OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 151, 4 August 1995

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

CONTENTS

  • [01] "BATTLE FOR KRAJINA HAS BEGUN."

  • [02] TUDJMAN PROMISES SERBS FAIR TREATMENT.

  • [03] "KRAJINA SERBS ARE ON THEIR OWN, AND THEY KNOW IT."

  • [04] UN SAYS "PEACE PROCESS SHOULD TAKE ITS COURSE."

  • [05] BELGRADE MEDIA SHARPLY CRITICIZES KRAJINA, BOSNIAN SERB LEADERS.

  • [06] HEAD OF BULGARIAN PRIVATIZATION CENTER REPLACED.

  • [07] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT EVICTS CONSTITUTIONAL COURT.

  • [08] ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS HOLD PROTEST RALLY.

  • [09] TWO NEW FUNDS FOR ALBANIAN ENTERPRISES.

  • [10] 28 ALBANIANS ARRESTED IN FIGHT OVER DAM.

  • [11] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER CRITICIZED FOR PLANNED INTERVIEW.

  • [12] TURKISH PREMIER APPEALS TO GREECE FOR "OPEN TALKS."

    •

    OMRI DAILY DIGEST

    No. 151, Part II, 4 August 1995

    SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [01] "BATTLE FOR KRAJINA HAS BEGUN."

    This is what a UN spokesman told the BBCjust after dawn on 4 August. At 3:00 a.m., the Croatian authorities informed the UN that military action was imminent; at 4:00 a.m., the peacekeepers went on "red alert"; and one hour later, the Croatian offensive began. Hundreds of shells fell on Knin, while others hit Slunj, Gracac, Petrinja, Glina, and Udbina with its major air base. Some 20 tanks sped out of Gospic and into the Medak pocket just 65 km from Knin. Croatian media said that the Serbs in return shelled Sibenik, Sisak, Karlovac, Gospic, Ogulin, Otocac, Sunja, Novska, Topusko, and Dubrovnik. They had already blasted the Dubrovnik area the previous day. Reuters reported that the Croatian army wanted to quickly take out the Serbian missile batteries trained on Zagreb. The BBC quoted UN spokesmen in Knin as saying that the streets there were deserted and the atmosphere "grim" and that the center of the city is on fire. Early and unconfirmed reports suggest that the Croats are making rapid progress, especially in the north. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [02] TUDJMAN PROMISES SERBS FAIR TREATMENT.

    Croatian President Franjo Tudjman issued a statement to the Krajina Serbs urging them to lay down their arms. He said that all will be treated fairly, that innocent civilians have nothing to fear, and that war criminals will be given a fair trial. He added that "we were forced to make such a decision in order to put an end to the four-year long deception of the Croatian and international public and ensure the beginning of a return of [250,000 Croat] refugees." International media on 4 August noted, however, that the Serbs are likely to flee like the Serbs in western Slavonia, which the Croats retook in May. The Krajina Serbs have been fed a steady diet of nationalist and anti-Croatian propaganda by their media for years, and their ranks contain more than a few war criminals who may be skeptical of Tudjman's words. Some 3,000 new Serbian refugees were reported headed for Banja Luka on 3 August in what the BBC called one of the largest migrations of Serbian civilians since 1991. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [03] "KRAJINA SERBS ARE ON THEIR OWN, AND THEY KNOW IT."

    This is how the BBCon 3 August described the fate of the Croatian Serb rebels after Bosnian Serb commander General Ratko Mladic made it clear that he will stay out of any conflict in Krajina. The broadcast added that "he takes his orders from Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic." Things have come a long way since 1990, when Milosevic's media and agents promoted Serbian nationalism and fear of the Croats among ordinary Serbs in Krajina. Their chetnik militias sang in return: "Slobo, Slobo send us salad, because we'll soon have much Croatian meat." But now many Krajina Serbs believe that Milosevic and his followers have decided to abandon the Croatian Serbs, except for those in the prosperous eastern Slavonia, which many expect Serbia to annex formally. Rumors are also rife of a deal between Zagreb and Belgrade to this effect. Few observers believe Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic's pledge to reverse recent Croatian territorial gains. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [04] UN SAYS "PEACE PROCESS SHOULD TAKE ITS COURSE."

    International media on 4August reported that the talks in Geneva headed by UN mediator Thorvald Stoltenberg the previous day came to nothing. A Croatian spokesman said that the Serbs refused to budge on the key issue of their political reintegration into Croatia. Stoltenberg, however, felt that more progress has been made than he had hoped. Meanwhile in Belgrade, the influential U.S. ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, met with Krajina Serb "Prime Minister" Milan Babic, who agreed to the principle of a political settlement. Babic promised to reopen the oil pipeline immediately and launch talks on political and economic issues. Galbraith said that the Serb concessions based on the so-called Z-4 plan provided an opportunity to end the war. A UN spokesman, however, told the BBC that the Croats were "cynical and skeptical" about Babic's pledges. The UN expressed regret that the Croats will not "allow the peace process to take its course." The Security Council passed a resolution warning that "there can be no military solution." -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [05] BELGRADE MEDIA SHARPLY CRITICIZES KRAJINA, BOSNIAN SERB LEADERS.

    Reuters on 3 August reported that the rump Yugoslav state-run media have attacked Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and particularly rebel Krajina Serb leader Milan Martic for their militarism. A Politika editorial, reported by Belgrade TV, blamed Karadzic and Martic for provoking war with Croatia. The editorial, written by Dragan Hadzi Antic, the daily's political editor and a close ally of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, appeared in print on 4 August. -- Stan Markotich, OMRI, Inc.

    [06] HEAD OF BULGARIAN PRIVATIZATION CENTER REPLACED.

    Yosif Iliev, director of the Center for Mass Privatization, was replaced by Kalin Mitrev on 3 August, Demokratsiya reported the following day. A government statement said Iliev asked to be removed from office and will be assigned to a new post. The newspaper reported that Iliev and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Development Rumen Gechev disagreed over how mass privatization should be carried out. According to Pari, the appointment of Mitrev in effect puts Prime Minister Zhan Videnov in control of privatization. Standart reported that Mitrev has asked for guarantees that Gechev will not interfere in his work. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [07] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT EVICTS CONSTITUTIONAL COURT.

    The cabinet on 3 August decided to move the Constitutional Court from its present offices in the government building, 24 chasa reported the following day. The measure was described as "temporary" and was explained by the need to house the Central Electoral Commission in the building. The Constitutional Court was advised to ask the parliament for new offices in the former Communist Party headquarters. Members of the commission said the decision was a "purely political act," since they do not need that much office space. Constitutional Court Judge Georgi Markov commented that if there is not enough space in the building, the government should move out, because "it is lower in the state hierarchy." Markov also remarked that the government has "declared war on the Constitutional Court, which will have serious consequences." -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [08] ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS HOLD PROTEST RALLY.

    The opposition Socialist Party on 2 August held a protest meeting to demand the release of their party leader, Fatos Nano, Gazeta Shqiptare reported the following day. Nano has been in prison since 1993 for misappropriating Italian humanitarian aid. He is expected to be released by the Supreme Court in September. Some 3,000-4,000 people participated in the rally. The demonstrators also demanded the reinstatement of professors from Tirana University's economics faculty who were sacked for what the Socialists claimed are political reasons. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [09] TWO NEW FUNDS FOR ALBANIAN ENTERPRISES.

    The German Bank for Reconstruction has opened a development fund in Tirana and the Albanian- American Investment Fund opened an office in Tirana, BETA reported. Both funds are designed to offer help to small and medium-size enterprises and to support the privatization process. They will give credits and technical assistance to firms in construction and tourism. President Sali Berisha said the funds will "improve economic cooperation among private businesses and the general level of investment in the Albanian economy." He added that the rapid privatization of Albanian banks is one of his priorities. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [10] 28 ALBANIANS ARRESTED IN FIGHT OVER DAM.

    The Albanian police arrested 28 peasants who threatened to place explosives under the dam of a water reservoir in construction in the village of Bovila near Tirana, BETA reported on 3 August. The reservoir is to provide Tirana with water but will flood the peasants' land (see OMRI Daily Digest, 2 August 1995). The peasants have been offered land in compensation but they say that the earth quality is lower than what they have now. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [11] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER CRITICIZED FOR PLANNED INTERVIEW.

    Gerasimos Arsenis has been strongly criticized by the opposition for his decision to give an interview on the Greek army to the Macedonian daily Nova Makedonija, the newspaper reported on 4 August. Announcing his decision, Arsenis indicated that Greece may lift its embargo on Macedonia if the country changes its flag and constitution. He also said that Greece wants good relations with Macedonia. Vasilis Manginas, spokesman of the conservative main opposition party New Democracy, called the decision "a grave mistake and incomprehensible move." The nationalistic Political Spring party said such an interview would be an "unprecedented action" and constitute "de facto recognition" of Macedonia. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [12] TURKISH PREMIER APPEALS TO GREECE FOR "OPEN TALKS."

    Tansu Ciller, in aninterview with the Turkish daily Hurriyet on 3 August, has appealed to Greece to "overcome its fears" and open talks with Ankara, AFP reported the same day. With regard to Greece's recent decision not to veto an European Union-Turkey customs deal, she expressed her hope that Greece will "continue its new stand." Greek government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos the same day hailed the conciliatory tone of the interview but objected to Ciller's allusion to Athens's alleged support for the Kurdish rebels in Turkey, complaining that Ciller was repeating a well- known Turkish position. He noted that Turkish-EU relations depended on Turkey's compliance with international law, respect for human rights, and "more generally what you call European culture." -- Lowell Bezanis, OMRI, Inc.

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

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