OMRI DAILY DIGEST
VOL. 1, NO. 154, 9 AUGUST 1995
MOSCOW PROTESTS CROATIAN OFFENSIVE.
First Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov met with the ambassadors of the international Contact Group to discuss President Boris Yeltsin's recent peace initiative, which reportedly surprised other Contact Group governments, Russian and Western agencies reported on 8 August. Mikhail Demurin, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, declared that Russia "cannot allow a humanitarian catastrophe in Croatia and the escalation of the conflict into a full-scale war," adding that Moscow placed top priority on protecting the "full rights of the Serbian population" in the areas recently recaptured by Croatia. Duma Speaker Ivan Rybkin told ITAR-TASS that the Croatian offensive aroused "indignation" and "incomprehension" and called for the international community to deliver a "decisive rebuff" to Croatia. Other Duma deputies, led by Vladimir Zhirinovskii, announced on 8 August that they would request that the Duma Council invite Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to address an extraordinary session of the Duma if it decides to convene later this month. * Scott Parrish
PRISONER EXCHANGE DELAYED AGAIN IN GROZNY.
The scheduled prisoner exchange called for in the military accord signed in Grozny last month was delayed yet again on 8 August, Russian and Western agencies reported. Russian and Chechen negotiators continue to disagree over who constitutes a prisoner of war and how many prisoners each side holds. The ongoing expert-level talks on the political status of Chechnya are also at a standstill, as the Russian negotiators want to include the current, Moscow-backed Chechen authorities in the discussions, while Dudaev's negotiators refuse. Also on 8 August, Dudaev's chief of staff, Aslan Maskhadov, accompanied by high-ranking Russian military officers, spoke at a public meeting in the town of Shali, where he explained the terms of the military accord and outlined plans for implementing its disarmament and disengagement provisions in the Shali region. Maskhadov expressed discontent with President Yeltsin's statement that elections in Chechnya could be delayed until 1996 and added that to prevent such a delay, "we must implement the [military] accord quickly." * Scott Parrish
ALLIANCE OF COMMUNIST PARTIES UNLIKELY.
Yurii Sevenard, a Duma deputy for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), believes that his party should not form any alliances with other Communist parties or movements in the country, ITAR-TASS reported on 8 August. He said a united Communist Party would be desirable, but such a party is impossible in current conditions because the various Communist groups have radically different views. He said the Russian Communist Workers' Party (RKRP) in particular wants to work with the more moderate Communists even though the RKRP leaders criticized Sevenard's party for participating in the 1993 elections. Now, according to Sevenard, the RKRP realized that participating in the Duma has increased the KPRF's stature and wants to benefit in a similar way. * Robert Orttung
CHERNOMYRDIN BLOC ACCUSED OF TAKING OVER ELECTION PROCEDURES . . .
The leaders of Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin's bloc Our Home Is Russia are trying to take over key electoral procedures in order to guarantee victory in the December parliamentary elections, according to a commentary published in Segodnya on 8 August. In particular, the author attacked the Central Electoral Commission's proposal to ban free and paid political advertising on all radio and television companies that are not state-owned, which he called a "shameless" attempt to limit other parties' access to the media during the campaign. High-ranking government officials, many of whom are also leading figures in Our Home Is Russia, already appear on radio and television nearly every day during news broadcasts, leading some to charge that Chernomyrdin's bloc will in effect receive the "free political advertising" denied to other parties. * Laura Belin
. . . AND USING LOCAL MEDIA FOR CAMPAIGN.
In connection with an official campaign by Tula Oblast authorities in support of Our Home Is Russia, local newspapers and radio and television stations in the region have "degenerated" into means for disseminating campaign propaganda for Chernomyrdin's bloc, according to Radio Rossii on 8 August. However, the station speculated that such tactics might backfire with the region's voters. Political opponents of Our Home Is Russia reportedly believe that the more "one-sided" and "primitive" campaign coverage in the local media becomes, the less voters will be inclined to trust the prime minister's bloc. * Laura Belin
ILYUKHIN CALLS ON PROCURATOR TO DROP CASE AGAINST MASYUK.
Duma Security Committee Chairman Viktor Ilyukhin called on the Procurator General's Office to drop its criminal investigation of NTV journalist Yelena Masyuk, ITAR-TASS reported on 8 August. Masyuk interviewed Chechen field commander Shamil Basaev for NTV on 26 June, and procurators opened the investigation on 13 July to determine whether Masyuk could be charged with harboring a criminal or concealing information about a crime from law enforcement authorities. Other journalists who interviewed Basaev following the Budennovsk hostage crisis have not faced criminal investigations. * Laura Belin
FUNERAL OF KIVELIDI; ANOTHER BUSINESSMAN KILLED.
On 8 August, top politicians and businessmen, including Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov, attended the funeral of prominent banker Ivan Kivelidi, who died on 4 August after being poisoned, Russian and Western agencies reported. Businessmen angrily criticized the government's failure to combat contract killings and organized crime in general. Former Finance Minister and leading industrialist Vladimir Shcherbakov was quoted as saying "Not one conviction has been made . . . The police are incapable of doing anything, or else they're in league with the criminals." On 8 August, Moscow prosecutors claimed to have identified the killers of television star Vladislav Listev and journalist Dmitrii Kholodov but gave no details. Meanwhile, a restaurant manager and his seven-year-old daughter were killed by a car bomb in Vladivostok. Attacks on businesspeople have become commonplace in Primore, where organized criminal groups are strong. * Penny Morvant
INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICIAL ON ORGANIZED CRIME.
In an interview with Krestyanskaya Rossiya (7-13 August), deputy head of the Interior Ministry's Department for Combating Organized Crime Aleksandr Dementev said that at the beginning of the year there were more than 8,000 gangs in Russia with a total of about 35,000 members. He added that a quarter of the criminal groups have connections with corrupt officials. Among the cases described by Dementev was an incident last year in Vladimir Oblast in which a gang threatened to pour cyanide into the city's reservoir if the local administration did not pay it $1 million; all five members of the group were arrested. On the subject of money laundering, Dementev said that according to Interior Ministry data, criminal groups had set up 983 front businesses. * Penny Morvant
EXPERT CALLS FOR REFORM OF MILITARY BUDGET SYSTEM.
The government must strictly control the formation and implementation of the military budget if it hopes to achieve "reasonable sufficiency" in defense spending, a military expert told ITAR-TASS on 8 August. Boris Zhelezov, from the Center of National Security Problems and International Relations, said there was no coordination between the Economics and Finance ministries on one hand and the Defense Ministry on the other. For the third year in a row, the military budget was being adopted six months into the budget year. He complained that the military did not explain how they intend to use the money they are given. He said that all concerned must reject the "old methods" of requesting more than is needed in anticipation of cuts. He called for an itemized national defense budget prepared by "independent experts." * Doug Clarke
DETAINED AMERICAN WAS CONDUCTING ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) has confirmed reports that it had detained and then released last week a U.S. serviceman near the Krasnoyarsk-26 nuclear facility, Russian and Western agencies reported on 8 August. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow identified the American as Capt. Jason Lynch, an instructor of geography and military engineering at West Point. The embassy said Lynch was participating in a joint research project investigating radioactive contamination in the Krasnoyarsk region at the invitation of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The FSB has issued no further comments on the incident, although in a comment reminiscent of the cold war, a Russian military source told ITAR-TASS that Lynch may have been gathering data to increase the accuracy of U.S. cruise missiles targeting the Krasnoyarsk facility. The FSB has recently issued repeated warnings that foreign intelligence agencies continue to operate in Russia. * Scott Parrish
RUSSIA PROCEEDING WITH CUBAN NUCLEAR REACTOR.
Grigorii Kaurov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Nuclear Energy, told ITAR-TASS on 8 August that Russia would proceed with the construction of a nuclear power plant in Cuba, despite American concerns about its safety. The U.S. House of Representatives voted in June to cut aid to Russia by $15 billion if the project is not canceled. Kaurov said the reactor and turbines for the plant had already been shipped to Cuba and rebuffed American criticism of the project, since "the U.S. always expresses dissatisfaction whenever Russia begins such a project in any country whatsoever." The Russian official added that the U.S. would be welcome to satisfy its safety concerns by participating in the project. * Scott Parrish
GRAIN HARVEST TO TOTAL 80 MILLION METRIC TONS.
Russia's grain harvest will amount to about 80 million metric tons this year despite severe drought, ITAR-TASS reported on 8 August, citing the Agriculture Ministry. The report's figure was just below last year's level of 81.3 million metric tons. The ministry said higher corn production, which has survived the hot weather, will compensate for the lower yields of other grains. About 1 million hectares of corn will be used for grain production instead of silage, boosting the grain harvest. Last month, Aleksandr Zaveryukha, deputy prime minister for agriculture, said the grain harvest for this year is expected to total 75-78 million metric tons, down 4-8% from last year and the lowest since the early 1970s. * Thomas Sigel
YELTSIN SIGNS LEGAL INFORMATION DECREE.
President Yeltsin signed a decree that defines the conditions required for meeting the legal information needs of the country's state power bodies on the basis of progressive information technologies, Segodnya reported on 8 August. The program calls for the creation of a central integrated legal information bank and a fiber-optics telecommunications system linking state power bodies. The program will be financed from the federal budget and will be implemented during 1996 and 1997. * Thomas Sigel
DUMA DEPUTIES CLAIM YELTSIN VIOLATED LAW ON NOMINATING CENTRAL BANKER.
A group of Russian Duma deputies, headed by Mikhail Zadornov, chairman of the Duma Budget, Tax, Banks, and Finance Committee, sent a letter to President Yeltsin claiming the president has violated the law by failing to nominate a new candidate to head the Central Bank of Russia following the Duma's rejection of Tatyana Paramonova on 19 July, Rosiiiskie vesti reported on 9 August. According to the law, the president has two weeks to nominate a new candidate if the Duma rejects his previous choice. Presidential aide Aleksandr Livshits replied to the letter, stating that because of the Duma's summer recess, it is "impossible to resolve this issue for the time being." * Thomas Sigel
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
VOL. 1, NO. 154, 9 AUGUST 1995
NIYAZOV SACKS ADMINISTRATION HEADS.
Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov sacked 10 out of the country's 50 local administration chiefs, Radio Rossii reported on 7 August in a broadcast monitored by the BBC. The official reason for the dismissals was the administration heads' failure to meet a state order for wheat supplies. Quoting the Ima press agency, Radio Rossii noted that slightly more than 850,000 metric tons of grain had been harvested instead of the 1 million that had been forecasted. At an 11 July cabinet meeting, Niyazov had criticized the manner in which oblast and raion heads were carrying out the harvest and procurement of wheat and threatened to dismiss those who failed to meet their quotas. * Lowell Bezanis
GROUP OF RUSSIANS DEPORTED FROM KAZAKHSTAN.
A group of 62 Russians was deported by order of the Semipalatinsk regional administration, Pravda reported on 9 August. According to the official report on the case, the Russians were not citizens of Kazakhstan and did not have residency permits. Police escorted the Russians to the railway station and put them on trains leaving Kazakhstan without the opportunity to send a telegram or make a phone call to relatives. The Congress of Russian Communities said most of the deportees lived and worked in Semipalatinsk but simply refused to consider themselves citizens of Kazakhstan. The Congress called the deportation a flagrant violation of international laws and the laws of the republic of Kazakhstan. * Bruce Pannier
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
VOL. 1, NO. 154, 9 AUGUST 1995
LACK OF AID MAY KEEP CHORNOBYL OPEN.
Ukraine may reconsider its promise to shut down the Chornobyl nuclear power plant if the West fails to help raise the $4 billion the government says it needs to replace it, Reuters and ITAR-TASS reported on 8 August. Ukrainian Environment Minister Yurii Kostenko and officials from the State Committee on Nuclear Power said the government may be forced to upgrade the station if financial assistance isn't forthcoming. Kostenko told Reuters that President Leonid Kuchma sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, the current G-7 chairman, requesting a meeting next month on plans to close Chornobyl. Kuchma reportedly told Chretien that Ukraine would have "the legal and moral right to alter its decision." Meanwhile, Kiev has begun a scheduled overhaul of the station's no. 1 reactor. The plant's chief engineer told ITAR-TASS that 13 technological circuits would be replaced. The president's State Committee for Nuclear Policy and Environmental Safety has recommended the government work out a plan for a major reconstruction of Chornobyl to keep it operating for ten years. * Chrystyna Lapychak
BELARUSIAN INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT FALLS.
On 8 August Belarusian radio reported that industrial production in the first half of 1995 fell by 8.2% compared to the same period last year. This was more than the 3% foreseen under the plans to pull Belarus out of its economic crisis. The main reason for the drop was the lower output of machine-manufacturing industries. Light industry fared slightly better, but the output of the food industry fell 82.8 percent. The drop in agricultural output is attributed to equipment, fertilizers and other supplies not reaching the agricultural sector. Sectors of the economy that increased production included oil refinement and chemical industries. * Ustina Markus
DISARMAMENT SPECIALISTS IN BELARUS.
A group of U.S. disarmament specialists arrived in Minsk to discuss agreements on the liquidation of nuclear arms in Belarus, Belarusian television reported on 7 August. Talks will focus on the technical problems related to the dismantlement of the Krone missiles' launch pads on which Belarus's SS-25 Topol missiles were based. The republic initially planned to blow up the launch pads, but after two were destroyed it was decided the method caused too much environmental damage and the plan was halted. Minsk's recent decision to slow down the transfer of nuclear weapons from Belarus to Russia was also prompted by the environmental damage left behind by Russian strategic-rocket forces. * Ustina Markus
POLISH GOVERNMENT ON THE MILITARY IN CROATIA.
Polish Defense Minister Zbigniew Okonski said on 8 August that "Polish soldiers in Croatia are quite safe, considering the conditions there," Polish media reported the next day. He added that Poland will not unilaterally withdraw its soldiers without first consulting with the UN. The Polish government also appealed to both sides of the conflict in Krajina to observe the ceasefire agreement, Polish media reported. * Jakub Karpinski
POSTPONING POLISH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS DEBATED.
The idea of extending President Lech Walesa's term in office by two years, which was revealed and criticized by, among others, Deputy Sejm Speaker Wlodzimerz Cimoszewicz (see OMRI Daily Digest, 8 August 1995) evoked strong reactions from many politicians. Center Alliance leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski compared the idea to a proclamation that Poland has become an empire ruled by Walesa and that a discussion on the rules of succession to throne should follow, Rzeczpospolita reported on 9 August. It was revealed the same day that signatures in support of Walesa's candidacy for president were collected among soldiers under pressure from commanding officers. Labor Union Sejm deputies discussed the matter with the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Henryk Jasik, Gazeta Wyborcza reported on 9 August. * Jakub Karpinski
BALTS PROTEST HIGHWAY ROBBERIES IN POLAND.
Estonian and Latvian officials asked Poland to take measures to prevent the increasingly frequent robberies of Baltic busses passing through Poland, Reuters reported on 8 August. The action was prompted by the robbery of a regularly scheduled bus travelling from Tallinn to Munich on the highway near Warsaw on 6 April by thieves disguised as Polish policemen. The German embassy in Warsaw may also submit a protest to the Polish authorities since nine of the passengers on the bus were German citizens and the bus tickets are sold by a German company. * Saulius Girnius
PRIVATIZATION OF LATVIAN GAS COMPANY.
President of Latvian Gas Adrians Davis said the privatization of his company was unlikely to increase prices for individual users, BNS reported on 8 August. The government is planning to sell 24% of the company to foreign investors and 1% to Latvian residents. Companies that have expressed an interest in bidding include German Ruhrgas, French Gas de France, and Norwegian Norsk Hydro, although Russia's Gazprom, because it is the company's main gas supplier, is in the best position. Terms of the privatization process will be settled only after the company's assets are audited. It appears likely that the company will be privatized in 10 to 12 stages after which the government will own about 30% of the company. * Saulius Girnius
SLOVAK PRESIDENT MEETS WITH GORE.
Continuing his visit to the U.S., on 8 August Michal Kovac met with U.S. Vice President Al Gore as well as representatives of the White House, State Department and Pentagon. Kovac told Slovak Radio on 8 August that U.S. representatives were most interested in the progress of democracy and reforms in Slovakia, and they stressed that Slovakia is not maintaining the same pace in these areas as are Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. In particular, the U.S. expressed anxiety about the situation in the media, privatization, relations between the government and the opposition, the increasing influence of the state in private life, and certain manifestations of nationalism in Slovakia. The ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia reacted angrily to Kovac's statements, stressing that if Kovac really voiced such an opinion, it is "proof" that he should have resigned following the no-confidence vote passed by the parliament in May. The Slovak National Party said Kovac "did not come out in defense of his country decisively and forcefully" as the head of state should have. The party also said Kovac again confirmed that he "does not respect the results of democratic elections," Narodna obroda reports. * Sharon Fisher
CZECH REPUBLIC TO PRIVATIZE FURTHER.
Following a meeting of Czech economic ministers on 8 August, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus announced that the state will sell its shares in many key industries, Czech media reported on 9 August. Although a majority of Czech companies are in private hands following two waves of voucher privatization, the state is still a major shareholder in some banks and other key firms. Klaus told journalists the government wants to "radically" reduce state ownership in such firms. Moreover, the Czech Republic's top privatization agency--the National Property Fund--still holds between 5% and 10% of shares in some 1,400 privatized companies. The ministers agreed that the sale of these shares must be accelerated, and the process should be finished by 1997. * Jiri Pehe
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
VOL. 1, NO. 154, 9 AUGUST 1995
UNCERTAINTY CONTINUES IN KRAJINA.
The BBC reported on 9 August that another agreement between the Croatian authorities and rebel Serbs may be in the offing. The basic principle would be that the Serbs give up their heavy weapons in return for safe passage. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote that the situation has become more complicated because 14,000 soldiers with light and heavy weapons have mixed in with a column of 40,000 civilians between Glina and Dvor. Croatian, Serbian, and UN officials continue to disagree as to the total number of Krajina refugees on the move, international media reported. The Ljubljana daily Delo wrote on 8 August that air attacks on columns of Serbian refugees on Bosnian Serb territory were carried out by Bosnian Serb aircraft. The article, which is summarized in Vecerni list on 9 August, claimed that Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his air force commander Zivomir Ninkovic want the refugees to go home to maintain a Serbian presence in Krajina. The Bosnian Serbs also reportedly set up a court martial in Banja Luka to try Krajina Serbs for leaving the Knin and Benkovac battlefields. According to the article, some 20 men have already been sentenced. * Patrick Moore
MARTIC WANTS SERBS TO RETAKE KRAJINA.
Bosnian Serb television on 8 August broadcast an appeal by Krajina Serb "President" Milan Martic, his first public appearance in some time. AFP said he was in the Krajina town of Srb, wearing military fatigues and looking exhausted. Martic called on "all the patriots from all Serb states and from abroad to come back for the defense of their fatherland. I do not recognize nor will I ever recognize the occupation [of Krajina]. We must do everything in order to return to our homes. I am convinced we can do it. I remain here, I am somewhat surrounded but I am not afraid." The BBC on 9 August said that any attempt to retake Krajina without the active help of the rump Yugoslav army was utter nonsense. * Patrick Moore
KARADZIC CALLS MILOSEVIC A TRAITOR.
Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has given up some of his political duties to parliament speaker Momcilo Krajisnik in order to devote full time to the reconquest of Krajina, the VOA said on 9 August. The BBC added that Karadzic wrote a letter to Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, accusing him of having turned his back on Krajina and thereby becoming a traitor to all Serbs. Karadzic nonetheless left the door open for Milosevic to redeem himself by immediately coming to the military aid of the Krajina and Bosnian Serbs. Karadzic has other problems closer to home, however. Reuters said on 8 August that General Dragomir Milosevic has joined 18 other Bosnian Serb generals in backing commander Ratko Mladic "in absolute unity" against Karadzic. The feud between the two internationally wanted war criminals has become increasingly public in recent days. * Patrick Moore
MLADIC DOES NOT RECOGNIZE AUTHORITY OF INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL.
Alexandros Lykourezos, lawyer of Ratko Mladic, said on 8 August that his client does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia that has charged him with war crimes, AFP reported the following day. Lykourezos said he met Mladic on 6 August near Belgrade to discuss his defense before all international bodies, including the Hague tribunal. He added that the other 23 indicted Bosnian Serbs, including Radovan Karadzic, also reject the court's authority. * Stefan Krause
SERBS IN EASTERN SLAVONIA ANNOUNCE JOINT COMMAND WITH BELGRADE.
AFP reported on 9 August that Serb leaders in eastern Slavonia declared they had formed a joint command with the rump Yugoslav army. There has been no confirmation or denial from Belgrade. The Serbian mayor of Vukovar said that the Serbs there have been "until now... divided and separated from Serbia, our mother country, [but now] are finally reunited. We are 12 million [Serbs in the former Yugoslavia] and we will become 312 million if necessary," a reference to Russia, to which many Serbs traditionally feel great devotion. Wealthy eastern Slavonia has reportedly been highly integrated into Serbia. Meanwhile in New York, the Croatian ambassador to the UN, Mario Nobilo, said "we have no immediate intention to establish military control over our remaining occupied territory of Croatia." * Patrick Moore
FIRST RELIEF CONVOY REACHES BIHAC.
International media report on 9 August that the first shipment of supplies since May has reached Bihac. The Serbian and renegade Muslim siege of the town lasted for three years until the mainly Muslim Bosnian army Fifth Corps broke through to join up with advancing Croat forces in Krajina on 5-6 August. The Muslims have reportedly torched at least six Serbian villages, apparently in reprisal, and have been seen looting as well. A BBC reporter in Bihac said that the town's residents are happy and relieved but also worn out. Danish peacekeepers reported that some Muslim soldiers had executed five elderly Serbs, but UN special envoy Yasushi Akashi said there was no confirmation of the report. * Patrick Moore
CROATIA REJECTS BOSNIAN CARVE-UP CHARGE.
Croatia's ambassador to Britain wrote the Times on 8 August to protest British press reports that Croatian President Franjo Tudjman had made a deal with Milosevic to partition Bosnia. The ambassador said that "any plans to `carve up' Bosnia originate not from President Tudjman, or from any supposed secret deals between Croatia and Serbia, but from the international community and the successive peace mediators." The Times had earlier run an article in which politician Paddy Ashdown claimed that Tudjman had drawn him a map at a festive dinner showing how Bosnia's borders might look in the future. Meanwhile in Belgrade, Politika on 9 August published two articles on British and French opposition to Croatia: "One more black day in the history of Europe" and "Paris fears a `greater Croatia.'" Le Figaro called for an end to viewing the Serbs as aggressors and the Muslims and Croats as victims. * Patrick Moore
OPINION POLL ON BULGARIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS.
According to an opinion poll published in 24 chasa on 8 August, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) would get 34.3% of the vote if local elections were held now. The Union of Democratic Forces (SDS) would receive 16.7%, and the remaining parties less than 10% each. However, 24.7% answered that they do not know who they would vote for. If the major opposition parties nominate common candidates, they would receive 24.6%, and the BSP 33.6%. In Sofia, former interim Prime Minister Reneta Indzhova leads the poll with 22.9%, followed by the yet unnamed BSP candidate (13.6%), and SDS candidate Stefan Sofiyanski (12.6%). In Sofia, "undecided" is the largest group with 42.1%. * Stefan Krause
NIMITZ ON GREEK-MACEDONIAN DISPUTE.
The U.S. special envoy mediating in the Greek-Macedonian dispute, Matthew Nimitz, said efforts to resolve the dispute have recently "intensified." In an interview with the Greek daily Ethnos on 7 August, Nimitz called his recent talks with Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov encouraging and said that "in Skopje there is understanding for the Greek government's stance, but, of course, there are differences." According to Nimitz, both sides want to solve the dispute; Macedonia because it "wishes for progress in the flag issue, and wants to reopen trade and have good relations with Greece," and Greece "because [the dispute] has a negative influence on [Greece] in the European arena, as well as on Greek trade." Nimitz added that despite the problems, the prevailing view in both countries is resolution of the issue. * Stefan Krause
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIALS IN BUCHAREST.
NATO's Deputy Secretary for Defense Assistance, Robin Beard, started a one-week visit to Romania on 8 August, Western and Romanian media reported. Speaking to journalists at Bucharest's international airport, Beard deplored the latest fighting in the former Yugoslavia, and said that "NATO's hands are pretty well tied." On the same day, Beard met with Romanian Defense Minister Gheorghe Tinca. According to Radio Bucharest, the talks focused on cooperation between NATO and Romania, including Romania's participation in the Partnership For Peace program. The two sides stressed the need for increased cooperation in the management of defense resources and military equipment. Also on 8 August, Dutch Defense Minister Joris Voorhoeve began a four-day visit to Romania. * Dan Ionescu
CHOLERA SPREADING IN MOLDOVA.
The number of people infected with cholera in Moldova is on the rise, Western agencies and Infotag reported on 7 and 8 August. The disease, which broke out in that country in July, has already killed two people and infected at least 63. New cases were reported in the town of Stefan-Voda, some 80 kms southeast of Chisinau. Moldovan officials say that the disease came from neighboring Ukraine. Moldova has imposed travel bans in areas most affected by the epidemic and has banned the import of fish from Ukraine. It also announced its intention to import Romanian chemicals worth over $100,000 to begin disinfecting work. * Dan Ionescu
DID AFGHAN GOVERNMENT BUY AMMUNITION IN ALBANIA?
A spokesman of Afghanistan's Burhanuddin Rabbani-led government said it had bought ammunition in Albania "because it was cheap there," Reuters reported on 8 August. The ammunition was discovered when a MiG-19 jet fighter of the Taleban student militia forced a Russian Ilyushin 76 to land at Taleban military headquarters in Kandahar. Taleban said it found 3,400,000 rounds of Kalashnikov assault rifle ammunition and two boxes of shells for Z-U anti-aircraft guns. A Russian negotiator accused Taleban of committing "international terrorism" and added: "We are holding Taleban responsible for the safety of the crew who are hostages in Kandahar." A Rabbani government spokesman claimed that "the consignment has all the proper documents and we have done nothing wrong." * Fabian Schmidt
SEASIDE PROPERTIES FOR FORMER ALBANIAN LANDOWNERS?
Following parliament passage of the disputed land law, which allows the buying and selling of real estate, (see OMRI Daily Digest 27 July 1995) the Albanian government has proposed to compensate former landowners with properties well-suited for tourism, such as sites on the southern Albanian coast, Koha Jone and Republika reported on 5 and 6 August. The plans are disputed, however, and the leader of the Democratic Alliance, Neritan Ceka, stressed that the infrastructure necessary for people to settle on the coast, such as apartments, streets, and water pipelines would cost "billions of dollars." * Fabian Schmidt
[As of 1200 CET]
Compiled by Victor Gomez and Pete Baumgartner
VOL. 1, NO. 154, 9 AUGUST 1995
MOSCOW PROTESTS CROATIAN OFFENSIVE.
First Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov met with the ambassadors of the international Contact Group to discuss President Boris Yeltsin's recent peace initiative, which reportedly surprised other Contact Group governments, Russian and Western agencies reported on 8 August. Mikhail Demurin, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, declared that Russia "cannot allow a humanitarian catastrophe in Croatia and the escalation of the conflict into a full-scale war," adding that Moscow placed top priority on protecting the "full rights of the Serbian population" in the areas recently recaptured by Croatia. Duma Speaker Ivan Rybkin told ITAR-TASS that the Croatian offensive aroused "indignation" and "incomprehension" and called for the international community to deliver a "decisive rebuff" to Croatia. Other Duma deputies, led by Vladimir Zhirinovskii, announced on 8 August that they would request that the Duma Council invite Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to address an extraordinary session of the Duma if it decides to convene later this month. * Scott Parrish
PRISONER EXCHANGE DELAYED AGAIN IN GROZNY.
The scheduled prisoner exchange called for in the military accord signed in Grozny last month was delayed yet again on 8 August, Russian and Western agencies reported. Russian and Chechen negotiators continue to disagree over who constitutes a prisoner of war and how many prisoners each side holds. The ongoing expert-level talks on the political status of Chechnya are also at a standstill, as the Russian negotiators want to include the current, Moscow-backed Chechen authorities in the discussions, while Dudaev's negotiators refuse. Also on 8 August, Dudaev's chief of staff, Aslan Maskhadov, accompanied by high-ranking Russian military officers, spoke at a public meeting in the town of Shali, where he explained the terms of the military accord and outlined plans for implementing its disarmament and disengagement provisions in the Shali region. Maskhadov expressed discontent with President Yeltsin's statement that elections in Chechnya could be delayed until 1996 and added that to prevent such a delay, "we must implement the [military] accord quickly." * Scott Parrish
ALLIANCE OF COMMUNIST PARTIES UNLIKELY.
Yurii Sevenard, a Duma deputy for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), believes that his party should not form any alliances with other Communist parties or movements in the country, ITAR-TASS reported on 8 August. He said a united Communist Party would be desirable, but such a party is impossible in current conditions because the various Communist groups have radically different views. He said the Russian Communist Workers' Party (RKRP) in particular wants to work with the more moderate Communists even though the RKRP leaders criticized Sevenard's party for participating in the 1993 elections. Now, according to Sevenard, the RKRP realized that participating in the Duma has increased the KPRF's stature and wants to benefit in a similar way. * Robert Orttung
CHERNOMYRDIN BLOC ACCUSED OF TAKING OVER ELECTION PROCEDURES . . .
The leaders of Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin's bloc Our Home Is Russia are trying to take over key electoral procedures in order to guarantee victory in the December parliamentary elections, according to a commentary published in Segodnya on 8 August. In particular, the author attacked the Central Electoral Commission's proposal to ban free and paid political advertising on all radio and television companies that are not state-owned, which he called a "shameless" attempt to limit other parties' access to the media during the campaign. High-ranking government officials, many of whom are also leading figures in Our Home Is Russia, already appear on radio and television nearly every day during news broadcasts, leading some to charge that Chernomyrdin's bloc will in effect receive the "free political advertising" denied to other parties. * Laura Belin
. . . AND USING LOCAL MEDIA FOR CAMPAIGN.
In connection with an official campaign by Tula Oblast authorities in support of Our Home Is Russia, local newspapers and radio and television stations in the region have "degenerated" into means for disseminating campaign propaganda for Chernomyrdin's bloc, according to Radio Rossii on 8 August. However, the station speculated that such tactics might backfire with the region's voters. Political opponents of Our Home Is Russia reportedly believe that the more "one-sided" and "primitive" campaign coverage in the local media becomes, the less voters will be inclined to trust the prime minister's bloc. * Laura Belin
ILYUKHIN CALLS ON PROCURATOR TO DROP CASE AGAINST MASYUK.
Duma Security Committee Chairman Viktor Ilyukhin called on the Procurator General's Office to drop its criminal investigation of NTV journalist Yelena Masyuk, ITAR-TASS reported on 8 August. Masyuk interviewed Chechen field commander Shamil Basaev for NTV on 26 June, and procurators opened the investigation on 13 July to determine whether Masyuk could be charged with harboring a criminal or concealing information about a crime from law enforcement authorities. Other journalists who interviewed Basaev following the Budennovsk hostage crisis have not faced criminal investigations. * Laura Belin
FUNERAL OF KIVELIDI; ANOTHER BUSINESSMAN KILLED.
On 8 August, top politicians and businessmen, including Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov, attended the funeral of prominent banker Ivan Kivelidi, who died on 4 August after being poisoned, Russian and Western agencies reported. Businessmen angrily criticized the government's failure to combat contract killings and organized crime in general. Former Finance Minister and leading industrialist Vladimir Shcherbakov was quoted as saying "Not one conviction has been made . . . The police are incapable of doing anything, or else they're in league with the criminals." On 8 August, Moscow prosecutors claimed to have identified the killers of television star Vladislav Listev and journalist Dmitrii Kholodov but gave no details. Meanwhile, a restaurant manager and his seven-year-old daughter were killed by a car bomb in Vladivostok. Attacks on businesspeople have become commonplace in Primore, where organized criminal groups are strong. * Penny Morvant
INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICIAL ON ORGANIZED CRIME.
In an interview with Krestyanskaya Rossiya (7-13 August), deputy head of the Interior Ministry's Department for Combating Organized Crime Aleksandr Dementev said that at the beginning of the year there were more than 8,000 gangs in Russia with a total of about 35,000 members. He added that a quarter of the criminal groups have connections with corrupt officials. Among the cases described by Dementev was an incident last year in Vladimir Oblast in which a gang threatened to pour cyanide into the city's reservoir if the local administration did not pay it $1 million; all five members of the group were arrested. On the subject of money laundering, Dementev said that according to Interior Ministry data, criminal groups had set up 983 front businesses. * Penny Morvant
EXPERT CALLS FOR REFORM OF MILITARY BUDGET SYSTEM.
The government must strictly control the formation and implementation of the military budget if it hopes to achieve "reasonable sufficiency" in defense spending, a military expert told ITAR-TASS on 8 August. Boris Zhelezov, from the Center of National Security Problems and International Relations, said there was no coordination between the Economics and Finance ministries on one hand and the Defense Ministry on the other. For the third year in a row, the military budget was being adopted six months into the budget year. He complained that the military did not explain how they intend to use the money they are given. He said that all concerned must reject the "old methods" of requesting more than is needed in anticipation of cuts. He called for an itemized national defense budget prepared by "independent experts." * Doug Clarke
DETAINED AMERICAN WAS CONDUCTING ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) has confirmed reports that it had detained and then released last week a U.S. serviceman near the Krasnoyarsk-26 nuclear facility, Russian and Western agencies reported on 8 August. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow identified the American as Capt. Jason Lynch, an instructor of geography and military engineering at West Point. The embassy said Lynch was participating in a joint research project investigating radioactive contamination in the Krasnoyarsk region at the invitation of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The FSB has issued no further comments on the incident, although in a comment reminiscent of the cold war, a Russian military source told ITAR-TASS that Lynch may have been gathering data to increase the accuracy of U.S. cruise missiles targeting the Krasnoyarsk facility. The FSB has recently issued repeated warnings that foreign intelligence agencies continue to operate in Russia. * Scott Parrish
RUSSIA PROCEEDING WITH CUBAN NUCLEAR REACTOR.
Grigorii Kaurov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Nuclear Energy, told ITAR-TASS on 8 August that Russia would proceed with the construction of a nuclear power plant in Cuba, despite American concerns about its safety. The U.S. House of Representatives voted in June to cut aid to Russia by $15 billion if the project is not canceled. Kaurov said the reactor and turbines for the plant had already been shipped to Cuba and rebuffed American criticism of the project, since "the U.S. always expresses dissatisfaction whenever Russia begins such a project in any country whatsoever." The Russian official added that the U.S. would be welcome to satisfy its safety concerns by participating in the project. * Scott Parrish
GRAIN HARVEST TO TOTAL 80 MILLION METRIC TONS.
Russia's grain harvest will amount to about 80 million metric tons this year despite severe drought, ITAR-TASS reported on 8 August, citing the Agriculture Ministry. The report's figure was just below last year's level of 81.3 million metric tons. The ministry said higher corn production, which has survived the hot weather, will compensate for the lower yields of other grains. About 1 million hectares of corn will be used for grain production instead of silage, boosting the grain harvest. Last month, Aleksandr Zaveryukha, deputy prime minister for agriculture, said the grain harvest for this year is expected to total 75-78 million metric tons, down 4-8% from last year and the lowest since the early 1970s. * Thomas Sigel
YELTSIN SIGNS LEGAL INFORMATION DECREE.
President Yeltsin signed a decree that defines the conditions required for meeting the legal information needs of the country's state power bodies on the basis of progressive information technologies, Segodnya reported on 8 August. The program calls for the creation of a central integrated legal information bank and a fiber-optics telecommunications system linking state power bodies. The program will be financed from the federal budget and will be implemented during 1996 and 1997. * Thomas Sigel
DUMA DEPUTIES CLAIM YELTSIN VIOLATED LAW ON NOMINATING CENTRAL BANKER.
A group of Russian Duma deputies, headed by Mikhail Zadornov, chairman of the Duma Budget, Tax, Banks, and Finance Committee, sent a letter to President Yeltsin claiming the president has violated the law by failing to nominate a new candidate to head the Central Bank of Russia following the Duma's rejection of Tatyana Paramonova on 19 July, Rosiiiskie vesti reported on 9 August. According to the law, the president has two weeks to nominate a new candidate if the Duma rejects his previous choice. Presidential aide Aleksandr Livshits replied to the letter, stating that because of the Duma's summer recess, it is "impossible to resolve this issue for the time being." * Thomas Sigel
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
VOL. 1, NO. 154, 9 AUGUST 1995
NIYAZOV SACKS ADMINISTRATION HEADS.
Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov sacked 10 out of the country's 50 local administration chiefs, Radio Rossii reported on 7 August in a broadcast monitored by the BBC. The official reason for the dismissals was the administration heads' failure to meet a state order for wheat supplies. Quoting the Ima press agency, Radio Rossii noted that slightly more than 850,000 metric tons of grain had been harvested instead of the 1 million that had been forecasted. At an 11 July cabinet meeting, Niyazov had criticized the manner in which oblast and raion heads were carrying out the harvest and procurement of wheat and threatened to dismiss those who failed to meet their quotas. * Lowell Bezanis
GROUP OF RUSSIANS DEPORTED FROM KAZAKHSTAN.
A group of 62 Russians was deported by order of the Semipalatinsk regional administration, Pravda reported on 9 August. According to the official report on the case, the Russians were not citizens of Kazakhstan and did not have residency permits. Police escorted the Russians to the railway station and put them on trains leaving Kazakhstan without the opportunity to send a telegram or make a phone call to relatives. The Congress of Russian Communities said most of the deportees lived and worked in Semipalatinsk but simply refused to consider themselves citizens of Kazakhstan. The Congress called the deportation a flagrant violation of international laws and the laws of the republic of Kazakhstan. * Bruce Pannier
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
VOL. 1, NO. 154, 9 AUGUST 1995
LACK OF AID MAY KEEP CHORNOBYL OPEN.
Ukraine may reconsider its promise to shut down the Chornobyl nuclear power plant if the West fails to help raise the $4 billion the government says it needs to replace it, Reuters and ITAR-TASS reported on 8 August. Ukrainian Environment Minister Yurii Kostenko and officials from the State Committee on Nuclear Power said the government may be forced to upgrade the station if financial assistance isn't forthcoming. Kostenko told Reuters that President Leonid Kuchma sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, the current G-7 chairman, requesting a meeting next month on plans to close Chornobyl. Kuchma reportedly told Chretien that Ukraine would have "the legal and moral right to alter its decision." Meanwhile, Kiev has begun a scheduled overhaul of the station's no. 1 reactor. The plant's chief engineer told ITAR-TASS that 13 technological circuits would be replaced. The president's State Committee for Nuclear Policy and Environmental Safety has recommended the government work out a plan for a major reconstruction of Chornobyl to keep it operating for ten years. * Chrystyna Lapychak
BELARUSIAN INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT FALLS.
On 8 August Belarusian radio reported that industrial production in the first half of 1995 fell by 8.2% compared to the same period last year. This was more than the 3% foreseen under the plans to pull Belarus out of its economic crisis. The main reason for the drop was the lower output of machine-manufacturing industries. Light industry fared slightly better, but the output of the food industry fell 82.8 percent. The drop in agricultural output is attributed to equipment, fertilizers and other supplies not reaching the agricultural sector. Sectors of the economy that increased production included oil refinement and chemical industries. * Ustina Markus
DISARMAMENT SPECIALISTS IN BELARUS.
A group of U.S. disarmament specialists arrived in Minsk to discuss agreements on the liquidation of nuclear arms in Belarus, Belarusian television reported on 7 August. Talks will focus on the technical problems related to the dismantlement of the Krone missiles' launch pads on which Belarus's SS-25 Topol missiles were based. The republic initially planned to blow up the launch pads, but after two were destroyed it was decided the method caused too much environmental damage and the plan was halted. Minsk's recent decision to slow down the transfer of nuclear weapons from Belarus to Russia was also prompted by the environmental damage left behind by Russian strategic-rocket forces. * Ustina Markus
POLISH GOVERNMENT ON THE MILITARY IN CROATIA.
Polish Defense Minister Zbigniew Okonski said on 8 August that "Polish soldiers in Croatia are quite safe, considering the conditions there," Polish media reported the next day. He added that Poland will not unilaterally withdraw its soldiers without first consulting with the UN. The Polish government also appealed to both sides of the conflict in Krajina to observe the ceasefire agreement, Polish media reported. * Jakub Karpinski
POSTPONING POLISH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS DEBATED.
The idea of extending President Lech Walesa's term in office by two years, which was revealed and criticized by, among others, Deputy Sejm Speaker Wlodzimerz Cimoszewicz (see OMRI Daily Digest, 8 August 1995) evoked strong reactions from many politicians. Center Alliance leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski compared the idea to a proclamation that Poland has become an empire ruled by Walesa and that a discussion on the rules of succession to throne should follow, Rzeczpospolita reported on 9 August. It was revealed the same day that signatures in support of Walesa's candidacy for president were collected among soldiers under pressure from commanding officers. Labor Union Sejm deputies discussed the matter with the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Henryk Jasik, Gazeta Wyborcza reported on 9 August. * Jakub Karpinski
BALTS PROTEST HIGHWAY ROBBERIES IN POLAND.
Estonian and Latvian officials asked Poland to take measures to prevent the increasingly frequent robberies of Baltic busses passing through Poland, Reuters reported on 8 August. The action was prompted by the robbery of a regularly scheduled bus travelling from Tallinn to Munich on the highway near Warsaw on 6 April by thieves disguised as Polish policemen. The German embassy in Warsaw may also submit a protest to the Polish authorities since nine of the passengers on the bus were German citizens and the bus tickets are sold by a German company. * Saulius Girnius
PRIVATIZATION OF LATVIAN GAS COMPANY.
President of Latvian Gas Adrians Davis said the privatization of his company was unlikely to increase prices for individual users, BNS reported on 8 August. The government is planning to sell 24% of the company to foreign investors and 1% to Latvian residents. Companies that have expressed an interest in bidding include German Ruhrgas, French Gas de France, and Norwegian Norsk Hydro, although Russia's Gazprom, because it is the company's main gas supplier, is in the best position. Terms of the privatization process will be settled only after the company's assets are audited. It appears likely that the company will be privatized in 10 to 12 stages after which the government will own about 30% of the company. * Saulius Girnius
SLOVAK PRESIDENT MEETS WITH GORE.
Continuing his visit to the U.S., on 8 August Michal Kovac met with U.S. Vice President Al Gore as well as representatives of the White House, State Department and Pentagon. Kovac told Slovak Radio on 8 August that U.S. representatives were most interested in the progress of democracy and reforms in Slovakia, and they stressed that Slovakia is not maintaining the same pace in these areas as are Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. In particular, the U.S. expressed anxiety about the situation in the media, privatization, relations between the government and the opposition, the increasing influence of the state in private life, and certain manifestations of nationalism in Slovakia. The ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia reacted angrily to Kovac's statements, stressing that if Kovac really voiced such an opinion, it is "proof" that he should have resigned following the no-confidence vote passed by the parliament in May. The Slovak National Party said Kovac "did not come out in defense of his country decisively and forcefully" as the head of state should have. The party also said Kovac again confirmed that he "does not respect the results of democratic elections," Narodna obroda reports. * Sharon Fisher
CZECH REPUBLIC TO PRIVATIZE FURTHER.
Following a meeting of Czech economic ministers on 8 August, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus announced that the state will sell its shares in many key industries, Czech media reported on 9 August. Although a majority of Czech companies are in private hands following two waves of voucher privatization, the state is still a major shareholder in some banks and other key firms. Klaus told journalists the government wants to "radically" reduce state ownership in such firms. Moreover, the Czech Republic's top privatization agency--the National Property Fund--still holds between 5% and 10% of shares in some 1,400 privatized companies. The ministers agreed that the sale of these shares must be accelerated, and the process should be finished by 1997. * Jiri Pehe
OMRI DAILY DIGEST
VOL. 1, NO. 154, 9 AUGUST 1995
UNCERTAINTY CONTINUES IN KRAJINA.
The BBC reported on 9 August that another agreement between the Croatian authorities and rebel Serbs may be in the offing. The basic principle would be that the Serbs give up their heavy weapons in return for safe passage. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote that the situation has become more complicated because 14,000 soldiers with light and heavy weapons have mixed in with a column of 40,000 civilians between Glina and Dvor. Croatian, Serbian, and UN officials continue to disagree as to the total number of Krajina refugees on the move, international media reported. The Ljubljana daily Delo wrote on 8 August that air attacks on columns of Serbian refugees on Bosnian Serb territory were carried out by Bosnian Serb aircraft. The article, which is summarized in Vecerni list on 9 August, claimed that Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his air force commander Zivomir Ninkovic want the refugees to go home to maintain a Serbian presence in Krajina. The Bosnian Serbs also reportedly set up a court martial in Banja Luka to try Krajina Serbs for leaving the Knin and Benkovac battlefields. According to the article, some 20 men have already been sentenced. * Patrick Moore
MARTIC WANTS SERBS TO RETAKE KRAJINA.
Bosnian Serb television on 8 August broadcast an appeal by Krajina Serb "President" Milan Martic, his first public appearance in some time. AFP said he was in the Krajina town of Srb, wearing military fatigues and looking exhausted. Martic called on "all the patriots from all Serb states and from abroad to come back for the defense of their fatherland. I do not recognize nor will I ever recognize the occupation [of Krajina]. We must do everything in order to return to our homes. I am convinced we can do it. I remain here, I am somewhat surrounded but I am not afraid." The BBC on 9 August said that any attempt to retake Krajina without the active help of the rump Yugoslav army was utter nonsense. * Patrick Moore
KARADZIC CALLS MILOSEVIC A TRAITOR.
Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has given up some of his political duties to parliament speaker Momcilo Krajisnik in order to devote full time to the reconquest of Krajina, the VOA said on 9 August. The BBC added that Karadzic wrote a letter to Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, accusing him of having turned his back on Krajina and thereby becoming a traitor to all Serbs. Karadzic nonetheless left the door open for Milosevic to redeem himself by immediately coming to the military aid of the Krajina and Bosnian Serbs. Karadzic has other problems closer to home, however. Reuters said on 8 August that General Dragomir Milosevic has joined 18 other Bosnian Serb generals in backing commander Ratko Mladic "in absolute unity" against Karadzic. The feud between the two internationally wanted war criminals has become increasingly public in recent days. * Patrick Moore
MLADIC DOES NOT RECOGNIZE AUTHORITY OF INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL.
Alexandros Lykourezos, lawyer of Ratko Mladic, said on 8 August that his client does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia that has charged him with war crimes, AFP reported the following day. Lykourezos said he met Mladic on 6 August near Belgrade to discuss his defense before all international bodies, including the Hague tribunal. He added that the other 23 indicted Bosnian Serbs, including Radovan Karadzic, also reject the court's authority. * Stefan Krause
SERBS IN EASTERN SLAVONIA ANNOUNCE JOINT COMMAND WITH BELGRADE.
AFP reported on 9 August that Serb leaders in eastern Slavonia declared they had formed a joint command with the rump Yugoslav army. There has been no confirmation or denial from Belgrade. The Serbian mayor of Vukovar said that the Serbs there have been "until now... divided and separated from Serbia, our mother country, [but now] are finally reunited. We are 12 million [Serbs in the former Yugoslavia] and we will become 312 million if necessary," a reference to Russia, to which many Serbs traditionally feel great devotion. Wealthy eastern Slavonia has reportedly been highly integrated into Serbia. Meanwhile in New York, the Croatian ambassador to the UN, Mario Nobilo, said "we have no immediate intention to establish military control over our remaining occupied territory of Croatia." * Patrick Moore
FIRST RELIEF CONVOY REACHES BIHAC.
International media report on 9 August that the first shipment of supplies since May has reached Bihac. The Serbian and renegade Muslim siege of the town lasted for three years until the mainly Muslim Bosnian army Fifth Corps broke through to join up with advancing Croat forces in Krajina on 5-6 August. The Muslims have reportedly torched at least six Serbian villages, apparently in reprisal, and have been seen looting as well. A BBC reporter in Bihac said that the town's residents are happy and relieved but also worn out. Danish peacekeepers reported that some Muslim soldiers had executed five elderly Serbs, but UN special envoy Yasushi Akashi said there was no confirmation of the report. * Patrick Moore
CROATIA REJECTS BOSNIAN CARVE-UP CHARGE.
Croatia's ambassador to Britain wrote the Times on 8 August to protest British press reports that Croatian President Franjo Tudjman had made a deal with Milosevic to partition Bosnia. The ambassador said that "any plans to `carve up' Bosnia originate not from President Tudjman, or from any supposed secret deals between Croatia and Serbia, but from the international community and the successive peace mediators." The Times had earlier run an article in which politician Paddy Ashdown claimed that Tudjman had drawn him a map at a festive dinner showing how Bosnia's borders might look in the future. Meanwhile in Belgrade, Politika on 9 August published two articles on British and French opposition to Croatia: "One more black day in the history of Europe" and "Paris fears a `greater Croatia.'" Le Figaro called for an end to viewing the Serbs as aggressors and the Muslims and Croats as victims. * Patrick Moore
OPINION POLL ON BULGARIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS.
According to an opinion poll published in 24 chasa on 8 August, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) would get 34.3% of the vote if local elections were held now. The Union of Democratic Forces (SDS) would receive 16.7%, and the remaining parties less than 10% each. However, 24.7% answered that they do not know who they would vote for. If the major opposition parties nominate common candidates, they would receive 24.6%, and the BSP 33.6%. In Sofia, former interim Prime Minister Reneta Indzhova leads the poll with 22.9%, followed by the yet unnamed BSP candidate (13.6%), and SDS candidate Stefan Sofiyanski (12.6%). In Sofia, "undecided" is the largest group with 42.1%. * Stefan Krause
NIMITZ ON GREEK-MACEDONIAN DISPUTE.
The U.S. special envoy mediating in the Greek-Macedonian dispute, Matthew Nimitz, said efforts to resolve the dispute have recently "intensified." In an interview with the Greek daily Ethnos on 7 August, Nimitz called his recent talks with Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov encouraging and said that "in Skopje there is understanding for the Greek government's stance, but, of course, there are differences." According to Nimitz, both sides want to solve the dispute; Macedonia because it "wishes for progress in the flag issue, and wants to reopen trade and have good relations with Greece," and Greece "because [the dispute] has a negative influence on [Greece] in the European arena, as well as on Greek trade." Nimitz added that despite the problems, the prevailing view in both countries is resolution of the issue. * Stefan Krause
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIALS IN BUCHAREST.
NATO's Deputy Secretary for Defense Assistance, Robin Beard, started a one-week visit to Romania on 8 August, Western and Romanian media reported. Speaking to journalists at Bucharest's international airport, Beard deplored the latest fighting in the former Yugoslavia, and said that "NATO's hands are pretty well tied." On the same day, Beard met with Romanian Defense Minister Gheorghe Tinca. According to Radio Bucharest, the talks focused on cooperation between NATO and Romania, including Romania's participation in the Partnership For Peace program. The two sides stressed the need for increased cooperation in the management of defense resources and military equipment. Also on 8 August, Dutch Defense Minister Joris Voorhoeve began a four-day visit to Romania. * Dan Ionescu
CHOLERA SPREADING IN MOLDOVA.
The number of people infected with cholera in Moldova is on the rise, Western agencies and Infotag reported on 7 and 8 August. The disease, which broke out in that country in July, has already killed two people and infected at least 63. New cases were reported in the town of Stefan-Voda, some 80 kms southeast of Chisinau. Moldovan officials say that the disease came from neighboring Ukraine. Moldova has imposed travel bans in areas most affected by the epidemic and has banned the import of fish from Ukraine. It also announced its intention to import Romanian chemicals worth over $100,000 to begin disinfecting work. * Dan Ionescu
DID AFGHAN GOVERNMENT BUY AMMUNITION IN ALBANIA?
A spokesman of Afghanistan's Burhanuddin Rabbani-led government said it had bought ammunition in Albania "because it was cheap there," Reuters reported on 8 August. The ammunition was discovered when a MiG-19 jet fighter of the Taleban student militia forced a Russian Ilyushin 76 to land at Taleban military headquarters in Kandahar. Taleban said it found 3,400,000 rounds of Kalashnikov assault rifle ammunition and two boxes of shells for Z-U anti-aircraft guns. A Russian negotiator accused Taleban of committing "international terrorism" and added: "We are holding Taleban responsible for the safety of the crew who are hostages in Kandahar." A Rabbani government spokesman claimed that "the consignment has all the proper documents and we have done nothing wrong." * Fabian Schmidt
SEASIDE PROPERTIES FOR FORMER ALBANIAN LANDOWNERS?
Following parliament passage of the disputed land law, which allows the buying and selling of real estate, (see OMRI Daily Digest 27 July 1995) the Albanian government has proposed to compensate former landowners with properties well-suited for tourism, such as sites on the southern Albanian coast, Koha Jone and Republika reported on 5 and 6 August. The plans are disputed, however, and the leader of the Democratic Alliance, Neritan Ceka, stressed that the infrastructure necessary for people to settle on the coast, such as apartments, streets, and water pipelines would cost "billions of dollars." * Fabian Schmidt
[As of 1200 CET]
Compiled by Victor Gomez and Pete Baumgartner