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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 154, 96-08-09
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 154, 9 August 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] AZERBAIJAN, IRAN SIGN AGREEMENT ON FIGHTING DRUG TRADE.
[02] ALIEV IN MOSCOW.
[03] ABKHAZ PEACEKEEPING UPDATE.
[04] TURKMEN-RUSSIAN GAS PROJECT.
[05] TAJIK AUTHORITIES CLOSE TO WRAPPING UP OSIMI MURDER CASE.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] SECURITY COUNCIL THREATENS SANCTIONS OVER KARADZIC, MLADIC.
[07] MUSLIMS, CROATS FAIL TO AGREE ON HERCEG-BOSNA.
[08] OSCE CONCERNED OVER SERB STATEMENTS ON SOVEREIGN STATE.
[09] SERBIAN OPPOSITION LEADERS REACT TO MILOSEVIC-TUDJMAN SUMMIT.
[10] SERBIAN PRESIDENT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL?
[11] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE IN OFFING?
[12] CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING ROMANIAN NEWS AGENCY.
[13] SMIRNOV ON CHISINAU-TIRASPOL RELATIONS.
[14] BULGARIA TACKLES GRAIN SHORTAGE ADMINISTRATIVELY.
[15] BULGARIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS UPDATE.
[16] ALBANIAN SPECIAL COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE THE DEATH OF ALLEGED BANK ROBBER.
[17] NUMBER OF ALBANIAN DESERTERS ON THE RISE.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] AZERBAIJAN, IRAN SIGN AGREEMENT ON FIGHTING DRUG TRADE.
Azerbaijani Interior Minister Ramil Usubov signed an agreement with his
Iranian counterpart on cooperation in the fight against drug smuggling last
week, according to a 6 August IRNA report monitored by the BBC. Details
concerning the accord were not made available. Iran and Azerbaijan are both
important transit countries for the trade in southwest Asian opium and opium
poppies and cannabis are also cultivated along the border between the two
countries. The opium that reaches Azerbaijan from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, or
Iran is being transported via Nakhichevan to Turkey, according to the
Observatoire Geopolitique des Drogues, a Paris-based monitoring group. --
Lowell Bezanis
[02] ALIEV IN MOSCOW.
Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev expressed his willingness to meet with his
Armenian counterpart, Levon Ter-Petrossyan, while in Moscow for the
inauguration of President Boris Yeltsin, NTV reported on 8 August. Aliev did
meet with Moscow mayor Yurii Luzhkov to discuss the recent arrests of
Azerbaijanis in anti-crime actions in Moscow. Aliev also said that
Chernomyrdin is preparing decrees for the opening of the Russian-Azerbaijani
border, which was closed after the onset of the Chechen war. -- Peter
Rutland
[03] ABKHAZ PEACEKEEPING UPDATE.
The Russian Federation Council voyed on 8 August to extend the mandate of the
Russian-dominated CIS peacekeeping force in Abkhazia by six months, RFE/RL
reported. Georgia has been pushing Russia to involve the 1,500 peacekeeping
troops in mine clearing and in helping some 250,000 Georgian refugees return
to their homes in Abkhazia. Meanwhile, Georgian Radio on 5 August reported
that the Turkish government will welcome Georgian efforts to halt ships under
the Turkish flag from entering Abkhazian ports without the proper permits. The
port of Sukhumi is a lifeline for the breakaway region and is also believed to
be vital to smuggling activities involving Turkey and other Black Sea littoral
states. -- Lowell Bezanis
[04] TURKMEN-RUSSIAN GAS PROJECT.
Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov met with the Russian Gazprom company
chairman Rem Vyakhirev on 8 August to sign an agreement on forming the new
corporation Turkmenrosgaz, NTV reported. Turkmenistan will hold 51% of the
shares in the venture, Gazprom-45% and the transnational corporation Itera-4%.
The first project the new corporation plans to undertake is a pipeline
providing Turkmen gas to Pakistan via Afghanistan. The disruption in supply
lines for Turkmen gas after the collapse of the Soviet Union has cut export of
Turkmen gas nearly in half. According to RTR, Turkmenistan produced 90 billion
cubic meters of gas in 1990, compared to 48 billion so far this year. -- Bruce
Pannier
[05] TAJIK AUTHORITIES CLOSE TO WRAPPING UP OSIMI MURDER CASE.
The Tajik Security Ministry claimed on 8 August that one of the suspects in
the murder of Tajik Academy of Sciences chairman Mohammed Osimi (see ) killed
himself in a shoot out with the militia on 31 July, according to ITAR-TASS.
Amrullo Saidov and five others, who were allegedly part of a gang that
operated near Dushanbe, all died when the state militia raided their hideout. -
- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] SECURITY COUNCIL THREATENS SANCTIONS OVER KARADZIC, MLADIC.
The UN's top body approved a non-binding resolution on 8 August demanding that
all sides in Bosnia-Herzegovina cooperate with the Hague-based war crimes
tribunal, the BBC reported. The text added that "the council is ready to
consider the application of economic enforcement measures to ensure compliance
by all parties with the obligations under the peace agreement," Reuters noted.
The latest resolution singles out the Bosnian Serbs' failure to deliver to the
court their military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic and leading civilian figure
Radovan Karadzic. Earlier sanctions hit Belgrade and Pale hard and helped
bring the Serbs to the peace talks in Dayton last year. Bosnia's UN ambassador,
Muhamed Sacirbey, cautioned that any initiative to reimpose sanctions would
have to start in the major capitals, not at the UN. -- Patrick Moore
[07] MUSLIMS, CROATS FAIL TO AGREE ON HERCEG-BOSNA.
Bosnian Federation senior officials failed to agree on 8 August on the
dissolution of the Croat mini-state of Herceg-Bosna, Oslobodjenje reported
the next day. Bosnian Prime Minister Hasan Muratovic said the Croats had
presented new conditions on the Herceg-Bosna dissolution instead of simply
abolishing it. Bosnian Federation President Kresimir Zubak accused Muslims of
preventing the functioning of the federation by not transferring the authority
from the republic to it. U.S. envoy to Bosnia John Kornblum and Croatian
Foreign Minister Mate Granic were present at the meeting. Kornblum voiced deep
regrets over the failed talks, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, the High
Representative for Bosnia Carl Bildt said he was not satisfied with anything
concerning the implementation of the federation, Reuters reported on 7 August.
Bildt said he remained concerned about its future despite the Mostar power-
sharing agreement between Muslims and Croats. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[08] OSCE CONCERNED OVER SERB STATEMENTS ON SOVEREIGN STATE.
The OSCE's spokesman in Sarajevo, Joanna van Vliet, said on 8 August that the
organization overseeing Bosnia's upcoming general elections was concerned over
Bosnian Serb officials' statements giving the Republika Srpska (RS) the right
to assert sovereignty as an independent state, international agencies
reported. Biljana Plavsic, acting RS president, said repeatedly during her pre-
election campaign that the September elections would "legalize the
sovereignty" of the RS, Reuters reported. The OSCE reminded Bosnian Serb
officials that the rules set up by the Dayton peace accords state that "Bosnia-
Herzegovina shall consist of the two entities, the Bosnian Federation and the
Republika Srpska." Meanwhile, UN special envoy to Bosnia Iqbal Riza discussed
security arrangements for Bosnia's elections with RS Foreign Minister Aleksa
Buha. Buha was concerned over possible incidents if a large number of voters
crossed from one entity to the other, AFP reported on 8 August. -- Daria Sito
Sucic
[09] SERBIAN OPPOSITION LEADERS REACT TO MILOSEVIC-TUDJMAN SUMMIT.
Serbia's opposition leaders have begun reacting to the 7 August summit between
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman,
Nasa Borba reported on 9 August. The Serbian Renewal Movement, led by
Vuk Draskovic, welcomed news of a possible normalization of bilateral
relations but queried: "Why didn't Tudjman and Milosevic agree on
normalization three or four years ago? Why didn't agreement...come when nearly
a million Serbs lived in Croatia?" The SPO added that it would "fight for the
return of Serbs to Krajina [in Croatia] and to those places where they have
lived for centuries." For his part, Vojislav Seselj, accused war criminal and
ultranationalist leader of the Serbian Radical Party, said Milosevic once
again "sold out" Serbian national interests, especially by abandoning the
Serbs in eastern Slavonia through his hints that he would recognize Croatia's
international borders. -- Stan Markotich
[10] SERBIAN PRESIDENT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL?
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic may be trying to influence voters for in
the industrial town of Kragujevac, where he has recently promised to give the
local car manufacturer Zastava a large cash grant of about $19 million,
Reuters reported on 8 August. Opposition Democratic Party spokesman Slobodan
Vuksanovic reacted to Milosevic's announcement by saying the president "is
buying social peace ahead of the elections...It is a usual thing. This is the
best time for the government to start promising and misleading people."
Federal parliamentary elections in Serbia-Montenegro are due before year's
end. -- Stan Markotich
[11] ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE IN OFFING?
President Ion Iliescu, Prime Minister Nicolae Vacaroiu, and other leaders of
the Party of Social Democracy (PSDR) in Romania discussed on 7 August the
feasibility of a government reshuffle, Radio Bucharest reported on 9 August,
citing the independent news agency Mediafax. The Health, Agriculture, Labor
and Social Protection and Youth and Sports ministries are likely to be
affected, as well as several county prefect positions. A final decision is to
be made next week. Also next week, the PDSR leadership expects a reply from
Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Melescanu to the PDSR initiative that he
take over managing President Ion Iliescu's electoral campaign. Melescanu is
officially not a PDSR member and the offer has been criticized by some
political observers and opposition leaders. -- Michael Shafir
[12] CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING ROMANIAN NEWS AGENCY.
A group of employees of the Information and Synthesis Center of the RADOR news
agency, which is part of the Romanian Radio Company, on 7 August protested the
dismissal of their editor in chief and his replacement by a former activist of
the Communist Party's Central Committee. Its protest letter, which was
received by OMRI, says that Mihai Andrei, the dismissed editor in chief, set
up the center six years ago and implemented stringent standards for unbiased,
non-discriminatory reporting and prompt delivery of information. The center
monitors broadcasts in Romania and foreign broadcasts in the Romanian language,
supplying information bulletins to government and non-governmental
organizations, political parties, and news agencies. The signatories say
Andrei's dismissal will endanger independence and emphasize that this bodes
ill on the eve of elections. -- Michael Shafir
[13] SMIRNOV ON CHISINAU-TIRASPOL RELATIONS.
Dniester breakaway region leader Igor Smirnov told a press conference on 7
August that "Moldovan President Mircea Snegur is the only one to blame for the
delay in signing the memorandum on settling relations between Moldova and the
Dneister region," BASA-Press reported the next day. Smirnov said Russian
President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma are "ready to
sign the memorandum" and everything now depends on Snegur. Snegur himself left
on 8 August for Moscow, heading the Moldovan delegation attending festivities
for the Yeltsin inauguration. A Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman
told BASA-Press that he could not comment on speculations that the memorandum
will be signed in Moscow on this occasion, but added that the Dniester
representatives will be present at the event too. -- Michael Shafir
[14] BULGARIA TACKLES GRAIN SHORTAGE ADMINISTRATIVELY.
The Bulgarian government submitted to parliament on 8 August the annual bill
governing the trade regime in grain, Trud reported the same day. The
proposed law limits grain producers' profitability to 15%, requires them to
declare the size of their harvests within one month of their gathering, allows
the government to introduce "extraordinary measures"--which some interpret as
forcible grain requisitioning--in cases of shortage, and sets fines for grain
trading without a license and refusing to provide information on grain
dealings. The government has set aside 25 billion leva ($134 million) to
purchase this year's harvest, whereas 70 billion leva is needed, Pari
reported on 7 August. In other economic news, consumer price inflation in July
was 23.3%, the highest rate since March 1991, bringing such inflation to 81.9%
so far this year. -- Michael Wyzan
[15] BULGARIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS UPDATE.
The Central Electoral Commission for the upcoming presidential election held
its first meetings on 7 and 8 August, Trud and Standart reported. At the
initial meeting, opposition and majority representatives in the commission
disagreed on whether candidates should register as "Bulgarian citizens" or
"Bulgarian citizens by birth." The latter could bar the Socialist candidate,
Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski, from registering, since he was born in New
York and acquired U.S. citizenship at birth. At the 8 August meeting, the
commission approved a registration form on which the candidate does not have
to declare his citizenship. But candidates must present a certificate from the
police stating their citizenship and saying how they acquired it. Candidates
must register between 12 August and 22 September. Decisions of the Central
Electoral Commission must be made by two thirds of its members. -- Stefan
Krause
[16] ALBANIAN SPECIAL COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE THE DEATH OF ALLEGED BANK ROBBER.
A special commission has been set up to investigate the mysterious death of
Shpetim Cashku, president of the Agi trade company, Koha Jone reported on 9
August. Cashku was shot by special police forces inside the Tirana Savings
Bank on 27 July and later died in the hospital. Reports are conflicting,
however. Early ATSH reports said Cashku had taken hostages after he was
refused a credit of $300,000, but bank employees later denied that report.
ATSH also quoted witnesses as saying that only Cashku's arm was injured, but
later he reportedly died of shots in his back. Koha Jone also mentions a
mysterious letter from Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi, who apparently had
approved the credit, that later disappeared. Koha Jone also pointed out that
the Albanian TV broadcast the 27 July incidents live for about an hour. --
Fabian Schmidt
[17] NUMBER OF ALBANIAN DESERTERS ON THE RISE.
In the past six months, 166 army deserters have been sentenced to between four
and six years imprisonment in Tirana alone, international agencies reported on
7 August. Reportedly four times as many deserters are awaiting trial in the
capital. Hundreds more have fled the army to neighboring countries and the
situation is similar in other parts of Albania. Prosecutors have reportedly
begun calling for harsher sentences against deserters and draft dodgers. --
Fabian Schmidt
Compiled by Victor Gomez and Carla Atkinson
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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