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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 140, 96-07-22

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

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

Vol. 2, No. 140, 22 July 1996


CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

  • [01] GOVERNMENT PURGE IN AZERBAIJAN.
  • [02] FIRST CENTRAL ASIAN AUTO PLANT OPENS IN UZBEKISTAN.
  • [03] TAJIK CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT QUICKLY BROKEN.
  • [04] TYPHOID EPIDEMIC WORSENS IN TAJIKISTAN.
  • [05] THREE BOMBS EXPLODE IN KYRGYZ CAPITAL.

  • [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

  • [06] BOSNIAN SERBS CLOSE RANKS BEHIND KARADZIC.
  • [07] IS KARADZIC ANY CLOSER TO THE HAGUE?
  • [08] U.S. FIGHTER ACCIDENTALLY DROPS BOMB IN BOSNIA.
  • [09] CONTRACT FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF MOSTAR BRIDGE SIGNED.
  • [10] BOSNIAN FEDERATION VICE PRESIDENT RISKS ARREST IN BELGRADE?
  • [11] U.S. CONGRESS DELEGATION IN KOSOVO.
  • [12] SLOVENIAN COURT NOT TO DETAIN SERBIAN GENERAL.
  • [13] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT, FOREIGN MINISTER ON NATO MEMBERSHIP.
  • [14] NATO NAVAL EXERCISE IN ROMANIA.
  • [15] IMF APPROVES $580 MILLION LOAN TO BULGARIA.
  • [16] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT LAMBASTES GOVERNMENT OVER NATO.
  • [17] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST FACTION WANTS VIDENOV'S HEAD.
  • [18] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT HAS NO TIME TO MEET WITH U.S. OFFICIAL.
  • [19] FATOS NANO CALLS FOR REFORM OF ALBANIAN SOCIALIST PARTY.

  • [A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

    [01] GOVERNMENT PURGE IN AZERBAIJAN.

    President Heidar Aliev on 19 July accepted the resignation "on health grounds" of Prime Minister Fuad Kuliev, Western agencies reported. At a session of the Cabinet of Ministers to assess the country's economic performance for the first six months of this year, Aliev then dismissed several more senior ministers and officials, including Deputy Premier and Economics Minister Samed Sadykhov and managers in the oil, gas and transport sectors. All were accused of incompetence or corruption. Both Aliev and Parliament Chairman Rasul Guliev had previously criticized Kuliev's government for failing to expedite economic reform. No replacement for Kuliev has yet been appointed. -- Liz Fuller

    [02] FIRST CENTRAL ASIAN AUTO PLANT OPENS IN UZBEKISTAN.

    The Daewoo plant in Asaka, Andijon region, officially opened on 19 July with a ceremony attended by President Islam Karimov, ITAR-TASS reported. The automotive plant, the first of its kind in Central Asia, will produce minivans and two models of cars and will be at full capacity in 2002. Karimov said that the goal is to have 70% of the parts manufactured in Uzbekistan, RFE/RL reported on 19 July. -- Roger Kangas

    [03] TAJIK CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT QUICKLY BROKEN.

    An agreement by representatives of the Tajik government and United Tajik Opposition on ceasing hostilities in central Tajikistan was broken within 48 hours of its signing, ITAR-TASS and Reuters reported. Though the agreement on a ceasefire in the Tavil-Dara region of Tajikistan was signed on 19 July, reports from 21 July indicated that fighting had resumed between government troops and the opposition. Both sides accuse the other of initiating the latest battles. -- Bruce Pannier

    [04] TYPHOID EPIDEMIC WORSENS IN TAJIKISTAN.

    An epidemic of typhoid which broke out in late May has worsened, AFP reported on 22 July. Heavy rains and flooding devastated sewage and drainage systems, spreading the infection that has now been reported in areas as close as 18 kilometers to the capital Dushanbe. The World Health Organization representative in Tajikistan, Rakhmatullo Rakhmonov, said 3,500 cases of typhoid have been registered, mainly in rural areas, and 45 people have died so far. He added that the "epidemic is generally under control." -- Bruce Pannier

    [05] THREE BOMBS EXPLODE IN KYRGYZ CAPITAL.

    Bombs exploded on 19 July at three buildings belonging to Kyrgyzstan law enforcement organizations, Russian television and Reuters reported. No casualties were reported. The bombs were detonated almost simultaneously at the Alamedin district prosecutor's office, a Bishkek police headquarters, and a prison administration building. The Interior Ministry blames the incidents on smuggling groups, which vowed to avenge police confiscations of contraband alcohol, leather, and non-ferrous materials earlier this year. However, there were also bomb explosions in April 1996 and police later arrested a former disgruntled member of its own ranks. -- Bruce Pannier

    [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [06] BOSNIAN SERBS CLOSE RANKS BEHIND KARADZIC.

    Radovan Karadzic may have agreed to give up his party and state offices (see ), but his supporters still clearly regard him as their leader, AFP reported on 22 July. Biljana Plavsic, his hard-line deputy who took over the presidency of the Republika Srpska, told Bosnian Serb radio on 20 July that "there will be no essential changes because the state and party policies were designed in a broader circle that is still in place." Foreign Minister Aleksa Buha, who replaces Karadzic as head of the governing Serbian Democratic Party, told Der Spiegel that "no one can destroy Karadzic's authority.... There are examples of men without any official function who determine the fate of their country." -- Patrick Moore

    [07] IS KARADZIC ANY CLOSER TO THE HAGUE?

    Those who have defended the step-by-step approach to dealing with Karadzic have said that each move brings him closer to the war crimes tribunal. In any event, Karadzic probably will not have to worry about U.S. troops coming to arrest him. Vice President Al Gore on 21 July said "We don't believe that U.S. troops should be assigned the mission of going door-to-door hunting a single individual in circumstances where it would be very difficult to complete that mission." But the tribunal's chief justice, Richard Goldstone asked: "With regard to the tens of thousands of lives that [Karadzic] may have been responsible for, is it too much to ask for some risk to be taken to bring him to justice?" Nasa Borba and Onasa carried the report on 22 July. -- Patrick Moore

    [08] U.S. FIGHTER ACCIDENTALLY DROPS BOMB IN BOSNIA.

    During a routine simulated attack on practice targets over the weekend, a U.S. Navy fighter plane accidentally dropped

    a 225 kg bomb over Bosnia-Herzegovina, AFP reported. The bomb exploded and narrowly missed a base occupied by 600 NATO peace keepers, some 5 km from the strategic Serb-held town of Brcko. No military or civilian casualties were reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic

    [09] CONTRACT FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF MOSTAR BRIDGE SIGNED.

    Eastern Mostar Mayor Safet Orucevic has signed a contract with a Sarajevo- based company for the reconstruction of Mostar's historical bridge, Onasa reported on 20 July. Built by the Ottoman architect Hajrudin in 1596 and destroyed by Bosnian Croat forces in November 1993, the bridge is a registered UNESCO cultural monument. A Mostar-based institute for the preservation of monuments will assist in the reconstruction. Fragments of the original bridge that fell into the river are to be used. Meanwhile, EU Administrator Ricardo Perez Casado is scheduled to quit his post on 22 July. He will be replaced by Britain's Sir Martin Garrod. -- Fabian Schmidt

    [10] BOSNIAN FEDERATION VICE PRESIDENT RISKS ARREST IN BELGRADE?

    Ejup Ganic, who is scheduled to head a Bosnian economic delegation to Belgrade on 25 July, could be arrested on war crimes charges when he arrives, AFP reported citing the Belgrade-based Politika Ekspres. Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic invited Ganic to Belgrade to demonstrate that Serbia is determinate to re-establish relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina. But an arrest warrant for Ganic--issued in July 1994 for his alleged responsibility for the death of Yugoslav People's Army troops in Sarajevo in 1992--is still in force. Nasa Borba on 22 July cited Ganic as saying that he will be heading a team of people able to step up relations between the two countries. -- Daria Sito Sucic

    [11] U.S. CONGRESS DELEGATION IN KOSOVO.

    Six members of the U.S. congress, headed by Democrat Eliot Engel, paid a visit to Kosovo on 20 July, ATSH reported. They attended the inauguration of the electronic library of the recently opened USIA office in Pristina. Shadow- state President Ibrahim Rugova and Serbian administrator Aleksa Jokic were also present. Engel had met earlier with Serbian President Milosevic in Belgrade. -- Fabian Schmidt

    [12] SLOVENIAN COURT NOT TO DETAIN SERBIAN GENERAL.

    A Ljubljana district court on 19 July decided not to detain Gen. Milan Aksentijevic, an ex-Yugoslav officer accused of seeking to undermine Slovenian independence during the 1991 war (see ). Aksentijevic is awaiting

    trial in Slovenia. The court observed that he had twice applied to visit relatives in Slovenia and that "therefore there seems to be no danger that the defendant will escape and avoid the trial," Reuters reported. In other news, Davorin Kracun, a 45-year-old economics professor in Maribor, is to replace Zoran Thaler as foreign minister, Thaler was defeated in a no confidence motion earlier this year. -- Stan Markotich

    [13] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT, FOREIGN MINISTER ON NATO MEMBERSHIP.

    Ion Iliescu, in an interview with Die Presse on 19 July, reiterated his positionthat Romania and Hungary will either join NATO together or not at all. He said any "discrimination" in Hungary's favor would produce a "climate of competition, mistrust, and instability." Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu, at the end of a five-day working visit to the U.S., said that if priority were given to some East European countries applying for membership, a new dividing line would be created between NATO and Eastern Europe, Reuters reported. In an apparent reference to Russia, he said such an approach would leave Romania vulnerable to other competing influences. Meanwhile, on 19 July, the U.S. Senate approved by "voice vote" a bill granting Romania permanent most-favored- nation status. The bill now needs President Bill Clinton's approval. -- Michael Shafir

    [14] NATO NAVAL EXERCISE IN ROMANIA.

    A week-long naval exercise involving NATO forces and countries participating in the Partnership for Peace program began on 22 July in Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea, Romanian and international media reported. The exercise is described as the biggest of its kind staged within the framework of the program. Some 30 ships from eight NATO countries, Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine are taking part. -- Michael Shafir

    [15] IMF APPROVES $580 MILLION LOAN TO BULGARIA.

    The IMF on 19 July approved a $580 million loan to Bulgaria, Pari reported. A first installment worth $116 million is expected to arrive this week and will be used to pay $128 million owed to the London Club by 28 July. The remaining installments will be spread over the next two years. The IMF agreed to grant Bulgaria a new loan after the government announced strict austerity measures and vowed to close down unprofitable state firms. -- Stefan Krause

    [16] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT LAMBASTES GOVERNMENT OVER NATO.

    Zhelyu Zhelev on 19 July accused the government of isolating Bulgaria by not applying for full NATO membership, Reuters reported. In his annual lecture to the Atlantic Club, Zhelev said that owing to the government's reluctance to seek closer ties with NATO, "Bulgaria is increasingly beginning to look like a gap in the security framework." The president claimed that the government has failed to capitalize on Bulgaria's strategic location in the Balkans. He also noted that by favoring Greece over Turkey, Bulgaria has abandoned its traditional policy of Balkan equidistance. In other news, the parliament on 19 July set the first round of the presidential elections for 27 October. The next day, the BSP nominated Culture Minister Ivan Marazov as its vice presidential candidate, Duma reported. -- Stefan Krause

    [17] BULGARIAN SOCIALIST FACTION WANTS VIDENOV'S HEAD.

    The Association for Social Democracy (OSD), a faction within the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party, has demanded that Zhan Videnov resign as BSP chairman and prime minister before the October presidential elections, Bulgarian newspapers reported on 22 July. The OSD said Videnov has failed as prime minister and no longer enjoys the BSP's confidence. It also adopted an alternative program for dealing with the present crisis and called for a dialogue with other political forces on the course of reform. The OSD believes that changes in the government and the BSP will help the party's candidate, Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski, win the presidential elections. Pirinski is also OSD deputy chairman. -- Stefan Krause

    [18] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT HAS NO TIME TO MEET WITH U.S. OFFICIAL.

    Sali Berisha on 19 July refused to meet with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Timothy Wirth, arguing he had "no time and more important things on his agenda, " Koha Jone reported. The daily quotes State Department sources who did not want to be identified. Wirth undertook the visit as an initiative to restart the dialogue between the U.S. and the Albanian government, which stopped after the State Department sharply criticized the May elections, alleging massive irregularities. Koha Jone wrote that Berisha is seeking to "convert relations with the U.S. into a personal inat [spiteful defiance]." - - Fabian Schmidt

    [19] FATOS NANO CALLS FOR REFORM OF ALBANIAN SOCIALIST PARTY.

    Imprisoned Socialist leader Fatos Nano last week sent a letter to party members repeating calls for a comprehensive reform of the party, Koha Jone reported on 21 July. He pointed out that the party will miss a historic chance and become even more isolated politically if it proves unable to implement such a reform. Meanwhile, Gazeta Shqiptare reported that the Center Pole coalition has been excluded from round-table talks between the Socialists and the ruling Democrats to discuss the upcoming local elections. Social Democratic leader Skender Gjinushi called on the Socialists to participate only in multi-party talks that include other opposition parties, Poli i Qendres reported on 20 July. -- Fabian Schmidt

    Compiled by Steve Kettle and Jan Cleave
    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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