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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 107, 96-06-03
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 107, 3 June 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] MORE ARRESTS IN AZERBAIJAN.
[02] OSCE PRAISES UZBEK PARLIAMENTARIANS.
[03] KAZAKHSTANI MAJILIS REJECTS PENSIONS BILL.
[04] KAZAKHSTAN LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM TO CURB NARCOTICS FLOW.
[05] KAZAKHSTAN'S UIGHURS CONCERNED OVER CHINESE CRACKDOWN IN XINJIANG.
[06] TAJIK-RUSSIAN INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] HIGH LEVEL MEETING ON BOSNIA OPENS IN GENEVA.
[08] HOW CERTAIN ARE THE BOSNIAN ELECTIONS?
[09] TOPIC SAYS MOSTAR WILL REMAIN DIVIDED CITY.
[10] CHANGES CERTAIN IN RUMP YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT.
[11] SLOVENIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER AND THE ITALIAN QUESTION.
[12] MACEDONIA NAMES AMBASSADOR TO BELGRADE.
[13] LOCAL ELECTIONS IN ROMANIA.
[14] FORMER MOLDOVAN COMMUNIST LEADER IN TIRASPOL.
[15] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT DEFEATED IN PRIMARIES.
[16] PROTESTS AGAINST BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT CONTINUE.
[17] ALBANIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES DECLARE HUNGER STRIKE.
[18] LOW VOTER TURNOUT IN ALBANIAN RUN-OFF ELECTIONS.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] MORE ARRESTS IN AZERBAIJAN.
Five men said to be members of the opposition Azerbaijani Popular Front have
been arrested in Nakhichevan in connection with an alleged attempt to
assassinate President Heidar Aliev in 1993, Reuters reported on 1 June,
quoting a source in the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry. A spokesman for the
Azerbaijan Popular Front has denied that the men are members of the
organization. -- Liz Fuller
[02] OSCE PRAISES UZBEK PARLIAMENTARIANS.
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Chairman Frank Swaelen praised Uzbekistan's
parliament as a "factor of stability" in the entire region, and said he hoped
it would provide an example to Uzbekistan's neighbors, ITAR-TASS reported on
31 May. Uzbekistan had just received similar praise from the German Foreign
Minister Klaus Kinkel (see OMRI Daily Digest, 31 May 1996). -- Bruce
Pannier
[03] KAZAKHSTANI MAJILIS REJECTS PENSIONS BILL.
The lower house of the Kazakhstani parliament, the Majilis, rejected a bill on
pensions, claiming that it is too harsh on the elderly, according to a 24 May
Express report monitored by the BBC. The bill's proposals to raise the
retirement age and abolish special benefits for various social groups such as
teachers, miners, and the victims of the nuclear tests at Semipalatinsk are
aimed at saving about $8 billion. -- Bhavna Dave
[04] KAZAKHSTAN LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM TO CURB NARCOTICS FLOW.
Kazakhstani legal authorities have launched a new anti-drug operation called
"Mak (poppy) 96" to halt the production and sale of narcotics and to prevent
them from being transported through the republic, ITAR-TASS reported on 1
June. Special police brigades, provided with helicopters, have blocked access
to areas where hemp is grown; about 140,000 hectares of land in the Chu valley
alone are thought to be used for this purpose. About two metric tons of
narcotics have already been seized this year. -- Bhavna Dave
[05] KAZAKHSTAN'S UIGHURS CONCERNED OVER CHINESE CRACKDOWN IN XINJIANG.
Muhidin Mukhlissi, spokesman for the Uighur opposition United National
Revolutionary Front (UNRF) of Western Turkestan, told AFP on 31 May by
telephone from Kazakhstan that 20 people had died in clashes between Uighur
separatists and Chinese officials in the Uighur Autonomous province of
Xinjiang in China. Chinese officials have denied these reports as "pure lies,"
AFP reported on 1 June. Leaders of the UNRF and two other Uighur separatist
movements based in Kazakhstan allege that a major Chinese crackdown on Uighur
separatists in Xinjiang began just after the 26 April summit in Shanghai
between China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Kazakhstan's
government has pledged support to China in combatting separatist activities on
the border. -- Bhavna Dave
[06] TAJIK-RUSSIAN INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN.
Russia and Tajikistan signed a protocol establishing an integrated energy plan
on 1 June, ITAR-TASS reported the same day. Tajikistan has enormous
hydroelectric energy potential, but the reports did not mention how the energy
would be transported through the countries that separate Russia and
Tajikistan. The visiting Russian delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister
Aleksei Bolshakov, also held meetings with Tajik officials on repayment plans
for Tajikistan's debt to Russia, and Tajikistan's possible membership in the
customs union with Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, RFE/RL
reported. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] HIGH LEVEL MEETING ON BOSNIA OPENS IN GENEVA.
The presidents of Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina began meetings on 2
June with U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, the international
community's High Representative Carl Bildt, and top officials of the Contact
Group countries. This is the latest in a series of summits designed to prop up
the Dayton agreement, but which to date have largely led only to a repetition
of unkept promises. High on the Americans' agenda is the political future of
Bosnian Serb leader and indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic. The BBC
suggested that the U.S. delegation nonetheless accepted the view of Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic that Belgrade is unable to force Karadzic to
resign -- let alone deliver him to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague -- and
that the best one could hope for would be to "neutralize" him politically,
Nasa Borba added on 3 June. -- Patrick Moore
[08] HOW CERTAIN ARE THE BOSNIAN ELECTIONS?
Christopher seems anxious to secure Milosevic's cooperation in meeting a key
U.S. objective, namely the holding of elections by mid-September as specified
in the Dayton agreement, the BBC noted on 3 June. To that end Washington is
apparently willing to believe that the Serbian leader is unable to control the
Bosnian Serbs, on whose behalf he signed the treaty. That document also
specifies that indicted war criminals have no political future in Bosnia and
must be sent to The Hague. A European diplomat noted that the Bosnian
elections will go ahead nonetheless because the Clinton administration is
determined to have them over before Americans vote in November. Nasa Borba,
however, quoted Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic as saying that there
cannot be fair elections unless Karadzic is in The Hague. Bosnia's UN
ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey said that the international community and the U.S.
in particular are pressuring his government to hold elections "at any price." -
- Patrick Moore
[09] TOPIC SAYS MOSTAR WILL REMAIN DIVIDED CITY.
Jadranko Topic, the president of Mostar branch of the Croatian Democratic
Community (HDZ), the strongest Croat party both in Croatia and Bosnia, said
the elections will firmly demonstrate the existence of the three Croat and
three Muslim municipalities in Mostar, Oslobodjenje reported on 3 June.
According to Topic, a forthcoming elections are just an opportunity for people
to have fun, while verifying "the struggle of the Croat people in these
areas...Eventually, the Bosnian Federation will have to be organized like
Mostar, ...it will have to comprise Croat and Muslim municipalities, cantons
and regions," Onasa on 31 May quoted him as saying. Meanwhile, EU
administrator for Mostar Ricardo Peres Casado announced an election amendment
establishing voting polls in a number of European countries, pending their
approval. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[10] CHANGES CERTAIN IN RUMP YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT.
The federal rump Yugoslav government, headed by Premier Radoje Kontic, is
slated to undergo "a reconstruction", Nasa Borba reported on 31 May.
According to the daily, one new ministry is likely to be created, and up to
four new ministers will be named. The only news that was certain is that
Minister without Portfolio Vuk Ognjanovic is leaving the cabinet. The news of
this latest restructuring came only two days after the Serbian government
announced its own restructuring, which saw adherents and sympathizers of
Serbian President Milosevic's wife's party, the United Yugoslav Left, promoted
into that republic's cabinet -- Stan Markotich
[11] SLOVENIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER AND THE ITALIAN QUESTION.
Zoran Thaler, Slovenia's foreign minister, announced on 1 June that Slovenia
is likely to sign an association agreement with the EU in Luxembourg on 10 or
11 June, international media reported that same day. Thaler hinted that
Italy's objections, centering around disputes over ethnic Italians who fled
what is now Slovenia after the Second World War and their property rights, had
been overcome, paving the way for the signing. Thaler's high-profile
announcement has also renewed speculation that he may attempt to hold on to
the foreign ministry post at least until new elections are held. Thaler lost a
no confidence vote on 16 May, which prompted the announcement of his
resignation. -- Stan Markotich
[12] MACEDONIA NAMES AMBASSADOR TO BELGRADE.
Macedonia appointed its ambassador to rump Yugoslavia, international media
reported on 2 June. Slavko Milosavlevski is the first ambassador of a former
Yugoslav republic to Belgrade. His appointment follows the mutual recognition
of Belgrade and Skopje on 8 April. In other news, Bulgarian Prime Minister
Zhan Videnov on 31 May accused Macedonia of not being "flexible enough" to
solve the language dispute between the two countries, Reuters reported.
Videnov said Sofia had suggested many compromises but Skopje did not accept
them. Bulgaria was the first country to recognize independent Macedonia, but
has so far not recognized the existence of a separate Macedonian nation or
language. The issue has delayed the signing of intergovernmental agreements in
recent years. It is also believed to have been the reason for Foreign Minister
Georgi Pirinski last-minute cancellation on 22 April of a visit to Macedonia. -
- Stefan Krause
[13] LOCAL ELECTIONS IN ROMANIA.
Romania held local elections on 2 June, Radio Bucharest reported. Some 16
million were eligible to vote in nearly 3,000 constituencies to elect mayors,
as well as members of local and county councils. Most of the attention was
focused on the race for mayor in Bucharest, with former tennis star Ilie
Nastase running for the ruling Party of Social Democracy in Romania. According
to preliminary reports, the turnout appears to have been extremely low
nationwide. Radio Bucharest quoted Emil Constantinescu, the leader of the
opposition Democratic Convention of Romania, as speaking of a "record of
absenteeism" that would force a repeat of the polls in many places. The law
provides for a new round of voting within two weeks in constituencies where
the turnout was under 50%. Final returns are not expected before 5 June. --
Dan Ionescu
[14] FORMER MOLDOVAN COMMUNIST LEADER IN TIRASPOL.
Ivan Bodiul, former first secretary of the Communist Party of the Moldovan
Soviet Socialist Republic, met in Tiraspol with Igor Smirnov, the president of
the self-proclaimed "Dniester republic," BASA-press reported on 31 May. The
two exchanged views about the Dniester conflict and its possible settlement.
Observers of the local scene believe that Bodiul might be asked by some
political circles to broker the ongoing negotiations between Chisinau and
Tiraspol. The 78-year-old Bodiul, who was Moldova's party boss in the 1960s,
currently lives in Moscow. He is reportedly on a private, fact-finding visit
in the Republic of Moldova and its breakaway Dniester region. -- Dan
Ionescu
[15] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT DEFEATED IN PRIMARIES.
Zhelyu Zhelev on 1 June was clearly defeated by Union of Democratic Forces
Deputy Chairman Petar Stoyanov in primaries aimed at determining a joint
presidential candidate of the anti-Socialist opposition, Bulgarian media
reported. According to preliminary results, Zhelev received around 35% against
Stoyanov's 65%. The turnout was around 12%; all Bulgarians over 18 years were
eligible to vote. According to unofficial results from regional electoral
commissions, Stoyanov won in most regions, with the notable exception of those
with an ethnic Turkish majority, where Zhelev got 74-84% of the vote. The
final results are expected to be announced on 3 June. -- Stefan Krause
[16] PROTESTS AGAINST BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT CONTINUE.
Protests against the latest government-imposed price hikes and austerity
measures continued on 31 May, when some 20,000 people demonstrated in Sofia
under the motto "Let's Save Bulgaria," Reuters reported. At the meeting, Sofia
Mayor Stefan Sofiyanski called for early parliamentary elections. Sofia taxi
drivers and public transport workers announced that they will strike on 3
June. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Zhan Videnov on 1 June told state TV that
there will be changes in the government, but not under the pressure of an
ultimatum. Socialist legislators have repeatedly demanded the replacement of
several key ministers they accuse of incompetence. Videnov said those matters
will be discussed at the next meeting of the Bulgarian Socialist Party's (BSP)
Executive Bureau on 8 June. The BSP candidates for president and vice
president will be picked at the same meeting, Videnov said. -- Stefan
Krause
[17] ALBANIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES DECLARE HUNGER STRIKE.
Members of the Socialist Party, the Social Democrats, and the Democratic
Alliance began a hunger strike on 31 May to protest alleged manipulations and
irregularities during the parliamentary elections on 26 May. Parliamentary
candidates from all over Albania participate in the protest which the parties
are holding in their respective headquarters in Tirana. The Socialists
declared an indefinite hunger strike, demanding new elections, while the other
two parties told OMRI they would do it for three days. The three opposition
parties together with the Agrarian Party, the Party of the Democratic Right,
and the Party for National Unity, meanwhile, have called for a protest rally
in Tirana on 4 June. The demonstration will be held in the Ali Demi stadium
outside the city center, since another demonstration on central Skanderbeg
square was violently broken up by police the previous week. -- Fabian
Schmidt
[18] LOW VOTER TURNOUT IN ALBANIAN RUN-OFF ELECTIONS.
Following the withdrawal of opposition parties from the electoral commission
and a call to boycott the second round of the poll, the voter turnout on 2
June was very low. No official results have yet been published, but
international agency reports suggest that far less than 50% of the voters may
have participated in the ballot. Run off elections took place in ten electoral
districts and no irregularities were reported. Candidates from the ruling
Democratic Party are likely to win in all districts due to the opposition
boycott. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department on 1 June urged Albania to
repeat the elections in some areas. It is unclear if the opposition would
participate in such a partial rerun, but Gazeta Shqiptare speculated that
they might agree to a repeat of the ballot in some 40 out of 150 districts. --
Fabian Schmidt
Compiled by Victor Gomez and Ustina Markus
News and information as of 1200 CET
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 info@omri.cz.
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