OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 163, 22 August 1995

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

CONTENTS

  • [01] BOSNIA ACCUSES UN OF ABANDONING GORAZDE.

  • [02] CROATIAN UPDATE.

  • [03] TUDJMAN CALLS ON RUSSIA TO INFLUENCE SERBIA.

  • [04] A NEW BOSNIAN PEACE PLAN.

  • [05] SERBIAN REFUGEE UPDATE.

  • [06] TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTER IN MOLDOVA.

  • [07] PRIVATE TV IN MOLDOVA.

  • [08] BULGARIAN BANK MERGER.

  • [09] ALBANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS MACEDONIA.

  • [10] NEW ALBANIAN MILITARY DOCTRINE.

    •

    OMRI DAILY DIGEST

    No. 163, Part II, 22 August 1995

    SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [01] BOSNIA ACCUSES UN OF ABANDONING GORAZDE.

    International media on 22 August quoted Bosnian Foreign Minister Muhamed Sacirbey as condemning the UN decision to withdraw the remaining peacekeepers from the "safe area" of Gorazde and replace them with unarmed monitors. Given the UN's track record in Srebrenica, Zepa, and elsewhere, the presence or absence of UN troops is unlikely to deter the Serbs from overrunning Gorazde. Sacirbey, however, seems concerned with the political and symbolic implications of the world body's move. Nasa Borba, meanwhile, quoted UN spokesman Alexander Ivanko as saying that one shell is no reason for NATO intervention. He was replying to Sacirbey's earlier criticism of the UN for not calling in air strikes when three children were killed in Gorazde on 20 August. Sacirbey asked: "When will enough be enough, and what will it take for the United Nations and NATO to react to this terrorism?" -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [02] CROATIAN UPDATE.

    The mayor of Dubrovnik on 21 August told a press conference that demilitarization could be one answer to the city's problems posed by Serbian artillery in the heights above. News agencies reported from Montenegro, however, that Bosnian Serb forces are building up strength in the area. Elsewhere, the UN continued to criticize Croatia. It appealed to Zagreb not to return some 25,000 Muslim refugees loyal to Bihac-pocket warlord Fikret Abdic to Bosnian government- controlled territory. It also accused Croatia of not admitting Muslim refugees from Banja Luka. Croatia has denied the charges, saying that it has already taken in 2,500 Muslims from the latest round of Serbian "ethnic cleansing" of the Banja Luka region's once large Muslim and Croatian populations. Croatia hosts another 50,000 Muslim refugees whom it has admitted since 1992. Opinion polls have shown, however, that many Croats resent the idea of able-bodied Muslim men sitting out the war in Croatia and feel such people should go back to Bosnian government- controlled territory. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [03] TUDJMAN CALLS ON RUSSIA TO INFLUENCE SERBIA.

    Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on 21 August urged Russian presidential envoy Aleksandr Zotov to persuade Serbia to recognize Croatia. Hina said that Tudjman "underlined the willingness of Croatia to settle the problem on the basis of mutual recognition [between Belgrade and Zagreb] and urged Russia to use its influence on Serbian authorities to this end. Failing that, Croatia will feel obliged to resort to all means at its disposal to liberate the remainder of its occupied territories" and to enable refugees to go home. Vecernji list on 22 August asked whether some joint U.S.-Russian peace proposal is in the offing, but Mlada fronta dnes on 18 August warned Western powers against trying to rid themselves of the current crisis by giving Moscow undue diplomatic influence in the Balkans. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [04] A NEW BOSNIAN PEACE PLAN.

    Slobodna Dalmacija on 21 August reported on suggestions in international media over the weekend that Karadzic had been ousted by the military commander, General Ratko Mladic. The paper also discussed a new 12-point peace plan by Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic that stresses the "sovereignty and territorial unity" of the state. The project apparently makes no mention of any confederal ties to either Serbia or Croatia. It does, however, guarantee the Serbs full rights. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [05] SERBIAN REFUGEE UPDATE.

    BETA on 21 August reported that the total number of Krajina Serbs now in rump Yugoslavia is 154,079. Of that number, approximately 83,000 are in Serbia's ethnically mixed Vojvodina province, and about 3,000 in the predominantly ethnic Albanian province of Kosovo. Montena-fax observes that some 1,115 have found refuge in Montenegro. Belgrade officials continue to articulate concern for the humanitarian needs of the refugees, and on 22 August AFP quotes national bank Governor Dragoslav Avramovic as saying the best way to meet them is "to reduce budgetary spending in general while promoting production and boosting revenues." Meanwhile, on 21 August the BBC reported that the UN has protested to Serbia over its having press-ganged about 1,000 "military-aged" Krajina male refugees last week. The men have been forcibly deported to Bosnia. -- Stan Markotich, OMRI, Inc.

    [06] TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTER IN MOLDOVA.

    Turkish Defense Minister Mehmet Golhan began on 20 August a two day-visit to Moldova. BASA-press reported on 21 August that Golhan said upon his arrival that Ankara hoped the issue of the presence of Russian troops in Moldova will be solved "in a manner that will not harm Moldovan independence." He added that Turkey and Russia were "neighboring countries that . . . do not interfere in each other's domestic affairs." Moldovan Defense Minister Pavel Creanga said no documents will be signed during the visit, but the two sides will continue work on drafting a cooperation program between the two ministries. Golhan is also scheduled to meet President Mircea Snegur, Prime Minister Andrei Sangheli, and Foreign Minister Mihai Popov. -- Michael Shafir, OMRI, Inc.

    [07] PRIVATE TV IN MOLDOVA.

    The first Moldovan private independent television station, Catalan TV, began broadcasting on 21 August, BASA-press reported on the same day. The station will mainly air original programs dealing with local events. Catalan TV reaches an area of 35 kilometers around Chisinau. -- Michael Shafir, OMRI, Inc.

    [08] BULGARIAN BANK MERGER.

    BTA on 21 August reported that three large banking institutions -- Sofiabank, Serdika Bank and Biochim Bank -- have announced a merger plan. Total capital assets of the new company are expected to be about 1.3 billion leva ($19 million), and among the chief shareholders are at least two Russian banks. The merger plan has already been approved in principle by the government. -- Stan Markotich, OMRI, Inc.

    [09] ALBANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS MACEDONIA.

    Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Serreqi and his Macedonian counterpart Stevo Crvenkovski on 21 August accused Belgrade of attempting to modify borders in the Balkans by flooding Kosovo with Serb refugees, AFP reports the following day. Concerning the situation in Bosnia, both politicians agreed that "Macedonia and Albania consider unacceptable any change to borders by force and ethnic cleansing." The two sides will formulate a "common strategy" to cope with a possible widening of the war to Kosovo that might follow the relocation of Krajina refugees there. Serreqi, on a three-day visit to Macedonia, also met with Parliament Speaker Stojan Andov and representatives of parliamentary parties, including the main ethnic Albanian Party of Democratic Prosperity. Serreqi will meet President Kiro Gligorov and Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski in Ohrid the same day. -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    [10] NEW ALBANIAN MILITARY DOCTRINE.

    Albanian President Sali Berisha presented a new military doctrine on 21 August, Zeri I Popullit reports the next day. He said the army went through a period of restructuring and has been modernized in cooperation with NATO and other countries. The new doctrine therefore focuses on strengthening the army but mainly on regional cooperation. Reuters, however, quotes Berisha as saying that "although Albania's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity is . . . guaranteed with political means, we cannot renounce having armed forces able to secure a convincing defense of the country [but] Albania does not threaten militarily any other state and . . . it is resolved to solve disagreements through dialogue." -- Fabian Schmidt, OMRI, Inc.

    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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