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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 3, No. 62, 97-03-28
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 3, No. 62, 28 March 1997
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] HUSEINOV EXTRADITED TO BAKU.
[02] RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN COOPERATION.
[03] INTERPOL CALLS KAZAKSTAN MAJOR DRUG HIGHWAY.
[04] BRITISH FIRM WINS KAZAK ENERGY GRID TENDER.
[05] TURKMEN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES CIS ROLE.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] SERBIAN WAR VETERANS STAGE BELGRADE PROTEST.
[07] ROUNDUP FROM FEDERAL YUGOSLAVIA.
[08] BOSNIA WOOS INVESTORS WITH LOAN GUARANTEES.
[09] "CRISIS ATMOSPHERE" IN BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT'S OFFICE?
[10] ROMANIAN PROSECUTOR FILES CHARGES AGAINST MINERS' LEADER.
[11] ROMANIA, GREECE SIGN AGREEMENT TO BOOST MILITARY COOPERATION.
[12] STATEMENT OF MEDIATORS IN TRANSDNIESTRIAN CONFLICT.
[13] GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN BULGARIA.
[14] MASS POLICE ACTION IN BULGARIA, TOP MANAGEMENT DISMISSAL.
[15] ALBANIAN VILLAGE CLASH LEAVES 18 DEAD.
[16] UN SECURITY COUNCIL HESITATES ON MILITARY MANDATE.
[17] FIFTEEN MORE KOSOVAR ALBANIANS CHARGED WITH TERRORISM.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] HUSEINOV EXTRADITED TO BAKU.
Former Azerbaijani Prime Minister Suret Huseinov, who staged the June 1993
coup that resulted in Heidar Aliev's return to power in Baku, was arrested
near Tula on 20 March by Russian and Azerbaijani Interior Ministry
officials and extradited to Baku on 27 March, Russian and Western agencies
reported. Huseinov faces charges of treason and armed rebellion in
connection with a so-called coup attempt in October 1994, following which
he fled to Moscow, and an alleged plot to assassinate Aliev in December
1996. -- Liz Fuller
[02] RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN COOPERATION.
Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossyan and Russian Security Council
Secretary Ivan Rybkin met in Moscow on the eve the CIS summit, Russian
media reported on 27 March. Rybkin called for a "renewed" comprehensive
treaty between the two countries that should also include a "military
component." According to Ter-Petrossyan, Russia is Yerevan's "main
strategic partner," and the parliaments of both countries will soon ratify
the treaty on a Russian military base in Armenia. Meanwhile, during his one-
day visit to France, Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev said there is no
need for the Russian military presence in Armenia and Georgia, Reuters
reported on 27 March. "I don't think it's right and I even protest against
that," he added. -- Emil Danielyan
[03] INTERPOL CALLS KAZAKSTAN MAJOR DRUG HIGHWAY.
Bekzhan Karikbolov, the head of Interpol in Kazakstan, said on 27 March
that up to 100 kilograms of raw opium pass through the Central Asian
country every month on the way to markets in Europe, Reuters reported.
Karikbolov also said that besides being a transit route for opium from
Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kazakstan produces a large amount of marijuana
and hashish and there has been a noticeable increase in the amount of
ephedrine in circulation. In 1996, 16 tons of narcotics were confiscated
but it is estimated that that represents only 7% of the total which made
its way through the country. Karikbolov said there are 20,000 registered
drug addicts in Kazakstan but that the real figure of addicts was likely
five to 10 times higher. -- Bruce Pannier and Merhat Sharipzhan
[04] BRITISH FIRM WINS KAZAK ENERGY GRID TENDER.
A tender to upgrade Kazakstan's electrical grid has been won by the British
National Grid Company, AFP reported on 27 March. The company plans to spend
$1 billion on Kazakstan's system over the next 10 years to construct new
power lines, install new meters and create an integrated, automated control
and accounting system. The operational center will be located at Akmola,
the future capital. Deputy Finance Minister Zhannat Yertlesova said on 26
March: "I have no problem with foreign ownership. The main thing is there
is an owner," Reuters reported on 27 March. -- Bruce Pannier
[05] TURKMEN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES CIS ROLE.
Ahead of the CIS summit in Moscow, Saparmurat Niyazov said the CIS role as
a forum for bilateral and multilateral cooperation was useful but added
that there was no need for the establishment of supranational structures,
ITAR-TASS reported on 26 March. Niyazov said "maximum use" should be made
of those structures "which represent the CIS," but that no attempt should
be made to "step up any processes artificially." According to Niyazov the
present formation of the CIS allowed each country to participate and "find
(its) own forms of partnership." -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] SERBIAN WAR VETERANS STAGE BELGRADE PROTEST.
Some 300 veterans of Serbia's wars in Croatia and Bosnia demonstrated
outside government offices to demand their pensions and disability benefits,
AFP reported on 27 March. They charge that payments are up to ten months
late. While the protesters gathered outside, a delegation from the Serbian
Union of Disabled War Veterans went in to see Prime Minister Mirko
Marjanovic to stress their point. The men claim that the very politicians
who sent them off to war are now ignoring them and their families.
Spokesmen said there are 2,628 disabled veterans in Serbia plus 2,860
fatherless families dependent on disability pensions. Worst off are the 15,
000 ethnic Serbs and their families from Croatia and Bosnia, who are
treated as foreigners with no right to pensions or financial aid. The
authorities have not given Bosnian and Croatian Serbs citizenship lest they
take revenge on President Slobodan Milosevic by voting for his opponents. --
Patrick Moore
[07] ROUNDUP FROM FEDERAL YUGOSLAVIA.
Elisabeth Rehn, the UN's special envoy for human rights in the former
Yugoslavia, urged Belgrade to reconsider its proposed press law, AFP
reported on 27 April. The measure would reinforce the nearly complete
government control over the electronic media. Also in Belgrade, the Supreme
Defense Council agreed to keep the military state of alert on the frontier
with Albania, Nasa Borba reported on 28 April. And in Washington, the
U.S. Congress has invited a delegation from the Montenegrin parliament to
discuss the "disturbing news" from Montenegro. The authorities in Belgrade
and their allies in Podgorica have been working against Montenegrin
politicians critical of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and his
policies. -- Patrick Moore
[08] BOSNIA WOOS INVESTORS WITH LOAN GUARANTEES.
Advised and supported by the World Bank, the government of Bosnia-
Herzegovina has established an Investment Guarantee Agency (IGA) to offer
guarantees to foreign investors providing loans to local industries,
Reuters reported on 27 March. Each IGA guarantee will be backed by an
irrevocable standby letter of credit from IMG Bank of Netherlands, which
holds $18 million in government funds set aside to cover losses stemming
from IGA-identified risks. Investors must provide the loans to a production-
related business to qualify for the guarantees. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[09] "CRISIS ATMOSPHERE" IN BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT'S OFFICE?
Biljana Plavsic has come under attack from her party colleagues after
raising questions about war profiteering and criticizing a cooperation pact
between the Republika Srpska and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Reuters on
27 March quoted unidentified diplomats as saying. In both cases, a person
indirectly criticized by Plavsic was Momcilo Krajisnik, a Serb member of
Bosnia's collective presidency. While Plavsic was never a very powerful
figure on the Bosnian Serb political scene, Krajisnik is one of the most
influential people in the Republika Srpska. A cabinet reshuffle this month
removed two ministers who were based in city of Banja Luka, where Plavsic's
offices are also located, leaving her the only one there. All other Bosnian
Serb government members are based in Pale, a Serb stronghold near Sarajevo.
-- Daria Sito Sucic
[10] ROMANIAN PROSECUTOR FILES CHARGES AGAINST MINERS' LEADER.
Romanian television on 27 March carried a lengthy interview with prosecutor
Alexandru Cinteza, who on the same day filed charges against Miron Cozma,
the miners' leader who rampaged Bucharest on several occasions in 1990 and
1991. The charges, however, refer only to the rampage of September 1991,
which toppled the government headed by Petre Roman. No date has been set
for the trial. Charges include undermining state authority, firearms
violations, incitement to violence, and compromising rail safety. Cozma
faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted. In an unrelated move, miners in
several locations threatened to protests plans to restructure the industry
and close down unproductive pits. Marin Condeescu, leader of one of the
miners' union, said its 160,000 members will strike for two hours on 3
April and go on a general strike on 5 April, the daily Adevarul reports
on 28 March. A representative of miners in the Motru valley said a
referendum on privatization of the mines will be conducted among its 13,588
members, who, he said, in general are opposed to the intention, Curierul
national reported on 28 March. -- Michael Shafir
[11] ROMANIA, GREECE SIGN AGREEMENT TO BOOST MILITARY COOPERATION.
Defense Minister Victor Babiuc and his visiting Greek counterpart
Tsohatzopoulos Apostolos on 27 March signed a memorandum aimed at
increasing cooperation between their armed forces, Radio Bucharest reported
on the same day. The memorandum focuses on cooperation in defense
technology and provides for an exchange of classified and sensitive
military information. Apostolos reiterated Greece's full support for
Romania to enter NATO in the first wave of new members. -- Michael Shafir
[12] STATEMENT OF MEDIATORS IN TRANSDNIESTRIAN CONFLICT.
Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, and the OSCE mission in Moldova, who
are mediating in the Transdniestrian conflict, on 27 March released a
statement saying the problems connected with the memorandum on the
conflict's settlement can be overcome, Infotag reported on the same day.
Yurii Karlov, Yevhen Levitsky, and Donald Johnson said in the joint
statement the provisions of the memorandum (which Moldova refuses to sign,
regarding it as a breach of its sovereignty) cannot contradict and should
not be interpreted as a violation of existing international agreements, of
the OSCE decisions--which acknowledged Moldova's territorial integrity--or
of the joint Moldovan-Russian-Ukrainian declaration of 19 January 1996,
which recognizes Moldovan sovereignty. The three representatives said
signing the memorandum would represent but one step in the completion of
the negotiating process. A more important step, involving a final
settlement agreement, is to follow immediately after the memorandum is
signed. -- Michael Shafir
[13] GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN BULGARIA.
Klaus Kinkel on 27 March paid a brief visit to Plovdiv, Trud and Reuters
reported. He met with President Petar Stoyanov, interim Prime Minister
Stefan Sofiyanski, and his Bulgarian counterpart, Stoyan Stalev. Kinkel
signed a technical cooperation agreement and delivered a private donation
of 40,000 marks ($23,650) to the regional hospital in Kazanlak. He promised
German backing for Bulgaria's efforts to join NATO and the EU. Kinkel gave
no timeframe, saying Bulgaria is "welcome in the [EU] as soon as possible."
He also pledged German support at the upcoming meeting of the G-24
industrialized countries. Kinkel warned that measures to recover Bulgaria's
economy will be painful but are inevitable. -- Stefan Krause
[14] MASS POLICE ACTION IN BULGARIA, TOP MANAGEMENT DISMISSAL.
Following an order by Interior Minister Bogomil Bonev on 28 March, police
in a high-profile action on Sofia's streets seized cars worth more than $59,
000, RFE/RL and national media reported. Sofia is one of the biggest stolen-
car markets in Eastern Europe. Police beat 4 people and seized 700 cars
according to Novinar, but Duma cited Bonev saying that their were 78.
Media attribute a possible political motivation to the action, as
parliamentary elections are due in three weeks and the former Socialist
government was allegedly implicated in corruption. -- Maria Koinova
[15] ALBANIAN VILLAGE CLASH LEAVES 18 DEAD.
At least 18 died in the southern village of Levan, which broke out after an
armed gang killed the village chief, AFP reported on 28 March. Most of the
dead were gang members, apparently on a looting raid. Meanwhile, the
Albanian parliament issued a general amnesty for 600 of the 1,309 prisoners
who escaped from jail, and a partial amnesty for 150 more. Justice Minister
Spartak Ngjela said that prisoners who returned on their own accord would
have their sentences reduced by one-third. Those serving life imprisonment
would have their sentence cut to 20 years. Those imprisoned for murder,
rape, genocide, corruption, or organized prostitution are excluded from the
amnesty. -- Fabian Schmidt
[16] UN SECURITY COUNCIL HESITATES ON MILITARY MANDATE.
The UN Security Council met informally late on 27 March on Italy's request,
but failed to issue a mandate for international troops to protect aid
convoys to Albania, Reuters reported. Most delegations were in favor of
endorsing a multinational force but hesitated on giving quick approval
without details on its mandate, its duration and who would pay. The UN also
said it needed a formal request from Albania. Italy, which is expected to
lead such an operation, asked the council to meet during the three-day
holiday weekend when the UN is officially closed. France, Portugal, Spain,
Greece, Turkey, Romania, and Austria also have expressed a willingness to
send troops. Italy has estimated about 2,500 personnel would be deployed
initially, with another 2,500 in reserve. If authorized, the troops' status
will be similar to the U.S.-led operation to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait
in which the UN gave the operations international legitimacy without
organizing the missions. -- Fabian Schmidt
[17] FIFTEEN MORE KOSOVAR ALBANIANS CHARGED WITH TERRORISM.
Prosecutors charged fifteen Kosovo Albanians with terrorism on 27 March,
AFP reported. They are accused of membership in the Kosovo Liberation Army,
suspected of having killed over 20 people since early 1996. Three of the
accused, Besim Rama, Avni Nura, and Idriz Aslani, were arrested late last
year. The other 12 are still being sought. The charges against those
arrested also relate to attacks on army and police property between 1992
and 1996 in which four people were killed and 16 wounded. So far this year,
police have arrested 66 Albanians suspected of "terrorist organization"
membership. Eighteen of them were charged on 21 March. Defense lawyers have
raised doubts about the validity of those charges. -- 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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