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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 170, 96-09-03
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 170, 3 September 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] IRREDENTIST CAMPAIGN AMONG AZERIS IN IRAN.
[02] GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER PROPOSES REPLACING OSSETIAN PEACEKEEPERS.
[03] MORE SACKINGS IN TURKMENISTAN.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[04] FIRST BREAKTHROUGH IN KOSOVO DEADLOCK IN SEVEN YEARS.
[05] MUSLIM BOYCOTT OF BOSNIAN BALLOTING CALLED OFF.
[06] BOSNIAN REFUGEE VOTING ABROAD YIELDS MIXED RESULTS.
[07] WILL HERCEG-BOSNA VANISH?
[08] BOSNIAN AND CROATIAN SHORTS.
[09] BREAKTHROUGH ON THE SERBIAN STRIKE FRONT?
[10] SLOVENIAN UPDATE.
[11] ROMANIAN COALITION BREAKS.
[12] DNIESTER REGION MARKS "INDEPENDENCE DAY."
[13] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS' PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE REJECTED.
[14] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER ENDS ALBANIAN VISIT.
[15] COUNCIL OF EUROPE THREATENS TO SUSPEND ALBANIA.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] IRREDENTIST CAMPAIGN AMONG AZERIS IN IRAN.
Tens of thousands of ethnic Azeris in Iran have signed a petition calling on
their deputies in the Iranian parliament to introduce legislation demanding
the "return" to Iran of 17 cities in the Caucasus, including Baku, the capital
of Azerbaijan, AFP reported on 31 August, quoting the Iranian daily newspaper
Abrar. The petition calls on the leadership of Azerbaijan to "be courageous
and recognize historical facts" and accede to these demands. -- Liz
Fuller
[02] GEORGIAN DEFENSE MINISTER PROPOSES REPLACING OSSETIAN PEACEKEEPERS.
Meeting in Tbilisi with the deputy head of the OSCE mission in Georgia,
Georgian Defense Minister Vardiko Nadibaidze proposed disbanding the
joint Georgian-Russian-Osetian peacekeeping force deployed in Tskhinvali since
1992 and replacing it with a group of Russian and Georgian military observers,
ITAR-TASS reported on 31 August. -- Liz Fuller
[03] MORE SACKINGS IN TURKMENISTAN.
Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov has sacked Supreme Court Chairman
Amanmurad Kakabayev and Deputy Interior Minister Amangeldy Geldykurbanov,
Reuters reported on 29 August. The two were dismissed for "failing in his
responsibilities" and "serious shortcomings," repectively, according to the
agency. A 28 August Turkmen Radio report monitored by the BBC reported that
Geldykurbanov, who was also the head of Turkmenistan's Higher Militia School,
was demoted and expelled from all Interior Ministry bodies. He was replaced at
the school by Gurbanmukhammet Kasymov. No replacement for Kakabayev has been
announced. Niyazov deplored "an epidemic of corruption which has touched all
levels in the justice authorities," Reuters reported, citing Neitralny
Turkmenistan. -- Lowell Bezanis
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[04] FIRST BREAKTHROUGH IN KOSOVO DEADLOCK IN SEVEN YEARS.
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and Kosovar shadow state President
Ibrahim Rugova signed an agreement on the return of ethnic-Albanian elementary
and secondary school children to school premises on 1 September, international
media reported. The agreement, negotiated under mediation of the Roman
Catholic community San'Egidio, is apolitical and both sides expressed the
understanding that it was of purely social and humanitarian character. It is,
however, the first case in which Milosevic accepted Rugova as a negotiating
partner. Albanians in Kosovo have been boycotting the Serbian schools and
established an underground school system in private homes since 1990. Albanian
President Sali Berisha praised the accord as an important step for human
rights. Rugova said the agreement lacked clarification on the status of
university education. A committee made up of three members from each side has
been appointed to work out terms for applying the accord. -- Fabian
Schmidt
[05] MUSLIM BOYCOTT OF BOSNIAN BALLOTING CALLED OFF.
The governing Muslim Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the opposition Party
for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH) have decided to call off their threat of an
election boycott, the BBC reported on 31 August. The OSCE apparently told them
that the current election rosters--which the Serbs in particular had packed to
gain strategic advantages in key towns--will not be used after the 14
September vote. The SDA and SBiH were thereby reassured that the Serbs would
not be able to use the lists as a basis for rigged voting in future local
elections or referendums. -- Patrick Moore
[06] BOSNIAN REFUGEE VOTING ABROAD YIELDS MIXED RESULTS.
Voting in Serbia and Montenegro continued to produce a poor turnout, with only
25% of those eligible having cast their ballots by the end of the weekend, AFP
reported on 2 September. Voting there began on 28 August and is slated to end
on 3 September. The initial call by the SDA and SBiH for a boycott apparently
helped contribute to a low turnout among Muslims in Germany, and as of 2
September only 10% of the ballot papers from that country had been returned.
Many could still be in the mail, however, so the last word is not in. Things
were considerably different in Croatia, however, where some two-thirds of the
potential electorate turned out to vote on 31 August-1 September. Many others
were expected to travel home to cast their ballots in person. OSCE
monitors described the vote in Croatia as "without fraud or major
irregularities." The only problem was in Dubrovnik, where 1,700 voters were
given Serbian ballots by mistake and will later have to be issued Croat-Muslim
ones. -- Patrick Moore
[07] WILL HERCEG-BOSNA VANISH?
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State John Kornblum announced on 30 August the
self-styled Bosnian Croat para-state of Herceg-Bosna would legally cease to
exist as of the next day, international media reported. In turn, certain
republican, mostly Muslim-controlled ministries would be also dissolved into
joint federal structures. Kornblum said specific institutions of Herceg-Bosna
would be changed over the coming fortnight. But nothing really changed on 31
August. Ivan Bender, the Herceg-Bosna senior official, said Bosnian Croats
will abolish their para-state only after getting guarantees from Muslims about
simultaneous dissolution of the republic authorities, Dnevni Avaz reported
on 3 September. Bender announced the para-state of Herceg-Bosna will be
replaced by the Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna, a future political
institution to guarantee political rights of Bosnian Croats. -- Daria Sito
Sucic
[08] BOSNIAN AND CROATIAN SHORTS.
Four explosions rocked Brcko early on 1 September, hitting three Muslim-owned
houses and one Muslim company specializing in housing repair materials, news
agencies reported. This is not the first such incident involving Muslim
property in the strategic Serbian-held town, the future of which will be
decided by arbitration later this year. In Doboj, peacekeepers on 31 August
fired a warning shot at a Serbian ambulance that was transporting unauthorized
weapons. Meanwhile, at Ovcara near Vukovar in Croatia, international forensic
experts arrived on 30 August to begin work on excavating a probable mass
grave. The site presumably holds the remains of at least 250 Croatian hospital
patients killed by rump Yugoslav forces who took the town in November 1991.
Vukovar is synonymous with heroism and martyrdom in Croatia, and work at the
site will be followed closely by a broad public. -- Patrick Moore
[09] BREAKTHROUGH ON THE SERBIAN STRIKE FRONT?
The director of the Zastava arms facility in Kragujevac, Col. Vukasin
Filipovic, is resigning, Nasa Borba reported on 2 September. Beta on 29
August reported him saying that same day that he fully intended to resign,
noting the action "was for the [future] good of the plant, for the honest
workers . . . and to preserve the integrity of the office of plant director."
Zastava workers are waging a strike action, demanding unpaid wages, and have
insisted on Filipovic's ouster (see ). Meanwhile, on 29 August Beta also reported that Tomislav Banovic, chair of the Council of Independent Workers of Serbia, said that with the conclusion of "an agreement with the federal government," most of the Zastava workers' demands had been addressed and the issue of unpaid wages "should be resolved through negotiations with plant management." -- Stan Markotich
[10] SLOVENIAN UPDATE.
Slovenian President Milan Kucan opened a second round of dialogues on 2
September with the country's political parties, aimed at securing agreement on
a national election date, Reuters reported. By 3 September, Kucan is expected
to have met with representatives of 11 parties. According to the Slovenian
constitution, Kucan will have to announce the date 60 to 90 days in advance,
and an election must be held between 27 October and 8 December 1996. In other
news, Nasa Borba of 31 August-1 September reported that Slovenian Premier
Janez Drnovsek reiterated at a recent press conference that Slovenia "wants
normalized relations with [rump Yugoslavia]." He added that Belgrade
"continues to be overly preoccupied with the question of continuity,"
suggesting that outstanding issue may be a stumbling block to normalization. --
Stan Markotich
[11] ROMANIAN COALITION BREAKS.
The Party of Social Democracy in Romania on 2 September decided to oust its
junior partner from the governmental coalition, Radio Bucharest announced on 2
September. The decision was made after the Party of Romanian National Unity
(PUNR), at a meeting the previous day, reiterated attacks on President Ion
Iliescu over his intent to sign the Romanian-Hungarian basic treaty. PUNR
Chairman Gheorghe Funar earlier called the intention "treason" and called for
Iliescu's suspension from office. Transportation Minister Aurel Novac
immediately announced he was resigning as PUNR deputy chairman and from the
party itself in protest against what he called Funar's "unjustified" attacks
on Iliescu, which he said are aimed at building "political capital" in Funar's
race against the incumbent president. Novac will stay in the government as an
independent. Prime Minister Nicolae Vacaroiu asked Iliescu to approve the
dismissal of the other three PUNR ministers and said their replacements will
be made known on 3 September. -- Michael Shafir
[12] DNIESTER REGION MARKS "INDEPENDENCE DAY."
Moldova's breakaway Dniester region on 2 September staged what Reuters called
"pompous" celebrations to mark the sixth anniversary of the region's
"independence." Several thousand Dniester troops marched in Tiraspol's main
square. Leader Igor Smirnov read congratulatory telegrams from the heads of
several autonomous Russian regions and from the leader of the Russian Liberal
Democratic Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Infotag quoted Smirnov as saying there
will be no voting for the Moldovan presidential elections on Dniester
territory. Those wishing to vote will not be obstructed from doing so, but
will have to travel to the territory controlled by Chisinau, Smirnov said. --
Michael Shafir
[13] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS' PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE REJECTED.
The Supreme Court on 2 September rejected an appeal against the Central
Electoral Commission's (TsIK) refusal to register Foreign Minister Georgi
Pirinski as presidential candidate of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) on
the grounds that he is not a "Bulgarian citizen by birth" as required by the
constitution, Bulgarian media reported. The unanimous decision of a five-
member magistrate under Chief Justice Rumen Yankov is final. The BSP daily
Duma accused the court of acting on political orders by the opposition.
Pirinski has not commented so far. He will hold a press conference on 3
September. Trud named Culture Minister Ivan Marazov--so far Pirinski's
running mate--as the most likely new BSP candidate. Other possible candidates
include Parliament Chairman Blagovest Sendov and Interior Minister Nikolay
Dobrev. A BSP plenary meeting is expected to decide on a new candidate later
this week. -- Stefan Krause
[14] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER ENDS ALBANIAN VISIT.
Greek Foreign Minister Theodore Pangalos left Albania on 1 September after a
two-day official visit, AFP reported. The previous day he met with Albanian
President Sali Berisha in Vlora after inaugurating the Greek consulate in
Gjirokastra. The two countries agreed to set up a department of Albanian
language at Athens University, and a Greek high school in Tirana. Berisha and
Pangalos also discussed ways to legalize the immigration of Albanians to
Greece as seasonal workers. Berisha accepted an invitation from Greek
President Kostis Stephanopoulos for a visit in the near future. In other news,
Bosnian Vice President Ejup Ganic arrived in Tirana on 2 September. He met
Berisha and Foreign Minister Tritan Shehu. -- Fabian Schmidt
[15] COUNCIL OF EUROPE THREATENS TO SUSPEND ALBANIA.
Lord Finsberg, leading a delegation of the Council of Europe's parliamentary
assembly, implied that the Council was ready to suspend Albania unless the
government and opposition parties respected its call to start serious talks to
sort out their differences, Reuters reported on 30 August. Finsberg also said
the Council would send technical aid to Albania to help it hold free and fair
local elections on 20 October. Meanwhile, the Socialists pledged to
participate fully in the local ballot, but demanded the government guarantee
free and fair elections. They further demanded round-table talks to change the
electoral law, a new constitution and new parliamentary elections as soon as
possible and the annulment of the controversial "genocide law." -- Fabian
Schmidt
Compiled by Victor Gomez and Janet Hofmann
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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