana court has sentenced communist-era Interior Minister Vladimir Hysi
to 18 months in prison, Zeri i Popullit reported on 4 December. Irakli
Kocollari, former chief of the communist secret service, was given a six-
year sentence. The two men were charged with abuse of office for ordering
the destruction of secret service files. They argued that the files had
been put away for a limited period only and that the deadline for keeping
them in storage had expired. Kocollari is still facing charges for human
rights abuses committed when he was working for the secret services in
Korca. -- Fabian Schmidt
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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