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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 3, No. 20, 97-01-29
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 3, No. 20, 29 January 1997
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] CONFLICTING REPORTS FROM ABKHAZIA.
[02] SHEVARDNADZE: YELTSIN'S HEALTH HAMPERS RUSSIA'S RELATIONS WITH
GEORGIA.
[03] TURKEY, GEORGIA TO BUILD RAIL LINK.
[04] AZERBAIJANI POLICE OFFICIALS SENTENCED FOR TREASON.
[05] NAZARBAYEV DEMANDS PAYMENT OF WAGES, ACCELERATION OF REFORMS.
[06] NEW HEAD OF UN OBSERVERS IN TAJIKISTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] ALBANIAN RULING DEMOCRATS PROMISE TO COMPENSATE CHEATED INVESTORS . . .
[08] . . . AT RISK OF HYPERINFLATION.
[09] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS RECEIVE MANDATE TO FORM GOVERNMENT.
[10] PROTESTERS IN SERBIA "RE-CLAIM" BELGRADE STREETS.
[11] IS SERBIAN PRESIDENT SECURING GOLDEN PARACHUTE?
[12] ALBRIGHT LOOKS BEYOND MILOSEVIC, TUDJMAN.
[13] UN, BOSNIAN SERBS TO SET UP JOINT POLICE PATROLS.
[14] BOSNIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS SCHEDULED FOR JULY.
[15] SERBIAN MOB ATTACKS CROATIAN OFFICIALS IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
[16] PARTY MERGER IN MACEDONIA.
[17] BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER IN ROMANIA.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] CONFLICTING REPORTS FROM ABKHAZIA.
Referring to ongoing operations by Abkhaz security forces in the troubled
Gali district, Abkhaz Security Service spokesman Astamur Tarba told ITAR-
TASS on 28 January that the "liquidation of bandit formations" is
continuing. Tarba alleged that 20 Georgian gunmen arrested over the past
three days (see OMRI Daily Digest, 28 January 1997) belonged to the so-
called White Legion, an organization he claimed has several hundred well-
armed members and poses a threat to civilians and CIS peacekeepers.
Meanwhile, the Georgian news agency Iberia reported on 27 January that
Abkhaz police, using Russian peacekeepers' armored personnel carriers, had
attacked local ethnic Georgians. The report, monitored by BBC, also claimed
that the Abkhaz killed five Georgian civilians and took four others
hostage. -- Emil Danielyan
[02] SHEVARDNADZE: YELTSIN'S HEALTH HAMPERS RUSSIA'S RELATIONS WITH
GEORGIA.
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said on 28 January that Russian
President Yeltsin's poor health hampers the development of "normal" Russian-
Georgian relations, AFP reported. Shevardnadze said that if Yeltsin is no
longer fit to govern, he should "step down, hand over power to Prime
Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, and organize fresh elections." Shevardnadze
also complained that Moscow has no "clear" Georgian policy, arguing that
there are "as many approaches to it as there are political parties in
Russia." -- Emil Danielyan
[03] TURKEY, GEORGIA TO BUILD RAIL LINK.
Turkey and Georgia have agreed to build a railroad to link the two
countries, Reuters reported on 28 January. Neither the cost of the railroad
running from Kars to Tbilisi, nor its projected completion date, has been
announced. The decision to go ahead with the project was probably made last
week during what Turkish media described as the "first-ever" political
consultations between Ankara and Tbilisi in the Turkish capital. -- Lowell
Bezanis
[04] AZERBAIJANI POLICE OFFICIALS SENTENCED FOR TREASON.
The Azerbaijan Supreme Court sentenced three top law enforcement officers
to lengthy prison terms, international media reported on 29 January. Baku's
former Interpol Chief Ilgar Safikhanov, Ganja's Chief of Police Eldar
Hasanov, and Nizami's (region of Ganja) Chief of Police Alik Mamedov, were
found guilty of high treason for involvement in the October 1994 attempted
coup led by former Prime Minister Suret Huseinov. Safikhanov and Hasanov
were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, while Mamedov received 11 years;
the court also confiscated their property. In other news, former Prime
Minister Panakh Huseinov was released from custody, Turan reported on 28
January. Huseinov, who served under ousted President Abulfaz Elchibey, was
accused of using the army to disperse protests in Ganja in 1993. -- Lowell
Bezanis
[05] NAZARBAYEV DEMANDS PAYMENT OF WAGES, ACCELERATION OF REFORMS.
Kazakstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev had tough words for members of
the government and regional leaders at a 27 January special meeting,
Reuters reported. "The issue of unpaid wages and salaries is becoming a
political issue... the tempo of reforms is becoming slower and the socio-
political situation is deteriorating," Nazarbayev said. He told those at
the meeting they had until 1 April to solve these problems, adding there
would be another meeting at that time and if the situation had not been
rectified "some members of the government could be given the sack right in
this hall." Government estimates of wage and pension arrears stand at 60
billion tenge ($792 million). Finance Minister Alexander Pavlov said
companies did not have the money to pay wages and that 40% of Kazakstan's
companies were on the verge of bankruptcy. -- Bruce Pannier
[06] NEW HEAD OF UN OBSERVERS IN TAJIKISTAN.
Jordanian Gen. Hasan Abaza will be replaced as head of the UN military
observer force in Tajikistan by Polish Brig.-Gen. Boleslaw Izydorczyk,
RFE/RL and AFP reported on 28 January. UN Security Council President
Hishashi Owada confirmed the appointment in a letter to UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan. The UN has 44 observers in Tajikistan monitoring the
ceasefire which was signed in 1994 but often ignored by the warring
factions. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] ALBANIAN RULING DEMOCRATS PROMISE TO COMPENSATE CHEATED INVESTORS . .
.
President Sali Berisha told a rally of some 10,000 supporters in Tirana on
28 January that the government will seek to repay "quickly and fairly" the
money that has been "stolen" from them, AFP reported. Hundreds of thousands
of Albanians have lost their savings through the recent collapse of pyramid
schemes. The opposition Socialist Party called off a planned demonstration
and appealed to its supporters to exercise restraint. Foreign Minister
Tritan Shehu rejected the Socialists' demand for a multi-party caretaker
government and new elections, saying "that would be making a hostage of
democracy." In a symbolic gesture, Shehu and Berisha repaired some of the
street paving that was destroyed in recent riots. The total damage wreaked
during the weekend riots is estimated at $50 million. -- Fabian Schmidt
[08] . . . AT RISK OF HYPERINFLATION.
At least five leading pyramid schemes have collapsed since last fall.
Others are still operating and paying out interest but are not returning
capital. Zef Preci, director of the Albania Center for Economic Research,
estimates that the $300 million seized from two schemes would cover only
one-third of total investments. He told Reuters that "the only way the
government can compensate people in full is by printing money and that will
set inflation alight." World Bank representative Carlos Elbirt said that
any further surge in prices could be ruinous for Albania's economy. The
budget deficit in the first 11 months of 1996 reached $260 million, or 11%
of GDP, while the central bank has foreign exchange reserves totalling just
$270 million. Moreover, much of the assets seized from the two schemes are
held in the form of Albanian treasury bills. The IMF has pledged to help
the government. -- Fabian Schmidt
[09] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS RECEIVE MANDATE TO FORM GOVERNMENT.
President Petar Stoyanov on 28 January gave Interior Minister Nikolay
Dobrev, the premier-designate of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the
mandate to form a new government, Pari reported. Previously, the BSP had
rejected Stoyanov's proposal to refuse the mandate and pave the way for
early parliamentary elections. Dobrev has seven days to form a new
government. Union of Democratic Forces (SDS) Chairman Ivan Kostov said the
SDS will end its boycott of the parliament and agree to elections in May,
as Stoyanov has asked them to do. Kostov said he and his supporters are
"going to fight now" against a new Socialist government. Meanwhile, the
three main trade unions are staging a nationwide strike today to protest
Dobrev's decision to form a new government, RFE/RL and Western media
reported. The strike began with work stoppages and road blocks. -- Stefan
Krause
[10] PROTESTERS IN SERBIA "RE-CLAIM" BELGRADE STREETS.
An estimated 60,000 people marched through downtown Belgrade on 28 January
after riot police had apparently halted efforts to enforce a ban on mass
protests, international media reported. But in the nearby town of
Smederevska Palanka, riot police indiscriminately clubbed women and
children who were taking part in a protest rally. Beta also reported that a
deputy of the Zajedno opposition coalition was beaten in the same town.
The police brutality seems to have been triggered by Zajedno municipal
leaders' decision to swear in a parallel local council. Zajedno won the
November runoff municipal elections in Smedereveska Palanka, but the
Socialists refuse to recognize either this or other opposition wins. --
Stan Markotich
[11] IS SERBIAN PRESIDENT SECURING GOLDEN PARACHUTE?
Slobodan Milosevic is buying up properties in Greece, AFP and the Greek
daily Eleftherotypia reported on 28 January. The report states that
Milosevic already owns a luxury yacht and at least several other properties
in the neighboring Balkan state. He is now said to be planning to invest in
a villa on the island of Corfu. Onasa suggests that Milosevic may be
preparing an escape route, should events force an end to his political
career at home. Greece is one of the few states that supported Belgrade
during the recent Yugoslav wars. Meanwhile, Nasa Borba on 29 January
reports that Milosevic has brokered a political deal whereby he will take
over the federal presidency from Zoran Lilic and Montenegrin President
Momir Bulatovic will become federal Yugoslav prime minister. -- Stan
Markotich
[12] ALBRIGHT LOOKS BEYOND MILOSEVIC, TUDJMAN.
Following meetings with European leaders in Washington on 28 January, U.S.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said that the international community
will insist on "cooperation and compliance" with the Dayton agreement,
adding that "there is no one individual upon which all this is dependent."
This remark seems to bear out recent speculation in the U.S. and
international press that Washington is looking beyond embattled Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic and ailing Croatian President Franjo Tudjman
to a new generation of leaders. In a gentle poke at some European allies,
as well as at Milosevic and Tudjman, she pointed out: "we want to have
institutions built in Bosnia that will sustain a democratic, multi-ethnic
state." Meanwhile, a Pentagon spokesman reaffirmed NATO's position that
catching war criminals is "civilian" police work and that SFOR peace
keepers will not do it, international news agencies reported. -- Patrick
Moore
[13] UN, BOSNIAN SERBS TO SET UP JOINT POLICE PATROLS.
The international community's High Commissioner Carl Bildt met with
Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic on 28 January to discuss violent
incidents two days previously in which Serb mobs attacked and injured
Muslims helping rebuild the village of Gajevi (see Pursuing Balkan Peace,
28 January 1997). Following the session, Bildt's office announced that UN
and Republika Srpska police will set up joint patrols in the tense area
"immediately," international news agencies reported. Bildt's office also
said that "the Republika Srpska condemns any form of violence and
disrespect for the ... [agreed] procedure" by which refugees may return to
their homes now under the control of another ethnic group. Bildt will
continue his talks with Plavsic in Banja Luka today. -- Patrick Moore
[14] BOSNIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS SCHEDULED FOR JULY.
Robert Frowick, head of the OSCE mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina, on 28
January said all the political parties represented on the Provisional
Election Commission have finally agreed to the municipal election
regulations, international media reported. Elections for mayors and local
councils in Bosnia will take place on 12-13 July. The OSCE, which
supervised Bosnia's general elections in September, postponed the local
elections after Bosnian Serbs were caught manipulating the registration of
refugees. Frowick said the OSCE will be more careful in supervising the
ballot this time. Under the new rules, Bosnians can opt to vote where they
are now living if they submit proof that they settled there before 31 July
1996, Reuters reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[15] SERBIAN MOB ATTACKS CROATIAN OFFICIALS IN EASTERN SLAVONIA.
UN spokesman Philip Arnold on 28 January said that some 50 Serbs in Borovo
Selo stoned Croatian pension officials, bank representatives, and police,
AFP reported. No one was injured, but the bus transporting the Croatian
officials was damaged and windows of a nearby document-issuing center were
smashed. Arnold said the attack had prevented local Serb citizens from
receiving pensions that the Croatian government has recently started to pay
out. Meanwhile, Veljko Dzakula, head of the Serbian Democratic Forum, the
organization that represents the interests of Croatian Serbs, said on 28
January that the situation of Serbs in Croatia has deteriorated, AFP
reported. Blaming the Croatian government for this state of affairs,
Dzakula said Serbs face grave violations of their rights every day ,
including provocations, threats, looting and government-imposed bans on
visiting their former homes. He said the situation was worst in the Knin
area, southern Croatia, which was formerly a UN protected zone. -- Daria
Sito Sucic
[16] PARTY MERGER IN MACEDONIA.
Petar Gosev and Stojan Andov, leaders of the Democratic Party and the
Liberal Party, have decided to merge their formations into "a strong
[party] in the center," Nova Makedonija reported on 29 January. They
agreed that Gosev will head the new formation, which will be called Liberal-
Democratic Party or Democratic-Liberal Party. Gosev said the new
cooperation will not adversely affect the coalitions at the local level
between the Democrats and the nationalist Internal Macedonian Revolutionary
Organization--Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity. In other news,
Greece and Great Britain on 27 January blocked a proposal for the EU to
provide macroeconomic support to Macedonia. -- Stefan Krause and Michael
Wyzan
[17] BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER IN ROMANIA.
Following a meeting with top officials in Bucharest on 28 January, Malcolm
Rifkind said he was "extremely impressed by the changes [in Romania] in the
last months," Reuters reported. Rifkind also said that the new government's
commitment to reform and improved relations with neighboring Hungary and
Ukraine have boosted its chances of admission to NATO. But he stopped short
of backing Romania's entry in the first wave. Rifkind stressed the need for
Romania to ensure good relations with neighbors that are not seeking NATO
membership, primarily Russia and Ukraine. -- Zsolt Mato
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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