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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 135, 96-07-15
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 135, 15 July 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER'S BODYGUARDS CHARGED WITH THEFT.
[02] GEORGIA APPLIES FOR CE MEMBERSHIP.
[03] UN EXTENDS UNOMIG MANDATE.
[04] TURKMENISTAN, INDIA TO EXPAND COOPERATION.
[05] TAJIK, KYRGYZ PRESIDENTS HOLD TALKS.
[06] TAJIKS AGREE TO EXCHANGE PRISONERS.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] HOLBROOKE RETURNS TO BALKANS.
[08] U.S. EXPERT SAYS SREBRENICA MUSLIMS WERE MURDERED.
[09] BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT, SREBRENICA SURVIVORS DIVIDED OVER FALL OF TOWN.
[10] HOOF-AND-MOUTH UPDATE.
[11] BELGRADE FOREIGN MINISTER ON DIVISION OF FORMER YUGOSLAV ASSETS.
[12] U.S. TRADE MINISTER IN CROATIA.
[13] SLOVENIAN AUTHORITIES DETAIN SERB GENERAL.
[14] PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES CHOSEN IN ROMANIA...
[15] ...AND IN MOLDOVA.
[16] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR PRESIDENTIAL REPUBLIC.
[17] AVERAGE WAGE IN BULGARIA TO FALL EVEN FURTHER?
[18] ALBANIAN DEMOCRATS, SOCIALISTS HOLD TALKS.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER'S BODYGUARDS CHARGED WITH THEFT.
The Military Prosecutor's Office arrested six personal bodyguards of Vardiko
Nadibaidze in Tbilisi, and charged them with robbing a local jewelry store,
ITAR-TASS reported on 13 July, citing Rezonansi. The men reportedly took $8,
000 and a large quantity of jewelry from the shop. -- Doug Clarke
[02] GEORGIA APPLIES FOR CE MEMBERSHIP.
Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili on 14 July sent a formal
request for membership in the Council of Europe (CE) to the organization's
secretary-general, Daniel Tarschys, AFP and ITAR-TASS reported. In May 1996,
Georgia was granted "special guest" status in the CE. Tarschys is currently
touring the Transcaucasian states. -- Liz Fuller
[03] UN EXTENDS UNOMIG MANDATE.
On 12 July, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend mandate of the
136-man UN Observer Mission in Abkhazia (UNOMIG) by another six months,
Western agencies reported. A corresponding council resolution expressed "deep
concern" that UN-mediated talks had failed to make any progress toward a
political settlement of the conflict and that the repatriation of ethnic
Georgian refugees to their homes in Abkhazia has been effectively stalled. In
a letter addressed to the council last week, Georgian President Eduard
Shevardnadze had asked the body to "peacefully pressure" the Abkhaz leadership
into renewing peace talks. -- Liz Fuller
[04] TURKMENISTAN, INDIA TO EXPAND COOPERATION.
Visiting Turkmen Foreign Minister Boris Shikhmuradov and Indian Prime Minister
H. D. Deve Gowda concluded an agreement to expand bilateral cooperation within
the framework of a separate trilateral agreement between India, Turkmenistan,
and Iran, PTI reported on 13 July. Gowda emphasized that relations with
Turkmenistan remain a "high priority" for India, and added that the $15
million Indian credit to Turkmenistan, granted last year, will facilitate the
creation of joint ventures in the pharmaceutics, oil, and gas industries. --
Bhavna Dave
[05] TAJIK, KYRGYZ PRESIDENTS HOLD TALKS.
Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev and his Tajik counterpart, Imomali Rakhmonov,
agreed to strengthen bilateral ties between their countries during talks in
the Tajik capital Dushanbe on 12 July, according to ITAR-TASS. Akayev also
voiced his support for an extension of the CIS peacekeeping mandate in
Tajikistan. Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan have troops
guarding the Tajik-Afghan border. -- Bruce Pannier
[06] TAJIKS AGREE TO EXCHANGE PRISONERS.
Representatives of the Tajik government and the United Tajik Opposition agreed
on 12 July to a gradual exchange of prisoners, Reuters reported. The UN
special envoy to Tajikistan, Gerd Merrem, said the exchange will take place
under the supervision of the International Red Cross. The UTO announced it
will release the first 26 of an estimated 300 prisoners later in July.
Meanwhile, Tajik authorities in Dushanbe say that the situation in the Tavil-
Dara region is calm for the first time this year. Tajik President Imomali
Rakhmonov emphasized this by visiting the region on 11 July, according to
Tajik Radio. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] HOLBROOKE RETURNS TO BALKANS.
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke leaves for Belgrade
on 15 July, the BBC and Nasa Borba reported. He will seek to convince Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic to remove Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic
and Gen. Ratko Mladic from the scene. Holbrooke was the driving force behind
the Dayton agreement in 1995 but returned this year to private life. President
Bill Clinton and his top security advisers decided on 12 July to ask the
forceful negotiator to return to the Balkans to tell Milosevic and his
counterparts in Zagreb and Sarajevo that they must comply with the agreement.
Meanwhile in Sarajevo, French Defense Minister Charles Millon said France will
seek a tougher mandate for IFOR from the UN Security Council and NATO. He
wants IFOR to be able to hunt down and arrest indicted war criminals like
Karadzic and Mladic, the VOA reported on 14 July. -- Patrick Moore
[08] U.S. EXPERT SAYS SREBRENICA MUSLIMS WERE MURDERED.
William Haglund, head of the UN team examining mass graves near Srebrenica,
denied Bosnian Serb claims that the Muslims in the graves had been killed in
battle. Haglund noted that the Muslims were wearing civilian clothes, had in
some cases their hands bound behind their backs with wire, had been killed at
close range, and had been buried near a site where piles of cartridge shells
were found. He suggested that the men had been lined up near a road and shot,
the BBC noted on 12 July. Onasa reported two days later that the forensic
experts have removed the remains of 60 men from a mass grave at Cerska. At
least 3,000 Muslim males are believed to have been massacred just over a year
ago in the biggest single atrocity in Europe since World War II. -- Patrick
Moore
[09] BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT, SREBRENICA SURVIVORS DIVIDED OVER FALL OF TOWN.
Ibran Mustafic, the Bosnian parliamentary member for Srebrenica, has told
the independent biweekly Slobodna Bosna that the Bosnian presidency and
the Bosnian army general staff betrayed Srebrenica by "consciously"
sacrificing the town to the Serbs in July 1995, AFP reported. Mustafic accused
the army of ordering the attacks against the Serbs to be made from within the
UN safe area, thereby leading Srebrenica inhabitants "into a catastrophe."
Meanwhile, army commander Gen. Rasim Delic told Dnevni Avaz that the army in
Srebrenica did not carry out instructions from headquarters to link Srebrenica
with the army-held territory. But Delic did not explain why 25 army officers
were withdrawn from Srebrenica "for consultations" a month ahead of the
enclave's fall, AFP reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[10] HOOF-AND-MOUTH UPDATE.
Rump Yugoslav authorities have declared a state of emergency after hoof-and-
mouth disease was found in the regions of Kacanik, Strpci, Kosovska Vitina,
and Prizren, Reuters reported on 13 July. Meanwhile, the whole of Kosovo has
been declared an "endangered zone." Veterinarians have ordered the destruction
of at least 125 animals, and EU experts are expected to visit the region this
week. Several Kosovo livestock markets have been closed and farmers banned
from grazing cattle outside enclosed areas. The army and police have set up
controls on all roads to Kosovo and Macedonia, where the number of animals
slaughtered has reached at least 1,600. Elsewhere, Israel's chief veterinary
officer said that Croatia has been overly cautious in banning meat products
from Israel. Croatian authorities believed Albanian or Macedonian meat may
have gone there. -- Fabian Schmidt
[11] BELGRADE FOREIGN MINISTER ON DIVISION OF FORMER YUGOSLAV ASSETS.
Milan Milutinovic told the Macedonian newspaper Vecer on the weekend
that Belgrade is not opposed to the Yugoslav successor states dividing the
former federation's assets. However, he did insist that agreement on the
division be reached without "outside mediation." He also stressed there would
be no compromise over the use of the name "Yugoslavia," which, he said, Serbia
and Montenegro "practically lent...to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Now that
Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, and Macedonia have left, there is no reason why we
should not get what belongs to us," he said. The other states have expressed
fears that Belgrade's continued use of "Yugoslavia" is a ploy for controlling
a greater share of the assets. -- Stan Markotich
[12] U.S. TRADE MINISTER IN CROATIA.
A U.S. delegation headed by Mickey Cantor has signed three memorandums on
bilateral cooperation with Croatia, Croatian media reported on 15 July. The
two sides have agreed that the U.S. companies Enron and Enserch will build two
thermoelectric power stations; the projects are worth a total of $1 billion.
One plant is planned to be located on Croatia's Adriatic coast, but local
authorities fear that tourism might be affected by the decision. Agreement was
also reached on a major project to develop Ploce harbor and build a new road
network that would also run through Bosnia-Herzegovina. -- Daria Sito
Sucic
[13] SLOVENIAN AUTHORITIES DETAIN SERB GENERAL.
Milan Aksentijevic, retired Yugoslav People's Army general and former member
of the Slovenian legislature, has been detained in Slovenia, Tanjug reported
on 12 July. Aksentijevic, who lives in Belgrade and was visiting relatives in
Slovenia, is wanted for questioning about his role in leading Yugoslav troops
in their campaign against Slovenia in the 1991 war. If convicted on charges
related to attempting to undermine Slovenia's independence, Aksentijevic faces
up to eight years in prison. In 1992, the general's Slovenian citizenship was
revoked. Aksentijevic told Belgrade's Vecernje novosti on 14 July that he
would answer all charges. He said: "I was told I would have to report to the
district court in Ljubljana. I'll go because I want to resolve things myself."
-- Stan Markotich
[14] PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES CHOSEN IN ROMANIA...
The Party Romanian of National Unity (PUNR) on 13 July chose its leader,
Gheorghe Funar, as its candidate in the fall presidential elections, Romanian
media reported. One day earlier, Funar, who is also the controversial
nationalist mayor of Cluj, wrote to President Ion Iliescu demanding that the
members of the Council of Representatives of the Hungarian Democratic
Federation of Romania (UDMR) be arrested for pursuing separatist policies. He
also demanded that talks with Hungary on the basic treaty be suspended until
Budapest clarifies its reported support of the UDMR leadership's separatist
policies. Also on 13 July, the UDMR elected Senator Gyorgy Frunda as its
candidate in the presidential elections. -- Michael Shafir
[15] ...AND IN MOLDOVA.
The Party of Revival and Conciliation in Moldova (PRCM) has chosen incumbent
President Mircea Snegur as its candidate for the presidential elections in
November, BASA-Press reported on 13 July. The PRCM also called for setting up
a mass organization straddling party lines to support Snegur's candidacy.
Deputy PRCM chairman Nicolae Andronic said the PRCM was ready to cooperate
with opposition parties "on the basis of partnership and mutual respect" and
without claiming "the role of older brother." In a speech to the second PRCM
congress on 13 July, Snegur accused the Agrarian Democratic Party of Moldova
of sliding to the extreme left and seeking to restore a totalitarian regime. --
Michael Shafir
[16] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR PRESIDENTIAL REPUBLIC.
Zhelyu Zhelev in a televised address on 13 July said the present parliamentary
system should be transformed into a presidential one, which he called a "more
adequate form of management," Standart reported on 15 July. Zhelev argued
that because the president's powers are now limited, Bulgaria might become the
only former communist country whose transition to democracy and a market
economy fails. He blamed the parliamentary system for "lawlessness, anarchy,
insecurity, and corruption," saying the division of powers in Bulgaria had
become a "division of irresponsibility." He also singled out Russia as a
country that had made greater progress on reforms despite launching them later
than Bulgaria. Politicians from all major political parties rejected Zhelev's
call, which he had first made in late May. -- Stefan Krause
[17] AVERAGE WAGE IN BULGARIA TO FALL EVEN FURTHER?
The average monthly salary fell from $122 in March to $60 in July, Bulgarian
media reported on 15 July. The minimum wage has dropped to just under $22 and
the minimum pension to $12.5. Krastyo Petkov, leader of the Union of
Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria, said the government and the IMF have
agreed to let the average wage drop to $50 to enable the government to save
$1.5 billion or about half the sum recommended by the IMF to carry out
structural reform. The trade unions and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce have
raised concerns about the government's wage policy, proposing that wages and
prices be frozen for six months instead. The unions threatened to call a
general strike if the government refuses to negotiate. -- Stefan Krause
[18] ALBANIAN DEMOCRATS, SOCIALISTS HOLD TALKS.
Following their meeting on 13 July, Democratic and Socialist leaders have
paved the way for multi-party talks on problems facing the country,
international agencies reported. The Socialists are boycotting the parliament
in protest at alleged ballot irregularities in the May parliamentary
elections. Socialist Deputy Chairman Servet Pellumbi called the meeting
"constructive and useful," while Democratic Party leader Tritan Shehu said the
talks "expressed the desire of both forces to continue dialogue." The parties
agreed to consider inviting other parties to the discussions. Meanwhile,
President Sali Berisha swore in the new cabinet on 12 July. -- Fabian
Schmidt
Compiled by Victor Gomez and Jan Cleave
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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