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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 3, No. 6, 97-01-09
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 3, No. 6, 9 January 1997
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE CHARGES GEORGIAN DIPLOMAT.
[02] ALIEV ON GEORGIA.
[03] DASHNAK LEADERS MEET WITH ARMENIAN JUSTICE MINISTER.
[04] FIGHTING BREAKS OUT IN TURSUN ZADE.
[05] TURGUNALIYEV FOUND GUILTY.
[06] UZBEK GAS-CHEMICALS COMPLEX.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT CONCEDES LOSS OF NIS.
[08] CHAOTIC PROTESTS IN BELGRADE.
[09] CROATIAN POLICE IN MOSTAR REFUSE TO COOPERATE WITH IPTF.
[10] ARBITRATORS MEET TO DISCUSS DISPUTED TOWN OF BRCKO.
[11] FRESH SPECULATION OVER TUDJMAN'S HEALTH.
[12] DRNOVSEK TO RETAIN SLOVENIAN PREMIERSHIP?
[13] ROMANIAN PREMIER MEETS TRADE UNION LEADERS.
[14] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT APPEALS TO CITIZENS TO FIGHT CORRUPTION.
[15] BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER CONFIRMED AS SOCIALISTS' CHOICE FOR PRIME
MINISTER.
[16] OPPOSITION PROTESTS IN BULGARIA.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE CHARGES GEORGIAN DIPLOMAT.
The U.S. State Department has formally requested Georgia to waive immunity
for diplomat Georgi Makharadze, who was involved in a car accident in which
an American girl died (see OMRI Daily Digest, 7 January 1997), ITAR-TASS
and AFP reported on 9 January. The move follows a letter to the State
Department from the U.S. attorney's office that says there is "enough
evidence" of Makharadze's guilt to press charges against him. The last time
diplomatic immunity was waived in such a serious case was that of a Belgian
diplomat in 1989. -- Emil Danielyan
[02] ALIEV ON GEORGIA.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Ukleba held talks in Baku with
Azerbaijani President Haidar Aliev on 8 January, RFE/RL reported the same
day. Aliev, who termed Georgia a strategic ally, declared Baku's full
support for Tbilisi's position on Abkhazia, noting that Azerbaijan opposes
separatism, aggression, ethnic cleansing, and instability. It appears
Georgia is seeking Azerbaijani backing to push for a toughened stance on
Abkhazia among CIS states in advance of the 17 January CIS summit in
Moscow. -- Lowell Bezanis
[03] DASHNAK LEADERS MEET WITH ARMENIAN JUSTICE MINISTER.
During a meeting with leaders of the banned Dashnak party (HHD), Armenian
Justice Minister Marat Aleksanyan said that documents submitted by the HHD
are "not sufficient" for the party to be legalized, Noyan Tapan reported on
8 January. Ruben Hakobyan, a HHD leader, complained that the authorities
have not specified the steps that his party should take in order to resume
its activities. The meeting comes amid speculation that the party might
soon be legalized following a 10 December court verdict that found no
connection between the HHD and the alleged terrorist group Dro. The HHD's
activities in Armenia were suspended in January 1995 by the Supreme Court
on the grounds that it violated Armenian law on political parties by having
foreign members. In a bid to overcome the legal deadlock, the HHD in
November 1995 made significant changes in its structure, granting its
Armenia organization a substantial degree of autonomy. -- Emil Danielyan
[04] FIGHTING BREAKS OUT IN TURSUN ZADE.
Despite a presidential order to withdraw his forces from the Tursun Zade
area, elements of Col. Mahmud Khudaberdiyev's First Brigade attacked outlaw
forces in the city on 8 January, international media reported.
Khudaberdiyev had moved his force close to the city claiming that Tursun
Zade's criminal band, loyal to former Popular Front commander Kadyr
Abdullayev, raided the First Brigade's headquarters on 29 December to steal
weapons, in the process killing one officer. Khudaberdiyev said the attack
was sparked by the government's refusal to do anything about the situation.
He is demanding Abdullayev return the weapons and vacate the city. Efforts
by the Tajik government, Russian forces in Tajikistan, and the UN observer
mission to mediate the isolated conflict have not met with any success.
Both government and opposition representatives say the fighting in Tursun
Zade will not have an impact on peace talks being held in Tehran. -- Bruce
Pannier
[05] TURGUNALIYEV FOUND GUILTY.
A Bishkek municipal court on 8 January found Topchubek Turgunaliyev, the
chairman of the Erkin Kyrgyzstan Party, guilty of embezzlement and
sentenced him to 10 years in prison and confiscation of all his property,
RFE/RL reported. Co-defendant Timur Stamkulov received a six-year sentence
but his property will not be confiscated. The charges stem from a 1994
incident when Turgunaliyev was the rector of Bishkek's Humanitarian
University and approved a request by Stamkulov, then the deputy director of
the university, to withdraw $10,000 from university funds. Stamkulov claims
he was robbed and lost all the money, but he still returned $2,300 and
later attempted to return an additional $3,000, which the university
refused to accept. Lawyers for Turgunaliyev and Stamkulov have claimed from
the beginning of the trial that it was politically motivated. -- Bruce
Pannier and Naryn Idinov
[06] UZBEK GAS-CHEMICALS COMPLEX.
A foreign consortium will help develop a chemical complex, with an
estimated value of $1 billion, in Uzbekistan's Kashgadarya province,
according to a 6 January report in Rossiiskaya Gazeta monitored by the
BBC. The paper, citing sources in Uzbekneftgaz, noted the complex will be
built by a consortium comprising three subsidiaries of the Swiss-Swedish
ABB group, Japan's Mitsui, and Nissho Iwai. The complex at the Shurtan gas-
condensate field is to produce 125,000 metric tons of polyethelene, 137,000
metric tons of liquefied gas, and 37,000 metric tons of unstable
condensate. It is estimated $600 million will be spent on the technological
side of the project and $400 million on construction to be carried out by
Uzbek contractors. -- Lowell Bezanis
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT CONCEDES LOSS OF NIS.
Official Serbian media on 8 January ran a statement from the Ministry of
Justice admitting that the opposition Zajedno coalition won control of
the city council in the 17 November local elections. Nis is Serbia's second
largest city, and the statement is a major concession from the authorities.
But Zajedno says it will keep up its protests until the authorities
restore all its election victories. The current wave of demonstrations
began in Nis, where a local government-run radio station had self-
confidently carried live coverage of the election returns. Listeners were
able to hear from regime journalists themselves how the opposition was
winning in precinct after precinct. Also in Nis, army Chief of Staff Gen.
Momcilo Perisic visited the 63rd Parachute Brigade, Nasa Borba reported
on 9 January. The elite unit has allied itself with the protests, but the
army said there was no political purpose to the "routine" visit. -- Patrick
Moore
[08] CHAOTIC PROTESTS IN BELGRADE.
The opposition launched a campaign on 8 January to paralyze the government
by blocking its telephones, RFE/RL reported. Meanwhile, slow-moving or
supposedly broken-down cars blocked traffic, while some 50,000
demonstrators converged on central Belgrade to surround riot police.
Zajedno leader Vuk Draskovic moved about in a van with a loudspeaker to
address the police, whom he is trying to win over. He told them: "It is
only a matter of a few days now, our brother policemen. The ruling powers
will go," AFP quoted him as saying. -- Patrick Moore
[09] CROATIAN POLICE IN MOSTAR REFUSE TO COOPERATE WITH IPTF.
UN spokesman Alexandar Ivanko on 8 January said police from the Croat-held
part of Mostar are refusing either to provide the International Police Task
Force with daily reports or to answer its questions, Onasa reported. Ivanko
said Muslim-Croat police patrols in Mostar exist only on paper. The UN
condemned the on-going expulsions of Muslims from the Croat-held part of
the town. According to Ivanko, three abandoned Muslim houses near Capljina,
in Herzegovina, were destroyed on 6 January in six explosions. No
casualties were reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[10] ARBITRATORS MEET TO DISCUSS DISPUTED TOWN OF BRCKO.
International mediators met in Rome on 8 January to discuss the future of
Brcko, situated in northern Bosnia, international media reported. It was
the first time that all Bosnian parties involved have gathered to discuss
the issue. Control over the town is regarded crucial by Bosnian Serbs, on
the one hand, and Muslims and Croats, on the other. The fate of Brcko was
not resolved during the Dayton peace negotiations, and the issue was left
to be decided by international arbitration at the end of last year. But
U.S. arbitrator Roberts Owen postponed discussions for two months, after
the Serbian party withdrew from the arbitration process. Serbs have sent 10
observers to Rome. Previously, Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic said
the Serbs would rather resume the war than give up control of the town. In
related news, Bosnian Serbs have announced they will celebrate the fifth
anniversary of the declaration of the Republika Srpska in Brcko today. --
Daria Sito Sucic
[11] FRESH SPECULATION OVER TUDJMAN'S HEALTH.
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman has disappeared from public view, which
has revived speculation that he may not have long to live, RFE/RL reported
on 8 January. He spent a week at Washington's prestigious Walter Reed Army
Hospital in November, when U.S. sources told the media that Tudjman has
inoperable stomach cancer and at most a year to live. Croatian spokesmen
downplayed the reports, saying that he was treated for an ulcer, but the
government's secretiveness only served to heighten suspicions that Tudjman
is seriously ill. The normally publicity-minded president was last seen on
government television at New Year's, looking "pale and gaunt," Reuters
wrote. His office says only that "the president is in the country and
performing his duties." Tudjman's next scheduled public appearance is in
mid-January, when he is scheduled to receive the diplomatic corps. The
speculation over Tudjman's health coincides with reports that he plans to
turn over some of his duties to parliament, where his party has a majority.
-- Patrick Moore
[12] DRNOVSEK TO RETAIN SLOVENIAN PREMIERSHIP?
Janez Drnovsek's chances of staying on as Slovenian prime minister
increased considerably after a deputy from the center-right Christian
Democrats defected on 8 January, Vecernji list and Reuters reported.
Ciril Pucko said he will support Drnovsek's candidacy because "we have
economic and social problems that have to be solved not today, but
yesterday." He said he will remain an independent deputy. Pucko's move
could break the deadlock that followed last November's parliamentary
elections. Drnovsek's Liberal Democrats won 25 seats in the 90-strong
parliament and secured the support of several smaller left-wing parties
that had a total of 20 mandates. But the right-of-center Slovenian Spring
coalition--comprising the Social Democrats, the People's Party, and the
Christian Democrats--also have total of 45 seats. Voting on a new premier
was originally scheduled for 8 January but was postponed by one day. --
Stefan Krause
[13] ROMANIAN PREMIER MEETS TRADE UNION LEADERS.
Victor Ciorbea on 8 January met with leaders of major trade unions in an
attempt to defuse growing popular dissatisfaction over recent price hikes,
Radio Bucharest reported. Representatives of the Fratia (Brotherhood)
confederation, the National Trade Union Block, the Alfa Cartel, and the
Confederation of Democratic Unions in Romania took part in the meeting.
Ciorbea, a former unionist leader, spoke of the need for "true social
partnership" with the unions. He criticized the previous government's
practice of indexing wages, which, he said, had led to inflation. Instead,
he proposed tax cuts on salaries and profits to compensate for the recent
wave of price increases. The talks are to be followed up by negotiations
between the state, the employers' organizations, and the unions. Social
tension has been growing in Romania since the doubling of gasoline prices
on 1 January prompted a series of other price hikes. -- Dan Ionescu
[14] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT APPEALS TO CITIZENS TO FIGHT CORRUPTION.
Emil Constantinescu, speaking on national television on 8 January, vowed to
wage an uncompromising battle against corruption. He said that corruption
and crime are "endangering national security" and that corruption must be
halted if international confidence in the country is to be secured. While
foreign companies in Romania often complain about corruption at all levels,
the country is in dire need of direct foreign investment. To date,
foreigners have invested only $2.2 billion. The president's appeal comes in
the wake of the creation of a National Council of Action to fight
corruption and organized crime. Jurnalul National reports that the
opposition Party of Social Democracy in Romania supports the campaign but
regards it as an attempt at "image-creating." Constantinescu has accused
the party of widespread corruption. -- Zsolt Mato
[15] BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER CONFIRMED AS SOCIALISTS' CHOICE FOR PRIME
MINISTER.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and its two coalition partners -- the
Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union "Aleksandar Stamboliyski" and the
Political Club Ekoglasnost -- on 8 January nominated Nikolay Dobrev as
their candidate for prime minister, RFE/RL and Trud reported. At a joint
session of the three parties' leaderships and parliamentary deputies,
Dobrev was approved by a vote of 206 to 0 with 3 abstentions. Parliamentary
Speaker Blagovest Sendov was proposed by a Socialist deputy but refused to
stand. The cabinet line-up and its program will be discussed at another
plenary meeting on 12 January. Under the constitution, outgoing President
Zhelyu Zhelev has until 13 January to ask Dobrev to form a new government.
However, he is expected to do so on 11 January. Dobrev then has one week to
form a government. -- Stefan Krause
[16] OPPOSITION PROTESTS IN BULGARIA.
Around 30,000 Sofia citizens on 8 January protested the formation of a
second BSP government, RFE/RL and Bulgarian media reported. As was the case
on 3 January (see OMRI Daily Digest, 6 January 1997), demonstrators
gathered outside the BSP headquarters, which they pelted with snow balls
and eggs under the watchful gaze of riot police and the opposition "special
security" forces. Protests also took place the same day in eight other
towns. Ahmed Dogan, leader of the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and
Freedom, told a rally in Kardzhali that the opposition is ready to boycott
the parliament and to organize a national strike. President Zhelyu Zhelev
expressed his fear that unrest and violence that could discredit the
protests. He urged the protesters to exercise discipline. -- Maria Koinova
in Sofia.
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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