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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 241, 96-12-16
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 241, 16 December 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] AZERBAIJAN SIGNS ANOTHER OIL CONTRACT.
[02] GEORGIAN NAVAL COMMANDER REJECTS RATIONALE FOR SACKING.
[03] CEASE-FIRE TAKING HOLD IN TAJIKISTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[04] BIGGEST BELGRADE PROTEST YET.
[05] SERBIAN PRESIDENT REACTS TO ZAJEDNO.
[06] BOSNIAN ELECTIONS ON HOLD?
[07] CROATS, MUSLIMS AGREE ON NEW GOVERNMENT. . .
[08] . . . BUT NOT ON EVICTION ISSUE.
[09] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT URGES CROATIA TO RESPECT PRESS FREEDOM.
[10] DEMACI JOINS KOSOVO'S PARLIAMENTARY PARTY.
[11] HUNGARIAN PREFECTS IN ROMANIA.
[12] CIORBEA VISITS SITE OF NATURAL CALAMITY.
[13] MOLDOVAN LEADER ON PROSPECTS OF SETTLING TRANSDNIESTER CONFLICT.
[14] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS PREPARE FOR PARTY CONGRESS.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] AZERBAIJAN SIGNS ANOTHER OIL CONTRACT.
Representatives of Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR signed on 14
December a $2 billion 25-year contract with a consortium of U.S., Japanese,
and Saudi Arabian companies to develop the Dan Ulduzu and Ashrafi Caspian
shelf deposits, Russian and Western agencies reported. The deposits are
estimated to contain 150 million metric tons of oil and up to 50 billion
cubic meters of gas. SOCAR will have a 20% stake in the project, Amoco 30%,
Unocal 25.5%, Itochu 20%, and Saudi Arabia's Delta 4.5%. Russia's LUKoil is
not a direct participant in the consortium but could acquire an interest,
since SOCAR plans to link the development of Dan Ulduzu and Ashrafi with
that of the nearby Karabakh deposit, according to AFP of 14 December
quoting Interfax. -- Liz Fuller
[02] GEORGIAN NAVAL COMMANDER REJECTS RATIONALE FOR SACKING.
Rear Admiral Aleksandr Djavakhishvili, former commander of the Georgian
navy, has rejected criticism from Georgian Defense Minister Vardiko
Nadibaidze that he failed to eradicate financial irregularites and raise
the combat efficiency of the service, ITAR-TASS reported on 13 November.
Djavakhishvili was dismised from his post last week by Nadibaidze. The two
men have very different views on the optimum size of the navy, whether
Georgia should persist with its claim to part of the Black Sea Fleet, and
military cooperation with Ukraine, according to Segodnya of 5 December. A
member of the opposition National Democrats faction within the Georgian
parliament, Beso Djugeli, has demanded Nadibaidze's impeachment on the
grounds that he has allegedly ruined the country's entire military-
industrial complex, Nezavisimaya gazeta reported on 15 December. -- Liz
Fuller
[03] CEASE-FIRE TAKING HOLD IN TAJIKISTAN.
The cease-fire agreement signed at the conclusion of a 10-11 December
meeting between Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov and opposition leader
Said Abdullo Nuri appears to be reducing fighting in central Tajikistan,
according to international sources. This latest agreement seemed doomed
when less than 24 hours after its signing two bombs went off in the Tajik
capital and fighting was reported in Garm. Four government soldiers were
killed and 14 wounded in the town on 13 December. However, by 15 December
only sporadic gunfire was reported near Garm, although a special unit of
government troops remains surrounded. AFP reported that a special meeting
was held on 13 December in Dushanbe attended by representatives of the
government, opposition, and UN special envoy Gerd Merrem to prevent the
cease-fire agreement from falling apart. -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[04] BIGGEST BELGRADE PROTEST YET.
An estimated 250,000 people participated in a demonstration in Belgrade on
15 December in the largest gathering of the ongoing peaceful protest to
date, Radio B92 reported. On the same day, a court in Nis ruled that the
opposition coalition Zajedno had won the 17 November runoff municipal
elections, and urged the local electoral commission to recognize those
returns. Serbia-wide mass demonstrations, now backed by students and trade
unionists, developed first as a call for the regime to recognize opposition
wins at the municipal level but have evolved into calls for the resignation
of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. Finally, on 15 December, U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State John Kornblum met with Serbian opposition
leader Vuk Draskovic for more than two hours in Geneva. Kornblum emerged
from the meeting expressing his support for the "democratic process" in
Serbia, Reuters reported. -- Stan Markotich
[05] SERBIAN PRESIDENT REACTS TO ZAJEDNO.
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher released on 13
December, Slobodan Milosevic finally broke his silence on the issue of the
opposition Zajedno coalition and the ongoing mass public demonstrations.
Milosevic denied all allegations that he had engaged in or engineered
electoral fraud to undermine the 17 November opposition victories,
international media reported. He also stressed that he would not use force
against "peaceful" demonstrators but described the protesters as "vandals"
and "political terrorists." Meanwhile, the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia
condemned Zajedno, dubbing it a force bent on "destabilizing" Serbia. --
Stan Markotich
[06] BOSNIAN ELECTIONS ON HOLD?
The Croatian member of the three-man presidency, Kresimir Zubak, said that
the postponed local vote will not be held in the spring as many had
suggested. Zubak stated that the ballot will take place instead in the
summer or even later, AFP reported on 14 December. The local elections were
postponed from 14 September into the new year following a dispute over what
was called the P-2 option. That provision allowed persons to register in
any locality where they say they will eventually live. P-2 led to massive
fraud, especially by the Bosnian Serb authorities, who forced voters into
registering in strategic towns. The Muslims then complained and forced the
OSCE to postpone the vote. The Serbs, for their part, refuse to honor any
new ballot without the P-2 option. The deadlock continues despite some
hopes expressed over the weekend that it might soon be broken. -- Patrick
Moore
[07] CROATS, MUSLIMS AGREE ON NEW GOVERNMENT. . .
Officials of the mainly Croatian and Muslim Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina agreed on 14 December that the legislature will elect a new
government on 18 December. At a subsequent session, the legislature will
select a president and vice president, international and local media
reported. Kresimir Zubak is the current federal president but must step
down because he holds a post on the joint presidency that includes a Muslim
and a Serb as well. The two sides agreed on setting up joint police forces
for Sarajevo, Mostar, and central Bosnia, as well as on setting up the
ministries of commerce, transport, energy, and industry in Mostar. --
Patrick Moore
[08] . . . BUT NOT ON EVICTION ISSUE.
Kresimir Zubak on 13 December blocked a session of the Muslim-Croat
Federation planning to discuss the evictions of Muslims from the Croat-held
part of Mostar, Oslobodjenje reported the next day. Zubak claimed the
agenda had been set without prior consultation with Croat members. The
federation's vice president, Ejup Ganic, said after the meeting that the
future of the Dayton peace accords is at stake in Mostar. But Zubak tried
to play down the evictions, saying that events in Mostar "have been
purposely exaggerated ... to cover up other problems in the rest of the
federation and what is happening to Croats," AFP reported. Meanwhile, U.S.
diplomat Robert Beecroft said the U.S. is prepared to apply the heaviest of
pressure to make the federation work. NATO also warned Bosnian Croat forces,
who allegedly participated in the evictions of Muslims, that "swift
military action" would be taken against them if their involvement was
confirmed. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[09] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT URGES CROATIA TO RESPECT PRESS FREEDOM.
The European Parliament on 12 December passed a resolution expressing deep
concern at the government's treatment of the independent Zagreb radio
station Radio 101, Hina reported the next day. The resolution called on
Croatia to "renew Radio 101's permit to broadcast before it runs out on 15
January 1997." Last month, the government gave Radio 101's broadcasting
concession to the rival station but later backtracked on the move after 100,
000 people demonstrated against it in Zagreb. Meanwhile, Croatian police on
13 December detained a senior official of the Croatian Open Society
foundation, and released her two hours later, Reuters reported. Police also
released two of her colleagues who were detained for not reporting how much
money they had when entering the country (see OMRI Daily Digest, 13
December 1996). According to the law, travelers entering Croatia are not
required to report foreign currency in their possession. -- Daria Sito
Sucic
[10] DEMACI JOINS KOSOVO'S PARLIAMENTARY PARTY.
The head of the Kosovo Human Rights Council, Adem Demaci, has joined the
Parliamentary Party of Kosovo, Deutsche Welle's Albanian language service
told OMRI on 16 December. Observers see the move as a challenge to shadow-
state President Ibrahim Rugova, who is pursuing a passive policy aimed at
securing the region's independence from Serbia. Demaci has criticized
Rugova's policy as ineffective and has called for open protests and
demonstrations against the Serbian regime. However, Demaci has also
advocated talks with Belgrade, implying that a solution may be found
through a new federal Yugoslav constitution that would separate Kosovo from
Serbia. Rugova, who met with Secretary of State Warren Christopher in the
U.S. on 13 December, has failed to use the mass protests in Belgrade to
give momentum to Kosovo's struggle against the Serbian government. --
Fabian Schmidt
[11] HUNGARIAN PREFECTS IN ROMANIA.
The Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR) will have three
prefects, according to an agreement reached by the political parties making
up the new governmental coalition. The daily Jurnalul national reported
on 16 December that the UDMR will have prefects in the counties of Harghita,
Salaj, and Satu Mare, and deputy prefects in Covasna, Hunedoara, Mures, and
Bucharest. Harghita and Covasna are inhabited by strong ethnic Hungarian
majorities and, with the exception of Bucharest, the other four counties
have relatively large ethnic Hungarian populations. According to the
agreement, the National Peasant Party Christian Democratic will have 19
prefects, the Social Democratic Union 12, the National Liberal Party seven,
and the National Liberal Party-Democratic Convention one prefect. --
Michael Shafir
[12] CIORBEA VISITS SITE OF NATURAL CALAMITY.
Prime Minister Victor Ciorbea on 15 December visited the village of
Parcovaci near Harlau, Iasi county, which was hit by a landslide. The slide
has affected about 250 acres of land and has caused the river bed to raise
about 30 cm, threatening to flood large areas of land. About 100 homes are
affected, but there are no reports on loss of life. Ciorbea, who was
accompanied by several other members of the government, promised emergency
aid, Radio Bucharest reported on 16 December. -- Michael Shafir
[13] MOLDOVAN LEADER ON PROSPECTS OF SETTLING TRANSDNIESTER CONFLICT.
Vladimir Solonari, the leader of the Moldovan Civic Unity Movement, said
the victory of Petru Lucinschi in the presidential run-off on 1 December
opens the way for a settlement of the conflict with the breakaway
Transdniester region, Infotag reported on 13 December. Solonari, who was
one of Lucinschi's most ardent supporters, added that any settlement must
respect Moldova's borders. He said the inhabitants of the breakaway region
were "tired of uncertainty" and "longing to live in a unified country."
According to Solonari, Russia can play a positive role in finding a
solution to the conflict and Lucinschi can utilize his "good connections in
Moscow" to influence the Tiraspol authorities to agree to "a reasonable
compromise." -- Michael Shafir
[14] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS PREPARE FOR PARTY CONGRESS.
Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) members attended some 80 local conferences
on 14-15 December to elect their delegates to the extraordinary BSP
congress scheduled for 21-22 December, the BSP daily Duma reported on 16
December. Many of the local conferences called for a new government. BSP
parliamentary faction leader Krasimir Premyanov said that strong criticism
and a possible government reshuffle as a result of the congress are
legitimate, but that the party's unity must be preserved. Former BSP Deputy
Chairman Yanaki Stoilov accused Prime Minister and BSP Chairman Zhan
Videnov's government of incompetence and of lying to the people about the
future. Most ministers and prominent BSP leaders were elected as delegates,
but several prominent reformist BSP members--including Andrey Raychev,
Velislava Dareva, and Dimitar Yonchev of the Alliance for Social Democracy--
failed to get elected. Local conferences will also be held this week. --
Stefan Krause
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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