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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 171, 96-09-04
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 171, 4 September 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ELECTIONS SCHEDULED IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH . . .
[02] . . . AND ABKHAZIA.
[03] PEACEFUL SOLUTION FOR KARABAKH SOON?
[04] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT UNVEILS PRE-ELECTION PLATFORM.
[05] GEORGIA REITERATES CLAIM TO PART OF BLACK SEA FLEET.
[06] EU PLEDGES TO HELP CENTRAL ASIAN STATES.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] STATES OF FORMER YUGOSLAVIA MEET FOR SUCCESSION TALKS.
[08] BOSNIAN REFUGEE VOTING ENDS.
[09] NEW SLANDER CHARGES AGAINST INDEPENDENT MEDIA IN CROATIA.
[10] GERMANY DETERMINED TO RETURN BOSNIAN REFUGEES.
[11] SERBIAN ARMS PLANT WORKERS CONTINUE JOB ACTION.
[12] CONFUSION SETTLED OVER KOSOVO AGREEMENT?
[13] MACEDONIA, BOSNIA TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC TIES.
[14] ITALY BACKS SLOVENIA ON NATO, EU.
[15] ROMANIAN CABINET RESHUFFLE.
[16] ROMANIAN MILITARY NEWS.
[17] NEW MOLDOVAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES.
[18] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS PICK NEW PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
[19] BULGARIAN ROUNDUP.
[20] ALBANIAN OPPOSITION AGREES TO PARTICIPATE IN ROUND TABLE.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] ELECTIONS SCHEDULED IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH . . .
At a session marking the fifth anniversary of the Republic of Nagorno
Karabakh's (RNK) unilateral declaration of independence from Azerbaijan, the
RNK parliament voted to hold a presidential election on 24 November 1996,
according to a 30 August Armenian Radio report monitored by the BBC. The
current RNK president, Robert Kocharyan, was elected in 1994; his term expires
in December 1996. Under the terms of the Law on Presidential Elections passed
by the RNK parliament in May 1996, the new president will be elected for five
years; presidential candidates must collect a minimum of 1,500 signatures in
their support from residents of at least four of the six raions of the RNK. --
Liz Fuller
[02] . . . AND ABKHAZIA.
The president of Abkhazia, Vladislav Ardzinba, has scheduled a parliamentary
election for 23 November 1996, according to a 31 August Republic of Abkhazia
Radio report monitored by the BBC. The existing Abkhaz parliament, elected in
early 1992, split during the civil war of 1992-1993; the Georgian deputies
fled to Tbilisi where they set up an exile parliament. -- Liz Fuller
[03] PEACEFUL SOLUTION FOR KARABAKH SOON?
Azerbaijani presidential adviser Vafa Guluzade believes that a peaceful
solution can be found to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem following a meeting in
Frankfurt with his Armenian counterpart, Jirair Liparitian, Turan reported on
30 August. Guluzade said that Armenian authorities are eager to resolve the
conflict due to economic difficulties in their country and because they have
realized that Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be annexed and that no country will
recognize the enclave's independence. In Ankara, Liparitian said that a new
draft agreement proposed by the Armenian side should satisfy Azerbaijan. --
Elin Suleymanov
[04] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT UNVEILS PRE-ELECTION PLATFORM.
Levon Ter-Petrossyan has unveiled his election platform for Armenia's 22
September presidential vote, Noyan Tapan reported on 3 September. The
president's priorities include the further development of democratic
institutions, a continuation of the fight against crime and corruption in
government and law enforcement agencies, and a strengthening of the army and
intelligence services. He also pledged to continue free-market reforms while
improving living conditions through the permanent growth of wages and the
creation of a system of social security. He said a balanced foreign policy
will be directed at increasing cooperation with Russia, Georgia, and Iran and
at looking for ways to settle problems with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Ter-
Petrossyan said he will seek a compromise solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and would like to improve relations with Armenia's diaspora. -- Elin
Suleymanov
[05] GEORGIA REITERATES CLAIM TO PART OF BLACK SEA FLEET.
Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili on 3 September said that
during his recent visit to Kyiv he presented the Ukrainian leadership with an
official Georgian claim on part of the Black Sea Fleet, and that a similar
claim had been passed to the Russian government by Georgia's ambassador in
Moscow, Vazha Lordkipanidze, ITAR-TASS reported. In 1992, Georgia was
allocated the naval port infrastructure at Poti and Ochamchire (in Abkhazia)
plus a number of coastal patrol boats and minesweepers; it is now demanding an
unspecified number of additional vessels to protect its naval borders. At a
press conference in Tbilisi on 21 August, Ukraine's ambassador to Georgia,
Anatolii Kosyanenko, said he saw no obstacles to Ukraine and Georgia reaching
agreement on this issue, BGI reported. -- Liz Fuller
[06] EU PLEDGES TO HELP CENTRAL ASIAN STATES.
The EU has pledged to help Kyrgyzstan, Kazakstan, and Uzbekistan secure
membership in the World Trade Organization and to provide these countries with
additional financial and expert assistance, according to Russian and
Kazakstani media. According to a 1 September ITAR-TASS report monitored by the
BBC, the EU will provide Kyrgyzstan with an estimated $30 million up to the
year 2000 under the TACIS technical aid program, $15 million in humanitarian
aid, and $600,000 to buy medical supplies. Details on the EU aid pledged to
Kazakstan and Uzbekistan were not publicized. Kyrgyz and Kazakstani officials
discussed the aid with visiting EU external affairs commissioner, Hans van den
Broek, earlier this week. -- Lowell Bezanis
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[07] STATES OF FORMER YUGOSLAVIA MEET FOR SUCCESSION TALKS.
Representatives from Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Slovenia met in Ljubljana
on 3 September to discuss the succession issue but failed to make any headway,
according to Reuters. A plan submitted by Sir Arthur Watts, legal expert to
the international community's high representative Carl Bildt, was discussed
at length but ultimately panned. While details of the Watts proposal
remain sketchy, international media reports suggest its main weakness insofar
as the representatives were concerned was its treatment of former Yugoslav
assets held abroad. Shedding some light on the Slovenian position, Miran Majek,
head of Slovenia's succession commission, said, "We cannot agree that the
new Yugoslavia retains embassies that used to belong to the former
Yugoslavia." -- Stan Markotich
[08] BOSNIAN REFUGEE VOTING ENDS.
Voting by the 641,010 Bosnian citizens living abroad has finished,
international media reported on 4 September. Voters live in 55 countries or
territories ranging from Serbia-Montenegro, Croatia, and Germany--which have
the largest numbers--to Albania and New Caledonia with but a handful each. The
turnout was affected by technical problems--including late delivery of ballot
papers or issuing of the wrong papers--as well as by various political
problems and general confusion about candidates and parties. Voting lasted
from 28 August to 3 September in Serbia-Montenegro, where the turnout reached
56%. Many Muslim voters stayed away from the polls in Germany, apparently
confused as to whether their leaders back home had called for a boycott or
not. Things went relatively smoothly in Croatia, where over two-thirds of
those eligible voted. Balloting in Bosnia-Herzegovina itself is slated for 14
September. -- Patrick Moore
[09] NEW SLANDER CHARGES AGAINST INDEPENDENT MEDIA IN CROATIA.
The ruling Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) on 3 September filed slander
charges against two independent newspapers, the daily Novi List and the
weekly Nacional, international agencies reported. Senior editors of the
two papers were accused for publishing "lies and delusions," muddying the
leaders of the HDZ and its members. The charges were made under a new law
providing for prosecution of journalists who offend top state officials, and
only a few weeks before the country's first freedom of speech-related trial
against a senior editor of the satirical weekly Feral Tribune. Novi List is
Croatia's only independent daily, with a circulation of 40,000, and Nacional
is a weekly magazine often critical of top officials. A free media was one of
the conditions for Croatia's accession to the Council of Europe. -- Daria
Sito Sucic
[10] GERMANY DETERMINED TO RETURN BOSNIAN REFUGEES.
German Interior Minister Manfred Kanther said on 1 September the repatriation
of about 320,000 Bosnian refugees will go ahead as planned on 1 October, AFP
reported. Kanther said forcible expulsions may have to be used because not all
the refugees would return voluntarily. A meeting of Germany's state
authorities, who opposed the federal authorities on the issue of refugee
repatriation, is scheduled for mid-September, when Kanther will be seeking
formal approval of the repatriation scheme. But the Bosnian Ministry for
Refugees said the 1 October deadline is too soon for refugee repatriation, and
insisted on their voluntary return, Oslobodjenje reported on 4 September.
Bosnian refugees in Germany hope to extend their refugees status there due to
the postponement of Bosnia's municipal elections, originally scheduled in
September, until spring. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[11] SERBIAN ARMS PLANT WORKERS CONTINUE JOB ACTION.
Hunger strikers at the Zastava plant are being encouraged to give up that
protest, Nasa Borba reported on 4 September. On 2 September Beta reported
that opposition leader Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Renewal Movement had issued an
appeal to the hunger strikers, urging them "not to take [this protest] to the
end" since the government "wants nothing more than for [you]...to die of
hunger." In other news, on 3 September Tanjug reported that visiting Polish
Foreign Minister Dariusz Rosati met with Milosevic, and that both leaders
called for improved relations between rump Yugoslavia and Poland in various
fields, including agriculture, economics, and tourism. -- Stan Markotich
[12] CONFUSION SETTLED OVER KOSOVO AGREEMENT?
Translation errors between the Serbo-Croatian and Albanian version continued
to cause confusion over the education agreement that Kosovar shadow state
President Ibrahim Rugova and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic separately
signed in Pristina and Belgrade on 1 September. The Albanian version
explicitly mentions universities, while the Serbo-Croatian version does not.
But the Sant'Egidio Community, a Rome-based Roman Catholic peace group that
mediated the deal, said it had settled the dispute in talks on 2 September.
Sant'Egidio's founder Andrea Riccardi said his group would continue to support
the dialogue between the Serbian government and the LDK, Reuters reported.
"There is no agenda, but I sense the next steps will be in the areas of civil
life, culture, economy and health," he added. -- Fabian Schmidt
[13] MACEDONIA, BOSNIA TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC TIES.
Visiting Bosnian Prime Minister Hasan Muratovic and his Macedonian counterpart,
Branko Crvenkovski, on 30 August agreed to establish diplomatic relations
after the 14 September Bosnian elections, international media reported.
Following the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries will sign
agreements on economic and trade cooperation, on protection of investment, and
against double taxation. -- Stefan Krause
[14] ITALY BACKS SLOVENIA ON NATO, EU.
Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini said on 3 September that "Italy will
give full support to Slovenia's intentions" to join NATO and the European
Union, Reuters reported. Those remarks came after Slovenian Foreign Minister
Davorin Kracun met with Dini in Rome that same day. For his part, Kracun said
both parties had signed two agreements aimed at allowing citizens of each
country to travel to the other without passports or visa requirements.
Slovenian-Italian relations have been steadily improving since May 1996, after
Ljubljana dropped its objections to foreigners owning property, a move widely
regarded as enabling Italian citizens whose property was nationalized after
they left Slovenia after World War II to buy back real estate. -- Stan
Markotich
[15] ROMANIAN CABINET RESHUFFLE.
Following the ouster of the Party of Romanian National Unity (PUNR) from the
governmental coalition, three new ministers, all members of the Party of
Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), were sworn in by President Ion Iliescu on
3 September, Radio Bucharest reported. They are Ion Predescu, former chairman
of the Senate's judicial commission, who takes over the justice portfolio;
Alexandru Lapusan, at agriculture; and Virgil Popescu, who is now
communications minister. Lapusan and Popescu were formerly deputy ministers.
The government also dismissed five PUNR county prefects and several deputy
prefects. In a press release, the PUNR attacked the PDSR for its decision to
break up the coalition, calling it "immoral" and aimed at achieving sole
control of the parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for 3
November. The PUNR also accused the PDSR of jeopardizing the country's
national interests by deciding to sign the basic treaty with Hungary. --
Michael Shafir
[16] ROMANIAN MILITARY NEWS.
Defense Minister Gheorghe Tinca on 2 September signed an agreement in London
with the Bell Textron Company providing for the construction of the Cobra
attack helicopter under license, Radio Bucharest reported. In other news,
Romanian and international media on 31 August reported the beginning of a new
NATO 10-day military exercise in the Black Sea. The exercise, conducted near
the Romanian port of Constanta within the framework of the Partnership for
Peace, is focusing on humanitarian and peacekeeping operations. Apart from
Romanian and U.S. forces, participants include Greece, Italy, and Ukraine. --
Michael Shafir
[17] NEW MOLDOVAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES.
Moldovan Communist Party Chairman Vladimir Voronin has announced his candidacy
in the presidential elections scheduled for 17 November, Infotag reported on
30 August. Voronin, who was Soviet Moldova's last interior minister, told
Reuters he expected the support of many Moldovans disillusioned by the painful
market reforms. In related news, Ilie Ilascu, who has been sentenced to death
and has been in prison since 1992 for alleged terrorist acts in the breakaway
Dniester Republic, also announced his intention to run. -- Michael
Shafir
[18] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS PICK NEW PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) on 3 September nominated Culture Minister
Ivan Marazov as presidential candidate and Deputy Foreign Minister Irina
Bokova as vice-presidential candidate, Duma reported. Marazov had been the
running mate of Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski, who was rejected by the
Central Electoral Commission and the Supreme Court. According to Kontinent,
BSP leader and Prime Minister Zhan Videnov wanted Justice Minister
Mladen Chervenyakov to run for president, while former party leader Aleksandar
Lilov preferred Nikolay Kamov, chairman of the parliamentary foreign
affairs committee. Standart reported that Videnov objected to Marazov,
saying he is unsuitable as commander in chief of the armed forces and has
health problems. The BSP again criticized the ruling but said it accepts it
because it respects the democratic institutions. Meanwhile, Pirinski said he
will file a complaint with the European Court of Justice for Human Rights. --
Stefan Krause
[19] BULGARIAN ROUNDUP.
A Tupolev 154 of the Bulgarian carrier Hemus Air was hijacked on 3 September
by a Palestinian man, Reuters reported. He hijacked the plane on a flight
between Beirut and Varna, released the 150 passengers in Varna, and was then
flown to Oslo, where he surrendered to the police. A Norwegian police official
said the man asked for political asylum. In other news, Michael Kapustin, a
Russian-born Canadian businessman and former owner of the "Life Choice"
investment fund, was extradited from Germany, AFP reported. Kapustin is
accused of defrauding investors of $18 million in "Life Choice," an obvious
pyramid scheme. Kapustin claimed the fund was developing a cure for AIDS and
promised 151% interest in 1993 and 227% in 1994. "Life Choice" paid the
interest in 1993, attracting 10,000 new investors in 1994, put stopped paying
in 1995 after transferring its funds overseas. -- Stefan Krause
[20] ALBANIAN OPPOSITION AGREES TO PARTICIPATE IN ROUND TABLE.
Fourteen Albanian parties, including the opposition Socialists, Social
Democrats and the Center Pole coalition, agreed to participate in talks with
President Sali Berisha on 4 September, Rilindja Demokratike reported on 4
September. Zeri i Popullit said the talks would focus on a new law on local
elections and added that the opposition parties in a previous debate had
agreed to the meeting despite the fear that it "may be turned into a
propaganda spectacle" by the government. -- 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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