Epilogh OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 61, 27 Mar 95 [**]

From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" <dep@bu.edu>

Ta nea ths hmeras, apo to OMRI:

CONTENTS

  • [01] . BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES ON THE MOVE.

  • [02] . KARADZIC SAYS IT'S "LAST CALL" FOR BOSNIAN PEACE."

  • [03] . KRAJINA SERBS STAGE EXERCISES WITH 100 TANKS.

  • [04] . PRISON RIOT IN MACEDONIA.

  • [05] . MASS RALLIES OF KOSOVARS IN WESTERN EUROPE.

  • [06] . TENSIONS GROW BETWEEN BULGARIAN PRESIDENT AND GOVERNMENT OVER "MULTIGRUP AFFAIR."

  • [07] . BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES AMENDMENT TO LAND LAW.

  • [08] . BULGARIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES TO COOPERATE.

  • [09] . ALBANIAN SHOT IN STORMING OF U.S. EMBASSY.

  • [10] ** GREEK POLICE ARRESTS MORE ANTI-ALBANIAN TERRORISTS.

    •

    OMRI DAILY DIGEST

    No. 61, Part II, 27 March 1995

    SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [01] BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES ON THE MOVE.

    International media reported that Bosnian government forces on 24 March took one key Serbian communications tower at Stolice in the Majevica hills near Travnik and another the next day on Mt. Vlasic near Tuzla. By 27 March, however, it was unclear what the government units had captured, although they seemed to have taken some territory from Serbian forces. In a diplomatic development, Nasa Borba on 27 March reports that Bosnia's ambassador to Switzerland, Muhamed Filipovic, met the previous week in Belgrade with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic at the Serb's initiative. Filipovic said that Bosnia has now opened up a diplomatic channel to Serbia as it is concerned about the status of the Muslims living there. The International Herald Tribune on 25 March suggested that both the offensive and the Filipovic initiative indicate that Sarajevo wants to show its ineffective foreign partners that it can take charge of its own affairs. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [02] KARADZIC SAYS IT'S "LAST CALL" FOR BOSNIAN PEACE."

    International mediaon 24 March quoted Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic as responding to his military losses by calling for immediate and direct negotiations. Two days later, he wrote to world leaders asking them to "bring a halt to the Muslim offensives." The Bosnian government says, however, that Karadzic must accept the Contact Group's peace proposal before talks can begin. Elsewhere, Karadzic made what the BBC on 27 March called "a rare public appearance in combat fatigues," and one German television report on 25 March said he had threatened to take Tuzla. On 26 March, he called for a general mobilization of all Bosnian Serbs and threatened to confiscate the property of all reservists who do not return home from abroad. Karadzic made the same threats last year. Nasa Borba on 27 March reported on a meeting in Belgrade of the Serbian Civic Council, which represents Bosnian Serbs who reject Karadzic and his nationalism. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [03] KRAJINA SERBS STAGE EXERCISES WITH 100 TANKS.

    AFP reported on 26 March that Croatia's Serbian rebels are conducting big maneuvers in Slavonia. Some of their heavy weapons were taken from UN collection points, but at least 13 modern T-72 and M-84 tanks were secretly "moved into Croatia from Serbia on pontoons thrown across the Danube." Krajina's leader Milan Martic attended the exercises. Croatia said it did not protest the maneuvers in order "to avoid poisoning the peace process." -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [04] PRISON RIOT IN MACEDONIA.

    Some 400 prisoners climbed onto the roof of Idrizovo prison near Skopje on 23 and 24 March to demand an amnesty from the Macedonian government, Reuters reported the same day. The prisoners were protesting the authorities' break with the tradition of offering amnesties after presidential and parliamentary elections. The last elections took place in October 1994. Justice Minister Vlado Popovski on 26 March issued an ultimatum to the prisoners that was to expire at noon, on 27 March. AFP cited Popovski as saying that if the prisoners do not give up their protest, the government will "use all means to restore order." -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [05] MASS RALLIES OF KOSOVARS IN WESTERN EUROPE.

    Tens of thousands of ethnic Albanians from the Serbian province of Kosovo gathered in Bonn and Zurich on 25 March to demand international recognition of Kosovo as an independent state, Reuters and AFP reported the same day. According to the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), 65,000 people demonstrated in Bonn and 25,000 in Zurich. Officials estimated 40,000 demonstrators in Bonn and 12,000 in Zurich. The LDK also said that demonstrations took place in the U.S. and Australia. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [06] TENSIONS GROW BETWEEN BULGARIAN PRESIDENT AND GOVERNMENT OVER [

    "MULTIGRUP AFFAIR." Zhelyu Zhelev and the governing Bulgarian Socialist Party have both been accused of close ties with the private financial organization Multigrup, Bulgarian newspapers reported on 27 March. Filip Dimitrov, former leader of the Union of Democratic Forces, asked the present government about its alleged ties with Multigrup. Prime Minister Zhan Videnov responded by saying there are connections between the organization and UDF. He said Zhelev's presidential campaign in 1991 was financed by Multigrup. Multigrup Vice President Dimitar Ivanov confirmed that Zhelev received support from members of Multigrup because his program was "close" to their views on how to move toward a market economy, Duma reported. Valentin Stoyanov, Zhelev's spokesman, told Darik Radio that Zhelev immediately returned the money to Multigrup. The financial organization unites some of Bulgaria's largest private enterprises. It is also said to control large parts of the Bulgarian economy and to have strong political influence. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [07] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES AMENDMENT TO LAND LAW.

    The Bulgarian parliament has approved the first paragraph of an amendment to the land law, Demokratsiya reported on 25 March. The amendment was passed by the Socialist majority the previous day. Under the amended law, companies with foreign capital would not be allowed to own land. The parliament agricultural commission proposed dropping this paragraph, arguing that it will obstruct investment in the agricultural sector. The change was voted on 24 March in order to meet the two-week deadline between the first and second readings of the amendment. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [08] BULGARIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES TO COOPERATE.

    The People's Union is to cooperate with the Union of Democratic Forces, Demokratsiya reported on 27 March. A document issued after a two-day meeting of the PU's leadership calls for cooperation of all "non-communist forces" in Bulgaria based on equality and "mutual respect of ideological and organizational principles." The PU leadership suggested that the opposition nominate joint mayoral candidates in the next local elections but that municipal councilors be elected on party tickets. Anastasiya Dimitrova-Mozer, joint leader of the PU, said that a meeting with the UDF leadership will probably take place later this week. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [09] ALBANIAN SHOT IN STORMING OF U.S. EMBASSY.

    A 19-year-old man was shot in the leg by police when some 200 young Albanians tried to enter the U.S. embassy, international agencies reported. According to hospital officials, the condition of the wounded man was satisfactory following an operation. Young people have been gathering outside the embassy since 23 March, in the mistaken belief that jobs were on offer in the U.S. Newspapers recently ran advertisements for the American immigration lottery. According to Reuters, eyewitnesses alleged that another two people were injured by shots, but police denied the reports. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [10] GREEK POLICE ARRESTS MORE ANTI-ALBANIAN TERRORISTS.

    Greek police on 25 March arrested another two men suspected of being members of the Northern Epirus Liberation Front (MAVI), international agencies reported the same day. Police found seven assault rifles in the garden of the two men's home in the suburb of Pallini, east of Athens; the weapons are believed to have been stolen in a cross-border raid on an Albanian military camp in April 1994. After the arrests, police launched a nationwide search for MAVI terrorists, conducting house searches in northern Greece and road checks near the Albanian border. Reuters on 26 March quoted a police official as saying that "we have good leads and believe that more arrests will follow soon." -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc. [As of 12:00 CET] Compiled by Jan Cleave

    This material was reprinted with permission of the Open Media Research Institute, a Prague-based nonprofit organization.

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