Epilogh OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 63, 29 Mar 95 [.]

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

CONTENTS

  • [01] . IZETBEGOVIC FIRM ON PRECONDITIONS FOR TALKS.

  • [02] . CONFUSION STILL SURROUNDS BOSNIAN FIGHTING.

  • [03] . CELEBRATIONS OF "SERBIAN NATIONAL DAY" IN KOSOVO.

  • [04] . BULGARIA, RUSSIA REACH AGREEMENT ON DEBTS.

  • [05] . BULGARIAN BUSINESS BLOC ABOUT TO SPLIT?

  • [06] . BULGARIAN NAVY IN TROUBLE.

  • [07] . ALBANIAN SOCIALIST LEADER CHARGED WITH CORRUPTION.

    •

    OMRI DAILY DIGEST

    No. 63, Part II, 29 March 1995

    SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [01] IZETBEGOVIC FIRM ON PRECONDITIONS FOR TALKS.

    International media on 28 March reported that Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic, addressing the congress of his Party of Democratic Action, reaffirmed "the two minimal conditions" necessary for him to agree to peace talks: Serbia's recognition of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serbs' acceptance of the Contact Group's peace plan. Meanwhile, Nasa Borba on 29 March writes that the Contact Group has decided there will be no more "solo trips" by its individual members to Belgrade. American and Russian diplomats in particular have repeatedly tried to woo Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic in recent weeks. The diplomats in Brussels agreed on the basic form of their next offer to Milosevic, namely that he recognize his neighbors, accept current peace plans, and allow effective monitoring of his border with the Bosnian Serbs before sanctions are suspended. He has repeatedly refused to budge until the sanctions are completely lifted, however. Moscow may in any event be preparing to offer him another "solo initiative" more to his liking, the independent Belgrade daily reports. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [02] CONFUSION STILL SURROUNDS BOSNIAN FIGHTING.

    Both the Bosnian government and Serbian rebels continue to claim success in the current fighting amid heavy snowfall in central and northeastern Bosnia. Both also seem equally determined to prevent UN observers and the media from independently checking out those claims. The stakes are high: Nasa Borba on 29 March notes that 90% of Serbian communications travel via the transmitter on Mt. Vlasic near Travnik and via another one at Stolice, in the Majevica hills near Tuzla, to the northeast. The paper adds that controlling these television relay stations is more important than taking cities and that government control of them would open up vast reaches of the republic to Sarajevo television broadcasts. It also quotes UN observers as saying the government wants to test the combat readiness of the Serbs. Vecernji list on 28 March suggests that the Bosnian government has not lost sight of its ultimate strategic goals in the northeast, namely liberating the Semberija region and cutting the vital Posavina land corridor linking Serbia with its conquests in Bosnia and Croatia. Finally in Sarajevo, the UN-sponsored airlift on 29 March marks its 1,000th day. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [03] CELEBRATIONS OF "SERBIAN NATIONAL DAY" IN KOSOVO.

    Serbian nationalists in Kosovo celebrated the sixth anniversary of the current Serbian Constitution on 28 March. Following protests in Kosovo in which 22 Albanians were killed by Serbian police in 1989, the Serbian legislature passed amendments to the republic's constitution effectively abrogating the autonomy of the Serbian regions of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The Albanian language-service of Deutsche Welle noted the same day that Albanian-language education was banned in elementary schools in recognition of the Serbian holiday. Meanwhile, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic sent a greetings message to Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic saying that "the stability of Serbia guarantees the freedom of all Serbs," Nasa Borba reported on 29 March. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [04] BULGARIA, RUSSIA REACH AGREEMENT ON DEBTS.

    Russia will repay its $100 million debt to Bulgaria by providing equipment, spare parts, and repair services for its air force as well as industrial equipment, Duma reported on 29 March. An agreement on mutual obligations was signed the previous day in Moscow by Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade Kiril Tsochev and Russian Finance Minister Vladimir Panskov. Tsochev also held talks with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who reaffirmed his intention to visit Bulgaria in mid-May. Tsochev said that 15 accords to promote trade and cooperation in the transportation and construction fields have already been drafted for the visit. He stressed that Bulgaria wants closer military technological cooperation with Russia. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [05] BULGARIAN BUSINESS BLOC ABOUT TO SPLIT?

    A joint meeting of theBulgarian Business Bloc's executive council and parliament faction failed to resolve political frictions, Demokratsiya reported on 29 March. The meeting was aimed at preventing the 12-member faction from splitting. BBB deputies have recently threatened to leave the party if BBB leader Georges Ganchev does not change party policies and his own leadership style. Orlin Draganov, a member of the BBB faction, accused Ganchev of pursuing "a leftist policy despite the [party's] rightist platform." A declaration stating that the faction "remains united and will fulfill its election program" was signed by just eight of the party's deputies. If more than two deputies leave the group, it will lose its status of parliament faction. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [06] BULGARIAN NAVY IN TROUBLE.

    Rear Admiral Hristo Kontrov, acting commander of the Bulgarian Navy, warned that Bulgaria would have only three medium-sized and six small warships by 2000 unless urgent measures were taken, BTA reported on 24 March. Kontrov said the navy needed 11 billion leva for repairs, maintenance, and a recommended ship-building program. Of the four ex-Soviet Romeo-class submarines once in the navy, two have been sold, one is used only for exercises, and the fourth needs new batteries. Kontrov also complained that the navy was severely undermanned. -- Doug Clarke, OMRI, Inc.

    [07] ALBANIAN SOCIALIST LEADER CHARGED WITH CORRUPTION.

    Namik Dokle, deputy leader of the Socialist Party, has been accused by the Democratic Party newspaper Rilindja Demokratike of embezzling some $400,000, the Albanian-language service of Deutsche Welle reported on 28 March. Dokle, who has denied the charges, allegedly received that sum in 1991 from communist-era President Ramiz Alia to buy a printing machine in Canada for the Socialist Party newspaper Zeri i Popullit. At the time, Dokle was chief editor of the newspaper. He claims the machine was bought but says he does not know of its whereabouts. -- 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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