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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 246, 96-12-30
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 246, 30 December 1996
NOTE: The OMRI Daily Digest was not published from 23 to 27 December.
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] HIGH-RANKING IRANIAN DELEGATION IN ARMENIA
[02] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT IN UZBEKISTAN
[03] NEW TAJIK AGREEMENT FOR PEACE
[04] UN WORKERS TAKEN HOSTAGE IN TAJIKISTAN
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[05] SERBIAN PROTESTS ENTER 43RD DAY
[06] ARMY, MONTENEGRO PUT PRESSURE ON MILOSEVIC
[07] SFOR BLOCKS EXHUMATION AT MASS GRAVE SITE
[08] BOSNIAN SERBS TO FORM PROFESSIONAL ARMY
[09] SERBS BESIEGE CROATS IN EASTERN SLAVONIA ATTENDING CHRISTMAS MASS
[10] KOSOVO STUDENTS DEMAND EMERGENCY PARLIAMENTARY MEETING
[11] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT PARDONS ETHNIC HUNGARIAN
[12] ROMANIAN ROUNDUP
[13] SMIRNOV RE-ELECTED IN TRANSDNIESTER
[14] MOLDOVA DECLARES STATE OF ALERT DUE TO BAD WEATHER
[15] VIDENOV RESIGNS AS BULGARIAN PREMIER, PARTY LEADER
[16] NEW BULGARIAN SOCIALIST LEADER ELECTED
[17] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT PARDONS 100 PRISONERS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] HIGH-RANKING IRANIAN DELEGATION IN ARMENIA
An Iranian delegation headed by First Vice-President Hasan Habibi concluded
a four-day visit to Armenia on 28 December, Noyan Tapan reported. The two
sides pledged to boost bilateral cooperation in communications, energy and
industry. Habibi, the highest-ranking Iranian official to visit Armenia
since 1991, said the current state of Armenian-Iranian relationships is "at
the desired level," ITAR-TASS reported. Armenian President Levon Ter-
Petrossyan described Iran's policy in the Transcaucasus as "balanced" and a
"stability factor" in the region. According to Prime-Minister Armen
Sarkisyan, the two countries have "great" potential for further
cooperation. -- Emil Danielyan
[02] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT IN UZBEKISTAN
Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev met his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov,
during a 24-25 December visit to Tashkent, ITAR-TASS and RFE/RL
reported. The two presidents signed a free trade agreement and discussed
the construction of a rail line that would link Uzbekistan to China via
Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan agreed to provide Kyrgyzstan with natural gas at a
preferred rate and Kyrgyzstan will reciprocate by delivering electricity
from the Naryn hydro-electric complex. Presidential spokesman Kanybek
Imanaliyev noted that bilateral trade has increased four times to reach
$200 million. At Karimov's request, the two leaders signed a treaty that
included a reference to the "eternal friendship" between the neighboring
states. -- Bruce Pannier and Naryn Idinov
[03] NEW TAJIK AGREEMENT FOR PEACE
Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov and United Tajik Opposition leader Said
Abdullo Nuri signed an agreement in Moscow on 23 December, international
media reported. The agreement provides for a general amnesty, an exchange
of all prisoners, and a promise by both sides to create the necessary
conditions for the return of Tajik refugees. Most importantly, the
agreement establishes a reconciliation council to be headed by an
opposition representative. The council will spend 12-18 months reviewing
proposed amendments to the Tajik Constitution. -- Bruce Pannier
[04] UN WORKERS TAKEN HOSTAGE IN TAJIKISTAN
A group led by Rezvon Sadirov freed sixteen hostages within 24 hours of
taking them after their demands were met on 21 December, Western and
Russian press reported. Sadirov had threatened to kill the hostages,
including seven UN observers, unless his brother and others held by the
opposition were released. He also claimed his group had planted 30 bombs in
Dushanbe, the capital, and would explode them if his demands were not met.
Sadirov, a former defense minister for the Tajik opposition, was demoted in
1995 and joined government forces last month. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[05] SERBIAN PROTESTS ENTER 43RD DAY
Marches and demonstrations are continuing in up to 47 towns and cities
across Serbia, while opposition organizers announced plans for a gala
open-air New Year's Eve party in Belgrade, Nasa Borba reported on 30
December. Last week, a team of OSCE representatives headed by former
Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez backed the opposition's view that
the governing Socialists stole the local elections in Belgrade and 13 other
places. Federal Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic called the OSCE
statement "balanced" but stressed it was not binding on the Serbian
government, international media noted. The opposition, however, demanded
the authorities recognize the report. On 28 December, thousands attended
the funeral of Predrag Starcevic, a teacher who on 24 December became the
first fatality in the ongoing confrontation in the Serbian
capital. Opposition leader Vuk Draskovic blamed the police for his
death. And on 29 December, riot police kept protesters inside Belgrade's
Knez Mihailova pedestrian mall and prevented them from marching. -- Patrick
Moore
[06] ARMY, MONTENEGRO PUT PRESSURE ON MILOSEVIC
Opposition leaders issued a statement on 29 December saying that Milosevic
was trying to turn Serbia into a prison and expressing their intention to
defy him. They also charged that he plans to declare a state of emergency,
AFP reported. But some army representatives and Montenegrin leaders are
urging Milosevic to reconsider his position. The Nis-based 63rd Parachute
Brigade and officers from other units issued an open letter to the Serbian
president and to army commander Gen. Momcilo Perisic expressing their
support for the students, Nasa Borba reported on 30 December. It is
unclear, however, how deep support for such views runs in the
army. Meanwhile, Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic called on Milosevic
to explain his position in public, Nasa Borba added. Prime Minister Milo
Djukanovic and Parliament Speaker Svetozar Marovic, for their parts, have
expressed sympathy for the protesters, the Czech daily Mlada fronta dnes
noted. -- Patrick Moore
[07] SFOR BLOCKS EXHUMATION AT MASS GRAVE SITE
The NATO-led Stabilization Force on 28 December admitted that its staff
blocked a Bosnian government forensic team from exhuming bodies in a
separation zone between the Republika Srpska and the Bosnian Federation,
AFP reported. Some 30 SFOR soldiers barred the forensic team from working
on a site in northeastern Bosnia that is believed to contain the bodies of
120 Muslims killed after Serbs took Srebrenica in July 1995. SFOR had
previously denied that its troops had taken such action but later said that
the troops involved had failed to report what had happened to their
superiors "in a timely manner." -- Daria Sito Sucic
[08] BOSNIAN SERBS TO FORM PROFESSIONAL ARMY
The Bosnian Serb parliament on 28 December approved a bill on the creation
of a professional army, international agencies reported, citing Bosnian
Serb radio. Under the new law, "the professional armed forces are
responsible for defending the territorial integrity and constitutional
order of the Republika Srpska," AFP reported. There is also a clause--which
is aimed at Serbs in Serbia-Montenegro--stipulating that people without
Bosnian Serb citizenship can volunteer to join the army in case of
conflict. Meanwhile, a Bosnian Serb court on 24 December decided to
proceed with the in absentia trial of Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic,
despite international criticism. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[09] SERBS BESIEGE CROATS IN EASTERN SLAVONIA ATTENDING CHRISTMAS MASS
Some 50 Orthodox Serbs gathered outside a Roman Catholic church in the town
of Ilok, in eastern Slavonia, during a Christmas Eve midnight mass,
international agencies reported. The Serbs were protesting the holding of
the service. About 200 Roman Catholic Croats who had been displaced from
the region during the 1991 Croatian-Serbian war were attending the mass
under UN escort. They were trapped inside the church for three hours before
the UN brought in military and civilian police reinforcements. After the
service the Serbs broke into the church and vandalized the vestry. In
neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croats in the Bosnian Serb stronghold of
Banja Luka went without their Christmas midnight mass for the fifth
consecutive year amid continuing security fears, AFP reported. -- Daria
Sito Sucic
[10] KOSOVO STUDENTS DEMAND EMERGENCY PARLIAMENTARY MEETING
Some 600 students signed a petition calling for an emergency meeting of the
Kosovo shadow-state parliament, AFP reported on 24 December. The students
urged that Parliamentary Party leader Adem Demaci also participate in the
meeting, and they called for tougher action against Serbian President
Slobodan Milosevic. Albanian President Sali Berisha said that if the
Kosovars wanted to gain their rights, they could not stand idly by during
the protests in Belgrade. He also called for peaceful protests in Kosovo,
noting that "it is very clear that [the Kosovars'] problems will not be
solved in Tirana, Belgrade, Washington, London, or Paris [but]
in...Kosovo." He repeated the warning that "Albanians on either side of the
northern border will act as a unit in the event of war." -- Fabian Schmidt
[11] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT PARDONS ETHNIC HUNGARIAN
Emil Constantinescu on 26 December pardoned Pal Cseresznyes, an ethnic
Hungarian who was sentenced to 10 years in prison following inter-ethnic
riots in Targu Mures in March 1990, RFE/RL reported. The move was seen as a
conciliatory gesture timed to coincide with Foreign Minister Adrian
Severin's visit to Hungary, which began on the same day. It was also
regarded as a gesture toward the Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania
(UDMR), a member of the ruling coalition. Gyorgy Frunda, who was the UDMR
presidential candidate in the November elections and also Cseresznyes's
lawyer, repeatedly noted that only ethnic Hungarians and Roma were
sentenced after the riots. Romanians escaped punishment, he stressed. --
Michael Shafir
[12] ROMANIAN ROUNDUP
Foreign Minister Adrian Severin on 24 December announced that his ministry
has recalled a number of ambassadors in an attempt to improve Romania's
image abroad, international media reported. The recalled ambassadors were
serving in Germany, France, Spain, Austria, Israel, Finland, Columbia, and
Costa Rica. Romania's permanent representative at foreign organizations in
Vienna has also been recalled. In addition, Severin noted that Romania's
former monarch, King Michael, will be able to visit the country "without
any political difficulty." In other news, the Romanian government has
announced it will double fuel prices next year to help cover losses caused
by the depreciation of the leu and to meet IMF recommendations,
international media reported on 29 December. The price for petrol is to be
raised from 990 lei to 1,900 lei per liter and for diesel from 680 lei to
1,300 lei. -- Michael Shafir
[13] SMIRNOV RE-ELECTED IN TRANSDNIESTER
Igor Smirnov has been re-elected president of the Transdniester breakaway
region, Infotag reported. He won 71.94% of the vote in elections held on 22
December. Vladimir Malakhov, the only other candidate, polled 19.84%. At
57.1%, turnout was the lowest for either elections or referendums held in
the separatist republic since the proclamation of independence in September
1990. Smirnov said he intends to continue working to strengthen Trans-
dniestrian statehood and wants to keep Russian troops in the region until
Tiraspol receives "firm guarantees" that the Transdniestrian problem will
not be solved by force. Moldovan President Petru Lucinschi said the result
of the elections should be viewed as a "recommendation" only. But he added
that he is ready to continue the dialogue with the Tiraspol authorities on
granting the region a special status within Moldova's borders, Infotag
reported on 23 December. -- Michael Shafir
[14] MOLDOVA DECLARES STATE OF ALERT DUE TO BAD WEATHER
The Moldovan government on 29 December declared a state of alert as the
country faced freezing weather conditions, AFP reported. Temperatures have
dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius, the lowest since 1946. At the same
time, the Russian Gazprom company drastically reduced supplies of gas in
order to force Moldova to meet its debts. Moldova owes Gazprom some $401
million. In neighboring Romania, at least 20 people are reported to have
died as a result of the freeze. -- Michael Shafir
[15] VIDENOV RESIGNS AS BULGARIAN PREMIER, PARTY LEADER
Zhan Videnov on 21 December tendered his resignation as prime minister and
leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, international media
reported. Addressing the BSP's extraordinary 42nd congress, Videnov said he
did not have the necessary trust within the party or society as a whole. He
added that he will not apply again for leading posts with the BSP, the
government, or the parliament. Videnov's move surprised both his supporters
and opponents, since he had repeatedly said he would not give up power
voluntarily. The congress voted to form a new BSP-controlled government.
At an extraordinary session on 28 December, the parliament approved the
resignation of Videnov's government by a vote of 211 to three with nine
abstentions. Interior Minister Nikolay Dobrev and former Foreign Minister
Georgi Pirinski are considered likely candidates for premier. -- Maria
Koinova in Sofia and Stefan Krause
[16] NEW BULGARIAN SOCIALIST LEADER ELECTED
Delegates to the BSP congress on 24 December elected Georgi Parvanov as new
party chairman. Parvanov was deputy party leader under Videnov. He received
451 votes, while former Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski garnered 77 and
former deputy BSP leader Yanaki Stoilov 45. Pirinski and Stoilov both
belong to the party's reformist wing. Some observers consider the
39-year-old Parvanov to be a Videnov confidant, while others see him as a
possible intermediary between the two rival BSP factions. Parvanov has said
he will not seek the premiership. Meanwhile, the delegates also elected a
new Supreme Council, which is comprised of both Videnov supporters and
opponents. -- Maria Koinova in Sofia and Stefan Krause
[17] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT PARDONS 100 PRISONERS
Sali Berisha has declared an amnesty shortly before the New Year's
celebrations, ATSH reported on 29 December. Some 100 prisoners have been
either freed or granted reduced sentences. However, it is unknown whether
Socialist Party leader Fatos Nano is included in the amnesty. Albania's
seven prisons currently hold some 1,230 prisoners, including 30
women. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Halit Shamata has announced that the
number of registered crimes decreased by 16% this year as compared with
1995. The parliament on 23 December adopted a package of laws providing for
sentences of up to 20 years for producing and trafficking in
drugs. Sentences for arms trafficking, rape, tax evasion, and corruption
have also been increased. -- 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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