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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 238, 96-12-11
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 238, 11 December 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] THREE DASHNAK PARTY MEMBERS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN ARMENIA.
[02] 19 FORMER OPON MEMBERS ARRESTED IN AZERBAIJAN.
[03] RUSSIAN STATE DUMA SPEAKER IN TBILISI.
[04] KAZAKSTAN FLOATS BONDS ON WORLD MARKET.
[05] UZBEKISTAN TO BUY RUSSIAN GRAIN.
[06] TAJIK PRESIDENT, OPPOSITION LEADER MEET.
[07] TURKMENISTAN CELEBRATES NEUTRALITY.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[08] STANDOFF IN BELGRADE.
[09] CLINTON TELLS MILOSEVIC TO ACCEPT VOTE RESULTS . . .
[10] . . . AS DOES NATO . . .
[11] . . . AND THE BOSNIAN SERB LEADERSHIP.
[12] HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS STILL PERSIST IN KOSOVO.
[13] CROATIA, SERB REFUGEE ORGANIZATIONS SIGN AGREEMENT ON RETURN.
[14] PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES APPROVE ROMANIAN CABINET NOMINEES.
[15] OUTGOING MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT TO STAY IN POLITICS.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] THREE DASHNAK PARTY MEMBERS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN ARMENIA.
Armenia's Supreme Court on 10 December sentenced to death three members of
the banned Dashnak party (HHD) on charges of terrorism after a trial that
lasted more than 16 months, international agencies reported. Arsen
Ardzrouni (a Lebanese citizen of Armenian origin), Armen Grigoryan, and
Armenak Mnjoyan have been convicted of forming a clandestine armed group
called Dro and committing three murders. Eight other members of the alleged
group were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to 15 years. The
lawyers of the defendants can appeal the verdict within a week. President
Levon Ter-Petrossyan suspended the activities of the HHD in December 1994
on the grounds that Dro was affiliated with the party and planned to
overthrow the government. But according to RFE/RL, the three-member panel
of judges ruled that there is not enough evidence to prove a connection
between HHD and Dro. -- Emil Danielyan
[02] 19 FORMER OPON MEMBERS ARRESTED IN AZERBAIJAN.
Elchin Amiraslanov, the former commander of the OPON special police sub-
division in Kazakh Raion, was arrested in Baku on 10 December along with 18
of his associates, Turan and Western agencies reported. In March 1995, the
OPON unit occupied the local administrative building to protest a planned
crackdown on their involvement in the illegal export of strategic metals;
the incident precipitated a showdown between OPON commander Rovshaan
Djavadov and Azerbaijani army troops in which the former was killed.
Amiraslanov, who subsequently fled to Ukraine, will be charged with treason
and the murder of several high-ranking security officials in October 1995.
Azerbaijani parliament speaker Yagub Mamedov has denied reports of
Amiraslanov's arrest, according to Turan. -- Liz Fuller
[03] RUSSIAN STATE DUMA SPEAKER IN TBILISI.
Gennadii Seleznev met with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and
Minister of State Niko Lekishvili on 10 December to discuss bilateral
relations and the Abkhaz conflict, Russian and Western agencies reported.
Shevardnadze and Seleznev said they favor expediting the ratification of a
handful of bilateral treaties, including one on friendship and cooperation,
and Seleznev affirmed his support for Georgia's territorial integrity,
according to ORT. Also on 10 December, a UN human rights office opened in
the Abkhaz capital, Sukhumi, ITAR-TASS reported. -- Liz Fuller
[04] KAZAKSTAN FLOATS BONDS ON WORLD MARKET.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Aleksandr Pavlov announced on 10
December that $200 million worth of "Kazak Euronotes" were launched in
Amsterdam on 9 December, ITAR-TASS reported. Kazakstan is the second CIS
country, after Russia, to float its bonds on world markets. According to
Pavlov, Kazak Euronotes have a three-year term and will carry an interest
rate of 9.3%. The proceeds will be used to pay wage and pension arrears. --
Bruce Pannier
[05] UZBEKISTAN TO BUY RUSSIAN GRAIN.
Due to a poor 1996 harvest, Uzbekistan agreed to exchange 100,000 metric
tons of grain from Russia in return for 18,200 tons of cotton, the BBC
reported on 9 December. The agreement is backed by a $27 million guarantee
from European bankers. Officials noted that Uzbekistan will have to make
further grain imports, as the 2.7 million ton harvest fell short of the 4.5
million tons the country requires. -- Roger Kangas
[06] TAJIK PRESIDENT, OPPOSITION LEADER MEET.
Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov and United Tajik Opposition leader Said
Abdullo Nuri met in Khosdekh, Afghanistan, on 10 December, international
press reported. Few details were available on the meeting, except that the
two men agreed to meet officially in Moscow on 19 December. The press
speculated that a new ceasefire agreement will be signed at that time as
well as an agreement on the establishment of a coalition council with
representation from both the government and opposition. Meanwhile, Red
Cross representatives were allowed to see 110 government soldiers being
held by opposition forces in Komsomolabad. -- Bruce Pannier
[07] TURKMENISTAN CELEBRATES NEUTRALITY.
An article in the 11 December edition of Nezavisimaya gazeta noted that
Turkmenistan will celebrate the first anniversary of its recognition as a
"neutral country" on 12 December. On that day in 1995, the UN passed a
resolution recognizing Turkmenistan's status as a neutral country. To mark
the occasion the former Karl Marx Square is being renamed "Neutrality
Square." The article notes that "during the last year more than 60
international conferences, symposiums, and summits" took place in Ashgabat,
and that three rounds of negotiations between the Tajik government and
opposition were also held there, going so far as to claim that "only thanks
to Turkmenistan" were the Tajik negotiations kept "alive." -- Bruce Pannier
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[08] STANDOFF IN BELGRADE.
The opposition carried out its threat to boycott the federal Yugoslav
parliament session that took place on 10 December, international media
reported. Protests entered their fourth week and continued in the streets
with the demand that the authorities recognize the opposition victories in
the 17 November runoff local elections. Meanwhile, the federal supreme
court upheld the decisions of its Serbian counterpart to cancel those poll
results. Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic has now repeatedly failed to
take advantage of opportunities to end the confrontation in a peaceful and
legal manner by having courts uphold the opposition victories. Elsewhere.
federal Interior Minister Vukasin Jokanovic said that force will not be
used against the protesters unless they attack public property. Finally,
the 400,000-strong independent metal workers union Nezavisnost announced a
strike starting 11 December in Kragujevac and Nis, AFP reported.-- Patrick
Moore
[09] CLINTON TELLS MILOSEVIC TO ACCEPT VOTE RESULTS . . .
U.S. President Bill Clinton urged Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic to
respect the outcome of the 17 November ballot. CNN on 10 December quoted
him as saying: "Elections should be respected and the voice of the people
should be heard... The United States has made its statement and its
position clear. Neither we nor anyone else would seek to interfere in the
internal events of Serbia but our sympathies are always with a free people
who are struggling to express their freedom and want to have the integrity
of their elections respected." The protesters have paid close attention to
reactions to their cause from abroad, and Clinton's statement is likely to
be regarded as the most important message in their favor to date. --
Patrick Moore
[10] . . . AS DOES NATO . . .
The Atlantic alliance, after a meeting of its foreign ministers, told
Milosevic that NATO "strongly deplores" his decision not to recognize the
election results. The ministers urged him "to respect the democratic will
of the people by reversing [his] decision," AFP reported on 10 December.
The NATO statement praised the opposition for remaining peaceful and warned
the authorities against using violence. U.S. Secretary of State Warren
Christopher added: "The people of Serbia deserve what their neighbors in
central Europe have: clean elections, a free press, a normal market
economy. If President Milosevic respects their will, Serbia can enjoy the
legitimacy and assistance it needs. If he seeks to rule Serbia as an
unreformed dictatorship, it will only increase his isolation and the
suffering of his people." Washington called of a visit to Belgrade by envoy
John Kornblum as a message to Milosevic. -- Patrick Moore
[11] . . . AND THE BOSNIAN SERB LEADERSHIP.
Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic told TV Pale that she supports
the students, adding that "the entry of students always means that freedom
and democracy are endangered," Reuters and Deutsche Welle reported on 10
December. Plavsic stressed that this is the moment for Serbia to finally
break with its communist past, adding that "the Croats [long ago] resolved
this problem very quickly." She also said that Milosevic was not important
to ensure the implementation of the Dayton agreement, arguing that its
success depended on the directly affected people. -- Patrick Moore
[12] HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS STILL PERSIST IN KOSOVO.
On the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights, the Kosovo Human
Rights Council issued a statement on 9 December saying that Albanians in
federal Yugoslavia continue to be "subjected to cruel human rights
violations." The statement adds that the situation in the Serbian province
has deteriorated since the abolition of its autonomy in 1989 and that
"violence, terror and other persistent patterns of genocide acts" by the
Serbian authorities continued with the same intensity throughout 1996,
including "arbitrary, inhuman and degrading treatment." The Council pointed
out that ethnic Albanian emigrants with valid Yugoslav passports have been
barred entry, that schools continue to be closed for Albanian pupils--
despite the September agreement with the Serbian government-- and that most
Albanians are excluded from the health care and social insurance system,
and remain unemployed. -- Fabian Schmidt
[13] CROATIA, SERB REFUGEE ORGANIZATIONS SIGN AGREEMENT ON RETURN.
Adviser to Croatian President Franjo Tudjman Slobodan Lang and Serb and
Croat refugee associations signed an agreement on the return of Serbian
refugees who fled Croatia in 1995, when Croatian troops ran over the rebel
Republic of Srpska Krajina, AFP reported on 11 December. Some 100 families
may return by the end of the year to the towns of Okucani, Gornji Bogicevci,
Stara Gradiska, Lipik, and Pakrac, in western Slavonia. No such mass
authorization has so far been issued by Croatian authorities. In other news
State Department deputy spokesman Glyn Davies called the decoration of
indicted war criminal Tihomir Blaskic [see OMRI Daily Digest 9 December]
"completely inappropriate," adding that "it does raise questions about
[Croatia's] commitment to Dayton," Reuters reported. -- Fabian Schmidt
[14] PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES APPROVE ROMANIAN CABINET NOMINEES.
Joint committees of the Parliament's two chambers on 10 December approved
all nominees for ministers in Victor Ciorbea's cabinet, Jurnalul National
reported. The longest hearing was held for the foreign minister nominee,
Adrian Severin, who had been contested even from within the governing
coalition long before his official nomination. Severin said Romania's
relations with the West must have priority over those with the East.
According to RFE/RL, Romanian nationalists criticized Severin for being
"too European." One of the two ethnic Hungarian ministers, Gyorgy Tokay of
the Office for National Minorities, received negative votes from the two
extremist parties represented in parliament, the Party of Romanian National
Unity and the Greater Romania Party. Both parties oppose Hungarian presence
in the new government. The parliament is expected to vote today on the
cabinet on the whole. -- Zsolt Mato
[15] OUTGOING MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT TO STAY IN POLITICS.
Outgoing President Mircea Snegur stated on 10 December that he was not
going to either quit politics or accept a post in the new administration,
Infotag reported. Snegur said he felt responsible for the 800,000 people
who had voted for him in the 1 December runoff and promised to continue to
combat the left-wing forces that endanger both the reform process in
Moldova and the country's integration into European and Euro-Atlantic
structures. Snegur welcomed as "very timely" an initiative of setting up
the Democratic Convention of Moldova as a political expression of the
unified opposition. The initiative was launched on 7 December by parties
and organizations belonging to the Pro-Snegur Civic Movement, an ad-hoc
political alliance that had backed Snegur during the electoral campaign. --
Dan Ionescu
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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