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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 3, No. 5, 97-01-08
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 3, No. 5, 8 January 1997
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] HUNDREDS OF VEHICLES STILL STUCK IN GEORGIAN MOUNTAIN PASS.
[02] FRANCE BECOMES CO-CHAIR OF KARABAKH NEGOTIATIONS.
[03] RUSSO-AZERBAIJANI TALKS "USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE."
[04] TROUBLE IN TAJIKISTAN'S "WILD WEST."
[05] FLOUR ENTITLEMENTS DOWN IN TURKMENISTAN.
[06] LAW ON POLITICAL PARTIES IN UZBEKISTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] SERBIAN OPPOSITION LAUNCHES CHRISTMAS "CHARM OFFENSIVE."
[08] BELGRADE PROTESTS CONTINUE.
[09] SERBIAN OPPOSITION SEEKS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT.
[10] BOSNIAN FEDERATION PRIME MINISTER THREATENS MINERS WITH "REPRESSION."
[11] TEAR GAS THROWN DURING ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS SERVICE IN SARAJEVO . . .
[12] . . . AND EXPLOSION DAMAGES CATHOLIC CHURCH IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
[13] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT VOWS TO COMBAT CORRUPTION.
[14] CONTROVERSY AROUND ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S VISIT TO BUDAPEST.
[15] UPDATE ON BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT FORMATION.
[16] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT, ARMY CHIEF DISCUSS CORRUPTION.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] HUNDREDS OF VEHICLES STILL STUCK IN GEORGIAN MOUNTAIN PASS.
More than 200 vehicles remain blocked in a mountain pass connecting Georgia
and Russia, ITAR-TASS reported on 7 January. The pass has been closed since
26 December following an avalanche in the Caucasus Mountains (see OMRI
Daily Digest, 2 January 1997). Georgian traffic workers continue to clear
the most difficult section of the road, using tractors and snow-plows,
while rescue helicopters evacuate people trapped in the Georgian mountain
resort of Gudauri. According to ITAR-TASS, Georgian authorities expect
traffic to resume "in the near future." -- Emil Danielyan
[02] FRANCE BECOMES CO-CHAIR OF KARABAKH NEGOTIATIONS.
The OSCE has named France as the new co-chair of the deadlocked
negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, RFE/RL reported on 7 January.
France, beating out an active U.S. bid, succeeds Finland, which held the
office for 20 months. The other co-chair is Russia, whose post is
permanent. The chief French negotiator will be Jacques Blot. -- Lowell
Bezanis
[03] RUSSO-AZERBAIJANI TALKS "USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE."
Following two days of talks, Russia and Azerbaijan agreed to improve trade
and economic ties, signing protocols on trade in major commodities in 1997
as well as the development of transport and metro building, Russian media
reported on 7 January. The head of the Russian delegation, Valerii Serov,
termed the meetings constructive and useful, noting that it was the "first
time" the two sides had agreed on specific joint actions. Serov also noted
that the two sides continue to hold differing views on the Caspian Sea, and
on mutual debts. While both Serov and Azeri officials were upbeat about
moving Azeri oil through Chechnya soon, Chechen sources, cited by Reuters
the same day, claim Russia is dragging its feet in oil negotiations it was
to have completed by 1 December. -- Lowell Bezanis
[04] TROUBLE IN TAJIKISTAN'S "WILD WEST."
Elements of Tajikistan's First Brigade moved toward the western city of
Tursun Zade during the night of 7-8 January, ITAR-TASS reported. The
brigade is under the command of Col. Mahmud Khudaberdiyev, who last January
led one of two mutinies which for two weeks threatened the capital
Dushanbe. The other mutiny was led by the former mayor of Tursun Zade,
Ibodullo Baimatov. Like Khudaberdiyev, Baimatov returned to his base
following concessions by the government. Since then, control of Tursun Zade,
the site of the largest aluminum plant in Central Asia, has been contested
by several criminal groups. Baimatov was ousted by late summer 1996 but the
city remained outside the jurisdiction of the government. Khudaberdiyev
mended relations with the Tajik government and sources from the brigade's
headquarters say this latest move is an attempt to restore order in Tursun
Zade. -- Bruce Pannier
[05] FLOUR ENTITLEMENTS DOWN IN TURKMENISTAN.
The amount of wheat flour available to Turkmenistan's citizens at
subsidized rates has been decreased by presidential decree, according to a
7 January Interfax report monitored by the BBC. As of 1 February 1997,
citizens whose average monthly income does not exceed 200,000 manats (about
$40) are entitled to six kilos of flour at 25 manats per kilo. In rural
areas the eight kilo ration will remain in effect. -- Lowell Bezanis
[06] LAW ON POLITICAL PARTIES IN UZBEKISTAN.
Uzbekistan's law on political parties came into force on 7 January,
according to Uzbek media monitored by the BBC. The law prohibits parties
based on ethnic or religious lines and those advocating war or subversion
of the constitutional order. Prospective parties must submit details of at
least 5,000 members spread over eight provinces. Applications for
registering a party are to be directed to the Justice Ministry and the
Supreme Court has the right to suspend or ban them if they are found guilty
of persistent legal violations. Parties have the right to take part in
elections, publish newspapers, and establish parliamentary and local
groups. -- Lowell Bezanis
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] SERBIAN OPPOSITION LAUNCHES CHRISTMAS "CHARM OFFENSIVE."
Tens of thousands of Serbs attended public demonstrations on 7 January,
which is Serbian Orthodox Christmas, AFP and CNN reported. In a new tactic,
people kissed the riot police, who are President Slobodan Milosevic's last
bastion of defense. Opposition leader Vuk Draskovic appealed to the police:
"Even Tito's communist regime did not make its police turn out onto the
streets for Christmas. The young people in police uniforms are also part of
the people. It's Christmas for you too, do you know that? [The authorities]
are sending you here today to provoke bloodshed. But Christmas is the
biggest Christian festival ... and therefore, I say to the police, divine
peace, Christ is born." -- Patrick Moore
[08] BELGRADE PROTESTS CONTINUE.
Opposition representatives and other observers suspect that the explosion
at the headquarters of a tiny party run by President Milosevic's wife was a
provocation by the authorities themselves (see OMRI Daily Digest, 7
January 1997). Opposition leader Vesna Pesic likened it to the Reichstag
fire incident of 1933, Nasa Borba reported on 8 January. Protest plans
for today center on a campaign to block government telephone lines by
calling officials and then leaving the phone off the hook. Lists of
government phone numbers, including Milosevic's, have been distributed.
Draskovic also appealed to citizens to stage another protest by traffic
jam. In other Serbian news, a new law has come into effect that allows
employers to fire workers at their own discretion, thereby removing some
job protection rights. -- Patrick Moore
[09] SERBIAN OPPOSITION SEEKS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT.
Zoran Djindjic of the opposition Zajedno (Together) coalition has appealed
to foreign countries to put more pressure on President Milosevic to
recognize the 17 November local election results. He told a German radio
station: "This is at the moment probably the only thing that can make
[Milosevic] move," AFP reported. EU and U.S. flags are prominent at
opposition rallies, which reflects popular appreciation for foreign
support. The independent media closely follow foreign coverage of Serbian
affairs, and opposition leaders frequently give interviews in English or
German to Western media. All of this is in stark contrast to the xenophobic
tone of the Milosevic regime and its media, which were particularly anti-
U.S. and anti-German in the early 1990s. Meanwhile, in Bonn, Foreign
Minister Klaus Kinkel endorsed opposition demands and called for continuing
the suspension of EU financial benefits for Serbia, Nasa Borba wrote on 8
January. He nonetheless warned against any expectations that Milosevic
himself could be ousted soon, AFP noted. -- Patrick Moore
[10] BOSNIAN FEDERATION PRIME MINISTER THREATENS MINERS WITH "REPRESSION."
Edhem Bicakcic, the newly-appointed prime minister of the mainly Muslim-
Croat Federation, said on 6 January that the federation's coal miners are
free to go on strike, but they are prohibited from blocking the movement of
traffic through the country, Oslobodjenje reported the next day. At a
meeting with representatives of coal miners from central Bosnia and Tuzla,
Bicakcic said the Tuzla miners receive their salaries regularly thanks to
revenues from production and reserves, which is not the case in central
Bosnia, Onasa reported. He said the mines must secure their own resources
through the commercial sale of coal. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[11] TEAR GAS THROWN DURING ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS SERVICE IN SARAJEVO . . .
The Interior Ministry of the Bosnian Federation said on 7 January that tear
gas was thrown into a Sarajevo church by an unknown person during a
Christmas day service for Orthodox Serbs the same day, AFP reported. There
were no casualties among some 40 people who attended the service. Meanwhile,
Cardinal Vinko Puljic, the Roman Catholic archbishop, joined a group of
Orthodox Serbs celebrating Christmas in Sarajevo's oldest church in a show
of ecumenical unity. His visit follows that of Serb Archbishop Nikolai to
Sarajevo's Catholic cathedral for the Catholic Christmas service. In other
news, a mosque in the Sarajevo suburb of Hrasnica was sprayed with machine-
gun fire on 6 January by an unknown person, AFP reported. In news from
Mostar, another Muslim has been evicted from the Croat-held part of the
town. The elderly woman, who was illegally evicted from her home, was found
dead in an abandoned building, while a Croat soldier moved into her
apartment. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[12] . . . AND EXPLOSION DAMAGES CATHOLIC CHURCH IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
UN spokesman Philip Arnold said on 7 January that a Catholic church was
damaged by an explosion a day earlier in the town of Ilok in eastern
Slavonia, the last Serb-held part of Croatia, AFP reported. No one was hurt
in the blast. The same church was besieged by Serb demonstrators from the
area on 24 December as some 200 Croat returnees celebrated Catholic
Christmas eve (see OMRI Daily Digest, 30 December 1996). -- Daria Sito
Sucic
[13] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT VOWS TO COMBAT CORRUPTION.
Emil Constantinescu on 7 January vowed to combat rampant corruption and
organized crime, saying they pose a direct threat to national security,
Romanian media reported. Constantinescu, who was speaking at an
extraordinary meeting of Romania's Supreme Defense Council, proposed the
creation of a national council to deal with the problem. Also on 7 January,
the president's office rejected the accusations of nepotism that have been
leveled against Constantinescu in the media. A statement said that the
prefect of Arges is not Constantinescu's brother-in-law, as assumed by some
newspapers. The accusations multiplied after the son of Constantinescu's
counselor for foreign and internal affairs, Zoe Petre, was appointed to the
post of presidential counselor. -- Dan Ionescu
[14] CONTROVERSY AROUND ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S VISIT TO BUDAPEST.
Independent and opposition newspapers have accused Adrian Severin of
allegedly giving in to Hungarian requests for the re-establishment of the
former Hungarian Bolyai University in Cluj and the reopening of a Hungarian
consulate in the same city during his recent visit to Hungary. Former
President Ion Iliescu said the opening of the Cluj consulate would be a
sign of the "weakness of Romanian diplomacy." According to President Emil
Constantinescu, Severin was not mandated to discuss the university problem
or the issue of bilingual inscriptions in minority areas. Severin said
those topics were not on the agenda of his talks with Hungarian officials.
In other news, Constantinescu urged Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic to
accept the opposition's local election victories and defuse the crisis in
that country, Reuters reported. -- Zsolt Mato
[15] UPDATE ON BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT FORMATION.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and its tiny coalition partners -- the
Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union "Aleksandar Stamboliyski" and the
Political Club Ekoglasnost -- on 7 January continued to discuss the
formation of a new government. The BSP that day nominated Interior Minister
Nikolay Dobrev for prime minister, and the leaderships of all three parties
are expected to vote on the proposal today. An unnamed BSP leader said
Ekoglasnost will support Dobrev and not parliamentary speaker Blagovest
Sendov, whom they proposed originally. In return they demand the Interior
Ministry for Ekoglasnost leader Stefan Gaytandzhiev, Duma reported.
According to Trud, Sendov may also stand in today's election at the
insistence of the BSP's partners. BSP Chairman Georgi Parvanov did not rule
out such a possibility, Standart noted. The daily also noted that the
ruling coalition will not be enlarged. The opposition Union of Democratic
Forces said a new BSP-led government will be a "tragedy for Bulgaria." --
Stefan Krause
[16] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT, ARMY CHIEF DISCUSS CORRUPTION.
Zhelyu Zhelev and the chief of staff of the Bulgarian army, Gen. Tsvetan
Totomirov, met on 7 January to discuss recent charges of corruption in the
armed forces, RFE/RL reported. No details about their meeting were
released. It was prompted by a letter published earlier in Bulgarian
newspapers and signed by "a group of officers from Sofia." The authors
complained that the Defense Ministry is spending large sums of money on
lavish foreign trips for top military officials, expensive cars, and new
German-made computers, while at the same time "hungry, ill-dressed
soldiers" are forgotten and wages are not paid. The letter praised
Totomirov, a Zhelev appointee. Analysts believe the letter is linked to the
split between hardliners and reformers in the BSP and may aim at preventing
the renomination of current Defense Minister Dimitar Pavlov. -- Stefan
Krause
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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