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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 3, No. 11, 97-01-16
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 3, No. 11, 16 January 1997
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] SOUTH OSSETIAN LEADER IN TBILISI.
[02] GEORGIAN-ABKHAZ UPDATE.
[03] FRICTION OVER CO-CHAIR OF KARABAKH NEGOTIATIONS.
[04] PRIVATIZATION CONTINUES IN KAZAKSTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[05] UPDATE ON BULGARIAN POLITICAL CRISIS.
[06] PROTESTS, STRIKES CONTINUE IN BULGARIA.
[07] BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER ON VIOLENT CLASHES LAST WEEK.
[08] PROTESTS IN SERBIA RESUME . . .
[09] . . . WHILE SPS DECLINES TO MAKE CONCESSIONS TO OPPOSITION.
[10] DEAN OF KOSOVO UNIVERSITY INJURED IN CAR BOMB.
[11] DOES WASHINGTON FAVOR ASSIGNING BRCKO TO SERBS?
[12] SWIFT REACTION TO BRCKO REPORTS.
[13] CROATIA CAUTIOUS ON U.S. BALKAN INITIATIVE.
[14] ROMANIAN CABINET, UNIONS DISCUSS ECONOMIC, SOCIAL PACKAGE.
[15] NEW MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT SWORN IN.
[16] ALBANIAN OPPOSITION CALLS ON COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO SUPPORT NEW
ELECTIONS.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] SOUTH OSSETIAN LEADER IN TBILISI.
The speaker of the parliament of the self-proclaimed Republic of South
Ossetia, Konstantin Dzugaev, has held talks in Tbilisi with Georgian
President Eduard Shevardnadze and Parliament Speaker Zurab Zhvania, ITAR-
TASS reported on 15 January. Dzugaev is the first South Ossetian official
to visit Tbilisi since the region declared independence from Georgia in
1991. In a 13 January interview with Georgian Radio monitored by the BBC,
Shevardnadze said "vigorous" Georgian-Ossetian negotiations will start
soon. -- Emil Danielyan
[02] GEORGIAN-ABKHAZ UPDATE.
The parliament of Georgia's breakaway Republic of Abkhazia adopted a
statement urging the CIS heads of state to lift economic sanctions imposed
on the region in January 1996, ITAR-TASS reported on 15 January, citing
Abkhazpress. The statement says that the sanctions may "undermine"
settlement of the Abkhaz conflict. Earlier, Abkhaz Foreign Minister
Konstantin Ozgan warned that lifting sanctions is a precondition for the
return of some 200,000 ethnic Georgian refugees to Abkhazia. In another
statement, the Abkhaz parliament called on the Russian Federal Assembly to
postpone the ratification of the Russo-Georgian agreement on friendship and
cooperation, signed in February 1994, until the Abkhaz dispute is settled.
The statement also says that the agreement's ratification would strengthen
Georgia economically and militarily and thus encourage the latter "to
resort to force in settling the conflict." -- Emil Danielyan
[03] FRICTION OVER CO-CHAIR OF KARABAKH NEGOTIATIONS.
Friction has arisen within the OSCE over outgoing Chairman Flavio Cotti's
decision to nominate France as co-chair of the deadlocked negotiations over
the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, RFE/RL reported on 15 January. The nomination
was welcomed by Armenia but reportedly disappointed Azerbaijan. Baku
preferred the United States to take up the post. An unnamed U.S. official
said Washington is "still interested" in playing a mediating role along
with permanent co-chair Russia, but would not reject France's obtaining the
post if a consensus favoring Paris developed. Negotiations, which last took
place in late November, are unlikely to resume until the chairmanship
problem is solved. -- Lowell Bezanis
[04] PRIVATIZATION CONTINUES IN KAZAKSTAN.
Kazakstan continues to offer major industries for sale in a bid to overhaul
its infrastructure. RFE/RL reported on 15 January that there will be a
tender for oil refineries at Pavlodar and Aktyubinsk in January. Six
companies have already registered for the Pavlodar tender: Canada's
Hurricane Hydrocarbons, which bought Yuzhneftegaz last year; American
companies Axis Industries and Intermeditteranean; Britain's SS Oil; and
Kazakstani companies Amadeus and Radikal. Less interest has been expressed
in the Aktyubinsk refinery, which is smaller than the Pavlodar refinery and
in worse condition but is closer to the huge Tengiz oil field. So far only
the U.S. company Exxon has registered for that tender. Kazakstan's sale of
the Vasiilkovskoe gold mine to British Diamonds Resources Company is
expected to be finalized by the end of January. -- Bruce Pannier and Merhat
Sharipzhan
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[05] UPDATE ON BULGARIAN POLITICAL CRISIS.
Bulgarian Socialist Party Chairman Georgi Parvanov has said the BSP wants
to form a new government by 19 January, Duma reported on 16 January.
Petar Stoyanov is due to be sworn in as new president on that day and to
take office on 22 January. He will then give the BSP a mandate to form a
new government if no consensus between the opposition and the Socialists is
reached by then and if outgoing President Zhelyu Zhelev refuses to issue
such a mandate, Standart noted. The BSP, saying it is prepared to accept
early elections by the end of the year, has called on the opposition to
enter talks about such a vote immediately. Union of Democratic Forces
Chairman Ivan Kostov has agreed to negotiations with the BSP. At the same
time, he demanded that no new government be formed under the present
parliament and that elections be held by May. -- Stefan Krause
[06] PROTESTS, STRIKES CONTINUE IN BULGARIA.
Tens of thousands of people took to Sofia's streets again on 15 January to
protest the propoal to form a new BSP government and to support the
opposition's demands for early parliamentary elections, Bulgarian media
reported. Hundreds of university and high-school students as well as
medical workers from cities throughout the country took part. Some 1,200
taxis brought traffic to a standstill in the capital. Miners in five mines
stopped working for one hour, while some 3,500 workers at chemical and
metallurgical plants downed tools. Ivan Naydenov of the Promyana trade
union said Bulgaria's biggest refinery--Neftochim in Burgas--will start
suspending operations as of 19 January if the Socialists do not meet the
opposition's demands. One of the main power plants in Sofia is to begin
today cutting heating supplies to seven Sofia neighborhoods for one hour a
day. -- Maria Koinova in Sofia
[07] BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER ON VIOLENT CLASHES LAST WEEK.
Nikolay Dobrev, who is also the BSP premier-designate, has said the police
made mistakes when they tried to contain the situation around the
parliament building on the weekend, RFE/RL and Bulgarian media reported.
The building was surrounded and subsequently stormed by protesters on 10-11
January, and several hundred protesters and policemen were injured. Dobrev
said the main objective of containing the situation "with the least
possible violence and without loss of life" had been achieved. But he noted
that there had been insufficient coordination among police units and the
lack of a special riot unit had been felt. Six people were arrested in
connection with the incidents, Dobrev said, adding that he believed more
arrests should have been made. He said it was unclear who had beaten up
former Prime Minister and SDS leader Filip Dimitrov and other citizens. The
police have claimed they did not use tear gas, despite eye-witnesses
claiming the opposite. -- Stefan Krause
[08] PROTESTS IN SERBIA RESUME . . .
An estimated 20,000 protesters returned to Belgrade's streets on 15 January
following a one-day break. Local election commissions on 14 January
recognized opposition Zajedno victories in 14 municipalities, while the
authorities indicated they might accept at least some opposition coalition
wins. But according to Nasa Borba, the demonstrations have been resumed
because fears persist that the regime may be wavering. Democratic Party
leader Zoran Djindjic told the demonstrators that "We want our victory in
its entirety." Zajedno leader and head of the Serbian Renewal Movement
Vuk Draskovic added that "nothing is certain until we see whether the
ruling [Socialist Party of Serbia] will challenge" the electoral
commissions. -- Stan Markotich
[09] . . . WHILE SPS DECLINES TO MAKE CONCESSIONS TO OPPOSITION.
Radio B-92 reported on 15 January that members of the Belgrade University
Council left the premises that day under police escort following their
decision not to oust controversial university rector. Student leaders had
demanded that the hard-line university official be removed, saying that
otherwise nationwide student protests would continue. In other news, media
reports have suggested that while Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic may
be willing to compromise on some opposition wins, he is attempting to hold
on to other key cities, notably Belgrade. -- Stan Markotich
[10] DEAN OF KOSOVO UNIVERSITY INJURED IN CAR BOMB.
The dean of the official Serbian University of Pristina Radivoje Papovic
and his driver were seriously injured earlier today in a car bomb, a Koha
journalist told OMRI. Police said the bomb was placed in a parked vehicle
in the central Pristina district of Dardania and was probably activated by
remote control. Both that vehicle and the car Papovic was traveling in were
destroyed by the blast. Papovic is known for his fierce opposition to allow
ethnic Albanian students to continue their studies on the premises of
Pristina University under an agreement reached last September by Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic and shadow-state President Ibrahim Rugova. The
Kosovo Liberation Army is thought to be behind the attack. The group has
taken responsibility for the killing of eight Serbs in 1996 as well as the
murders since late December of three ethnic Albanians working with the
Serbian administration. -- Fabian Schmidt
[11] DOES WASHINGTON FAVOR ASSIGNING BRCKO TO SERBS?
Diplomats who asked not to be named told Reuters on 15 January that U.S.
envoy John Kornblum has recommended to U.S. mediator Roberts Owen that the
contested town of Brcko be given to the Republika Srpska. Croats and
Muslims would be allowed to return to their homes in the area and be given
an internationally monitored transit corridor. The joint government of
Bosnia, which includes all three peoples, would control the town's harbor
on the Sava River, Oslobodjenje added on 16 January. The Dayton agreement
already supposedly guarantees the right of refugees to go home and the
right to freedom of movement. Owen, who is currently at arbitration
meetings in Rome, must reach a decision on the fate of the town and the
surrounding area by 15 February. -- Patrick Moore
[12] SWIFT REACTION TO BRCKO REPORTS.
The U.S. State Department quickly denied that the leaked report represents
Washington's policy, stressing that any decision will be made by the
arbitration commission itself, Reuters and AFP reported on 15 January.
Bosnian Co-Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic added that he doubts that the
contents of the report are authentic, Oslobodjenje wrote. Vital considerations are at stake both for the Serbs and for the mainly Croat and Muslim federation. The controversy is so intense that Brcko was the one territorial issue that proved impossible to resolve at the Dayton conference in late 1995. The Serbs claim it because they have held it since early in the war and, above all, because it connects the eastern and western halves of their territory. The Muslims and Croats insist it is theirs on the basis of the prewar census--that is, before ethnic cleansing. -- Patrick Moore
[13] CROATIA CAUTIOUS ON U.S. BALKAN INITIATIVE.
State Department envoy Richard Stifter met with President Franjo Tudjman on
14 January to discuss a proposal on economic and ecological cooperation in
southeastern Europe. The American position is that the region extending
from Hungary to Turkey contains at least 12 mainly small countries that
should best tackle problems of infrastructure and communications together.
Tudjman said that his country is interested in cooperation on specific
projects of an economic nature but rejects any new political grouping.
Croatia and Slovenia are the only ones of the 12 countries approached so
far that have yet to sign on to the project. The trend in both countries is
to stress themselves as being central European rather than Balkan and to be
deeply suspicious of anything that smacks of relegating the two countries
to the Balkans or of setting up a new Yugoslavia, Croatian dailies on 14
and 15 January reported. -- Patrick Moore
[14] ROMANIAN CABINET, UNIONS DISCUSS ECONOMIC, SOCIAL PACKAGE.
Several ministers and trade union leaders on 15 January discussed a complex
reform package aimed at dealing with the country's economic and social
malaise, Radio Bucharest reported. Premier Victor Ciorbea said after the
meeting that the government has asked for a moratorium of two to three
weeks on implementing the program. He added that the delay was necessary to
get vital support from international financial organizations for the reform
process. Ciorbea also noted that the recent three-day talks with World Bank
representatives in Bucharest offered Romania "a big change" to secure
support from the bank to soften the effects of massive recent price hikes.
Trade unions warned against widespread social protests if the government
fails to improve social protection. -- Dan Ionescu
[15] NEW MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT SWORN IN.
Petru Lucinschi on 15 January was sworn in as Moldova's second president
since the country declared independence from the Soviet Union in August
1991, local news agencies reported. Lucinschi won the December run-off
against his predecessor, Mircea Snegur. Deputy Parliamentary Speaker
Dumitru Diacov presided over the inauguration ceremony. The parliament has
failed three times to elect a new chairman to replace Lucinschi, who
resigned from that post last week. In his inaugural speech, the new
president repeated his electoral pledge to ensure the country's "stability,
order, and prosperity." He said "normalization" of the situation in the
breakaway Dniester region was a "top priority" and expressed the hope that
Russia would help "eliminate that hotbed of conflicts in Europe." Dniester
leaders declined a formal invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony. --
Dan Ionescu
[16] ALBANIAN OPPOSITION CALLS ON COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO SUPPORT NEW
ELECTIONS.
The Center Pole coalition and the Socialist Party have signed a declaration
to the Council of Europe calling for its support for strengthening
democracy in Albania, Gazeta Shqiptare reported on 15 January. The
parties expressed concern about the continuing lack of a full-fledged
constitution, the failure of the government to adopt a law providing for
private broadcasting media, and "systematic human rights violations." They
also repeated their demand for new parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, the
Swedish government has decided to give former Albanian ambassador ten days
to leave the country. Bardhyl Kokalari asked for political asylum in 1994,
saying he risked the death penalty for high treason if he was forced to
return to Albania. Tirana had recalled him after he helped an Albanian
asylum-seeker write a letter to the Swedish immigration authorities. --
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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