Voice of America, 18 & 19 May 1996

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From: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>

CONTENTS

[01] BOSNIA/SERBS (S ONLY) BY DAVID FOLEY (PALE)

[02] BOSNIA / KARADZIC (L) BY DAVID FOLEY (SARAJEVO)

[03] TURKEY/DEMIREL (S ONLY) BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (ANKARA)

[04] U-S/BOSNIA (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

[01] BOSNIA/SERBS (S ONLY) BY DAVID FOLEY (PALE)

INTRO: THE BOSNIAN SERB PARLIAMENT HAS VOTED TO CONFIRM THE FIRING OF PRIME MINISTER RAJKO KASAGIC AND HAS APPROVED THE CHOICE OF A REPLACEMENT. THE TOP INTERNATIONAL MEDIATOR IN BOSNIA, WHO HAD EARLIER BACKED MR. KASAGIC, NOW APPEARS WILLING TO ACCEPT THE NEW BOSNIAN SERB PRIME MINISTER. DAVID FOLEY REPORTS FROM THE BOSNIAN SERB HEADQUARTERS IN PALE.

TEXT: IT APPEARS BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT RADOVAN KARADZIC HAS WON HIS BATTLE FOR THE LEADERSHIP OF THE BOSNIAN SERBS. THE LEADER OF THE 80 MEMBER BOSNIAN SERB PARLIAMENT, MOMCILO KRAJISNIK, SAYS 46 MEMBERS VOTED ON FRIDAY NIGHT TO CONFIRM THE FIRING OF MR. KASAGIC AND ALSO APPROVED THE APPOINTMENT OF GOJKO KLICKOVIC AS THE NEW PRIME MINISTER. MR. KRAJISNIK SAID THERE WAS ONLY ONE DISSENTING VOTE. MANY MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT WHO SUPPORT MR. KASAGIC DID NOT ATTEND THE MEETING.

THE SENIOR INTERNATIONAL MEDIATOR IN BOSNIA, CARL BILDT, SAID AFTER TALKS WITH MR. KRAJISNIK IN PALE THAT HE WOULD ASSESS WHO WAS PRIME MINISTER AFTER HE HAD RECEIVED DOCUMENTS FROM THE PARLIAMENT SESSION.

I'M HERE TO IMPLIMENT THE FULL IMPLIMENTATION OF THE PEACE AGREEMENT. THAT'S NOT PRIMARILY A QUESTION OF PERSONALITIES. IT'S A QUESTION OF POLICY LINE.

THE NEWLY APPOINTED PRIME MINISTER SAYS HE IS MAKING NO CHANGES TO THE HARD LINE BOSNIAN SERB GOVERNMENT, AND HE INSISTS THE SERBS HAVE BEEN AHEAD OF THE OTHER SIDE IN IMPLIMENTING THE DAYTON PEACE AGREEMENT. (SIGNED)
NEB/DF/DW/GPT
18-May-96 11:01 AM EDT (1501 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[02] BOSNIA / KARADZIC (L) BY DAVID FOLEY (SARAJEVO)

INTRO: INTERNATIONAL OFFICIALS IN BOSNIA SAY THEY ARE NEAR AN AGREEMENT THAT MEANS THE BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT, RADOVAN KARADZIC, WILL WITHDRAW FROM PUBLIC LIFE. THE MOVE COMES AFTER MR. KARADZIC TIGHTENED HIS GRIP ON POWER BY FIRING HIS MODERATE PRIME MINISTER, AND APPOINTING SEVERAL HARD-LINERS IN TOP POSITIONS IN THE BOSNIAN SERB GOVERNMENT. DAVID FOLEY REPORTS FROM SARAJEVO.

TEXT: AIDES TO CARL BILDT, THE TOP INTERNATIONAL MEDIATOR IN BOSNIA, SAY THEY BELIEVE RADOVAN KARADZIC, THE HARD LINE BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT, WHO HAS BEEN INDICTED FOR WAR CRIMES, IS PREPARED TO WITHDRAW FROM PUBLIC LIFE. MR. BILDT'S SPOKESMAN, COLUM MURPHY, SAYS NEGOTIATIONS ON THE FINAL DETAILS OF A FORMAL AGREEMENT ARE CLOSE TO COMPLETION, WHICH WILL MEAN MR. KARADZIC WILL BE "NEITHER SEEN NOR HEARD."

I AM ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THIS IS THE FIRST MAJOR STEP IN THE ENDING, THE COMPLETE AND FINAL ENDING, OF DR. KARADZIC'S POLITICAL CAREER.

BUT DESPITE SUCH REMARKS THE AGREEMENT IS UNLIKELY TO END MR. KARADZIC'S GRIP ON POWER. AS A HARD-LINE NATIONALIST HE HAS LED THE BOSNIAN SERBS SINCE THE WAR BEGAN IN 1992, BECOMING KNOWN FOR HIS REJECTION OF EVERY INTERNATIONAL PEACE PLAN TO END THE FIGHTING IN BOSNIA.

HIS LATEST CLASH WITH INTERNATIONAL OFFICIALS BEGAN ON WEDNESDAY WHEN HE FIRED RAJKO KASAGIC, THE MORE MODERATE BOSNIAN SERB PRIME MINISTER, AND DESPITE STRONG INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR MR. KASAGIC, MAINLY FROM MR. BILDT, THE DISMISSAL WAS CONFIRMED BY THE BOSNIAN SERB PARLIAMENT ON FRIDAY NIGHT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE VICTORY OVER MR. BILDT MR. KARADZIC APPOINTED A NEW HARD-LINE PRIME MINISTER, AND HE HAS APPOINTED VICE-PRESIDENT BILJANA PLAVSIC TO OVERSEE ALL CONTACTS WITH NATO AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. MRS. PLAVSIC IS WELL KNOWN AS PERHAPS THE MOST HARD-LINE AND UNCOMPROMISING MINISTER IN THE GOVERNMENT.

MR. BILDT'S SPOKESMAN, COLUM MURPHY, INSISTS THAT THE PRESSURE ON MR. KARADZIC TO WITHDRAW FROM HIS PUBLIC ROLE WILL SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKEN BOSNIAN SERB RESISTANCE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DAYTON PLAN.

THE HARD-LINERS WHO WILL BE IN CONTROL THERE, THEY DO NOT HAVE THE INFLUENCE THAT DR. KARADZIC HAD. IN MANY CASES THEY ARE PEOPLE NOT PARTICULARLY CHARISMATIC OR DON'T HAVE PARTICULAR INFLUENCE OVER THE PARTY. THEIR VIEWS ARE KNOWN, BUT WITHOUT DR. KARADZIC AT THEIR HEAD, THE SCENE, WE THINK, WILL BE VERY DIFFERENT, AND VERY DIFFERENT INDEED.

BUT DESPITE MR. KARADZIC'S UNDOUBTED CHARISMA AND WIDE PERSONAL SUPPORT, HIS POLITICAL PARTY, AND MOST BOSNIAN SERBS SHARE HIS HARD-LINE VIEWS. THE BOSNIAN SERB PEOPLE ARE UNREPENTANT, INSISTING THEY FOUGHT A DEFENSIVE WAR AGAINST MUSLIMS AND CROATS, AND THERE IS LITTLE SUPPORT FOR THE DAYTON PEACE AGREEMENT AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN A TEMPORARY SOLUTION ON THE PATH TO THEIR OWN STATE. (SIGNED)
NEB/DF/BD/LWM
19-May-96 3:43 PM EDT (1943 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[03] TURKEY/DEMIREL (S ONLY) BY AMBERIN ZAMAN (ANKARA)

INTRO: TURKISH PRESIDENT SULEYMAN DEMIREL SURVIVED AN ASSASINATION ATTEMPT SATURDAY DURING THE INAUGURATION OF A SHOPPING MALL IN THE WESTERN TOWN OF IZMIT. AMBERIN ZAMAN REPORTS FROM ANKARA.

TEXT: TURKISH OFFICIALS SAY THE GUNMAN WAS INTERCEPTED BY MR. DEMIREL'S BODYGUARDS JUST AS HE STEPPED OUT OF A CROWD TO AIM HIS GUN AT THE PRESIDENT.

ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIALS, IN THE ENSUING SCUFFLE, THE ATTACKER'S GUN WENT OFF AND A JOURNALIST WAS SLIGHTLY HURT. MR DEMIREL WAS UNHARMED AND THE ASSAILANT WAS CAUGHT.

THE ATTACK AGAINST THE 72-YEAR-OLD TURKISH PRESIDENT OCCURS AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF MOUNTING POLITICAL INSTABILITY IN TURKEY, A KEY NATO ALLY.

MR. DEMIREL, POPULARLY KNOWN AS "BABA", OR FATHER, HAS SERVED AS A PRIME MINISTER A RECORD SEVEN TIMES BEFORE BECOMING PRESIDENT IN 1993. TWICE OUSTED FROM POWER BY THE MILITARY, HE IS WIDELY VIEWED AS A MODERATING INFLUENCE ON THE TURKISH POLITICAL SCENE. (SIGNED)
NEB/AZ/DW/GPT
18-May-96 12:46 PM EDT (1646 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[04] U-S/BOSNIA (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: THE UNITED STATES HAS REPEATED ITS DEMAND THAT BOSNIAN SERB LEADER RADOVAN KARADZIC BE TURNED OVER TO THE INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL FOR TRIAL AS A WAR CRIMINAL. V-O-A'S VICTOR BEATTIE REPORTS U-S OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN TOUCH (SATURDAY) WITH SERBIAN PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S ADMINISTRATOR FOR BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA CARL BILDT ON POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE BOSNIAN SERB LEADERSHIP:

TEXT: THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE U-S RESPONSE TO A YUGOSLAV NEWS AGENCY (TANJUG) REPORT THAT MR. KARADZIC HAD STEPPED DOWN AS PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIKA SRPSKA. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN PHYLLIS YOUNG SAYS THE UNITED STATES IS NOT PREPARED TO RESPOND TO WHAT SHE CALLED FRAGMENTARY NEWS ACCOUNTS OF CHANGES IN THE BOSNIAN SERB POLITICAL LEADERSHIP. HOWEVER, SHE REPEATED THE U-S DEMAND THAT MR. KARADZIC, AN INDICTED WAR CRIMINAL, BE TURNED OVER TO INTERNATIONAL AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATING WAR CRIMES IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA:

WE'RE FOLLOWING THE ISSUE CLOSELY AND HAVE BEEN IN ACTIVE CONTACT THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH THE HIGH REPRESENTATIVE (CARL) BILDT AND THE SERBIAN PRESIDENT (SLOBODAN) MILOSEVIC. OUR VIEW ON WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN WITH REGARD TO (MR.) KARADZIC IS WELL-KNOWN. HE IS AN INDICTED WAR CRIMINAL WHO SHOULD BE TURNED OVER TO THE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

THE MAN CHOSEN TO BE THE NEW BOSNIAN SERB PRIME MINISTER, GOJKO KLICKOVIC, TOLD REPORTERS IN PALE THERE IS NO REASON FOR MR. KARADZIC TO GO TO THE U-N TRIBUNAL IN THE HAGUE TO BE TRIED FOR WAR CRIMES. MR. KLICKOVIC, WHO REPLACES MODERATE RAJKO KASAGIC WHO WAS FIRED WEDNESDAY, SAYS THE SERB PEOPLE WILL NEVER ALLOW IT BECAUSE MR. KARADZIC WAS FIGHTING FOR HIS COUNTRY AND IS NOT GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES. (SIGNED)
NEB/SD
18-May-96 8:28 PM EDT (0028 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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