OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 88, 5 May 1995

From: "Steve Iatrou" <siatrou@cdsp.neu.edu>

CONTENTS

  • [01] WHERE ARE THE MISSING 1,000 SERBS?

  • [02] POLITICAL UPDATE ON CROATIAN CRISIS.

  • [03] CROATIAN-MUSLIM PARLIAMENT MEETS IN SARAJEVO.

  • [04] SERBIAN VOLUNTEERS OFF TO THE FRONT.

  • [05] MASS TRIALS IN KOSOVO.

  • [06] FIRST 100 DAYS OF BULGARIA'S SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT.

  • [07] BULGARIA TO APPLY FOR EU MEMBERSHIP IN 1996.

    •

    OMRI DAILY DIGEST

    No. 88, Part II, 5 May 1995

    SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [01] WHERE ARE THE MISSING 1,000 SERBS?

    International media reported on 5 Maythat Croatian forces completed their occupation of the divided west Slavonian city of Pakrac the previous day. Some accounts indicate there was no resistance and that the Serbs readily surrendered, while others suggest that some Serbs panicked and put up a last-minute struggle. Croatian officials arrested five Serbian leaders as suspected war criminals. An additional 800-1,000 people were sent off in buses to unknown destinations, despite protests by UN officials who wanted to evacuate the Serbs to a place of their own choosing. Some Croats told the UN that the Serbs were "chetniks." Other reports noted that drunken Croatian soldiers were systematically looting Serb-held properties and carting off the goods in army trucks. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [02] POLITICAL UPDATE ON CROATIAN CRISIS.

    The UN Security Council passed a resolution on 4 May condemning Croatian behavior in Pakrac as well as the Serbian missile attacks on Zagreb, which hit the city center, the airport area, and the poor district of Kozari Bok. The council also called on Croatian troops to return to their original positions but did not say what the UN would do if the soldiers stay put. President Franjo Tudjman, however, told international media that he hoped the Serbs had learned a lesson and would now accept a political settlement. He added that he wants especially to reopen the Zagreb-Knin-Split railway line soon. Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic attended a "unity meeting" with Krajina Serb officials and told CNN that "we are going to defend our people with all of our means." But it nonetheless seems clear that Pale has its hands full at home and that its ability to aid Knin is limited. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [03] CROATIAN-MUSLIM PARLIAMENT MEETS IN SARAJEVO.

    Legislators representing the year-old federation began a three-day session on 4 May to discuss its future. The Croats and Muslims accuse each other of being responsible for the failure to launch joint institutions, especially in the military and the police. The Croatian police refuse to accept lower Bosnian government wages, for example, while the Muslims accuse some Croatian leaders of being war criminals. Elsewhere in the Bosnian capital, AFP said that sniper fire was on the rise, while, in an unusual twist, drunken French peacekeepers celebrating their regiment's annual feast day threw grenades that killed a Muslim soldier. In Maglaj, Serbs wounded six British troops, which prompted the UN command to issue a "strong protest" to the local Serbian headquarters. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [04] SERBIAN VOLUNTEERS OFF TO THE FRONT.

    Vojislav Seselj, leader of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) and accused war criminal, has dispatched the first contingents of Serbian volunteers to defend Krajina, Nasa Borba reported on 5 May. The precise number of volunteers who have already left is being kept secret by the SRS. The daily observed that the notorious leader of the paramilitary "Tigers", Zeljko Raznatovic, alias Arkan, is gathering his own volunteers for service on the front lines. In other news, international agencies reported that Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias is scheduled to arrive in Belgrade on 5 May to meet with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. Discussions between the two leaders are expected to focus on the most recent military developments in the former Yugoslavia and their possible impact on prospects for peace. -- Stan Markotich, OMRI, Inc.

    [05] MASS TRIALS IN KOSOVO.

    Seventy-seven ethnic Albanian former policemen went on trial in Prizren and Gnjilan on 3 May, international agencies reported. These latest trials bring the number of former policemen charged with creating a shadow Kosovar police force to 88. So far, 16 have been sentenced to up to six years in prison and 159 arrested. Defense lawyers say there is not enough evidence to back the charges and have argued that the trials are political. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [06] FIRST 100 DAYS OF BULGARIA'S SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT.

    Most Bulgarian newspapers on 4 May published critical assessments of the first 100 days of the Socialist-led government. The independent 24 chasa wrote that the government has done "nothing for the people," while Standart said the government's plans were "still unclear" and that there are more problems than before. The Socialist daily Duma, for its part, focused on the opposition Union of Democratic Forces, saying that its "fight against 'communism'" only proves the narrow horizon of its politicians. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [07] BULGARIA TO APPLY FOR EU MEMBERSHIP IN 1996.

    Bulgarian Prime Minister Zhan Videnov has said Bulgaria will apply for membership in the European Union at the time of the EU's intergovernmental conference next year, which is to discuss further moves toward integration under the Maastricht treaty. Videnov made the statement at a meeting with EU Commissioner Hans Van den Broek, who said EU enlargement was "a historic necessity in order to correct the consequences of the division of Europe." Van den Broek also met with President Zhelyu Zhelev, international agencies reported on 4 May. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

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

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