Browse through our Interesting Nodes of Greek Radio & Television Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923) Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923)
HR-Net - Hellenic Resources Network Compact version
Today's Suggestion
Read The "Macedonian Question" (by Maria Nystazopoulou-Pelekidou)
HomeAbout HR-NetNewsWeb SitesDocumentsOnline HelpUsage InformationContact us
Friday, 29 March 2024
 
News
  Latest News (All)
     From Greece
     From Cyprus
     From Europe
     From Balkans
     From Turkey
     From USA
  Announcements
  World Press
  News Archives
Web Sites
  Hosted
  Mirrored
  Interesting Nodes
Documents
  Special Topics
  Treaties, Conventions
  Constitutions
  U.S. Agencies
  Cyprus Problem
  Other
Services
  Personal NewsPaper
  Greek Fonts
  Tools
  F.A.Q.
 

OMRI: Daily Digest, Vol. 3, No. 51, 97-03-13

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

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

Vol. 3, No. 51, 13 March 1997


CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

  • [01] RUSSIAN COASTGUARDS INTERCEPT TURKISH FISHING VESSELS.
  • [02] REGIONAL OIL AND GAS UPDATE.
  • [03] RUSSIAN, UZBEK ECONOMIC COOPERATION.
  • [04] KYRGYZSTAN'S VIEW ON NATO.
  • [05] PROOF OF TAJIK AID TO ANTI-TALIBAN FORCES?

  • [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

  • [06] ALBANIA ON BRINK OF CIVIL WAR?
  • [07] BOSNIAN MUSLIM VILLAGE ATTACKED.
  • [08] FORMER YUGOSLAV PREMIER APPEALS TO SERBIAN PRESIDENT.
  • [09] WASHINGTON CRITICAL OF MONTENEGRIN RULING PARTY.
  • [10] ZAGREB PROTESTS "ANTI-CROATIAN" MEDIA CAMPAIGN.
  • [11] MACEDONIAN UPDATE.
  • [12] ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER IN SLOVENIA.
  • [13] CLUJ HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITY TO BE RE-OPENED?
  • [14] ROMANIA DENIES UKRAINIAN ALLEGATIONS OVER TREATY TALKS.
  • [15] TRIPARTITE MEETING IN CHISINAU.
  • [16] BULGARIA'S IMF DEAL HELD UP BY DISAGREEMENT OVER BANKS.

  • [A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

    [01] RUSSIAN COASTGUARDS INTERCEPT TURKISH FISHING VESSELS.

    A Russian coastguard patrol on 12 March intercepted nine Turkish fishing vessels engaged in poaching in Georgian territorial waters off the Black Sea port of Batumi and opened fire when they ignored instructions to desist, killing one Turkish sailor, Russian and Western agencies reported. The Turkish vessels were escorted to Batumi where criminal proceedings were instigated against the crew members. -- Liz Fuller

    [02] REGIONAL OIL AND GAS UPDATE.

    The U.S. firm AMOCO will finance Kazakstan's $150 million stake in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) as part of deal permitting the company to transport 3 million metric tons of oil via the planned CPC line, RFE/RL reported on 12 March. Nurlan Balgimbayev, the new head of Kazakoil, which was established on 4 March as part of a wholesale restructuring of the country's executive bodies, declared the pipeline to the Russian port of Novorossiisk will be completed by early 1999. In other news, the first load of Chevron-owned Kazak crude, transported by train across Azerbaijan and Georgia, was loaded onto tankers in Batumi for sale on international markets, Russian media reported the same day. Meanwhile, Turkmen Oil and Gas Minister Gochmurad Nazjanov told a major oil and gas exhibition in Ashgabat he foresees Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan reaching a compromise agreement on the disputed Azeri and Chirag fields in the Caspian Sea, Russian media reported on 11 March. -- Lowell Bezanis

    [03] RUSSIAN, UZBEK ECONOMIC COOPERATION.

    Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and his Uzbek counterpart Otkir Sultanov signed an economic cooperation accord in Moscow, ITAR-TASS reported on 12 March. The agreement outlines cooperation in 1998-2000 in spheres including agriculture, petrochemicals, and non-ferrous industries. Chernomyrdin was quoted as saying the sides also reached agreement on the formation of undefined "large financial-industrial groups." It was also agreed that the Ilyushin-114 aircraft to be manufactured in Uzbekistan will be equipped with Russian engines and avionics. -- Lowell Bezanis

    [04] KYRGYZSTAN'S VIEW ON NATO.

    President Askar Akayev, in talks with visiting NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana, said he was opposed to NATO expansion, international media reported on 12 March. Akayev told Solana it was "important to heed Russia's concerns," and called Russia "our strategic partner." The two held more productive talks on the issues of a Central Asian peacekeeping battalion, mountain rescue operations training, and the planned joint military exercise between three Central Asian countries and seven other countries scheduled for September. Radio Rossii reported on 12 March that the peacekeeping battalion would most likely be used on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in the event that the Afghan Taliban movement should reach the Tajik border. A spokesman for the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry said Kyrgyz troops may participate in NATO operations in the near future. -- Bruce Pannier

    [05] PROOF OF TAJIK AID TO ANTI-TALIBAN FORCES?

    According to the 13 March edition of Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Tajikistan is indeed providing a safe haven and help to Afghan Gen. Ahmed Shah Masoud in his fight against the Taliban Afghan religious movement. Although Tajik press secretary Zafar Saidov denied on 7 March that any foreign troops were based in Tajikistan, the paper quoted its own reporter who had recently been in the southern city of Kulyab. According to the reporter, it was easy to meet Afghan pilots who "did not try to hide they were flying daily from Tajikistan to Afghanistan." The article also alleged that Masoud himself was living in a hotel in the center of Kulyab and that his personal airplane was in a hanger at the city's airport. -- Bruce Pannier

    [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [06] ALBANIA ON BRINK OF CIVIL WAR?

    Rebellion has now reached the capital city, international media report today. In the early hours of this morning, looters ransacked the Tirana military academy. Some soldiers broke the city's curfew and chanted "Vlore" in the main square, in an apparent show of solidarity with the rebels in that southern town. Tirana's airport has been closed owing to the latest developments. Reuters reported that five people were killed and at least 40 injured during the night in the northern city of Shkoder, which until now had staved off the rebellion. Newly appointed Premier Bashkim Fino told the BBC that the country is now on the brink of civil war, AFP reported. "Let's be realistic. ... We're on the brink of civil war here. We're in danger. Europe has to help us at this difficult time," he said. -- Stan Markotich

    [07] BOSNIAN MUSLIM VILLAGE ATTACKED.

    Gajevi, a Bosnian Muslim village in Serb-held territory in north-eastern Bosnia, came under attack on 11 March, international media reported the following day. According to UN officials, it was the third time this year that the town has been attacked, causing substantial damage to buildings. An unarmed band of up to 50 civilians were responsible for this latest incident, which came one day after the NATO-led Stabilization Force lifted its security cordon around the village, AFP reported. No casualties were reported, and Russian troops stationed near the village said they were unaware that it was under attack until they saw the flames from houses that were set ablaze. -- Stan Markotich

    [08] FORMER YUGOSLAV PREMIER APPEALS TO SERBIAN PRESIDENT.

    Milan Panic, who was federal Yugoslav premier in 1992, has joined the chorus of voices urging Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic to allow fair elections and take steps toward respecting independent media, Reuters reported on 11 March. Panic has written a letter to Milosevic saying that, "The dignity of the Serbian nation can be fully restored only if all future elections pass the test of the most rigorous international scrutiny. ... The essential first step to achieve this goal is to assure that the Serbian media is fully independent and free." -- Stan Markotich

    [09] WASHINGTON CRITICAL OF MONTENEGRIN RULING PARTY.

    The U.S. State Department on 12 March criticized the ruling Montenegrin Democratic Socialist Party, saying that lawsuits it has brought against opposition politicians are merely a method of silencing critics, international media reported. Spokesman Larry Corwin said, "We are very concerned about the implications for democracy in Montenegro." The State Department's comments were made during Montenegrin Premier Milo Djukanovic's ongoing visit to the U.S. A Montenegrin court on 10 March found opposition leader Novak Kilibarda guilty of slandering both President Momir Bulatovic and Parliamentary Speaker Svetozar Marovic during last year's election campaign. Kilibarda has been ordered to pay some $13,000 in fines. Corwin said the ruling was "an effort by the Montenegrin ruling party to intimidate opposition parties." -- Stan Markotich

    [10] ZAGREB PROTESTS "ANTI-CROATIAN" MEDIA CAMPAIGN.

    The Croatian embassy in Sarajevo on 12 March sent a sharply worded letter of protest to the Bosnian Foreign Ministry complaining of "an anti-Croatian campaign by the Sarajevo press," Hina reported. The embassy alleged that Sarajevo press practices were "unacceptable," because high-ranking Croatian officials are allegedly portrayed "improperly and, of late, in extremely bad taste." The letter added that "it is particularly worrying that statements by senior government officials of...Muslim nationality have also contributed to this campaign." -- Stan Markotich

    [11] MACEDONIAN UPDATE.

    President Kiro Gligorov on 12 March upgraded the state of combat readiness already imposed a week ago (see OMRI Daily Digest, 5 March 1997) at the Debar, Gostivar, Kicevo, Ohrid, and Tetovo bases, all near the Albanian border, AFP reported. A scheduled parliamentary debate on rising inter- ethnic tension was canceled on 12 March after the nationalist, non- parliamentary opposition VRMO-DPMNE refused an invitation to participate, MILS reported. Meanwhile, Premier Branko Crvenkovski may fire five ministers from the ruling Social-Democratic Union of Macedonia in connection with the scandal over the closure of the TAT savings house, MILS reported, citing Vecer. Finally, the health of 20 students on hunger strike to protest a law allowing instruction in Albanian at the Pedagogical Faculty is said to be deteriorating. The students say that over 40,000 people have signed a petition in support of their demands. -- Michael Wyzan

    [12] ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER IN SLOVENIA.

    Romano Prodi paid a one-day visit to Ljubljana on 11 March, Western agencies reported. After meeting with Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek and President Milan Kucan, Prodi said Italy supports Slovenia's bid for inclusion in the first wave of new NATO members as well as its accession to the EU. He added that "in the next months, a mixed Italian-Slovenian group will be established that will work on bilateral questions so that all shadows of the past will disappear," Reuters reported. Italy is Slovenia's second most important trading partner, accounting for about 20% of Slovenia's total trade turnover. -- Michael Wyzan

    [13] CLUJ HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITY TO BE RE-OPENED?

    Romanian premier Victor Ciorbea's announcement before his departure for Budapest that the Bolyai Hungarian-language university in Cluj will be reopened has prompted protests in Romania, not just among extremist parties. Cluj Prefect Alexandru Farcasan, who is a member of the ruling National Peasant Party-Christian Democratic, said reopening the university and permitting bilingual street signs are likely to cause "discontent" among the Romanian ethnic majority. The reopening of the Bolyay university, which in 1958 was merged with the Romanian-language Babes University, has long been demanded by the Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania, now a member of the ruling coalition. But ethnic Romanian faculty of the Babes- Bolyay University, including Rector Andrei Marga, are opposed to the move. Meanwhile, Radio Bucharest quoted Ciorbea as saying in Budapest on 12 March that a separate Hungarian-language department would be opened within the existing university and would train Hungarian-language teachers. -- Michael Shafir

    [14] ROMANIA DENIES UKRAINIAN ALLEGATIONS OVER TREATY TALKS.

    Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Gilda Lazar on 12 March denied that Romanian ambassador to Ukraine Ion Bistreanu said at a press conference that Bucharest is no longer abiding by the reported compromise reached with Kyiv in talks over the bilateral treaty, Radio Bucharest reported. ITAR-TASS had reported on the alleged press conference, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Hennadii Udovenko had deplored the new Romanian position in an interview with the agency, Romanian media reported on 13 March. Lazar said Bistreanu has not held a press conference for the last ten days. She added that the Romanian side was waiting for a Ukrainian response to its latest proposals. Foreign Minister Adrian Severin was "ready to travel anywhere and at any time" in order to help clarify outstanding issues, she added. -- Michael Shafir

    [15] TRIPARTITE MEETING IN CHISINAU.

    Contrary to earlier reports, Infotag said on 12 March that Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and the leader of the Transdniester breakaway region, Igor Smirnov, met the previous day in Chisinau, not Tiraspol. The meeting was also attended by Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Ciubuc and parliamentary chairman Dumitru Motpan, as well as Transdniestrian Supreme Soviet chairman Grigore Markutsa. Boris Akulov, head of the breakaway region's State Committee for Information, said the talks do not signal "a resumption of the negotiation process." He said that summit meetings will be resumed only if and when Moldova agrees to sign the memorandum on the long-term settlement of the conflict. Kuchma has invited Smirnov to visit Ukraine in April to discuss the possible participation of Ukrainian troops in the peace-keeping process. He also spoke in favor of boosting trade with the Transdniester. -- Michael Shafir

    [16] BULGARIA'S IMF DEAL HELD UP BY DISAGREEMENT OVER BANKS.

    Bulgarian Premier Stefan Sofiyanski on 12 March said different views over a $150 million IMF loan to recapitalize Bulgaria's banks were delaying agreement with the fund, Pari reported. Bulgaria's Banking Consolidation Company wants the money to be used for rehabilitating banks before privatization, while the fund insists that four banks be sold before the end of 1996 and that foreign managers be sought for another two. The IMF holds that the banks experienced difficulties because of bad management, weak supervision, and intentional malfeasance. It says it will not bale out corrupt institutions. Michael Depler, head of the IMF's European Department I, said on 12 March he expects an agreement to be reached within two days. - - Michael Wyzan

    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.


    Open Media Research Institute: Daily Digest Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
    Back to Top
    Copyright © 1995-2023 HR-Net (Hellenic Resources Network). An HRI Project.
    All Rights Reserved.

    HTML by the HR-Net Group / Hellenic Resources Institute, Inc.
    omri2html v1.01 run on Thursday, 13 March 1997 - 15:27:16 UTC