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OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 3, No. 6, 97-01-09

Open Media Research Institute: Daily Digest Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>

Vol. 3, No. 6, 9 January 1997


CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

  • [01] U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE CHARGES GEORGIAN DIPLOMAT.
  • [02] ALIEV ON GEORGIA.
  • [03] DASHNAK LEADERS MEET WITH ARMENIAN JUSTICE MINISTER.
  • [04] FIGHTING BREAKS OUT IN TURSUN ZADE.
  • [05] TURGUNALIYEV FOUND GUILTY.
  • [06] UZBEK GAS-CHEMICALS COMPLEX.

  • [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

  • [07] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT CONCEDES LOSS OF NIS.
  • [08] CHAOTIC PROTESTS IN BELGRADE.
  • [09] CROATIAN POLICE IN MOSTAR REFUSE TO COOPERATE WITH IPTF.
  • [10] ARBITRATORS MEET TO DISCUSS DISPUTED TOWN OF BRCKO.
  • [11] FRESH SPECULATION OVER TUDJMAN'S HEALTH.
  • [12] DRNOVSEK TO RETAIN SLOVENIAN PREMIERSHIP?
  • [13] ROMANIAN PREMIER MEETS TRADE UNION LEADERS.
  • [14] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT APPEALS TO CITIZENS TO FIGHT CORRUPTION.
  • [15] BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER CONFIRMED AS SOCIALISTS' CHOICE FOR PRIME MINISTER.
  • [16] OPPOSITION PROTESTS IN BULGARIA.

  • [A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

    [01] U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE CHARGES GEORGIAN DIPLOMAT.

    The U.S. State Department has formally requested Georgia to waive immunity for diplomat Georgi Makharadze, who was involved in a car accident in which an American girl died (see OMRI Daily Digest, 7 January 1997), ITAR-TASS and AFP reported on 9 January. The move follows a letter to the State Department from the U.S. attorney's office that says there is "enough evidence" of Makharadze's guilt to press charges against him. The last time diplomatic immunity was waived in such a serious case was that of a Belgian diplomat in 1989. -- Emil Danielyan

    [02] ALIEV ON GEORGIA.

    Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Ukleba held talks in Baku with Azerbaijani President Haidar Aliev on 8 January, RFE/RL reported the same day. Aliev, who termed Georgia a strategic ally, declared Baku's full support for Tbilisi's position on Abkhazia, noting that Azerbaijan opposes separatism, aggression, ethnic cleansing, and instability. It appears Georgia is seeking Azerbaijani backing to push for a toughened stance on Abkhazia among CIS states in advance of the 17 January CIS summit in Moscow. -- Lowell Bezanis

    [03] DASHNAK LEADERS MEET WITH ARMENIAN JUSTICE MINISTER.

    During a meeting with leaders of the banned Dashnak party (HHD), Armenian Justice Minister Marat Aleksanyan said that documents submitted by the HHD are "not sufficient" for the party to be legalized, Noyan Tapan reported on 8 January. Ruben Hakobyan, a HHD leader, complained that the authorities have not specified the steps that his party should take in order to resume its activities. The meeting comes amid speculation that the party might soon be legalized following a 10 December court verdict that found no connection between the HHD and the alleged terrorist group Dro. The HHD's activities in Armenia were suspended in January 1995 by the Supreme Court on the grounds that it violated Armenian law on political parties by having foreign members. In a bid to overcome the legal deadlock, the HHD in November 1995 made significant changes in its structure, granting its Armenia organization a substantial degree of autonomy. -- Emil Danielyan

    [04] FIGHTING BREAKS OUT IN TURSUN ZADE.

    Despite a presidential order to withdraw his forces from the Tursun Zade area, elements of Col. Mahmud Khudaberdiyev's First Brigade attacked outlaw forces in the city on 8 January, international media reported. Khudaberdiyev had moved his force close to the city claiming that Tursun Zade's criminal band, loyal to former Popular Front commander Kadyr Abdullayev, raided the First Brigade's headquarters on 29 December to steal weapons, in the process killing one officer. Khudaberdiyev said the attack was sparked by the government's refusal to do anything about the situation. He is demanding Abdullayev return the weapons and vacate the city. Efforts by the Tajik government, Russian forces in Tajikistan, and the UN observer mission to mediate the isolated conflict have not met with any success. Both government and opposition representatives say the fighting in Tursun Zade will not have an impact on peace talks being held in Tehran. -- Bruce Pannier

    [05] TURGUNALIYEV FOUND GUILTY.

    A Bishkek municipal court on 8 January found Topchubek Turgunaliyev, the chairman of the Erkin Kyrgyzstan Party, guilty of embezzlement and sentenced him to 10 years in prison and confiscation of all his property, RFE/RL reported. Co-defendant Timur Stamkulov received a six-year sentence but his property will not be confiscated. The charges stem from a 1994 incident when Turgunaliyev was the rector of Bishkek's Humanitarian University and approved a request by Stamkulov, then the deputy director of the university, to withdraw $10,000 from university funds. Stamkulov claims he was robbed and lost all the money, but he still returned $2,300 and later attempted to return an additional $3,000, which the university refused to accept. Lawyers for Turgunaliyev and Stamkulov have claimed from the beginning of the trial that it was politically motivated. -- Bruce Pannier and Naryn Idinov

    [06] UZBEK GAS-CHEMICALS COMPLEX.

    A foreign consortium will help develop a chemical complex, with an estimated value of $1 billion, in Uzbekistan's Kashgadarya province, according to a 6 January report in Rossiiskaya Gazeta monitored by the BBC. The paper, citing sources in Uzbekneftgaz, noted the complex will be built by a consortium comprising three subsidiaries of the Swiss-Swedish ABB group, Japan's Mitsui, and Nissho Iwai. The complex at the Shurtan gas- condensate field is to produce 125,000 metric tons of polyethelene, 137,000 metric tons of liquefied gas, and 37,000 metric tons of unstable condensate. It is estimated $600 million will be spent on the technological side of the project and $400 million on construction to be carried out by Uzbek contractors. -- Lowell Bezanis

    [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [07] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT CONCEDES LOSS OF NIS.

    Official Serbian media on 8 January ran a statement from the Ministry of Justice admitting that the opposition Zajedno coalition won control of the city council in the 17 November local elections. Nis is Serbia's second largest city, and the statement is a major concession from the authorities. But Zajedno says it will keep up its protests until the authorities restore all its election victories. The current wave of demonstrations began in Nis, where a local government-run radio station had self- confidently carried live coverage of the election returns. Listeners were able to hear from regime journalists themselves how the opposition was winning in precinct after precinct. Also in Nis, army Chief of Staff Gen. Momcilo Perisic visited the 63rd Parachute Brigade, Nasa Borba reported on 9 January. The elite unit has allied itself with the protests, but the army said there was no political purpose to the "routine" visit. -- Patrick Moore

    [08] CHAOTIC PROTESTS IN BELGRADE.

    The opposition launched a campaign on 8 January to paralyze the government by blocking its telephones, RFE/RL reported. Meanwhile, slow-moving or supposedly broken-down cars blocked traffic, while some 50,000 demonstrators converged on central Belgrade to surround riot police. Zajedno leader Vuk Draskovic moved about in a van with a loudspeaker to address the police, whom he is trying to win over. He told them: "It is only a matter of a few days now, our brother policemen. The ruling powers will go," AFP quoted him as saying. -- Patrick Moore

    [09] CROATIAN POLICE IN MOSTAR REFUSE TO COOPERATE WITH IPTF.

    UN spokesman Alexandar Ivanko on 8 January said police from the Croat-held part of Mostar are refusing either to provide the International Police Task Force with daily reports or to answer its questions, Onasa reported. Ivanko said Muslim-Croat police patrols in Mostar exist only on paper. The UN condemned the on-going expulsions of Muslims from the Croat-held part of the town. According to Ivanko, three abandoned Muslim houses near Capljina, in Herzegovina, were destroyed on 6 January in six explosions. No casualties were reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic

    [10] ARBITRATORS MEET TO DISCUSS DISPUTED TOWN OF BRCKO.

    International mediators met in Rome on 8 January to discuss the future of Brcko, situated in northern Bosnia, international media reported. It was the first time that all Bosnian parties involved have gathered to discuss the issue. Control over the town is regarded crucial by Bosnian Serbs, on the one hand, and Muslims and Croats, on the other. The fate of Brcko was not resolved during the Dayton peace negotiations, and the issue was left to be decided by international arbitration at the end of last year. But U.S. arbitrator Roberts Owen postponed discussions for two months, after the Serbian party withdrew from the arbitration process. Serbs have sent 10 observers to Rome. Previously, Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic said the Serbs would rather resume the war than give up control of the town. In related news, Bosnian Serbs have announced they will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the declaration of the Republika Srpska in Brcko today. -- Daria Sito Sucic

    [11] FRESH SPECULATION OVER TUDJMAN'S HEALTH.

    Croatian President Franjo Tudjman has disappeared from public view, which has revived speculation that he may not have long to live, RFE/RL reported on 8 January. He spent a week at Washington's prestigious Walter Reed Army Hospital in November, when U.S. sources told the media that Tudjman has inoperable stomach cancer and at most a year to live. Croatian spokesmen downplayed the reports, saying that he was treated for an ulcer, but the government's secretiveness only served to heighten suspicions that Tudjman is seriously ill. The normally publicity-minded president was last seen on government television at New Year's, looking "pale and gaunt," Reuters wrote. His office says only that "the president is in the country and performing his duties." Tudjman's next scheduled public appearance is in mid-January, when he is scheduled to receive the diplomatic corps. The speculation over Tudjman's health coincides with reports that he plans to turn over some of his duties to parliament, where his party has a majority. -- Patrick Moore

    [12] DRNOVSEK TO RETAIN SLOVENIAN PREMIERSHIP?

    Janez Drnovsek's chances of staying on as Slovenian prime minister increased considerably after a deputy from the center-right Christian Democrats defected on 8 January, Vecernji list and Reuters reported. Ciril Pucko said he will support Drnovsek's candidacy because "we have economic and social problems that have to be solved not today, but yesterday." He said he will remain an independent deputy. Pucko's move could break the deadlock that followed last November's parliamentary elections. Drnovsek's Liberal Democrats won 25 seats in the 90-strong parliament and secured the support of several smaller left-wing parties that had a total of 20 mandates. But the right-of-center Slovenian Spring coalition--comprising the Social Democrats, the People's Party, and the Christian Democrats--also have total of 45 seats. Voting on a new premier was originally scheduled for 8 January but was postponed by one day. -- Stefan Krause

    [13] ROMANIAN PREMIER MEETS TRADE UNION LEADERS.

    Victor Ciorbea on 8 January met with leaders of major trade unions in an attempt to defuse growing popular dissatisfaction over recent price hikes, Radio Bucharest reported. Representatives of the Fratia (Brotherhood) confederation, the National Trade Union Block, the Alfa Cartel, and the Confederation of Democratic Unions in Romania took part in the meeting. Ciorbea, a former unionist leader, spoke of the need for "true social partnership" with the unions. He criticized the previous government's practice of indexing wages, which, he said, had led to inflation. Instead, he proposed tax cuts on salaries and profits to compensate for the recent wave of price increases. The talks are to be followed up by negotiations between the state, the employers' organizations, and the unions. Social tension has been growing in Romania since the doubling of gasoline prices on 1 January prompted a series of other price hikes. -- Dan Ionescu

    [14] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT APPEALS TO CITIZENS TO FIGHT CORRUPTION.

    Emil Constantinescu, speaking on national television on 8 January, vowed to wage an uncompromising battle against corruption. He said that corruption and crime are "endangering national security" and that corruption must be halted if international confidence in the country is to be secured. While foreign companies in Romania often complain about corruption at all levels, the country is in dire need of direct foreign investment. To date, foreigners have invested only $2.2 billion. The president's appeal comes in the wake of the creation of a National Council of Action to fight corruption and organized crime. Jurnalul National reports that the opposition Party of Social Democracy in Romania supports the campaign but regards it as an attempt at "image-creating." Constantinescu has accused the party of widespread corruption. -- Zsolt Mato

    [15] BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER CONFIRMED AS SOCIALISTS' CHOICE FOR PRIME MINISTER.

    The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and its two coalition partners -- the Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union "Aleksandar Stamboliyski" and the Political Club Ekoglasnost -- on 8 January nominated Nikolay Dobrev as their candidate for prime minister, RFE/RL and Trud reported. At a joint session of the three parties' leaderships and parliamentary deputies, Dobrev was approved by a vote of 206 to 0 with 3 abstentions. Parliamentary Speaker Blagovest Sendov was proposed by a Socialist deputy but refused to stand. The cabinet line-up and its program will be discussed at another plenary meeting on 12 January. Under the constitution, outgoing President Zhelyu Zhelev has until 13 January to ask Dobrev to form a new government. However, he is expected to do so on 11 January. Dobrev then has one week to form a government. -- Stefan Krause

    [16] OPPOSITION PROTESTS IN BULGARIA.

    Around 30,000 Sofia citizens on 8 January protested the formation of a second BSP government, RFE/RL and Bulgarian media reported. As was the case on 3 January (see OMRI Daily Digest, 6 January 1997), demonstrators gathered outside the BSP headquarters, which they pelted with snow balls and eggs under the watchful gaze of riot police and the opposition "special security" forces. Protests also took place the same day in eight other towns. Ahmed Dogan, leader of the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedom, told a rally in Kardzhali that the opposition is ready to boycott the parliament and to organize a national strike. President Zhelyu Zhelev expressed his fear that unrest and violence that could discredit the protests. He urged the protesters to exercise discipline. -- Maria Koinova in Sofia.

    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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