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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 104, 96-05-29
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 104, 29 May 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] IRANIAN AZERIS PROTEST ARRESTS IN AZERBAIJAN.
[02] KARIMOV VISITS GEORGIA.
[03] NAZARBAYEV VISITS MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE.
[04] FLOODING IN TAJIKISTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[05] OSCE CRITICIZES ALBANIAN ELECTIONS.
[06] ALBANIAN POLICE VIOLENTLY BREAK UP OPPOSITION RALLY . . .
[07] . . . GOVERNMENT CHARGES SOCIALISTS WITH PREPARING CIVIL WAR.
[08] BOSNIAN SERB LEADERS VISIT SERBIAN PRESIDENT . . .
[09] . . . WHILE UN "DEPLORES" MILOSEVIC.
[10] CHANGES IN SERBIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL.
[11] CROATIAN PRESIDENT SAYS NO MORE DICTATES.
[12] MUSLIM REFUGEES PREVENTED FROM VISITING STOLAC.
[13] DIPLOMATIC CONFLICT BETWEEN ROMANIA, CROATIA.
[14] ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN JAPAN.
[15] ATTACKS ON BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT CONTINUE.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] IRANIAN AZERIS PROTEST ARRESTS IN AZERBAIJAN.
A rally protesting the arrest of nine Islamists in Azerbaijan took place in
Ardabil, in the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan, AFP reported on 28 May.
The report did not say how many Iranian Azeri protesters took part in the
rally, which was held during the Ashura ritual of mourning for Imam Hussein,
the seventh century Shiite Muslim martyr. The agency noted that authorities in
Baku arrested three Islamists on 21 May, and charged them with illegally
transporting Azerbaijani citizens to Iran. -- Lowell Bezanis
[02] KARIMOV VISITS GEORGIA.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov arrived in Tbilisi on 28 May to sign 16
bilateral agreements with his Georgian counterpart, Eduard Shevardnadze, ITAR-
TASS reported the same day. Speaking at a press conference after their talks,
Karimov and Shevardnadze emphasized the importance of the agreements in
principle on forming financial and industrial groups and cooperation in air
and rail transport. Shevardnadze noted that an ad hoc group will work on
opening a ferry link between Georgian and Bulgarian ports. Uzbekistan is
interested in reaching European markets through Georgia. Both leaders stressed
that there is no alternative to the CIS, RFE/RL reported. -- Lowell
Bezanis
[03] NAZARBAYEV VISITS MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE.
Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev concluded his four-day visit to
Malaysia by signing several bilateral agreements to promote investment, trade,
and scientific and technical cooperation, AFP reported on 29 May. Nazarbayev
invited Malaysian companies to take part in development projects in Kazakhstan,
including the construction of the new capital, Akmola. From there, Nazarbayev,
accompanied by a delegation consisting of government and private sector
representatives, arrived in Singapore. Nazarbayev is expected to sign an
agreement on establishing air links between the two countries and on expanding
bilateral trade and economic cooperation. -- Bhavna Dave
[04] FLOODING IN TAJIKISTAN.
Heavy rains that began on 27 May have caused flooding in many areas of
Tajikistan, ITAR-TASS and RFE/RL reported. ITAR-TASS reported that the
Kofirnikhon, Varsovskii, and Leninskii regions are among the hardest hit. The
Tajik commission for emergencies said that hundreds of homes have been
destroyed, bridges and roads have been washed out, and power lines are down in
several places. Thousands of hectares of winter crops and cotton have been
lost. The flooding is expected to compound a recent outbreak of typhoid. --
Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[05] OSCE CRITICIZES ALBANIAN ELECTIONS.
A preliminary statement issued by the OSCE in Vienna on 29 May criticized
legal shortcomings and insufficient government cooperation in the 26 May
Albanian parliamentary elections, Reuters reported. The OSCE noted a number of
serious violations of the Albanian election law but stopped short of calling
the elections unfree or unfair. "In many instances the implementation of the
law failed to meet its own criteria," the statement said, adding that "the
level of official cooperation offered to [OSCE monitors] was of a limited
nature." The OSCE observed manipulations of ballot sheets, counting
irregularities, and intimidation of voters. "In direct violation to the law,
observers noted that decisions of the polling station commissions were not
made by majority vote but by the arbitrary decisions of the government-
appointed chairman and secretary," according to the OSCE. On 28 May, a group
of British and Norwegian OSCE monitors had issued an unofficial statement that
"the elections did not meet international standards for free and fair
elections, and they did not conform with the requirements of the election
law." -- Fabian Schmidt in Tirana and Stefan Krause
[06] ALBANIAN POLICE VIOLENTLY BREAK UP OPPOSITION RALLY . . .
On 28 May at noon the police broke up an opposition rally on Tirana's
Skanderbeg Square, arresting an unspecified number of people. The police beat
and severely injured several individuals, including party leaders,
parliamentarians, parliamentary candidates, and journalists. After the
incident, the police surrounded the Socialist Party headquarters, where
injured people were being treated and to which some 100 Socialist supporters
fled. During the siege, the electricity was shut off and telephone lines cut.
The headquarters remained blocked until 20:00 local time when, after a press
conference of the Socialists and visits by international diplomats, the police
agreed to let the Socialist supporters leave the building. At the press
conference, the Socialists demanded new elections and the resignation of the
prime minister, interior minister, and a TV director whom they accused of
spreading false information. -- Fabian Schmidt in Tirana
[07] . . . GOVERNMENT CHARGES SOCIALISTS WITH PREPARING CIVIL WAR.
ATSH issued reports, claiming that the Socialists are building up terrorist
groups and preparing to take up arms. Unspecified Socialist supporters were
quoted as saying they will "fight until the last drop of blood." Socialist
leader Kastriot Islami, however, said these reports were designed to justify
further violence. He added that he expects police raids of the Socialist
headquarters under the pretext of arms searches and stressed that his party is
committed to a policy following the
principles of democracy and non-violence. The Socialists, however, told OMRI
they will begin to hold rallies all over the country protesting alleged
election manipulations by the government. Albanian TV, meanwhile, warned the
public not to participate in any "illegal" demonstrations, implying that
opposition rallies will not be tolerated. -- Fabian Schmidt in Tirana
[08] BOSNIAN SERB LEADERS VISIT SERBIAN PRESIDENT . . .
Bosnian Serb civilian leader Radovan Karadzic and his military counterpart,
Gen. Ratko Mladic, were in Serbia on 28 May for secret talks with Slobodan
Milosevic. The BBC reported that while no details of the discussions are known,
topping the agenda was the issue of the two Bosnian Serb leaders' continuing
political influence in Republika Srpska (RS) despite intensifying demands from
the international community for them to stand trial for war crimes. Meanwhile,
RS acting President Biljana Plavsic and RS parliamentary speaker Momcilo
Krajisnik were also in Belgrade for talks with Milosevic but declined to
comment on the substance of their meetings, Nasa Borba reported on 29 May. --
Stan Markotich
[09] . . . WHILE UN "DEPLORES" MILOSEVIC.
In a related development, Reuters on 28 May reported that the UN Security
Council that same day "deplored" Belgrade's "continued failure" to cooperate
with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Most
recently, Belgrade authorities did not execute arrest warrants against Mladic,
who attended the 21 May Belgrade funeral of his colleague and fellow accused
war criminal, Gen. Djordje Djukic. Some reports now say Karadzic himself may
also have been present at Djukic's funeral. -- Stan Markotich
[10] CHANGES IN SERBIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL.
On 28 May the Serbian government, headed by Premier Mirko Marjanovic, publicly
announced a cabinet shuffle, selecting a total of six new ministers, Nasa
Borba reported on 29 May. Representatives of the small New Democracy (ND)
party reacted to the news even before it was officially announced, saying
their party will probably continue to back the government. Following the
"reconstruction" of the government, Deputy Speaker and ND member Vojislav
Andric said, "I am hoping the status quo will remain, but we'll see," Beta
reported. The ND has functioned as a wing of the ruling Socialist Party of
Serbia, giving Milosevic's Socialists a de facto majority in the republic's
legislature. -- Stan Markotich
[11] CROATIAN PRESIDENT SAYS NO MORE DICTATES.
Franjo Tudjman on the Croatian Armed Forces Day said the country has been
continuously pushed to accept unacceptable conditions and thus must have a
ready armed force to guarantee Croatian independence, Hina reported on 28 May.
He added that despite pressure to expand amnesty for Croatian Serbs in eastern
Slavonia to all regions previously inhabited by Serbs, he has refused and will
accept no more dictates, Nasa Borba on 29 May reported. Meanwhile, the
Permanent Committee of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly on 29
May will consider the status of Croatia's application for full membership. The
Permanent Committee noted in a resolution draft of Croatia's application that
Croatia acted discordantly to its liabilities. The committee speakers repeated
their reserves and criticism regarding Croatia, Vjesnik reported on 29 May. -
- Daria Sito Sucic
[12] MUSLIM REFUGEES PREVENTED FROM VISITING STOLAC.
Bosnian Croat police on 28 May prevented some 200 Muslim refugees from
visiting their homes in Stolac in southern Bosnia-Herzegovina, AFP and Onasa
reported. Radoslav Lavric, an official of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Croat
republic of Herceg-Bosna, said the Croatian authorities have already allowed
some 600 Muslim refugees to visit the town, which was more than agreed. Later,
the Croatian authorities in Stolac said the visits were "officially completed,
" and denied more visits because "it is not clear how long they will take,"
Onasa reported on 28 May. Lavric said the Bosnian side had not requested
additional visits, but if it had, more would have been approved. -- Daria Sito
Sucic
[13] DIPLOMATIC CONFLICT BETWEEN ROMANIA, CROATIA.
Florin Radulescu Botica, head of Romania's delegation to the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, said his country will not respond to
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman's criticism of Romania's democracy, Romanian
media reported on 29 May. On 25 May, Tudjman commented on the council's
decision to delay Croatia's admission, ironically adding that such "democratic
countries" as Albania, Romania, Moldova, and Russia have already been admitted
to the council. Botica suggested that Romania's support of the council's
decision caused Tudjman's criticism. He added that the Parliamentary Assembly
considered the decision justified, recalling freedom of press and human rights
violations in Croatia. -- Matyas Szabo
[14] ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN JAPAN.
Teodor Melescanu on 28 May ended a three-day official visit in Japan, Radio
Bucharest reported. He discussed on 27 May bilateral relations with his
Japanese counterpart Yukihiko Ikeda and other senior Japanese officials and
was received by Emperor Akihito the next day. Mutual trade and economic
cooperation figured high on the talks' agenda. The Japanese side pledged to
support the process of privatization and industrial restructuring in Romania
through loans that will be used for re-equipping the iron and steel combine in
Galati and modernizing the Constanta harbor and several Romanian plants.
Melescanu stressed Romania's interest in an agreement similar to the one with
the EU that would remove obstacles to Romanian exports to Japan. Japanese
officials, on their part, insisted that Romania must offer better treatment to
foreign investors if it is to attract more Japanese investment. -- Dan
Ionescu
[15] ATTACKS ON BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT CONTINUE.
The Union of Democratic Forces on 28 May decided to file a no-confidence vote
against the Socialist government for its failure to deal with the aggravating
economic crisis, Demokratsiya reported. At the same time, the Bulgarian
Socialist Party (BSP) is increasing pressure on Prime Minister Zhan Videnov to
reshuffle his cabinet, Standart and Trud reported. At a meeting of the
BSP parliamentary faction, deputies asked for the dismissal of Deputy
Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Svetoslav Shivarov, Industry Minister
Kliment Vuchev, and Culture Minister Georgi Kostov. According to Demokratsiya,
the deputies also asked for the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Economic Development Rumen Gechev. Meanwhile, the Confederation of
Labor "Podkrepa"--one of two big Bulgarian trade unions--announced it will
organize protests against the government and launch a campaign of civil
disobedience. -- Stefan Krause
Compiled by Victor Gomez and Deborah Michaels
News and information as of 1200 CET
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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