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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 127, 96-07-01
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 127, 1 July 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT WARNS OF IMPENDING ECONOMIC
CRISIS.
[02] KAZAKHSTANIS FAVOR CIS INTEGRATION.
[03] NEW SUPREME COURT HEAD IN KAZAKHSTAN.
[04] RESHUFFLE AT TURKMENISTAN'S DEFENSE MINISTRY.
[05] NEW WAVE OF TAJIK REFUGEES CROWD BORDER CITIES.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] KARADZIC'S SLEIGHT OF HAND...
[07] ...AND THE WEST'S RESPONSE.
[08] EU SAYS MOSTAR ELECTIONS WERE SUCCESSFUL.
[09] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT RENEWS CALL FOR KARADZIC'S
REMOVAL.
[10] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT ENDS VISIT TO TURKEY.
[11] CHINESE PRESIDENT IN ROMANIA.
[12] BREAKTHROUGH IN MOLDOVAN-DNIESTER NEGOTIATIONS.
[13] BULGARIAN UPDATE.
[14] ALBANIA'S SOCIALIST PARTY BOYCOTTS ROUND-TABLE.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT WARNS OF IMPENDING ECONOMIC
CRISIS.
Askar Akayev told an emergency meeting of the cabinet that "negative
tendencies in the economy" could lead to "a budget, energy, and social crisis
by this autumn," the BBC reported on 27 June. Akayev questioned the 2.4 %
budget deficit indicated by the state statistics committee, saying the real
figure "may be 10-15 % of GNP." Akayev said there was "complete corruption of
the tax police from top to bottom." He also noted that agricultural
production was down to one-fifth of 1995 figures, "making Kyrgyzstan the only
country in the CIS where exports have decreased by four times in the past
years, while imports have doubled." -- Bruce Pannier
[02] KAZAKHSTANIS FAVOR CIS INTEGRATION.
Results of a public opinion poll conducted by the Almaty-based Giller
Institute, reported by ITAR-TASS on 28 June, reveal that about 65% of the 1,
000 respondents would prefer to live in a single integrated state
within the framework of the CIS. Although over two-thirds of respondents
said that the highest stage of CIS integration is unlikely at the moment, 27%
favor closer cooperation with Russia, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan in the framework
of the recently concluded quadripartite agreement on deepening integration.
About 17% said they would like the integration process to involve all the CIS
states, while 14% favored the formation of a political union similar to the
one between Russia and Belarus. Over 87% emphasized the need for integration
between Kazakhstan and Russia, whereas only 3.7% prefer an alliance with
Uzbekistan, 1.7% favor integration with Kyrgyzstan, and 1.6% favor closer ties
with remaining CIS states. -- Bhavna Dave
[03] NEW SUPREME COURT HEAD IN KAZAKHSTAN.
Maksut Narikbayev, Kazakhstan's Prosecutor-General, has been appointed
the new Supreme Court chairman in place of Mikhail Malakhov, who was
dismissed in early June on bribery charges, according to BBC monitoring of
Kazakhstani TV on 28 June. Kazakhstan's Senate approved Narikbayev's
appointment after he was nominated by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Anatolii
Konstantinov, Narikbayev's deputy, is to replace him in an acting capacity. --
Bhavna Dave
[04] RESHUFFLE AT TURKMENISTAN'S DEFENSE MINISTRY.
Senior posts in Turkmenistan's Ministry of Defense have been reallocated,
according to a 29 June Turkmen Press report monitored by the BBC. Under a
presidential decree, Maj.-Gen. Agageldy Mamedgeldyyev, formerly commander of
ground forces, was appointed head of the Main Directorate for Supplies and the
Rear. Lt.-Gen. Rinat Meretdurdyyev was named as the new commander of ground
forces. Lt.-Gen. Serdar Charyyarov, formerly commander of air forces and
air defense forces, has been appointed head of the Directorate for
Training Specialists for the Armed Forces, the agency said. -- Lowell
Bezanis
[05] NEW WAVE OF TAJIK REFUGEES CROWD BORDER CITIES.
An estimated 3,000 refugees have made their way to the Tajik-Afghan border
cities of Kalai-Khumb and Khorog, adding to displaced masses already there,
ITAR-TASS reported on 29 June. Fighting in the Tavil-Dara region has already
forced some 15,000 people from their homes since the beginning of 1996 and
accounts of those arriving claim another 25,000 may soon be on the march.
Kalai-Khumb and Khorog are garrisoned by soldiers from the CIS border guards
and so offer relative safety from the battles in central Tajikistan. --
Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] KARADZIC'S SLEIGHT OF HAND...
Bosnian Serb civilian leader and indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic on 30
June announced he will delegate all his powers as president of the
Republika Srpska (RS) to his hard-line vice president, Biljana Plavsic. He
will continue to retain the title of president, the chair of his governing
Serbian Democratic Party (SDS), and the option of running in the 14 September
Bosnia-wide elections, the BBC reported. The move comes in connection with the
SDS's election convention and following threats by representatives of the
international community and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic that Karadzic
must go or the republic will face renewed sanctions. The Dayton agreement
states that there is no place in public life for war criminals. Karadzic
had earlier delegated some of his duties to Plavsic, and recently made any
resignation conditional on political and territorial concessions to the
Republika Srpska. -- Patrick Moore
[07] ...AND THE WEST'S RESPONSE.
The major Western allies found Karadzic's conditions unacceptable last week,
and it appears that his latest move has not impressed them, either.
White House spokesman David Johnson said on 30 June that "Our policy on
him remains what we have said in the past: that he needs to be not
only out of power but he needs to be out of influence, out of town and
in the dock." Reuters also reported that Germany, France, and the
U.K. agreed with the U.S. but that Johnson admitted that there has
been "some confusion" regarding the Western reaction in general. This
stemmed from the initial position taken by some international representatives
dealing with Bosnia, such as High Representative Carl Bildt, who seemed to be
content with Karadzic's move as "a step in the right direction." The BBC added
that the Bosnian government denounced Karadzic's announcement as a sham but
that entire affair has served to boost Karadzic's popularity with the Bosnian
Serbs. -- Patrick Moore
[08] EU SAYS MOSTAR ELECTIONS WERE SUCCESSFUL.
EU Administrator Ricardo Perez Casado said the Mostar municipal
elections on 30 June were well organized and a significant step toward the re-
establishment of structures that will enable "political and social
coexistence" in the city, international media reported. No significant
disruptions were noted during the ballot. While Bosnian Prime Minister Hasan
Muratovic complained that 20% of Muslim names did not appear on the polling
stations' registers, an EU spokesman claimed that only some 400 people's names
were omitted, even though they were registered centrally. Muratovic called for
new elections in some districts. Voter turnout was put at more than 50%, with
over 3,000 international troops and hundreds of Bosnian Muslim and
Croatian and international police ensuring freedom of movement in the city.
Thousands of refugees from Mostar voted in Stockholm, Bonn, Bern, and Oslo.
The EU organized bus transfers to these polling stations from other European
cities. Final results are expected on 3 June. -- Fabian Schmidt
[09] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT RENEWS CALL FOR KARADZIC'S
REMOVAL.
Momir Bulatovic, in an interview with RFE/RL on 28 June, has once again called
for Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to step down from the presidency of
the Republika Srpska. He noted that Karadzic has "refused to meet [conditions]
he has already agreed to." But when asked whether rump Yugoslavia would send
to The Hague the three Yugoslav army officers accused of involvement in
the massacre of at least 260 Croatian civilians near Vukovar in 1991,
he said that question was "too sensitive to answer with just a 'yes'
or a 'no.'" Bulatovic also said he believed that the Yugoslav United
Left's (JUL) electoral prospects were bleak and that the group "has no chance
in Montenegro." -- Stan Markotich
[10] MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT ENDS VISIT TO TURKEY.
Kiro Gligorov on 30 June concluded a four-day official visit to Turkey,
Macedonian and international media reported. Gligorov held talks with his
Turkish counterpart, Suleyman Demirel, on strengthening bilateral ties. Other
discussions focused on improving bilateral economic and trade relations as
well as Turkish investment in Macedonia. Bilateral trade reached $126 million
in 1995, a 60% increase over 1994. In an address at Istanbul University on 29
June, Gligorov called for open borders in the Balkans and respect for
individual, minority, and religious freedoms, noting that the improvement of
norms for democracy and social justice must be a common objective. Meanwhile,
the Macedonian Komercijalna Banka and the Turkish Ziraat Bank signed a
protocol on the creation of a Turkish-Macedonian bank. -- Stefan Krause
[11] CHINESE PRESIDENT IN ROMANIA.
Jiang Zemin on 29 June began a four-day state visit to Romania aimed at
boosting bilateral relations, local and Western media reported. Jiang,
currently on a one-month tour of Europe and Central Asia, is accompanied by
more than 90 officials and experts, including Foreign Minster Qian Qichen. He
met with his Romanian counterpart, Ion Iliescu, Prime Minister Nicolae
Vacaroiu, and the chairmen of the parliament's two chambers, Oliviu Gherman
and Adrian Nastase. The two countries are expected to sign agreements on
economic, technical, and scientific cooperation. They concluded a treaty of
friendship in 1994. Before the collapse of the communist regime in Romania in
1989, annual bilateral trade amounted to an average of $1 billion; by 1995,
that figure had sunk to $300 million. -- Dan Ionescu
[12] BREAKTHROUGH IN MOLDOVAN-DNIESTER NEGOTIATIONS.
Moldovan and Dniester officials, meeting in Chisinau on 28 June, initialed the
final version of a memorandum "On the Basic Principles for Normalizing
Moldovan-Dniester Relations," BASA-press and Infotag reported. Russian Deputy
Foreign Minister Boris Pastukhov attended the talks, which were brokered by
envoys of the Russian and Ukrainian presidents as well as OSCE representatives.
He was quoted as saying that the document was "a constructive step toward a
final, full-fledged settlement of the Dniester conflict." According
to ITAR-TASS, Boris Yeltsin has invited Moldovan President Mircea
Snegur, president of the self-styled "Dniester republic" Igor Smirnov, and
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to attend the signing ceremony at the
Kremlin on 1 July. -- Dan Ionescu
[13] BULGARIAN UPDATE.
Dimitar Moskov, head of the Bulgarian economic police force, has revealed that
the state lost 17.9 billion leva ($115 million) in the first five months of
1996 because of white-collar crime, according to Standart.
Moskov said 4,344 cases of white-collar crime were registered during that
period, up 300% on the same period last year. Moskov said nobody knows just
how widespread corruption is within the state apparatus, but he admitted that
it takes place at all levels. In other news, prices for fuel, cigarettes,
alcohol, public transport, and other goods and services went up on 1 July,
Trud reported. A number of taxes, including VAT, also increased. Bulgarian
economists predict that inflation will go up in July, possibly reaching 20%. --
Stefan Krause
[14] ALBANIA'S SOCIALIST PARTY BOYCOTTS ROUND-TABLE.
Albanian Socialists on 29 June boycotted a round table that President Sali
Berisha had invited them to attend, Reuters reported. Only parties represented
in the new parliament were invited to the talks. The Socialists said they
would only take part if all parties were represented. They also explained that
Berisha had wanted to discuss only the formation of a new government, whereas
they had demanded that new election regulations be included on the agenda. The
Council of Europe has called for new regulations to be drawn up following
an outcry over massive ballot irregularities. Meanwhile, the new
parliament is due to convene on 1 July to elect a new government. -- Fabian
Schmidt
Compiled by Steve Kettle 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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