OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 139, 19 July 1995

From: "Steve Iatrou" <siatrou@cdsp.neu.edu>

CONTENTS

  • [01] KARADZIC THREATENS WEST, DEFENDERS OF GORAZDE.

  • [02] SITUATION IN ZEPA "GROWS MORE SERIOUS BY THE HOUR."

  • [03] CONFUSION REIGNS OVER INTERNATIONAL ROLE IN CONFLICT.

  • [04] MILOSEVIC FINDS FRIEND IN ROMANIA.

  • [05] WOMEN STAGE HUNGER STRIKE IN SERBIA.

  • [06] ISRAEL, JORDAN TO COOPERATE ON BOSNIAN REFUGEE AID.

  • [07] GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SACKED IN MACEDONIA.

  • [08] BONN, PARIS REMIND ROMANIA OF EU CONDITIONS.

  • [09] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT POLICIES.

  • [10] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES ARMY LAW.

  • [11] BULGARIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REVIEWS MEDIA STATUTE.

  • [12] EX-LEADER OF ALBANIAN YOUTH FORUM RECEIVES REDUCED SENTENCE FOR SMUGGLING

  • [13] ALBANIAN-ITALIAN POLICE SEEK TO IMPROVE COOPERATION.

    •

    OMRI DAILY DIGEST

    No. 139, Part II, 19 July 1995

    SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [01] KARADZIC THREATENS WEST, DEFENDERS OF GORAZDE.

    Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic on 19 July demanded that Bosnian government soldiers in Gorazde surrender "immediately." He apparently did not say what would happen if they did not. AFP noted that he also claimed that "our forces will restore order and peace" in Gorazde, which, he said, was a base for attacks against the Serbian army. Karadzic also warned outside powers against trying to protect the UN-designated "safe area" and threatened to blast intruding aircraft or helicopters out of the sky. "We will not allow foreign armed forces to protect our enemies," he concluded. Meanwhile, Nasa Borba reported that a delegation from Karadzic is in Rome to seek Pope John Paul II's intervention to end the conflict. Since Serbian propaganda has demonized the Vatican throughout the Wars of the Yugoslav Succession, it is difficult to guess what Karadzic now has in mind--except possibly to embarrass the pontiff. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [02] SITUATION IN ZEPA "GROWS MORE SERIOUS BY THE HOUR."

    This is how the VOAon 19 July described the fate of the UN-designated "safe area" most likely to fall next to the Serbs. Bosnian Serb forces are continuing their mortar and artillery assault, which enables them to avoid a potentially costly infantry attack. They have also been shelling Gorazde, and AFP said that Krajina Serb forces have launched "an intense attack" on Bihac. The Serbs, who suffer from a manpower shortage, now appear to be attacking three "safe areas" at once, rather than picking them off one-by-one. Meanwhile in Tuzla, refugees from Srebrenica reported that they were chased by Serbs wearing UN insignia and driving UN vehicles. -- Patrick Moore (see related item under Ukraine), OMRI, Inc.

    [03] CONFUSION REIGNS OVER INTERNATIONAL ROLE IN CONFLICT.

    AFP on 19 July suggested that the major Western powers are unlikely to agree on a coherent approach when top officials meet in London on 21 July. The British want "the same old UN policy of containment," while the French seek to reinforce the defense of Gorazde on the ground. President Bill Clinton and his top security advisers, however, have set down their latest Bosnian policy. It calls for decisive air strikes outside the UN command structure against the Serbs. Secretary of State Warren Christopher said that "it's common ground now that the status quo cannot be maintained." The administration is under pressure from the French to stop Serbian aggression, and the Republican majority in Congress wants to lift the arms embargo against the Bosnian government. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [04] MILOSEVIC FINDS FRIEND IN ROMANIA.

    Romanian Radio and TV on 18 July reported on the visit by Adrian Nastase, chairman of the Chamber of Deputies and former foreign minister, to Serbia and Montenegro. He met with President Slobodan Milosevic and other top officials. The Romanians stressed their willingness to help reintegrate Belgrade into European structures and the need for a negotiated settlement in Bosnia with the involvement of Serbia. Above all, Nastase called for the lifting of sanctions, which adversely affect Romania and Serbia's other neighbors. Serbia and Romania have traditionally had good relations and are now governed by former communist elites. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [05] WOMEN STAGE HUNGER STRIKE IN SERBIA.

    Nasa Borba on 19 July reported that for the past two days, three women have staged a hunger strike outside Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's offices in Belgrade. All three women have male relatives who have been kidnapped by the Serbian authorities and press-ganged for military service. Belgrade authorities began rounding up ethnic Serbian refugees on 11 June from among those who had fled to the province of Vojvodina. The refugees were then enlisted for military service in Serb-conquered territory outside rump Yugoslavia (see OMRI Daily Digest, 22 June 1995). -- Stan Markotich, OMRI, Inc.

    [06] ISRAEL, JORDAN TO COOPERATE ON BOSNIAN REFUGEE AID.

    A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin told AFP on 18 July that King Hussein telephoned to suggest that Israel send troops to support Jordan's 2,000 men in protecting the Muslims. Rabin ruled out dispatching ground forces but will coordinate relief work with Jordan. Israel says it is the only Middle Eastern country to host Bosnian Muslim refugees, having settled 90 of them on a kibbutz in 1993. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [07] GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SACKED IN MACEDONIA.

    Six senior and about 150 lower-ranking government officials in Macedonia have been sacked in a crackdown on corruption, Reuters and MIC reported on 18 July. The six senior officials included civil servants at the Foreign and Urbanism Ministries as well as four trade inspectors. The crackdown focused on, among others, the Foreign Ministry's economic department and the Ministry for Agriculture, where officials are suspected of illegally issuing import permits for pesticides. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [08] BONN, PARIS REMIND ROMANIA OF EU CONDITIONS.

    Reuters on 18 July reported that Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu's talks in Paris with his German and French counterparts focused on Romania's prospective EU membership and human rights issues. A joint statement carried by Radio Bucharest said France and Germany support Romania's drive to become more closely associated with European and Transatlantic bodies such as the EU, NATO, and the OSCE. French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette said it was not possible to set a timetable for Romania's EU membership, adding that intensified economic reform, privatization, and the development of a market economy are the key conditions. De Charette also said that he and German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel told Melescanu they would like to see rapid agreement between Romania and Hungary on minority rights. -- Michael Shafir, OMRI, Inc.

    [09] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT POLICIES.

    Zhelyu Zhelev, in an interview with Standart on 19 July, criticized Prime Minister Zhan Videnov's government for not implementing economic reforms and failing to deal effectively with crime and corruption. Zhelev said that while the economic situation seems to be improving, this may only be a seasonal phenomenon. He noted that to achieve a lasting improvement, mass privatization has to be launched and land restitution continued. With regard to growing crime and corruption, Zhelev said the government has failed completely because the Bulgarian Socialist Party is "genetically connected" to criminal circles. He urged the opposition to cooperate in the upcoming local elections but also criticized it for not taking enough action on many issues. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [10] BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES ARMY LAW.

    The National Assembly on 19 July adopted the law on defense and the armed forces, Bulgarian media reported the same day. According to the law, the parliament is empowered to declare war and conclude peace, ratify international conventions, and adopt long-term programs for the army's development. It also decides on dispatching troops abroad and has to approve the deployment of foreign troops in Bulgaria or their transit through the country. The parliament can also declare a state of war or emergency at the request of the president or the government. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [11] BULGARIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REVIEWS MEDIA STATUTE.

    The Constitutional Court on 18 July began reviewing the constitutionality of a provisional statute on national radio and TV, Kontinent reported. Prosecutor-General Ivan Tatarchev asked the court to do so, claiming that the current provisions violate the constitution, which provides for the independence of the media and forbids censorship. At present, the state media are controlled by the parliamentary commission on TV, radio, and the Bulgarian Press Agency. Among other things, the commission controls TV and radio programming schedules, which, Tatarchev argued, constitutes censorship. He also said that the commission is not empowered to take decisions on it own and that by doing so, it violates the constitution. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [12] EX-LEADER OF ALBANIAN YOUTH FORUM RECEIVES REDUCED SENTENCE FOR S

    MUGGLING. The Albanian Supreme Court has sentenced Arben Lika, former leader of the Albanian Youth Forum and former deputy for the Democratic Party, to 14 months in prison for smuggling cigarettes, Populli PO reported on 19 July. Lika was initially sentenced to a two-year prison term, but an appeals court increased his sentence to three years at the request of the Prosecutor's Office. Lika had hoped to be released following the latest ruling, but the court reportedly decided that he has "some days left" to spend in prison. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [13] ALBANIAN-ITALIAN POLICE SEEK TO IMPROVE COOPERATION.

    Italian Ambassador to Albania Paolo Foresti has met with the police chief of Vlora, Gazeta Shqiptare reported on 19 July. The two men, together with high-ranking officials of the countries' secret services, discussed measures to combat the illegal migration of Kurds and Chinese from Albania to Italy. Following a meeting with Pjeter Arbnori, speaker of the Albanian parliament, Foresti said both countries are working to improve cooperation against organized crime. An Italian parliamentary delegation focusing on Mafia activities is expected to visit Albania on 25 July, BETA reported on 18 July. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    This material was reprinted with permission of the Open Media Research Institute, a Prague-based nonprofit organization.

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