OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 67, 4 Apr 95

From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" <dep@bu.edu>

CONTENTS

  • [01] BOSNIAN UPDATE.

  • [02] BELGRADE LIBEL CAMPAIGN WIDENS.

  • [03] BULGARIA, SOUTH KOREA SEEK CLOSER COOPERATION.

  • [04] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN GERMANY.

  • [05] BULGARIAN MEDIA FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL BALKAN CONFERENCE.

  • [06] PERSONNEL CHANGES IN ALBANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY?

  • [07] ALBANIAN PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES 1995 BUDGET.

    •

    OMRI DAILY DIGEST

    No. 67, Part II, 4 April 1995

    SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [01] BOSNIAN UPDATE.

    The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on 4 April reported that Bosnian Serbs have intensified their harassment of Western citizens. Two Swiss nationals were taken the previous day from a UN armored vehicle near Sarajevo, and two days earlier a German relief aid worker was arrested. Meanwhile, the Krajina Serbs and their local allies stepped up their attacks in the Bihac pocket on 3 April. Fierce fighting also continued in the Majevica hills northeast of Tuzla. From Mostar, EU-appointed administrator Hans Koschnick criticized the UN for not enforcing its own arms embargo on the former Yugoslavia. He said that all the embargo has meant in practice is that the various armies have to pay a bit more for their weapons. Finally, China became the 92nd country to recognize Bosnia-Herzegovina. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [02] BELGRADE LIBEL CAMPAIGN WIDENS.

    Nasa Borba reported on 4 April that Belgrade's ongoing campaign against charitable organizations, notably the Soros Foundation, has spilled over from Serbia proper into the other rump Yugoslav republic, Montenegro. Montenegrin Deputy Premier Rade Perovic is reported as criticizing the foundation for its "anti-Yugoslav character." Serbia's own campaign against the foundation reached fever pitch last month in the state-run media. The state-run Borba on 20 March ran a headline stating "Ban the Soros Foundation." -- Stan Markotich, OMRI, Inc.

    [03] BULGARIA, SOUTH KOREA SEEK CLOSER COOPERATION.

    President Zhelyu Zhelev, in talks with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Yung-sam, on 3 April in Seoul, pledged closer relations and extended economic cooperation, Bulgarian newspapers reported the following day. A South Korean spokesman said the two leaders agreed to encourage joint-venture projects in electronics and chemical goods for sale to third countries. Kim said that South Korea will actively participate in the privatization of Bulgarian enterprises, while Zhelev stressed that Bulgaria is a potentially important trade partner for South Korea because of its location. Demokratsiya reported that Bulgaria will soon receive a $50 million loan from South Korea. According to Standart, Zhelev said that Bulgaria will support South Korea's candidacy for a seat in the UN Security Council. Zhelev, who is on a four-day state visit to South Korea, is the first Bulgarian president to visit that country since diplomatic relations were established in 1990. Also on 3 April, Bulgarian Minister of Culture Georgi Kostov and his South Korean counterpart signed an agreement to increase cultural and scientific cooperation, Standart reported. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [04] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN GERMANY.

    Georgi Pirinski on 3 April began a three-day visit to Bonn, Pari reported the following day. He held official talks with Minister of State Bernd Schmidtbauer on the consequences of the Schengen agreement for Bulgarian citizens, who are now subject to stricter visa requirements, Duma reported. Pirinski is also due to meet with his German counterpart, Klaus Kinkel, to discuss bilateral relations, the prospects for Bulgaria's integration into European structures, and trade losses sustained by Bulgaria owing to UN sanctions against the rump Yugoslavia. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [05] BULGARIAN MEDIA FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL BALKAN CONFERENCE. Bulgarian dailies on 3 April gave prime coverage to a conference in Sofia dealing with the current situation in the Balkans in light of the e

    xperiences of the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. Speakers included President Zhelyu Zhelev and former U.S. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. The Sofia press generally gave front-page coverage to Brzezinski's remarks to the effect that NATO is unlikely to take on new members in the Balkans before the present conflict ends. Brzezinski warned the current Socialist-dominated government not to offset Bulgaria's good standing abroad by returning to Stalinist ways. He also said that the kind of militant language used in the government's recent "White Paper" was disturbing. Like numerous other participants, he praised Zhelev's cautious policy toward Macedonia, a region that many speakers feared could again find itself at the center of a general Balkan conflict. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [06] PERSONNEL CHANGES IN ALBANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY?

    Aleanca on4 April alleges that there has been an "earthquake" in the Foreign Ministry. According to the daily, at least 60% of the country's diplomatic personnel, currently working in 25 embassies abroad, have been recalled to Tirana. The paper says that the staff affected, including some ambassadors, have been informed that they will be assigned new duties. The Foreign Ministry reportedly confirmed the changes, saying they are part of a new but normal practice. Aleanca, however, maintained that "the Albanian foreign policy is undergoing an almost total reform." -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [07] ALBANIAN PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES 1995 BUDGET.

    The Albanian parliament on 3 April began discussions on the 1995 budget, Gazeta Shqiptare reported the next day. The budget includes very optimistic predictions for unemployment and economic growth. Gazeta Shqiptare said that Anastas Angjeli, a member of the opposition Socialist Party who sits on the parliament Financial and Economic Commission, "praised the work of the specialists in the ministry." But he added that his party will "offer some useful proposals." The Social Democrats reportedly made similar statements. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc. [As of 12:00 CET] Compiled by Jan Cleave

    This material was reprinted with permission of the Open Media Research Institute, a Prague-based nonprofit organization.

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