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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 245, 96-12-20
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 245, 20 December 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] LATEST ISSUE OF OPPOSITION NEWSPAPER CONFISCATED IN ARMENIA.
[02] TURKMENISTAN SUSPENDS GAS SUPPLIES TO ARMENIA.
[03] IMF SUSPENDS LOAN TO UZBEKISTAN.
[04] HIGH PRICES FOR KAZAKSTANI BROADCAST FREQUENCIES.
[05] ONE MAN'S SOLUTION TO WAGE ARREARS IN KAZAKSTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] FEDERAL YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER DOES NOT RULE OUT NEW ELECTIONS . .
.
[07] . . . AND DEMONSTRATIONS CONTINUE.
[08] CROATIA, VATICAN SIGN KEY AGREEMENTS.
[09] IZETBEGOVIC WARNS AGAINST SERBIAN BLACKMAIL OVER BRCKO.
[10] HERCEG-BOSNA SAID TO BE OFFICIALLY DISMANTLED . . .
[11] . . . BUT EVICTIONS OF MUSLIMS FROM MOSTAR CONTINUE.
[12] RUGOVA MEETS BERISHA.
[13] ROMANIAN TROOPS TO STAY WITH BOSNIA FORCE.
[14] ION CEBUC LIKELY TO BECOME MOLDOVA'S NEXT PRIME MINISTER.
[15] TRANSDNIESTER AMENDS ITS CONSTITUTION.
[16] ANTI-GOVERNMENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN BULGARIA.
[17] NO CONSENSUS ON BULGARIA'S CURRENCY BOARD.
[18] ALBANIA FACES FOOD SHORTAGE DUE TO GREEK ROAD BLOCKADES.
[19] SECOND COLLAPSE OF ALBANIAN PYRAMID SCHEME WITHIN A MONTH.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] LATEST ISSUE OF OPPOSITION NEWSPAPER CONFISCATED IN ARMENIA.
The 18 December issue of Ayzhm, the newspaper of the opposition National
Democratic Union, has been confiscated by the Haymamul state-run
distributing agency, Groong reported on 18 December citing Asbarez-on-line.
Ayzhm's latest issue contained an article critical of Haymamul's
activities. The agency, which has a monopoly over newspaper distribution,
has been repeatedly slammed by Armenian journalists for its allegedly
inefficient work, including delays in paying periodicals for copies sold.
Some journalists claim that the agency is used by the authorities as an
instrument of control over the media. -- Emil Danielyan
[02] TURKMENISTAN SUSPENDS GAS SUPPLIES TO ARMENIA.
Turkmenistan has suspended natural gas supplies to Armenia because of the
latter's $15 million debt for 1996, Noyan Tapan and AFP reported on 19
December. Armenian Energy Minister Gagik Martirosyan said that Armenia's
energy sector now has debts of $75 million as a result of nonpayments by
enterprises, government agencies, and individuals. He added that Armenian
officials are currently negotiating with the Turkmen side and suggested
that gas supplies may soon resume. -- Emil Danielyan
[03] IMF SUSPENDS LOAN TO UZBEKISTAN.
The International Monetary Fund on 19 December suspended a $185 million
standby loan to Uzbekistan, Reuters reported. Further disbursements have
been postponed because Uzbekistan failed to meet the fund's inflation
targets, according to Mark O'Brien, the IMF's resident representative in
Tashkent. Uzbekistan's target for 1996 was 25%, but inflation is estimated
to have exceeded 40%. Another factor was the introduction of draconian
foreign exchange controls in October. Further payments have been condtioned
on a "very tight financial policy...combined with a full liberalization of
access to foreign exchange." -- Lowell Bezanis
[04] HIGH PRICES FOR KAZAKSTANI BROADCAST FREQUENCIES.
Information obtained by Internews in Moscow suggests that prices at a
planned auction for broadcast frequencies in Kazakstan will prove
prohibitively high for independent stations. A decree signed by Deputy
Prime Minister Imangali Tasmagimbetov on 12 December lists annual fees and
auction starting prices for radio and television frequencies. Bidding for
radio frequencies with the weakest signals (FM 100-1,000W) will begin at
$30,857; radio stations will also have to pay an annual fee of $6,171. The
highest starting price--$114,285--is for UHF television frequencies (100-1,
000W). Companies will also have to pay an annual fee of $11,428. Discounts
will be available for stations broadcasting outside Almaty and Akmola.
Frequency licenses cost $500, and only Kazakstani companies can apply. Such
high costs are likely to force most independent stations off the air. --
Bruce Pannier
[05] ONE MAN'S SOLUTION TO WAGE ARREARS IN KAZAKSTAN.
Kazhmurad Nagmanov, the head (akim) of the eastern Kazakstan region, is
encouraging heads of local factories to sell their cars in order to pay
their workers, Reuters reported citing an article in the 20 December
Kazakstani daily Karavan Blitz. Unpaid wages have become a chronic
problem in Kazakstan, triggering several demonstrations to protest living
conditions. According to Karavan Blitz, there was no indication that "the
directors were rushing to take the akim's advice." -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] FEDERAL YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER DOES NOT RULE OUT NEW ELECTIONS . .
.
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's foreign minister, Milan Milutinovic,
said on 19 December that yet another round of municipal elections in those
centers where the opposition Zajedno coalition originally scored victories
cannot be ruled out. But he added that such elections would be contingent
on an OSCE recommendation. "Should the OSCE delegation which is coming here
[on 20 December] recommend new elections in Serbia after making a thorough
and impartial review, we would accept that," he said. Meanwhile, CNN
reported that Milutinovic also said that the strategy of the demonstrators
has outlived its usefulness. "Here in Serbia, there is an old saying that
when the song is over, you stop singing," he said. -- Stan Markotich
[07] . . . AND DEMONSTRATIONS CONTINUE.
Across Serbia, meanwhile, mass demonstrations demanding that the regime
recognize the opposition electoral victories continued into a their 30th
day on 19 December. Radio Index reported that more than 200,000 people
marched in Belgrade in one of that city's largest single protest actions to
date. For their part, Zajedno leaders also used the occasion for a mass
celebration of St. Nicholas Day. On 18 December, some 37 students began a
march from Kragujevac, about 120 km from Belgrade, to the capital with a
protest letter they were intending to deliver to Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic. Meanwhile, pro-Milosevic demonstrations continued on 19 December
for a second day throughout small towns in Serbia, including Kosovo. So far,
such events have been attended by only a few thousand people, mostly
elderly and die-hard communists, and they have not taken place in Belgrade.
-- Stan Markotich
[08] CROATIA, VATICAN SIGN KEY AGREEMENTS.
Croatia and the Holy See signed three documents on 19 December to regulate
their relations, Croatian and international media reported. The texts cover
legal issues, education and culture, and the role of priests in the army
and police. The head of the government's religious affairs commission, Jure
Radic, said that Croatia has thus become the first former communist country
of Eastern Europe to establish "full ties" with the Vatican, Reuters added.
Cardinal Franjo Kuharic praised the agreements as legalizing the status of
the Roman Catholic church, and stated that the still-open question of
former church properties confiscated by the Communists could be solved
soon. More than 90% of Croats are nominally Roman Catholic, but polls
consistently show that, while Kuharic himself is well liked, there is
strong opposition to a larger political role for the church and to the
church's stand on abortion. -- Patrick Moore
[09] IZETBEGOVIC WARNS AGAINST SERBIAN BLACKMAIL OVER BRCKO.
The Muslim member of the Bosnian presidency, Alija Izetbegovic, has warned
the international community against yielding to Serbian pressure in the
upcoming arbitration over the strategic town of Brcko, Onasa reported on 19
December. The president of the Republika Srpska, Biljana Plavsic, had said
on 16 December that there will be war if anyone tries to take the formerly
majority Muslim town away from the Serbs (see Pursuing Balkan Peace, 17
December 1996). Izetbegovic has now responded that his forces could have
taken the town in late 1995 but accepted arbitration under the Dayton
agreement instead. He said he did so because he believes the legal
arguments are on his side, a point Dnevni avaz reiterated on 20 December.
Izetbegovic concluded: "The only right that [the Serbs] stress is the right
of the stronger. This right exists no more, because they are not stronger
any more. If there really were a war for Brcko, there is no doubt who would
win it. -- Patrick Moore
[10] HERCEG-BOSNA SAID TO BE OFFICIALLY DISMANTLED . . .
Kresimir Zubak, the former president of the Muslim-Croat Federation and a
Croat member of the three-man Bosnian presidency, said on 19 December that
the Bosnian Croat para-state of Herceg-Bosna ceased to exist on 17 December,
the same day that the Bosnian republican government transferred its
functions to the federation, Oslobodjenje reported the next day. In a
letter to international peace envoy Carl Bildt and U.S. envoy John Kornblum,
Zubak said a special commission will be in charge of the details of
dismantling the mini-state. Zubak said all stamps, stationery, and other
documents will be withdrawn and requested that the same be done by the
Bosnian government. Zubak also asked that the information and documentation
agency, which the Croats claim is an espionage organization directed
against them, be dismantled. He said the Federation Forum, which he
prevented from convening last week, should meet as soon as possible to deal
with the question of implementing the federation. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[11] . . . BUT EVICTIONS OF MUSLIMS FROM MOSTAR CONTINUE.
UNHCR spokeswoman Ariane Quentier said an elderly Muslim couple was
expelled from the Croat-held part of Mostar on 18 December, thus bringing
the number of Muslims driven out since the beginning of the year to 73, AFP
reported on 19 December. The couple were forced out by men who showed them
"a temporary authorization" from Herceg-Bosna authorities to move into the
apartment. Meanwhile, the Croat mayor of Mostar, Ivan Prskalo, accused his
Muslim deputy, Safet Orucevic, of wanting to spark a conflict in the city,
saying that his statements "only offer one option for the future: war," AFP
reported. In other news, Croatian Ambassador to the UN Mario Nobilo said
Croatia is not willing to support the Croat-Muslim Federation until the
alleged poor treatment of Croats in central Bosnia and Sarajevo stops,
Oslobodjenje reported on 18 December. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[12] RUGOVA MEETS BERISHA.
After concluding visits to the U.S. and France, Kosovar shadow state
President Ibrahim Rugova arrived in Tirana on 19 December for a meeting
with President Sali Berisha. Both sides said they "wholeheartedly support
the active protests of the Belgrade students and the Serbian democratic
forces," adding that "this movement is directed against the dictatorship of
[Serbian President Slobodan] Milosevic." The presidents concluded that "the
democratization of Serbia in a democratic and peaceful way is an important
and positive development ... for peace and stability in the region." The
statement did not call on the Kosovo Albanians to turn out for street
protests. -- Fabian Schmidt
[13] ROMANIAN TROOPS TO STAY WITH BOSNIA FORCE.
Parliament on 19 December voted to keep the 200-strong Romanian engineering
battalion in NATO's new SFOR force in Bosnia and offered Timisoara's
airport, near the Serbian border, for possible use by SFOR. The decision
came in response to President Emil Constantinescu's formal request in a
letter to the legislature, Romanian and international media report.
Constantinescu said maintaining the force (which was first sent to Bosnia
in February as part of the former IFOR) will increase the prestige of the
country and enhance its chances of being included in the first wave of new
NATO members. -- Michael Shafir
[14] ION CEBUC LIKELY TO BECOME MOLDOVA'S NEXT PRIME MINISTER.
Infotag reported on 19 December that Ion Cebuc, the current chairman of the
State Accounting Chamber, is the candidate most likely to be designated the
country's next prime minister. Citing Agrarian Democratic Party of Moldova
(PDAM) leader Dumitru Motpan, the agency reported that Cebuc's nomination
was discussed at a recent meeting between President-elect Petru Lucinschi
and the PDAM leadership. Motpan added that Cebuc has "vast experience" in
politics and managing the economy, having served at different times as the
head of Moldova's representation in Moscow, deputy foreign minister, and
deputy minister of the economy. Infotag added that Motpan himself has a
good chance of replacing Lucinschi at the head of the country's parliament.
-- Michael Shafir
[15] TRANSDNIESTER AMENDS ITS CONSTITUTION.
An amendment to the constitution passed by the Supreme Soviet of the
breakaway Transdniester region on 19 December will make it possible to hold
the 22 December presidential election as scheduled even if only one
candidate is running for the post. The previous stipulation required at
least two candidates. The amendment was passed after President Igor
Smirnov's electoral rival, Vladimir Malakhov, threatened to withdraw from
the race, arguing that his campaign had received "unequal treatment" from
the Smirnov-dominated media. In related news, the Russian ultra-nationalist
leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky appealed on Transdniestrian television to the
electorate, calling on it to back Smirnov. -- Michael Shafir
[16] ANTI-GOVERNMENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN BULGARIA.
Between 20,000 and 50,000 people demonstrated outside the parliament
building in Sofia on 19 December to demand the government's resignation.
The event was organized by the Union of Democratic Forces and the
"Promyana" alliance, Standart and Trud reported. The demonstrators
blocked downtown traffic, chanted slogans such as "Red garbage," and burned
an effigy of Prime Minster Zhan Videnov. Speakers at the demonstration
appealed to Sofia's citizens to rally against the government. They also
announced that miners in Burgas have descended into their mines and gone on
hunger strike, threatening not to come out until the government resigns.
The demonstrators also protested against censorship in the national media. -
- Maria Koinova in Sofia
[17] NO CONSENSUS ON BULGARIA'S CURRENCY BOARD.
The parliamentary faction of the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) on
19 December rejected the opposition formula for a national consensus on the
adoption of the currency board adoption, Standart and Kontinent
reported. The United Democratic Forces proposal for early parliamentary
elections and the immediate resignation of the Bulgarian National Bank's
executive board in exchange for the opposition support of the currency
board idea, is "strange and not understandable," BSP deputy Stefan
Gaitandzhiev said in parliament. Union of Democratic Forces deputy
Alexander Bozhkov said that if the BSP parliamentary faction rejects the
opposition proposal, the government should be ousted by street
demonstrations. -- Maria Koinova in Sofia
[18] ALBANIA FACES FOOD SHORTAGE DUE TO GREEK ROAD BLOCKADES.
Twenty-two days after Greek farmers set up road blocks all over Greece,
Albania is facing a food shortage, Reuters reported. The blockade has so
far inflicted $100 million worth of damage on the Greek economy and forced
several Albanian factories to shut down. It has resulted in price hikes of
up to 20% in Gjirokaster. Prices for oranges, apples, and potatoes have
gone up by 30%. -- Fabian Schmidt
[19] SECOND COLLAPSE OF ALBANIAN PYRAMID SCHEME WITHIN A MONTH.
Police prevented thousands of Albanians from storming the premises of the
Sude investment company in Tirana on 19 December, Radio Deutsche Welle's
Albanian language service reported. The four-year-old company was one of
many Albanian pyramid schemes offering monthly interest rates of up to 30%.
More than 10,000 Albanians are estimated to have invested in Sude. Many
cheated Albanians reportedly blamed the government for allowing the
companies to operate. Another pyramid scheme head disappeared with $13
million in November. -- Fabian Schmidt
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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