Voice of America, 97-07-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] BOSNIA / SERBS (L-ONLY) BY COLIN SOLOWAY (SARAJEVO)

[02] BOSNIAN SERB POL REACT (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

[03] E-U/BOEING MERGER (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

[04] GERMAN TRAIN ACCIDENT (S-ONLY) BY KYLE KING (BONN)

[01] BOSNIA / SERBS (L-ONLY) BY COLIN SOLOWAY (SARAJEVO)

INTRO: THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN THE BOSNIAN SERB REPUBLIC DEEPENED ON SATURDAY AS THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BEGAN LAYING THE LEGISLATIVE GROUNDWORK TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT BILJANA PLAVSIC. MS. PLAVSIC ORDERED THE PARLIAMENT DISSOLVED ON THURSDAY, BUT SUPPORTERS OF FORMER PRESIDENT RADOVAN KARADZIC HAVE DEFIED HER AND CARRIED ON WITH THE SESSION. COLIN SOLOWAY REPORTS FROM SARAJEVO.

TEXT: LAWMAKERS ACCUSE MS. PLAVSIC OF BETRAYING SERB INTERESTS AND PLOTTING TO HAND OVER MR. KARADZIC, WHO IS CHARGED WITH WAR CRIMES, TO THE INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL IN THE HAGUE. THEY CALLED ON HER TO RESIGN, AND PASSED LAWS MAKING IT EASIER TO BEGIN IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS.

ONLY DELEGATES FROM THE RULING SERB DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND ITS ALLIES, THE RADICAL PARTY, HAVE ATTENDED THE SESSION, WHICH BEGAN ON FRIDAY. ALL OTHER OPPOSITION PARTIES HAVE BOYCOTTED THE PARLIAMENT, RESPECTING MS. PLAVSIC'S CALL FOR ITS DISSOLUTION.

THE MOST SURPRISING ABSENCE WAS THAT OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY, WHICH IS ALLIED WITH SERBIAN PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC. MR. MILOSEVIC IS WIDELY PERCEIVED TO BE BACKING MR. KARADZIC IN HIS BATTLE WITH MS. PLAVSIC.

WITHOUT THE SOCIALISTS, MR. KARADZIC'S SUPPORTERS COULD NOT MARSHALL THE REQUIRED TWO-THIRDS VOTE TO CALL A REFERENDUM ON RECALLING MS. PLAVSIC. INSTEAD, THEY WERE FORCED TO ADOPT A COMPLICATED PACKAGE OF LAWS, ALLOWING THEM TO BEGIN THE RECALL PROCEDURE WITH LESS THAN THE TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY.

INTERNATIONAL OFFICIALS SATURDAY REAFFIRMED THEIR SUPPORT FOR MS. PLAVSIC AND REPEATED THEIR REFUSAL TO RECOGNIZE THE DECISIONS OF THE PARLIAMENT. THE INTERNATINAL COMMUNITY'S DEPUTY HIGH REPRESENTATIVE TO BOSNIA -- AMBASSADOR MICHAEL STEINER -- CALLED THE ASSEMBLY SESSION A PRIVATE MEETING OF MEMBERS OF A TOTALITARIAN PARTY AND ITS ALLIES. WHATEVER THEY DECIDE, HE SAID, IT WILL HAVE NO LEGAL EFFECT.

AMERICAN ENVOY ROBERT GELBARD VISITED MS. PLAVSIC AT HER OFFICE IN BANJA LUKA, IN THE NORTH OF THE SERB REPUBLIC, AND TOLD REPORTERS THAT THE POLITICAL CRISIS WOULD BE ON THE AGENDA AT NEXT WEEK'S NATO SUMMIT IN MADRID.

THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS IN BANJA LUKA DEMONSTRATED FOR A SECOND DAY IN SUPPORT OF MS. PLAVSIC IN HER BATTLE AGAINST MR. KARADZIC, WHO SHE HAS ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION AND WAR-PROFITEERING.

THIS CRISIS ERUPTED LAST WEEK WHEN THE GOVERNMENT BLOCKED MS. PLAVSIC'S ATTEMPT TO SUSPEND THE INTERIOR MINISTER FOR IGNORING HER ORDERS TO INVESTIGATE CORRUPTION IN THE POLICE AND GOVERNMENT. MS. PLAVSIC HAS STRONG POPULAR SUPPORT IN NORTHERN AND WESTERN PARTS OF THE BOSNIAN SERB REPUBLIC.

MANY SERBS AND DIPLOMATS FEAR THAT A CONTINUATION OF THIS CRISIS COULD LEAD TO A DIVISION OF THE BOSNIAN SERB REPUBLIC INTO TWO BOSNIAN SERB ENTITIES. (SIGNED)
NEB/RRM-T
05-Jul-97 3:29 PM EDT (1929 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[02] BOSNIAN SERB POL REACT (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: AN ANALYST ON EAST-CENTRAL EUROPEAN AFFAIRS SAYS THE KEY TO ENDING THE POLITICAL SHOWDOWN IN THE SELF-PROCLAIMED BOSNIAN SERB PARLIAMENT IS THE ARREST OF INDICTED WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS LIKE FORMER BOSNIAN SERB LEADER RADOVAN KARADZIC. HOWEVER, AS V-O-A'S VICTOR BEATTIE REPORTS, THERE ARE NO SIGNS THE MANDATE OF THE NATO PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA WILL BE CHANGED:

TEXT: ANALYST DAN NELSON OF OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY IN VIRGINIA SAYS THE DISPUTE BETWEEN HARDLINERS IN PARLIAMENT AND PRESIDENT BILJANA PLAVSIC THREATENS THE 1995 DAYTON PEACE ACCORDS:

IF THE REPUBLIKA SRPSKA IS REALLY STILL BEING RUN BY THE PEOPLE WHO PERPETRATED THE WAR IN THE FIRST PLACE THEN THE DAYTON ACCORD IS ABOUT AS VALUABLE AS DUST IN THE WIND.

MR. NELSON SAYS SOMEONE HAS TO STEP IN AND ARREST WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS LIKE RADOVAN KARADZIC WHO PLEDGED TO STEP ASIDE FROM POLITICAL ACTIVITY. U-S STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN NICHOLAS BURNS SAYS THE SO-CALLED STABILIZATION FORCE OF NATO TROOPS WILL NOT ACTIVELY SEEK OUT SUCH SUSPECTS:

IF S-FOR FORCES ENCOUNTER PEOPLE WHO THEY KNOW TO BE INDICTED WAR CRIMINALS THEY ARE TO DETAIN THEM FOR TRANSFER TO CIVILIAN AUTHORITY SO THEY MAY BE ARRESTED AND THEN TURNED OVER TO THE HAGUE FOR PROSECUTION.

MR. NELSON SAYS A SPECIAL ORGANIZATION MAY HAVE TO BE CREATED TO APPREHEND WAR CRIMINALS. OTHERWISE, HE WARNS, THE CURRENT PEACE WILL EVAPORATE. (SIGNED)
NEB/SD
05-Jul-97 6:11 PM EDT (2211 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[03] E-U/BOEING MERGER (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: THE BOEING CORPORATION, THE WORLD'S LARGEST CIVIL AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER, SAYS IT IS DISAPPOINTED IN A EUROPEAN UNION ANTITRUST PANEL RECOMMENDATION THAT THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION REJECT BOEING'S MERGER WITH FORMER RIVAL MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS. V-O-A'S VICTOR BEATTIE SPOKE WITH A BOEING SPOKESWOMAN, WHO SAYS FURTHER NEGOTIATIONS ARE LIKELY TO REMOVE E-U OPPOSITION:

TEXT: BOEING SPOKESWOMAN SHERRY NEBEL SAYS THE SEATTLE-BASED AIRCRAFT MAKER IS COMMITED TO WORK WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO REACH WHAT SHE CALLS A POSITIVE OUTCOME:

WE ARE VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT THERE IS TIME TO WORK OUT THESE ISSUES.

THE COMMISSION IS SCHEDULED TO MAKE A FINAL DECISION JULY 23RD. WHILE THE E-U CANNOT BLOCK THE ACQUSITION, APPROVED THIS WEEK BY U-S REGULATORS, IT CAN SEEK LEGAL REDRESS OR IMPOSE PENALTIES IF ITS CONDITIONS ARE NOT MET.

MS. NEBEL SAYS BOEING OFFERED A WRITTEN PROPOSAL TO REMEDY THE IMPASSE LAST MONDAY:

AND, WE'LL GO BACK NOW AND TRY TO RE-NEGOTIATE THIS ISSUE.

NEITHER SIDE HAS MADE PUBLIC WHAT IS BEING NEGOTIATED. HOWEVER, ATTORNEYS FAMILIAR WITH THE DISPUTE SAY THE EUROPEANS ARE ALARMED AT BOEING'S COMMAND OF NEARLY 70-PERCENT OF THE CIVIL AVIATION MARKET, OVER CHIEF RIVAL AIRBUE INDUSTRIE AND ITS LONG-TERM EXCLUSIVITY AGREEMENTS WITH MAJOR AIRLINES. (SIGNED).
NEB/VB/MMK
05-Jul-97 12:31 AM EDT (0431 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[04] GERMAN TRAIN ACCIDENT (S-ONLY) BY KYLE KING (BONN)

INTRO: AT LEAST SIX PEOPLE WERE KILLED SATURDAY IN A FREAK TRAIN ACCIDENT NEAR FRANKFURT, GERMANY. V-O-A'S KYLE KING REPORTS.

TEXT: THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED WHEN A LARGE PIECE OF IRON PIPE SLIPPED OFF A CARGO TRAIN AND SLICED INTO A CROWDED, ONCOMING PASSENGER TRAIN.

IN ADDITION TO THE SIX DEAD, AT LEAST 12 OTHERS WERE INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT, WHICH TOOK PLACE ON A HEAVILY USED RAIL LINE CONNECTING FRANKFURT WITH THE CENTRAL GERMAN CITY OF KASSEL.

THE PASSENGER TRAIN WAS LOADED WITH PEOPLE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SPECIAL CUT-RATE HOLIDAY FARES.

OFFICIALS ARE INVESTIGATING HOW THE IRON PIPE COULD HAVE SLIPPED OFF THE FREIGHT TRAIN. AFTER CARS (AUTOMOBILES), TRAINS ARE THE MOST POPULAR FORM OF TRANSPORTATION IN GERMANY. (SIGNED)
NEB/KBK/PCF/RRM
05-Jul-97 8:30 AM EDT (1230 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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