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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 12, Part I, 17 January 1997
This is Part I of the Open Media Research Institute's Daily Digest. Part I is a compilation of news concerning Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Part II, covering Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe is distributed simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of the OMRI Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html
RUSSIA
DUMA CANCELS IMPEACHMENT ATTEMPT. The Duma Council on 16 January did not consider placing an attempt to impeach President Boris Yeltsin on its agenda, NTV reported. Communist leader Gennadii Zyuganov, however, suggested the possibility of passing a law defining who would exercise the president's powers when he is sick or creating a special medical commission to examine the president, according to AFP. Meanwhile, Yeltsin's doctors said that his condition has "stabilized significantly" and that he did paperwork for two hours, focusing on his annual address to the Federal Assembly. -- Robert Orttung
LAW REQUIRED FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS. A law defining the details of the amendment procedure must be adopted before the constitution can be amended, the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and Legal Issues, Vladimir Platonov, said on 16 January, ITAR-TASS reported. On 29 November, Yeltsin vetoed a bill that would have made amending the constitution easier (see OMRI Daily Digest, 2 December 1996). Platonov noted that one of the most pressing issues for change is the status of Russia's component parts. Following the elections in Tyumen Oblast, boycotted by the Yamal-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi autonomous okrugs even though they are subordinate to the oblast, there is increasing pressure to give equal status to all 89 members of the federation. The current constitution has contradictory passages on this issue. The Communists have also been pushing to transfer some of the president's power to the parliament. -- Robert Orttung
LEBED SEEKS ALLIANCE WITH LUZHKOV. Stressing that he was going for the gold medal in the next presidential elections, former Security Council Secretary Aleksandr Lebed said in Germany that his allies in the next campaign might be "in some circumstances" Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov, eye surgeon Svyatoslav Fedorov, chess champion Garri Kasparov, and possibly the whole bloc of democratic parties, Russian Public TV (ORT) reported on 16 January. He also predicted that the communist party would split into three factions, with one group working with other left- radical parties, one joining Vladimir Zhirinovsky's party, and the largest group backing him. In his numerous interviews in Germany, Lebed emphasized the need for a strong state that would regulate the price of essential consumer goods and take temporary control of some sectors of foreign trade to boost state revenues, Reuters reported. -- Robert Orttung
LEBED IS RUSSIA'S MOST POPULAR POLITICIAN. Aleksandr Lebed is Russia's most popular politician, according to a poll conducted by the Russian Independent Institute for Social and National Issues at the end of December. More than 58% of the 2,200 people interviewed across Russia expressed confidence in Lebed, while only 23% trusted Yeltsin, Nezavisimaya gazeta reported on 16 January. Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov had the trust of 43% of respondents; Gennadii Zyuganov was in fifth place with 30%, behind Grigorii Yavlinskii (35%) and Nizhnii Novgorod leader Boris Nemtsov (35%). The peace deal brokered by Lebed in Chechnya was named the most positive development of 1996 by 80% of the interviewees. Most were pessimistic about Russia's prospects for 1997. More than 73% thought it would be a hard or extremely difficult year. A majority believed crime, corruption, and unemployment would continue to grow, industrial output would fall, and the army grow weaker. -- Penny Morvant
OSCE WILL SEND OBSERVERS TO CHECHNYA. The OSCE, meeting in Vienna on 16 January, decided to send 60-70 observers to monitor Chechnya's elections, and has raised $500,000 in funding, AFP reported. Tim Guldimann, OSCE representative in Chechnya, has stated that the OSCE involvement has been cleared with the Russian authorities, but no formal approval has yet been voiced by any Russian official, ORT and NTV reported on 16 January. Refugees in neighboring regions will be taken in buses to the Chechen border on election day, with costs covered by the OSCE, Russian TV (RTR) reported on 16 January. The same day Vladimir Kartashkin, the head of the Russian Presidential Human Rights Commission, said he doubted the election will be democratic because of continuing violence, and because of the refugees' inability to vote in their place of residence, Ekho Moskvy reported. -- Peter Rutland
TRAIN ATTACK IN CHECHNYA. In the wake of a recent attack it has been decided to halt all trains from Dagestan through Chechnya for the duration of the election campaign, ITAR-TASS reported on 16 January. A group of armed men attacked the Makhachkala-Moscow train on 14 January, killing one of the four Dagestani police guards. The Russian transport ministry will build 80 km of new track to allow trains from Dagestan to bypass Chechnya. Trains from Moscow to Grozny will continue to run. -- Peter Rutland
RODIONOV DENIES DIFFERENCES WITH DEFENSE COUNCIL ... Speaking at a joint news conference with Chief of the General Staff Army Gen. Viktor Samsonov, Defense Minister Igor Rodionov denied reports of differences between his ministry and the Defense Council Staff over military reform, Russian media reported on 16 January (See OMRI Daily Digest, 7 January 1997). Rodionov complained that the government still owes the Defense Ministry 1 trillion rubles ($178 million) in wage arrears for 1996. He also insisted that military reform could not be reduced to simply slashing uniformed Defense Ministry personnel, but argued that building a smaller but more effective military would require increased funding for restructuring and new advanced equipment. He said disbanding a motorized rifle regiment costs 3.5 times its annual operating costs, and estimated that cutting the armed forces by 200,000 to 1.5 million would cost about 10 trillion rubles. -- Scott Parrish
... SAYS RUSSIA PLANS NO COUNTER-NATO BLOC. Rodionov also declared that although Russia remains "categorically opposed" to NATO enlargement, Moscow does not plan to set up a new military bloc if the alliance expands despite Russian objections. Asked about the possibility of a military alliance with Belarus, Rodionov said he "is against any military alliances for the time being," but added that "this is up to the supreme political leadership to decide." Without elaborating, Rodionov said his ministry was preparing a set of proposed countermeasures to NATO expansion, in accordance with President Yeltsin's 6 January directive. He also said that although Russia currently has no enemies, it faces "potential threats" from the "West, South and East." -- Scott Parrish
CIS FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET. Opening a session of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Yevgenii Primakov said the development of ties with CIS partners remains a "priority" for Russian foreign policy, ITAR-TASS reported. Primakov admitted that the coordination of foreign policies among CIS members was a difficult process, but insisted that the council of foreign ministers had helped CIS members better understand each other's interests. Primakov also met with his Ukrainian counterpart Henadii Udovenko to discuss the strained relations between Moscow and Kyiv. Primakov insisted that an alleged Russian document discussing plans to discredit Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, recently published by a Kyiv newspaper, is a "crude falsification" which "has nothing in common with Russian policy." Udovenko said he hoped the incident would not poison bilateral ties. -- Scott Parrish
RUSSIA DEFENDS BELARUS, PANS COUNCIL OF EUROPE. Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir Andreev condemned the recent decision by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to suspend Belarus's special guest status as "hasty and inadequate," Russian and Western agencies reported on 16 January (see OMRI Daily Digest, 14 January 1997). According to ITAR-TASS, Russia, Ukraine, and Finland voted against the 13 January resolution to suspend Belarus. Andreev said that rather than ostracizing the new Belarusian parliament, the council should instead make a "balanced analysis" of Belarusian developments and use "constructive dialogue and real assistance" to foster democracy there. The Yeltsin administration continues to support Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka despite harsh criticism of his authoritarian policies by Russian liberals and the international community. -- Scott Parrish
GOVERNMENT REVIEWS TEACHERS' CLAIMS. First Deputy Finance Minister Andrei Petrov pledged on 16 January to pay teachers the money they are owed from the 1996 budget by the end of the month, RTR reported. Education workers in many regions of Russia have been on strike all week to protest wage arrears. However, the elimination of the federal budget debt will not resolve the payments crisis as most of the money is owed by local authorities. At a cabinet session devoted to the teachers' dispute, Education Minister Vladimir Kinelev said teachers and students are now owed about 7 trillion rubles from local budgets. The state's indebtedness is largely due to the fact that the 1996 budget did not include funds to raise teachers' pay scales in line with legislation passed in August 1995. First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Ilyushin put the shortfall at about 1.2 trillion rubles a month. -- Penny Morvant
DUBIOUS DEALINGS WITH GAZPROM SHARES. A Western investment company was able to buy 0.83% of Gazprom shares for $16 million at a time when foreigners were barred from acquiring Gazprom stock, The Wall Street Journal Europe reported on 16 January. The shares are now worth $300 million, as since October 1996 foreigners have been allowed to buy a portion of Gazprom shares. A Prague-based company, Europa Capital Management, bought 3.3% of Gazprom's shares from Russian owners in 1994 through a Russian intermediary. They then struck a deal with Gazprom directors, giving back 600 million shares in return for being allowed to keep 200 million, which they can sell to other foreign buyers. The transactions are clouded in secrecy: Gazprom's list of shareholders is not open for public scrutiny. -- Peter Rutland
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From: OMRI Publications <omripub@omri.cz> Subject: OMRI Daily Digest I, No. 12, 17 Jan 97 Cc:
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 12, Part I, 17 January 1997
This is Part I of the Open Media Research Institute's Daily Digest. Part I is a compilation of news concerning Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Part II, covering Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe is distributed simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of the OMRI Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html
TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
TRIAL OF POLICE ENDS IN BAKU. The trial of some 30 former members of Azerbaijan's OPON special police force, accused of taking part in a coup attempt in March 1995, ended on 16 January, Radio Rossii reported. The accused were given jail sentences of up to 13 years. The trial began in October 1996: 60 other ex-OPON members were sentenced in earlier trials in March and April 1996, and some 300 have been jailed. The OPON force was disbanded after the coup attempt, which was allegedly led by Deputy Interior Minister Rovshan Djavadov. -- Peter Rutland
LUKOIL GAINS SHARE IN KAZAKSTANI OIL FIELD. Chevron announced on 16 January that it will bring Russian company Lukoil into the Tengiz oilfield project by selling 5% of its shares to Lukoil, ITAR-TASS reported. The two U.S. companies Chevron and Mobil will then hold 45% and 25% of the project's shares respectively, and the Kazakstani company Tengizmunaigaz the remaining 25%. In December Russia persuaded the Caspian Sea Consortium, which will build a pipeline to export the Tengiz oil, to increase Russia's share in that project to 44% while reducing Kazakstan's stake to 21% and Chevron's to 15% (see OMRI Daily Digest, 9 December 1996). -- Peter Rutland
TROUBLE AGAIN IN TURSUN ZADE ... Russian media reports that the situation in the western Tajik city of Tursun Zade is once again tense. Following the violence last week when Col. Mahmud Khudaberdiyev and his unit, the First Brigade, forced a criminal group from the city, President Imomali Rakhmonov ordered the presidential guard to take up positions in the city and guard the aluminum plant located there. However, on 16 January, residents of Tursun Zade, mainly women, gathered on a bridge 15 kilometers east of the city and are refusing to allow the presidential guard to pass. The guard commander, Gen.-Maj. Gafur Mirzoyev, said he will comply with his orders to take control of the aluminum plant. Khudaberdiyev says he will not sit idly and allow the guard to enter the city. RFE/RL reports the city is currently under the control of warlord Sadullo Mirzoev, installed there by Khudaberdiyev. -- Bruce Pannier
... AND DEMONSTRATION IN KHOJENT. Demonstrators gathered in 15 different places in the northern Tajik city of Khojent on 16 January, demanding the participation of National Revival Movement leader Abdumalik Abdullajonov in the peace talks now underway in Tehran, RFE/RL reported. Abdullajonov told RFE/RL that the government and United Tajik Opposition can not ignore him or his movement in the formation of a national reconciliation council. He said that excluding certain regions or leaders from the talks would lead to a deterioration of the already catastrophic situation in Tajikistan. Abdullajonov, a former prime minister and ambassador to Russia, in 1996 formed the National Revival Movement with two other ex-prime ministers, Jamshed Karimov and Abdujalil Samadov. -- Bruce Pannier
KARIMOV ON TAJIK GOVERNMENT, RUSSIAN MEDIA. Just prior to undertaking his first state visit to Prague and Bratislava, Uzbek President Islam Karimov accused the Tajik government of being unable "to cope with leadership" and the Russian media of pitting Uzbeks and Tajiks against each other, Uzbek Television reported on 14 January. Karimov described the recent events in Tursun Zade as a game between "thieves and convicts," some of whom hold "high positions in the Interior Ministry," for control over the city's aluminum plant. He added that some Russian media are "taking advantage" of the situation to stir up trouble between Uzbeks and Tajiks. He termed this futile and called on the Tajik government "to come to its senses and establish peace on our border and agree with the opposition forces quickly." -- Lowell Bezanis
[As of 12:00 CET]
Compiled by Steve Kettle
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Copyright (c) 1997 Open Media Research Institute, Inc.
All rights reserved. ISSN 1211-1570
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From: OMRI Publications <omripub@omri.cz> Subject: OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 12, 17 Jan 97 Cc:
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 12, Part II, 17 January 1997
This is Part II of the Open Media Research Institute's Daily Digest. Part II is a compilation of news concerning Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Part I, covering Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia, is distributed simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of the OMRI Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html
To: omri-l@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
From: OMRI Publications <omripub@omri.cz> Subject: OMRI Daily Digest I, No. 12, 17 Jan 97 Cc:
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 12, Part I, 17 January 1997
This is Part I of the Open Media Research Institute's Daily Digest. Part I is a compilation of news concerning Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Part II, covering Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe is distributed simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of the OMRI Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
COUNCIL OF EUROPE WARNS BELARUS OVER FUTURE RELATIONS. The Council of Europe warned Belarus on 16 January that further cooperation and eventual membership are conditional on that country's greater respect for democratic principles and human rights, international agencies reported. Earlier this week, the CE Parliamentary Assembly suspended Belarus's special guest status, which was conferred four years ago and allowed the country to participate in assembly meetings without voting rights. The assembly said the reason for the suspension was the "undemocratic" way in which the November 1996 referendum was held. The plebiscite gave sweeping powers to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The CE, however, has said it is prepared to continue assisting Belarus in the development of a civil society and free media. Meanwhile, Niels Helveg Petersen, the new president of the OSCE, has voiced concerns over Belarus's failure to restore democracy. He called on the government to respect OSCE norms and principles by entering into a dialogue with the opposition and ensuring freedom of the media, Reuters reported. -- Sergei Solodovnikov
BELARUSIAN PARLIAMENTARY LEADERS MEET WITH RUSSIAN DUMA SPEAKER. Anatol Malafeyev and Paval Shypuk, leaders of the Belarusian lower and upper houses, respectively, met with Russian State Duma speaker Gennadii Seleznev, ITAR-TASS reported on 16 January. The April 1996 Treaty on the Formation of a Community provides for such meetings to take place regularly. One of the purposes of the meeting was to decide on a new head for the Russian-Belarusian integration committee. The previous incumbent was former Belarusian speaker Syamyon Sharetsky. Seleznev announced after the meeting that "the Russian side is suggesting that I take over the post, but this would have to be done with Belarus's approval." -- Ustina Markus
CONTINUING DISPUTE OVER UKRAINE'S 1997 BUDGET. Parliamentary Chairman Oleksander Moroz has expressed displeasure at the "new anti-parliament campaign" over the passage of the 1997 budget, Ukrainian TV reported on 16 January. Moroz complained that the government has ignored the legislature's 19 December resolution instructing the executive to revise the 1997 budget draft within two weeks, adding that legislators would not approve half-finished documents. However, the parliament has not yet passed the tax-reform package necessary for the government to revise the budget draft. U.S. economist Jeffrey Sachs, following a meeting with President Leonid Kuchma on 13 January, said the parliament's repeated delays over adopting tax-reform legislation were "dangerous," Ukraina Moloda reported on 15 January. The parliamentary budget commission said a second reading of the draft will take place in late February or early March, according to Fax-gazeta on 16 January. -- Oleg Varfolomeyev
UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ON ARMED FORCES' MEAGER BUDGET. Oleksandr Kuzmuk, echoing the annual lament of his predecessors following the passage of the state budget, has said that the military has sufficient funds only to pay for the salaries and provisions of the armed forces, Ukrainian radio reported on 16 January. He complained that the role of the army is not limited to "eating porridge and receiving a paycheck" but should include enhancing the security of the country. He noted that no funds have been allocated for the purchase of military hardware and that the army has had to sell off military assets to cover other needs. Last year, such sales brought in 32 million hryvnyas ($17.7 million), most of which was spent on building housing for servicemen and buying military equipment. Kuzmuk said if the situation does not change, the army will be left with nothing but "national awareness and Kalashnikovs" by 2005. -- Ustina Markus
ESTONIAN POLICE CHIEF GIVES POLICEMEN TWO YEARS TO LEARN VERNACULAR. Police Department Director-General Ain Seppik on 16 January announced that non-Estonian-speaking policemen in Estonia's northeastern Ida- Virumaa region and Narva will have until 1 January 1999 to pass the language proficiency test required for citizenship, BNS reported. The 1996 Public Service Act provides for the dismissal of policemen who have not been granted or have not submitted applications for Estonian citizenship by 1 February or who do not speak the Estonian language sufficiently well. A total of 192 policemen in Ida-Virumaa and Narva come under those categories. Twenty-two have already declared they will not submit citizenship applications. -- Saulius Girnius
LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT OVERRIDES PRESIDENTIAL VETOES. The Seimas on 16 January approved once again three laws that President Algirdas Brazauskas had refused to sign and had returned to legislators with suggested amendments, RFE/RL reported. Brazauskas is now required to sign the laws within three days. This is the fourth time the Seimas has rejected the president's veto, suggesting that the ruling coalition of Conservatives and Christian Democrats will feel confident to ignore his objections also in the future. The same day, the Seimas ratified the free-trade treaties with Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. -- Saulius Girnius
PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION APPROVES POLISH DRAFT CONSTITUTION. The parliamentary Constitutional Commission on 16 January approved the draft constitution, Polish media reported. The draft now goes to the National Assembly, which is expected to approve the document in February. It reduces the powers of the president and guarantees all citizens equality before the law as well as "free" public health care and education. Discrimination is prohibited on the basis of religion, gender, and sexual orientation. While virtually all parliamentary parties support the draft constitution, representatives of the opposition Solidarity trade union and other right-of-center parties not represented in the parliament are opposed to it. A national referendum on the basic law is expected in May. -- Ben Slay
POLISH PRIME MINISTER CRITICIZED IN ISRAEL. Discussions about the restitution of property confiscated from Polish Jews by the Polish government in 1968 dominated the second day of Prime Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz's visit to Israel, Zycie Warszawy reported on 17 January. Cimoszewicz pointed out that his cabinet's re-privatization legislation provides for restitution of confiscated properties to all present and former Polish citizens, irrespective of nationality or religion. Representatives of Polish Jewish organizations in Israel called for more favorable terms for the restitution of Jewish property. "The failure to amend the legislation raises questions about the continuation of a dialogue with the Polish government," one representative said. Legislation regulating restitution of and compensation for property confiscated during the communist period has been languishing in the Sejm since 1991. -- Ben Slay
SLOVAK RULING PARTY SETS DATE FOR ALL-PARTY TALKS. Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) chairman Vladimir Meciar and leaders of all parliamentary parties will meet for talks next week, TASR reported on 16 January. Meciar had announced last month that such a meeting would take place. Among the topics to be discussed are changes in the electoral system and the timing of the next elections, HZDS spokesman Vladimir Hagara announced. Meciar is in favor of holding parliamentary elections next year in July rather than autumn and prefers combined or majority electoral system over the current proportional one. While the opposition rejects any changes in the electoral system, the HZDS has dismissed its petition calling for a referendum on direct presidential elections. -- Anna Siskova
CZECH, SLOVAK RIGHT-WING PARTIES DISCUSS COOPERATION. Slovak National Party Deputy Chairman Marian Andel and Czech Republican Party Chairman Miroslav Sladek met in Bratislava on 16 January to discuss cooperation in preventing "media demonization" of their parties, Slovak and Czech news agencies reported. They also agreed to meet regularly for further consultations. In an interview with the Slovak pro-government newspaper Slovenska republika, Sladek once again commented that President Michal Kovac is bad for Slovakia's reputation. The previous day, he had refused to attend a meeting with the president. -- Anna Siskova
FRENCH PRESIDENT WANTS HUNGARY TO JOIN EU IN 2000. Jacques Chirac on 16 January said that France supports Hungary's joining the European Union as early as 2000 and its application to join NATO, international media reported. He added that "France will do everything possible to realize this goal." Chirac was addressing the Hungarian legislature at the start of his two-day visit to Budapest. Later, Chirac conferred on Hungarian President Arpad Goncz and 12 other veterans of the 1956 uprising the Grand Cross of the Legion d'Honneur. Goncz honored Chirac with the Grand Cross of the Medal of Merit of the Republic of Hungary. The same day, the Hungarian Supreme Court handed down its first verdicts in the trials of those who helped put down the 1956 uprising. Three people have been sentenced to four to five years in jail for their involvement in the massacre of 46 protesters in the northern town of Salgotarjan in December 1956, more than a month after the revolution was over. -- Zsofia Szilagyi
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From: OMRI Publications <omripub@omri.cz> Subject: OMRI Daily Digest I, No. 12, 17 Jan 97 Cc:
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 12, Part I, 17 January 1997
This is Part I of the Open Media Research Institute's Daily Digest. Part I is a compilation of news concerning Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Part II, covering Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe is distributed simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of the OMRI Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
OUTGOING PREMIER SAYS BULGARIA ALMOST BANKRUPT ... Zhan Videnov on 16 January said Bulgaria is on the verge of bankruptcy and that a new government must be formed by the end of the month, RFE/RL and Duma reported. He said the state will "soon be unable to function" because its funds are exhausted and the 1997 state budget has not yet been passed by the parliament. He added that a new government is needed for negotiations with the IMF, urging that they start within a week. Meanwhile, four leaders of the Alliance for Social Democracy--a reformist faction within the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party--have announced they will quit the BSP because it is "incapable of reform." They called for immediate parliamentary elections. Kontinent reported they will form a new leftist party on 18 January. -- Stefan Krause
... WHILE NO LETUP IN PROTESTS IN SIGHT. Some 15,000 people on 16 January protested in Sofia against a new BSP-led government and urged that early parliamentary elections be held, RFE/RL and Reuters reported. Some 2,000 students marched to the president's office, where a delegation was received by outgoing President Zhelyu Zhelev. Zhelev is still refusing to give the BSP a mandate to form a new government. Rallies were held in dozens of other towns throughout the country, and miners, factory workers, teachers, doctors and others continued with one-hour work stoppages. The BSP and the opposition appear to be no closer to an agreement on forming a new government and calling early elections. The opposition plans to stage a rally on 17 January near the parliament building, which was the scene of violent clashes last Friday. Zhelev is scheduled the same day to meet with Union of Democratic Forces leaders to discuss the situation. -- Stefan Krause
HAS SERBIAN PRESIDENT BEEN MEETING WITH OPPOSITION? The Bosnian news agency Onasa, citing Beta, reported on 16 January that Zajedno leaders Vuk Draskovic and Zoran Djindjic have in recent weeks met with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. No details of the meetings were given. According to Onasa, Djindjic has said the main purpose of the meeting was to find a solution to the political crisis gripping Serbia. He is also quoted as saying that Milosevic "indirectly proposed to the opposition that new elections be organized." However, Nasa Borba on 17 January reports that both Djindjic and Draskovic are categorically denying having met with Milosevic. Draskovic said that the Beta report alleging such meetings took place was a "lie." -- Stan Markotich
PRESSURE ON MILOSEVIC INCREASES ... Meanwhile, pressure on the Serbian president to recognize opposition wins in the 17 November municipal runoff elections shows no signs of abating. On the contrary. Zajedno leaders pledged at a mass rally in Belgrade on 16 January to continue the protests and, if necessary, to intensify pressure. Zajedno leader Vesna Pesic said, "I propose that we issue [the Serbian authorities] a deadline for fully recognizing the election results, and to say that after that deadline not a single institution in Serbia will have any legitimacy," Reuters reported. The OSCE has said it opposes the idea of Milosevic making piecemeal concessions to Zajedno. It urged him instead to recognize the opposition wins without delay. -- Stan Markotich
... WHILE HE BIDES HIS TIME. For his part, Milosevic continues to deploy stalling tactics. Tanjug reports that he has offered concessions to the opposition, such as economic reform and cabinet shuffles, but has resisted recognizing the opposition victories. In what may be a related development, the Yugoslav Defense Council--which includes Milosevic, Federal Premier Radoje Kontic, Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic, as well as top military leaders--met on 16 January to discuss solutions to the political situation. Meanwhile, New Democracy, a coalition ally of Milosevic's ruling Socialists, has said it advocates finding a solution to the political crisis, Reuters reported on 16 January. -- Stan Markotich
FORMER BOSNIAN SERB LEADER COMMITS SUICIDE. Nikola Koljevic, a professor of English literature and former vice president of the Republika Srpska, shot himself in the head in Pale on 16 January, news agencies reported. The 60-year-old Koljevic had attempted several times to end his life since his replacement as vice president following the September 1996 Bosnian elections. Koljevic participated in the talks that led to the Dayton agreement and cultivated an image abroad as a moderate, but Muslims in particular regarded him as a war criminal because of his role in the siege of Sarajevo. -- Patrick Moore
IZETBEGOVIC ENTERS THE HOSPITAL. Alija Izetbegovic, the Muslim member and current chair of the three-man collective presidency of Bosnia- Herzegovina, entered the heart clinic of Sarajevo's Kosevo hospital on 16 January. His representative Mirza Hajric said that the 71-year-old leader will undergo a planned series of tests during a five-day stay, news agencies reported. Izetbegovic suffered a heart attack almost a year ago. The Croatian member of the presidency, Kresimir Zubak, has written Izetbegovic to ask him to name an acting chair of that body during his absence, Oslobodjenje wrote on 17 January. -- Patrick Moore
MOSTAR CROATS EVICT ANOTHER MUSLIM FROM HER HOME. Two armed men on 14 January threw an unnamed 71-year-old woman Muslim woman out of the apartment in Croat-held west Mostar where she had lived for 30 years, AFP reported, quoting UN police. The thugs then took her out of town and dumped her. They warned her not to scream or she would "end up the same way" as another elderly Muslim woman who was evicted from her flat and left to die in an abandoned building on Christmas Eve. A Croatian soldier later moved into that apartment, claiming he had bought it in a bar for DM 3,000. The woman invovled in the latest forcible eviction case told police she is too afraid to go home. Both the UN police and the international community's High Representative Carl Bildt condemned the latest evictions, but they failed to say how such acts will be prevented in the future or what they will do to punish those involved. West Mostar is widely regarded as one of the most lawless areas in Bosnia-Herzegovina and a place where Croatian military personnel, politicians, and mafia figures cooperate closely. -- Patrick Moore
NEW ROMANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ON NATO INTEGRATION. Victor Babiuc on 16 January excluded the possibility of Romania not joining NATO, Radio Bucharest reported. Babiuc said "Romania should be admitted in the first wave and by all means alongside Hungary." According to Reuters, he also mentioned plans to privatize the country's weapons industry in order to bring its military structures in line with NATO standards. Such plans would depend largely on foreign investors, he added. In related news, Romanian Foreign Minister Adrian Severin has responded to a statement by his Hungarian counterpart, Laszlo Kovacs, saying that the change of power in Romania facilitates Hungary's entry into NATO. Severin emphasized that the two countries should join the alliance simultaneously, pointing out that the September 1996 bilateral treaty calls for mutual support in the countries' bid for NATO, EU, and WEU integration. -- Zsolt Mato
MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT NOMINATES NEW PREMIER. Petru Lucinschi on 16 January nominated Ion Ciubuc as prime minister to replace Andrei Sangheli, international agencies reported. The 54-year-old Ciubuc pledged to form a "cabinet of experts, irrespective of their political views." At the same time, he said he would offer posts to some 30% of the previous cabinet's members. Painting a bleak picture of the Moldovan economy, he promised to foster privatization and restructuring. During the Soviet era, Ciubuc, a trained economist, was a senior official at the State Planning Committee. After independence, he served as a first deputy prime minister and a deputy foreign minister. Since December 1994, he has headed the State Auditing Office. -- Dan Ionescu
ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT SEIZES PYRAMID SCHEME FUNDS. In response to protests over crumbling get-rich-quick investment schemes, the government on 16 January ordered the seizure of 25.5 billion leks ($255 million) deposited in state-owned banks, Reuters reported. It said government sequestration will continue until a parliamentary committee has studied each investment account and ruled whether it belonged to a pyramid scheme. Large numbers of police were deployed around Tirana to prevent a repeat of clashes earlier this week. However, demonstrations against collapsing pyramid schemes have now spread beyond Tirana. Protesters in Vlora hurled stones at the city hall, breaking nearly all windows, to express their outrage over the Gjallica scheme's decision to postpone resuming payments to depositors. Similar protests have taken place in Shkoder. In the wake of the demonstrations, the opposition has called for mass protests against the government. -- Fabian Schmidt
[As of 12:00 CET]
Compiled by Jan Cleave
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Copyright (c) 1997 Open Media Research Institute, Inc.
All rights reserved. ISSN 1211-1570
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From: OMRI Publications <omripub@omri.cz> Subject: OMRI Daily Digest I, No. 12, 17 Jan 97 Cc:
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 12, Part I, 17 January 1997
This is Part I of the Open Media Research Institute's Daily Digest. Part I is a compilation of news concerning Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Part II, covering Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe is distributed simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of the OMRI Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html
RUSSIA
DUMA CANCELS IMPEACHMENT ATTEMPT. The Duma Council on 16 January did not consider placing an attempt to impeach President Boris Yeltsin on its agenda, NTV reported. Communist leader Gennadii Zyuganov, however, suggested the possibility of passing a law defining who would exercise the president's powers when he is sick or creating a special medical commission to examine the president, according to AFP. Meanwhile, Yeltsin's doctors said that his condition has "stabilized significantly" and that he did paperwork for two hours, focusing on his annual address to the Federal Assembly. -- Robert Orttung
LAW REQUIRED FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS. A law defining the details of the amendment procedure must be adopted before the constitution can be amended, the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and Legal Issues, Vladimir Platonov, said on 16 January, ITAR-TASS reported. On 29 November, Yeltsin vetoed a bill that would have made amending the constitution easier (see OMRI Daily Digest, 2 December 1996). Platonov noted that one of the most pressing issues for change is the status of Russia's component parts. Following the elections in Tyumen Oblast, boycotted by the Yamal-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi autonomous okrugs even though they are subordinate to the oblast, there is increasing pressure to give equal status to all 89 members of the federation. The current constitution has contradictory passages on this issue. The Communists have also been pushing to transfer some of the president's power to the parliament. -- Robert Orttung
LEBED SEEKS ALLIANCE WITH LUZHKOV. Stressing that he was going for the gold medal in the next presidential elections, former Security Council Secretary Aleksandr Lebed said in Germany that his allies in the next campaign might be "in some circumstances" Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov, eye surgeon Svyatoslav Fedorov, chess champion Garri Kasparov, and possibly the whole bloc of democratic parties, Russian Public TV (ORT) reported on 16 January. He also predicted that the communist party would split into three factions, with one group working with other left- radical parties, one joining Vladimir Zhirinovsky's party, and the largest group backing him. In his numerous interviews in Germany, Lebed emphasized the need for a strong state that would regulate the price of essential consumer goods and take temporary control of some sectors of foreign trade to boost state revenues, Reuters reported. -- Robert Orttung
LEBED IS RUSSIA'S MOST POPULAR POLITICIAN. Aleksandr Lebed is Russia's most popular politician, according to a poll conducted by the Russian Independent Institute for Social and National Issues at the end of December. More than 58% of the 2,200 people interviewed across Russia expressed confidence in Lebed, while only 23% trusted Yeltsin, Nezavisimaya gazeta reported on 16 January. Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov had the trust of 43% of respondents; Gennadii Zyuganov was in fifth place with 30%, behind Grigorii Yavlinskii (35%) and Nizhnii Novgorod leader Boris Nemtsov (35%). The peace deal brokered by Lebed in Chechnya was named the most positive development of 1996 by 80% of the interviewees. Most were pessimistic about Russia's prospects for 1997. More than 73% thought it would be a hard or extremely difficult year. A majority believed crime, corruption, and unemployment would continue to grow, industrial output would fall, and the army grow weaker. -- Penny Morvant
OSCE WILL SEND OBSERVERS TO CHECHNYA. The OSCE, meeting in Vienna on 16 January, decided to send 60-70 observers to monitor Chechnya's elections, and has raised $500,000 in funding, AFP reported. Tim Guldimann, OSCE representative in Chechnya, has stated that the OSCE involvement has been cleared with the Russian authorities, but no formal approval has yet been voiced by any Russian official, ORT and NTV reported on 16 January. Refugees in neighboring regions will be taken in buses to the Chechen border on election day, with costs covered by the OSCE, Russian TV (RTR) reported on 16 January. The same day Vladimir Kartashkin, the head of the Russian Presidential Human Rights Commission, said he doubted the election will be democratic because of continuing violence, and because of the refugees' inability to vote in their place of residence, Ekho Moskvy reported. -- Peter Rutland
TRAIN ATTACK IN CHECHNYA. In the wake of a recent attack it has been decided to halt all trains from Dagestan through Chechnya for the duration of the election campaign, ITAR-TASS reported on 16 January. A group of armed men attacked the Makhachkala-Moscow train on 14 January, killing one of the four Dagestani police guards. The Russian transport ministry will build 80 km of new track to allow trains from Dagestan to bypass Chechnya. Trains from Moscow to Grozny will continue to run. -- Peter Rutland
RODIONOV DENIES DIFFERENCES WITH DEFENSE COUNCIL ... Speaking at a joint news conference with Chief of the General Staff Army Gen. Viktor Samsonov, Defense Minister Igor Rodionov denied reports of differences between his ministry and the Defense Council Staff over military reform, Russian media reported on 16 January (See OMRI Daily Digest, 7 January 1997). Rodionov complained that the government still owes the Defense Ministry 1 trillion rubles ($178 million) in wage arrears for 1996. He also insisted that military reform could not be reduced to simply slashing uniformed Defense Ministry personnel, but argued that building a smaller but more effective military would require increased funding for restructuring and new advanced equipment. He said disbanding a motorized rifle regiment costs 3.5 times its annual operating costs, and estimated that cutting the armed forces by 200,000 to 1.5 million would cost about 10 trillion rubles. -- Scott Parrish
... SAYS RUSSIA PLANS NO COUNTER-NATO BLOC. Rodionov also declared that although Russia remains "categorically opposed" to NATO enlargement, Moscow does not plan to set up a new military bloc if the alliance expands despite Russian objections. Asked about the possibility of a military alliance with Belarus, Rodionov said he "is against any military alliances for the time being," but added that "this is up to the supreme political leadership to decide." Without elaborating, Rodionov said his ministry was preparing a set of proposed countermeasures to NATO expansion, in accordance with President Yeltsin's 6 January directive. He also said that although Russia currently has no enemies, it faces "potential threats" from the "West, South and East." -- Scott Parrish
CIS FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET. Opening a session of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Yevgenii Primakov said the development of ties with CIS partners remains a "priority" for Russian foreign policy, ITAR-TASS reported. Primakov admitted that the coordination of foreign policies among CIS members was a difficult process, but insisted that the council of foreign ministers had helped CIS members better understand each other's interests. Primakov also met with his Ukrainian counterpart Henadii Udovenko to discuss the strained relations between Moscow and Kyiv. Primakov insisted that an alleged Russian document discussing plans to discredit Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, recently published by a Kyiv newspaper, is a "crude falsification" which "has nothing in common with Russian policy." Udovenko said he hoped the incident would not poison bilateral ties. -- Scott Parrish
RUSSIA DEFENDS BELARUS, PANS COUNCIL OF EUROPE. Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir Andreev condemned the recent decision by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to suspend Belarus's special guest status as "hasty and inadequate," Russian and Western agencies reported on 16 January (see OMRI Daily Digest, 14 January 1997). According to ITAR-TASS, Russia, Ukraine, and Finland voted against the 13 January resolution to suspend Belarus. Andreev said that rather than ostracizing the new Belarusian parliament, the council should instead make a "balanced analysis" of Belarusian developments and use "constructive dialogue and real assistance" to foster democracy there. The Yeltsin administration continues to support Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka despite harsh criticism of his authoritarian policies by Russian liberals and the international community. -- Scott Parrish
GOVERNMENT REVIEWS TEACHERS' CLAIMS. First Deputy Finance Minister Andrei Petrov pledged on 16 January to pay teachers the money they are owed from the 1996 budget by the end of the month, RTR reported. Education workers in many regions of Russia have been on strike all week to protest wage arrears. However, the elimination of the federal budget debt will not resolve the payments crisis as most of the money is owed by local authorities. At a cabinet session devoted to the teachers' dispute, Education Minister Vladimir Kinelev said teachers and students are now owed about 7 trillion rubles from local budgets. The state's indebtedness is largely due to the fact that the 1996 budget did not include funds to raise teachers' pay scales in line with legislation passed in August 1995. First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Ilyushin put the shortfall at about 1.2 trillion rubles a month. -- Penny Morvant
DUBIOUS DEALINGS WITH GAZPROM SHARES. A Western investment company was able to buy 0.83% of Gazprom shares for $16 million at a time when foreigners were barred from acquiring Gazprom stock, The Wall Street Journal Europe reported on 16 January. The shares are now worth $300 million, as since October 1996 foreigners have been allowed to buy a portion of Gazprom shares. A Prague-based company, Europa Capital Management, bought 3.3% of Gazprom's shares from Russian owners in 1994 through a Russian intermediary. They then struck a deal with Gazprom directors, giving back 600 million shares in return for being allowed to keep 200 million, which they can sell to other foreign buyers. The transactions are clouded in secrecy: Gazprom's list of shareholders is not open for public scrutiny. -- Peter Rutland
To: omri-l@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
From: OMRI Publications <omripub@omri.cz> Subject: OMRI Daily Digest I, No. 12, 17 Jan 97 Cc:
Bcc:
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 12, Part I, 17 January 1997
This is Part I of the Open Media Research Institute's Daily Digest. Part I is a compilation of news concerning Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Part II, covering Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe is distributed simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of the OMRI Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html
TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
TRIAL OF POLICE ENDS IN BAKU. The trial of some 30 former members of Azerbaijan's OPON special police force, accused of taking part in a coup attempt in March 1995, ended on 16 January, Radio Rossii reported. The accused were given jail sentences of up to 13 years. The trial began in October 1996: 60 other ex-OPON members were sentenced in earlier trials in March and April 1996, and some 300 have been jailed. The OPON force was disbanded after the coup attempt, which was allegedly led by Deputy Interior Minister Rovshan Djavadov. -- Peter Rutland
LUKOIL GAINS SHARE IN KAZAKSTANI OIL FIELD. Chevron announced on 16 January that it will bring Russian company Lukoil into the Tengiz oilfield project by selling 5% of its shares to Lukoil, ITAR-TASS reported. The two U.S. companies Chevron and Mobil will then hold 45% and 25% of the project's shares respectively, and the Kazakstani company Tengizmunaigaz the remaining 25%. In December Russia persuaded the Caspian Sea Consortium, which will build a pipeline to export the Tengiz oil, to increase Russia's share in that project to 44% while reducing Kazakstan's stake to 21% and Chevron's to 15% (see OMRI Daily Digest, 9 December 1996). -- Peter Rutland
TROUBLE AGAIN IN TURSUN ZADE ... Russian media reports that the situation in the western Tajik city of Tursun Zade is once again tense. Following the violence last week when Col. Mahmud Khudaberdiyev and his unit, the First Brigade, forced a criminal group from the city, President Imomali Rakhmonov ordered the presidential guard to take up positions in the city and guard the aluminum plant located there. However, on 16 January, residents of Tursun Zade, mainly women, gathered on a bridge 15 kilometers east of the city and are refusing to allow the presidential guard to pass. The guard commander, Gen.-Maj. Gafur Mirzoyev, said he will comply with his orders to take control of the aluminum plant. Khudaberdiyev says he will not sit idly and allow the guard to enter the city. RFE/RL reports the city is currently under the control of warlord Sadullo Mirzoev, installed there by Khudaberdiyev. -- Bruce Pannier
... AND DEMONSTRATION IN KHOJENT. Demonstrators gathered in 15 different places in the northern Tajik city of Khojent on 16 January, demanding the participation of National Revival Movement leader Abdumalik Abdullajonov in the peace talks now underway in Tehran, RFE/RL reported. Abdullajonov told RFE/RL that the government and United Tajik Opposition can not ignore him or his movement in the formation of a national reconciliation council. He said that excluding certain regions or leaders from the talks would lead to a deterioration of the already catastrophic situation in Tajikistan. Abdullajonov, a former prime minister and ambassador to Russia, in 1996 formed the National Revival Movement with two other ex-prime ministers, Jamshed Karimov and Abdujalil Samadov. -- Bruce Pannier
KARIMOV ON TAJIK GOVERNMENT, RUSSIAN MEDIA. Just prior to undertaking his first state visit to Prague and Bratislava, Uzbek President Islam Karimov accused the Tajik government of being unable "to cope with leadership" and the Russian media of pitting Uzbeks and Tajiks against each other, Uzbek Television reported on 14 January. Karimov described the recent events in Tursun Zade as a game between "thieves and convicts," some of whom hold "high positions in the Interior Ministry," for control over the city's aluminum plant. He added that some Russian media are "taking advantage" of the situation to stir up trouble between Uzbeks and Tajiks. He termed this futile and called on the Tajik government "to come to its senses and establish peace on our border and agree with the opposition forces quickly." -- Lowell Bezanis
[As of 12:00 CET]
Compiled by Steve Kettle
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 1997 Open Media Research Institute, Inc.
All rights reserved. ISSN 1211-1570
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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TRANSITION
OMRI publishes the biweekly journal TRANSITION, which contains expanded analysis of many of the topics in the OMRI Daily Digest. For subscription information send an e-mail to TRANSITION@OMRI.CZ or visit the Transition Web page at
http://www.omri.cz/Publications/Transition/Index.html
OMRI ECONOMIC DIGEST
The OMRI Economic Digest is for those who need more detailed economic news from the region. There is a four-week free trial subscription available; for more information, write to ECON@OMRI.CZ or go to the OMRI Economic Digest Web page at
http://www.omri.cz/Publications/ED/Index.html
RUSSIAN REGIONAL REPORT
The Russian Regional Report is a weekly publication (published every Wednesday) initially focusing on the local elections taking place throughout Russia during the Fall of 1996. After the election season is over, the Russian Regional Report will continue, turning to broader social, political, and economic issues of Russia's regions. To Novemberveument. Back issues of subscribe, please follow these instructions:
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PURSUING BALKAN PEACE
Pursuing Balkan Peace contains the latest news about developments in the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the other countries of Southeastern Europe. Published every Tuesday, it contains both brief news summaries and longer essays on specific events or issues facing the people of the region. To subscribe, please follow these instructions: 1) Compose a message to:
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 12, Part II, 17 January 1997
This is Part II of the Open Media Research Institute's Daily Digest. Part II is a compilation of news concerning Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Part I, covering Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia, is distributed simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of the OMRI Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html
To: omri-l@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
From: OMRI Publications <omripub@omri.cz> Subject: OMRI Daily Digest I, No. 12, 17 Jan 97 Cc:
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 12, Part I, 17 January 1997
This is Part I of the Open Media Research Institute's Daily Digest. Part I is a compilation of news concerning Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Part II, covering Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe is distributed simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of the OMRI Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
COUNCIL OF EUROPE WARNS BELARUS OVER FUTURE RELATIONS. The Council of Europe warned Belarus on 16 January that further cooperation and eventual membership are conditional on that country's greater respect for democratic principles and human rights, international agencies reported. Earlier this week, the CE Parliamentary Assembly suspended Belarus's special guest status, which was conferred four years ago and allowed the country to participate in assembly meetings without voting rights. The assembly said the reason for the suspension was the "undemocratic" way in which the November 1996 referendum was held. The plebiscite gave sweeping powers to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The CE, however, has said it is prepared to continue assisting Belarus in the development of a civil society and free media. Meanwhile, Niels Helveg Petersen, the new president of the OSCE, has voiced concerns over Belarus's failure to restore democracy. He called on the government to respect OSCE norms and principles by entering into a dialogue with the opposition and ensuring freedom of the media, Reuters reported. -- Sergei Solodovnikov
BELARUSIAN PARLIAMENTARY LEADERS MEET WITH RUSSIAN DUMA SPEAKER. Anatol Malafeyev and Paval Shypuk, leaders of the Belarusian lower and upper houses, respectively, met with Russian State Duma speaker Gennadii Seleznev, ITAR-TASS reported on 16 January. The April 1996 Treaty on the Formation of a Community provides for such meetings to take place regularly. One of the purposes of the meeting was to decide on a new head for the Russian-Belarusian integration committee. The previous incumbent was former Belarusian speaker Syamyon Sharetsky. Seleznev announced after the meeting that "the Russian side is suggesting that I take over the post, but this would have to be done with Belarus's approval." -- Ustina Markus
CONTINUING DISPUTE OVER UKRAINE'S 1997 BUDGET. Parliamentary Chairman Oleksander Moroz has expressed displeasure at the "new anti-parliament campaign" over the passage of the 1997 budget, Ukrainian TV reported on 16 January. Moroz complained that the government has ignored the legislature's 19 December resolution instructing the executive to revise the 1997 budget draft within two weeks, adding that legislators would not approve half-finished documents. However, the parliament has not yet passed the tax-reform package necessary for the government to revise the budget draft. U.S. economist Jeffrey Sachs, following a meeting with President Leonid Kuchma on 13 January, said the parliament's repeated delays over adopting tax-reform legislation were "dangerous," Ukraina Moloda reported on 15 January. The parliamentary budget commission said a second reading of the draft will take place in late February or early March, according to Fax-gazeta on 16 January. -- Oleg Varfolomeyev
UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ON ARMED FORCES' MEAGER BUDGET. Oleksandr Kuzmuk, echoing the annual lament of his predecessors following the passage of the state budget, has said that the military has sufficient funds only to pay for the salaries and provisions of the armed forces, Ukrainian radio reported on 16 January. He complained that the role of the army is not limited to "eating porridge and receiving a paycheck" but should include enhancing the security of the country. He noted that no funds have been allocated for the purchase of military hardware and that the army has had to sell off military assets to cover other needs. Last year, such sales brought in 32 million hryvnyas ($17.7 million), most of which was spent on building housing for servicemen and buying military equipment. Kuzmuk said if the situation does not change, the army will be left with nothing but "national awareness and Kalashnikovs" by 2005. -- Ustina Markus
ESTONIAN POLICE CHIEF GIVES POLICEMEN TWO YEARS TO LEARN VERNACULAR. Police Department Director-General Ain Seppik on 16 January announced that non-Estonian-speaking policemen in Estonia's northeastern Ida- Virumaa region and Narva will have until 1 January 1999 to pass the language proficiency test required for citizenship, BNS reported. The 1996 Public Service Act provides for the dismissal of policemen who have not been granted or have not submitted applications for Estonian citizenship by 1 February or who do not speak the Estonian language sufficiently well. A total of 192 policemen in Ida-Virumaa and Narva come under those categories. Twenty-two have already declared they will not submit citizenship applications. -- Saulius Girnius
LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT OVERRIDES PRESIDENTIAL VETOES. The Seimas on 16 January approved once again three laws that President Algirdas Brazauskas had refused to sign and had returned to legislators with suggested amendments, RFE/RL reported. Brazauskas is now required to sign the laws within three days. This is the fourth time the Seimas has rejected the president's veto, suggesting that the ruling coalition of Conservatives and Christian Democrats will feel confident to ignore his objections also in the future. The same day, the Seimas ratified the free-trade treaties with Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. -- Saulius Girnius
PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION APPROVES POLISH DRAFT CONSTITUTION. The parliamentary Constitutional Commission on 16 January approved the draft constitution, Polish media reported. The draft now goes to the National Assembly, which is expected to approve the document in February. It reduces the powers of the president and guarantees all citizens equality before the law as well as "free" public health care and education. Discrimination is prohibited on the basis of religion, gender, and sexual orientation. While virtually all parliamentary parties support the draft constitution, representatives of the opposition Solidarity trade union and other right-of-center parties not represented in the parliament are opposed to it. A national referendum on the basic law is expected in May. -- Ben Slay
POLISH PRIME MINISTER CRITICIZED IN ISRAEL. Discussions about the restitution of property confiscated from Polish Jews by the Polish government in 1968 dominated the second day of Prime Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz's visit to Israel, Zycie Warszawy reported on 17 January. Cimoszewicz pointed out that his cabinet's re-privatization legislation provides for restitution of confiscated properties to all present and former Polish citizens, irrespective of nationality or religion. Representatives of Polish Jewish organizations in Israel called for more favorable terms for the restitution of Jewish property. "The failure to amend the legislation raises questions about the continuation of a dialogue with the Polish government," one representative said. Legislation regulating restitution of and compensation for property confiscated during the communist period has been languishing in the Sejm since 1991. -- Ben Slay
SLOVAK RULING PARTY SETS DATE FOR ALL-PARTY TALKS. Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) chairman Vladimir Meciar and leaders of all parliamentary parties will meet for talks next week, TASR reported on 16 January. Meciar had announced last month that such a meeting would take place. Among the topics to be discussed are changes in the electoral system and the timing of the next elections, HZDS spokesman Vladimir Hagara announced. Meciar is in favor of holding parliamentary elections next year in July rather than autumn and prefers combined or majority electoral system over the current proportional one. While the opposition rejects any changes in the electoral system, the HZDS has dismissed its petition calling for a referendum on direct presidential elections. -- Anna Siskova
CZECH, SLOVAK RIGHT-WING PARTIES DISCUSS COOPERATION. Slovak National Party Deputy Chairman Marian Andel and Czech Republican Party Chairman Miroslav Sladek met in Bratislava on 16 January to discuss cooperation in preventing "media demonization" of their parties, Slovak and Czech news agencies reported. They also agreed to meet regularly for further consultations. In an interview with the Slovak pro-government newspaper Slovenska republika, Sladek once again commented that President Michal Kovac is bad for Slovakia's reputation. The previous day, he had refused to attend a meeting with the president. -- Anna Siskova
FRENCH PRESIDENT WANTS HUNGARY TO JOIN EU IN 2000. Jacques Chirac on 16 January said that France supports Hungary's joining the European Union as early as 2000 and its application to join NATO, international media reported. He added that "France will do everything possible to realize this goal." Chirac was addressing the Hungarian legislature at the start of his two-day visit to Budapest. Later, Chirac conferred on Hungarian President Arpad Goncz and 12 other veterans of the 1956 uprising the Grand Cross of the Legion d'Honneur. Goncz honored Chirac with the Grand Cross of the Medal of Merit of the Republic of Hungary. The same day, the Hungarian Supreme Court handed down its first verdicts in the trials of those who helped put down the 1956 uprising. Three people have been sentenced to four to five years in jail for their involvement in the massacre of 46 protesters in the northern town of Salgotarjan in December 1956, more than a month after the revolution was over. -- Zsofia Szilagyi
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 12, Part I, 17 January 1997
This is Part I of the Open Media Research Institute's Daily Digest. Part I is a compilation of news concerning Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Part II, covering Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe is distributed simultaneously as a second document. Back issues of the OMRI Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
OUTGOING PREMIER SAYS BULGARIA ALMOST BANKRUPT ... Zhan Videnov on 16 January said Bulgaria is on the verge of bankruptcy and that a new government must be formed by the end of the month, RFE/RL and Duma reported. He said the state will "soon be unable to function" because its funds are exhausted and the 1997 state budget has not yet been passed by the parliament. He added that a new government is needed for negotiations with the IMF, urging that they start within a week. Meanwhile, four leaders of the Alliance for Social Democracy--a reformist faction within the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party--have announced they will quit the BSP because it is "incapable of reform." They called for immediate parliamentary elections. Kontinent reported they will form a new leftist party on 18 January. -- Stefan Krause
... WHILE NO LETUP IN PROTESTS IN SIGHT. Some 15,000 people on 16 January protested in Sofia against a new BSP-led government and urged that early parliamentary elections be held, RFE/RL and Reuters reported. Some 2,000 students marched to the president's office, where a delegation was received by outgoing President Zhelyu Zhelev. Zhelev is still refusing to give the BSP a mandate to form a new government. Rallies were held in dozens of other towns throughout the country, and miners, factory workers, teachers, doctors and others continued with one-hour work stoppages. The BSP and the opposition appear to be no closer to an agreement on forming a new government and calling early elections. The opposition plans to stage a rally on 17 January near the parliament building, which was the scene of violent clashes last Friday. Zhelev is scheduled the same day to meet with Union of Democratic Forces leaders to discuss the situation. -- Stefan Krause
HAS SERBIAN PRESIDENT BEEN MEETING WITH OPPOSITION? The Bosnian news agency Onasa, citing Beta, reported on 16 January that Zajedno leaders Vuk Draskovic and Zoran Djindjic have in recent weeks met with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. No details of the meetings were given. According to Onasa, Djindjic has said the main purpose of the meeting was to find a solution to the political crisis gripping Serbia. He is also quoted as saying that Milosevic "indirectly proposed to the opposition that new elections be organized." However, Nasa Borba on 17 January reports that both Djindjic and Draskovic are categorically denying having met with Milosevic. Draskovic said that the Beta report alleging such meetings took place was a "lie." -- Stan Markotich
PRESSURE ON MILOSEVIC INCREASES ... Meanwhile, pressure on the Serbian president to recognize opposition wins in the 17 November municipal runoff elections shows no signs of abating. On the contrary. Zajedno leaders pledged at a mass rally in Belgrade on 16 January to continue the protests and, if necessary, to intensify pressure. Zajedno leader Vesna Pesic said, "I propose that we issue [the Serbian authorities] a deadline for fully recognizing the election results, and to say that after that deadline not a single institution in Serbia will have any legitimacy," Reuters reported. The OSCE has said it opposes the idea of Milosevic making piecemeal concessions to Zajedno. It urged him instead to recognize the opposition wins without delay. -- Stan Markotich
... WHILE HE BIDES HIS TIME. For his part, Milosevic continues to deploy stalling tactics. Tanjug reports that he has offered concessions to the opposition, such as economic reform and cabinet shuffles, but has resisted recognizing the opposition victories. In what may be a related development, the Yugoslav Defense Council--which includes Milosevic, Federal Premier Radoje Kontic, Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic, as well as top military leaders--met on 16 January to discuss solutions to the political situation. Meanwhile, New Democracy, a coalition ally of Milosevic's ruling Socialists, has said it advocates finding a solution to the political crisis, Reuters reported on 16 January. -- Stan Markotich
FORMER BOSNIAN SERB LEADER COMMITS SUICIDE. Nikola Koljevic, a professor of English literature and former vice president of the Republika Srpska, shot himself in the head in Pale on 16 January, news agencies reported. The 60-year-old Koljevic had attempted several times to end his life since his replacement as vice president following the September 1996 Bosnian elections. Koljevic participated in the talks that led to the Dayton agreement and cultivated an image abroad as a moderate, but Muslims in particular regarded him as a war criminal because of his role in the siege of Sarajevo. -- Patrick Moore
IZETBEGOVIC ENTERS THE HOSPITAL. Alija Izetbegovic, the Muslim member and current chair of the three-man collective presidency of Bosnia- Herzegovina, entered the heart clinic of Sarajevo's Kosevo hospital on 16 January. His representative Mirza Hajric said that the 71-year-old leader will undergo a planned series of tests during a five-day stay, news agencies reported. Izetbegovic suffered a heart attack almost a year ago. The Croatian member of the presidency, Kresimir Zubak, has written Izetbegovic to ask him to name an acting chair of that body during his absence, Oslobodjenje wrote on 17 January. -- Patrick Moore
MOSTAR CROATS EVICT ANOTHER MUSLIM FROM HER HOME. Two armed men on 14 January threw an unnamed 71-year-old woman Muslim woman out of the apartment in Croat-held west Mostar where she had lived for 30 years, AFP reported, quoting UN police. The thugs then took her out of town and dumped her. They warned her not to scream or she would "end up the same way" as another elderly Muslim woman who was evicted from her flat and left to die in an abandoned building on Christmas Eve. A Croatian soldier later moved into that apartment, claiming he had bought it in a bar for DM 3,000. The woman invovled in the latest forcible eviction case told police she is too afraid to go home. Both the UN police and the international community's High Representative Carl Bildt condemned the latest evictions, but they failed to say how such acts will be prevented in the future or what they will do to punish those involved. West Mostar is widely regarded as one of the most lawless areas in Bosnia-Herzegovina and a place where Croatian military personnel, politicians, and mafia figures cooperate closely. -- Patrick Moore
NEW ROMANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ON NATO INTEGRATION. Victor Babiuc on 16 January excluded the possibility of Romania not joining NATO, Radio Bucharest reported. Babiuc said "Romania should be admitted in the first wave and by all means alongside Hungary." According to Reuters, he also mentioned plans to privatize the country's weapons industry in order to bring its military structures in line with NATO standards. Such plans would depend largely on foreign investors, he added. In related news, Romanian Foreign Minister Adrian Severin has responded to a statement by his Hungarian counterpart, Laszlo Kovacs, saying that the change of power in Romania facilitates Hungary's entry into NATO. Severin emphasized that the two countries should join the alliance simultaneously, pointing out that the September 1996 bilateral treaty calls for mutual support in the countries' bid for NATO, EU, and WEU integration. -- Zsolt Mato
MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT NOMINATES NEW PREMIER. Petru Lucinschi on 16 January nominated Ion Ciubuc as prime minister to replace Andrei Sangheli, international agencies reported. The 54-year-old Ciubuc pledged to form a "cabinet of experts, irrespective of their political views." At the same time, he said he would offer posts to some 30% of the previous cabinet's members. Painting a bleak picture of the Moldovan economy, he promised to foster privatization and restructuring. During the Soviet era, Ciubuc, a trained economist, was a senior official at the State Planning Committee. After independence, he served as a first deputy prime minister and a deputy foreign minister. Since December 1994, he has headed the State Auditing Office. -- Dan Ionescu
ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT SEIZES PYRAMID SCHEME FUNDS. In response to protests over crumbling get-rich-quick investment schemes, the government on 16 January ordered the seizure of 25.5 billion leks ($255 million) deposited in state-owned banks, Reuters reported. It said government sequestration will continue until a parliamentary committee has studied each investment account and ruled whether it belonged to a pyramid scheme. Large numbers of police were deployed around Tirana to prevent a repeat of clashes earlier this week. However, demonstrations against collapsing pyramid schemes have now spread beyond Tirana. Protesters in Vlora hurled stones at the city hall, breaking nearly all windows, to express their outrage over the Gjallica scheme's decision to postpone resuming payments to depositors. Similar protests have taken place in Shkoder. In the wake of the demonstrations, the opposition has called for mass protests against the government. -- Fabian Schmidt
[As of 12:00 CET]
Compiled by Jan Cleave
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Copyright (c) 1997 Open Media Research Institute, Inc.
All rights reserved. ISSN 1211-1570
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