No. 114, Part II, 12 June 1996

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 Daily Digest, and other information about OMRI, are available
through OMRI's WWW pages: http://www.omri.cz/Index.html

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

UKRAINIAN AGRICULTURE MINISTER DISMISSED. President Leonid Kuchma fired
Agriculture Minister Pavlo Haidutsky on 11 June, one day after the
minister came under heavy criticism from Ukraine's new prime minister
for causing great losses in the troubled sector, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian agencies reported that Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko blamed
Haidutsky for the financial crisis in the chiefly state-controlled
agricultural sector, including failing to pay back wages of 38 trillion
karbovantsi ($200 million). The premier said Haidutsky's ministry had
failed to implement 12 policy orders, including one providing for total
price liberalization. -- Chrystyna Lapychak

UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER ON RUSSIA, SECURITY. Oleksandr Moroz
said he does not believe the outcome of elections in Russia will affect
the constitutional process or political situation in Ukraine, Ukrainian
radio reported on 10 June. He said Russian Communist Party leader
Gennadii Zyuganov is a "mature politician and a realist." Moroz also
called for creating greater zones of non-alignment, rather than
expanding NATO. Others in Ukraine are not so optimistic about a possible
Zyuganov victory. Ukrainian TV ran a commentary on 11 June reminding
viewers that Russian ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky's proposal to
return the eastern oblasts of Ukraine, Crimea, and northern Kazkahstan
"under the wings of the Russian two-headed eagle" was only 24 votes
short of passage as a resolution. The commentary warned that imperialist
forces in Russia are prepared to redraw borders. -- Ustina Markus

UKRAINE DENIES SELLING NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY TO LIBYA. Ukraine's Foreign
Ministry has denied selling nuclear technology to Libya in contravention
of UN sanctions, NTV reported on 11 June. The denial was in response to
a 10 June article in the Washington Times that claimed that Ukraine was
maintaining contacts with Libya and planning to form a special committee
for bilateral relations. -- Ustina Markus

BELARUSIAN POPULAR FRONT ELECTS ACTING LEADER. The Belarusian Popular
Front (BPF) has elected Leanid Barshcheusky as acting head of the party
and movement, Belarusian radio reported on 10 June. BPF leader Zyanon
Paznyak is currently in Poland and cannot return because there is a
warrant out for his arrest. Yuryi Belenki was chosen to be acting
chairman for organizational questions. In May, Belapan reported that
Belenky had been appointed acting leader of the BPF. The BPF also
decided to set up a headquarters to run Paznyak's election campaign for
the fall parliamentary by-elections. -- Ustina Markus

LATVIAN BORDER GUARD COMMANDER FIRED. Latvian Defense Minister Andrejs
Krastins on 11 June dismissed Lt. Col. Leonids Leskalns as border guard
commander, BNS reported. President Guntis Ulmanis had demanded the
resignation the previous day on learning of the theft of 13 Kalashnikov
rifles from the border guard battalion stationed in Liepaja on 8 June.
Ulmanis also asked Krastins to determine the involvement of other
officers in the affair and to make an immediate audit and accounting of
all weapons in Latvia's defense forces. Arijs Jansons, the head of the
headquarters of the border guards, was named acting commander. --
Saulius Girnius

LITHUANIAN DEPUTY RETRACTS CHARGES AGAINST FORMER AMBASSADOR. Kazys
Bobelis, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said on 11 June
that he would retract his charges that deceased ambassador and
unsuccessful 1993 presidential candidate Stasys Lozoratis had
collaborated with the KGB to restore "calm and peace in Lithuania,"
Radio Lithuania reported. Bobelis backed his charges with a collection
of documents titled Uzkulisiai (Backstage). The book's publishers
charged that Bobelis quoted out of context and spread "tendentious
information" and they threatened to sue him for "misinterpreting the
book's contents and injuring the publishers' dignity." -- Saulius
Girnius

GDANSK SHIPYARD WORKERS STRIKE. Workers at the bankrupt Gdansk shipyard
started a two-day sit-in strike on 12 June demanding an effective
restructuring plan from the government. The government has decided to
close the shipyard and initiate bankruptcy proceedings because the
shipyard's high debt, bad contracts, and bloated employment (see OMRI
Daily Digest, 10 June 1996). The Gdansk shipyard is often nicknamed the
"cradle of Solidarity," the trade union movement that was born there in
1980. Privatization Minister Wieslaw Kaczmarek said on 11 June that the
bankruptcy was caused by the Solidarity "super-government," while
Solidarity leader Marian Krzaklewski blamed the government for the
bankruptcy. -- Jakub Karpinski

TALKS ON FORMING CZECH GOVERNMENT CONTINUE. The leaders of the Civic
Democratic Party (ODS), the Civic Democratic Alliance, and the Christian
Democratic Union on 11 June continued their talks on forming a minority
government, Czech media reported. The three parties focused on the
distribution of ministries in the new government; it appears that
several ministries will be abolished, and the distribution of ministries
will be more even than in the outgoing government, where the ODS had a
majority of seats. Vaclav Klaus, the ODS leader and incumbent prime
minister, told Czech Radio on 11 June that the government will not ask
the opposition Social Democrats to approve the government's program
before it is discussed in the parliament. Klaus argued that Czech voters
in last week's elections did not reject his economic reforms but rather
showed impatience they had not benefited more. "Too many people think
that everything can already be like in Switzerland or the Netherlands or
Germany and don't realize this is not possible," noted Klaus. -- Jiri
Pehe

PAPER WARNS OF COLLAPSE OF CZECH ARMS INDUSTRY. Czech arms builders face
collapse unless cooperation between the government and the defense
industry improves substantially, Zemske noviny warned on 11 June, CTK
reported. The daily said that the arms sector relied more on research
and development than other sectors, and the privatized arms companies
lacked the funds to carry that out. -- Doug Clarke

JUNIOR PARTNER CALLS FOR CONTINUATION OF SLOVAKIA'S COALITION. Slovak
National Party (SNS) Chairman Jan Slota on 11 June said the ruling
coalition should continue "at any cost" in the interest of preserving
peace and preventing a wave of dissatisfaction, Slovak media reported.
Slota added that the ruling parties agree that privatization needs to be
finished quickly since it is a source of tension between parties. The
case of the state insurance firm Slovenska poistovna remains "quite
problematic," but Slota refused to say whether he will demand the
resignation of Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Sergej Kozlik, who
was allegedly behind the recent management changes at the firm. Stefan
Gavornik, president of the National Property Fund's presidium, on 11
June criticized a recent statement by Kozlik regarding the insurance
firm (see OMRI Daily Digest, 7 June). -- Sharon Fisher

COUNCIL OF EUROPE HEAD CONCERNED OVER PREMIER'S STATEMENT ON CAPITAL
PUNISHMENT. Council of Europe (CE) Secretary General Peter Leuprecht
during a two-day meeting of European Ministers of Justice in Budapest
expressed concern over Prime Minister Gyula Horn's recent statement that
a referendum should be held on reinstating the death penalty in Hungary,
domestic media reported on 12 June. Horn embarrassed his justice
minister, Pal Vastagh, who is chairing the meeting, by saying he would
vote yes in such a referendum (see OMRI Daily Digest, 10 June1996).
Leuprecht also criticized Russia and Ukraine for continuing to implement
capital punishment despite their acceptance into the CE, Reuters
reported. All CE countries must sign the European Convention on Human
Rights, which condemns the death sentence. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

BOSNIAN DISARMAMENT TALKS STILL STALLED. The disarmament treaty slated
to have been signed last week remains on hold as diplomats seek a way
out of the latest impasse. The Bosnian Serbs insist on signing
separately as a de facto independent state, while the Bosnian government
demands that they sign as part of the Bosnian delegation. Since the
constitutional status of the Republika Srpska is at stake, neither party
is likely to back down quickly, Nasa Borba noted on 12 June. Signatories
to the regional arms control agreement required by the Dayton treaty are
also to include Croatia, rump Yugoslavia, and the Croat-Muslim
federation. IFOR will be obliged to enforce the pact, which will require
massive cuts in the Bosnian Serbs' arsenal. Reports from Sarajevo
suggest, however, that the extra tanks and guns will simply be sent to
Montenegro for storage. -- Patrick Moore

IFOR LIKELY TO STAY ON INTO 1997. Many important people are suggesting
that NATO peacekeepers will stay on in Bosnia into the new year, in
contrast to original plans. AFP quoted U.S. Defense Secretary William
Perry on 12 June as saying: "NATO will not want to give up on the
investment they've made in Bosnia. If they feel some further action [to
prevent a new war] is necessary, they may very well want to maintain a
NATO force to do that. If they make that decision it will be my
recommendation that the United States participate... in any force so
designated, including ground troops." The statement is significant
because the U.S. generally follows the "[Gen. Colin] Powell Doctrine" of
avoiding overseas commitments with ground troops and, once committed,
striving primarily to minimize casualties. The U.S. envoy to the region,
John Kornblum, also indicated that the troops will stay on in Bosnia,
Nasa Borba added. In Washington, however, a State Department spokesman
said the U.S. "has no plans" to extend the withdrawal deadline despite
heavy European pressure to do so. -- Patrick Moore

EU ASKS IFOR TO GUARANTEE SECURITY BEFORE MOSTAR ELECTIONS. A senior EU
official in Mostar, Klaus Metscher, said the European Union has asked
IFOR to reinforce security before the 30 June elections in Mostar, as
voters fear for their safety, AFP reported on 11 June. Meanwhile, the
NATO Ambassador's Council on 12 June will discuss new ways for IFOR to
help international officials during Bosnia's first postwar election, AFP
reported. In another development, five Bosnian political parties have
registered for the Mostar elections, Hina reported on 11 June. Another
coalition of five opposition parties was rejected by the electoral
commission for registering late, Oslobodjenje reported on 12 June. --
Daria Sito Sucic

CONFUSION OVER EXPULSIONS OF CROATS FROM TRAVNIK AREA. Muslim Bosnian
government authorities recently evicted some 11 Croat families from
villages near Travnik that Bosnian Croat leader Kresimir Zubak called
"purely Croat," Onasa reported on 11 June. Vecernji list on 12 June put
the number of families involved at 20, but Hina later said that four
families had been allowed to return. The Muslims argued that the Croats
were not legally registered in the houses to which they had returned
after being expelled during the Croat-Muslim war of 1993. Travnik is
part of a pilot project of four towns--Muslim-controlled Travnik and
Bugojno and Croat-controlled Jajce and Stolac--to which Croat and Muslim
refugees are slated to return. This is one more example of tensions
between the nominal allies. -- Patrick Moore

SOROS CHARITY REOPENS IN RUMP YUGOSLAVIA. The humanitarian New York-
based Soros Foundation was reregistered with Serbia's Culture Ministry
on 11 June under the name Foundation for an Open Society and will now be
able to resume its charitable work, Nasa Borba reported on 12 June. The
Soros Foundation was closed in February 1996, following a local court
ruling that its incorporation in 1991 was unlawful. -- Stan Markotich

UN FORESEES EXTENSION OF MANDATE IN EASTERN SLAVONIA. Jacques Klein, the
UN temporary administrator for Eastern Slavonia, said on 11 June that
the mandate of the UN Transitional Authority in Eastern Slavonia
(UNTAES) should be extended at least six months beyond the expiration
date of 15 January 1997, AFP reported. One of the parties must
officially request an extension of the 12-month mission of the 5,000-
strong UNTAES forces. Klein also said that local Serbs' demands for
autonomy--which include having their own government , flag, anthem,
symbol, and regional citizenship--were unrealistic. In another
development, 16 prisoners escaped to Serbia from a jail in Eastern
Slavonia. A UN helicopter was involved in the search for the fugitives,
AFP reported. Eastern Slavonia is the last Serb-held part of Croatia due
to return to the Croatian government. -- Daria Sito Sucic

SERBIAN PRESIDENT UPSET BY HIS OWN RHETORIC. Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic had attempted to have an interview published 10 June in Der
Spiegel pulled from publication, Nasa Borba reported on 11 June.
Milosevic went so far as to contact the German Foreign Ministry "shortly
before press time" to have "the authorized [status] of the
interviewŠdowngraded." The president probably objected not to what was
said but rather to how his remarks were portrayed. The rapport between
Milosevic and the two Der Spiegel reporters was said to be "icy." But on
12 June Nasa Borba reported that Milosevic's statement in the interview
about "radical changes at the top [leadership] of the Republika Srpska"
is prompting speculation and perhaps concern among prominent leaders of
the Bosnian Serb republic. -- Stan Markotich

Defense Minister ON PROBLEMS WITH ROMANIAN MILITARY. Gheorghe Tinca told
the Defense Ministry's staff that the situation of the army was
"discouraging," the daily Cotidianul reported on 12 June. Tinca said the
government's austerity program has made the army "insufficiently
prepared to face critical situations." Cotidianul and Reuters on 11 June
quoted Tinca as saying that Romania wants to buy U.S.-made F-16 fighter
planes and that discussions with Lockheed Martin will begin as part of
the aviation reforms. Reforms will also include the upgrading of aging
Russian-made MiG-21s and the purchase of U.S.-made Cobra and Lockheed
Hercules C-130 transport aircraft. The purchase of American-made
equipment is part of efforts to integrate with NATO. However, Tinca was
cited as saying there were difficulties with "identifying the funds
necessary for the project." -- Michael Shafir

PART OF RUSSIAN TROOPS IN MOLDOVA REASSIGNED. The Joint Control
Commission on 11 June approved the placement of former 14th Army
subunits in the security zone in the breakaway Transdniester republic,
on condition that the troops be pulled out of the composition of Russian
troops, BASA-Press reported. The approval meets halfway the Moldovan
position that Russian troops must be withdrawn in accordance with the
1992 agreement and cannot be transformed into peacekeeping forces. The
agency also reported that a rotation of regular troops in the Russian
forces was not carried out as scheduled on 7 June because two trains
carrying the troops were detained. A military adviser to Transdniestrian
leader Igor Smirnov denied reports that the Tiraspol authorities had
forbidden the departure of the trains in order to prevent the evacuation
of military equipment. -- Michael Shafir

BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE AS PROTESTS CONTINUE.
The parliament on 11 June debated a motion of nonconfidence in the
government of Prime Minister Zhan Videnov because of its economic and
social policies, Trud reported. During the 10-hour debate, Videnov said
the new austerity measures and structural reform program are
"painfulŠ[but] unavoidable." Aleksandar Yordanov of the Union of
Democratic Forces addressed Videnov in Russian, saying that is "the
language [the premier] understands best" and because Videnov "rules on
the principles of Soviet totalitarianism." The vote is scheduled for 13
June, and the government is expected to win it. Meanwhile, some 5,000
people protested in Sofia, demanding the government's resignation and
early elections, RFE/RL reported. Opposition and trade unions called for
a "united front" for the "salvation of Bulgaria." -- Stefan Krause

BULGARIAN ROUNDUP. A Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) commission on 11
June recommended Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski as BSP presidential
candidate, Kontinent reported. Other candidates who were named at
regional conferences declined to run, with the exception of Parliament
President Blagovest Sendov, who is not a party member. He and Pirinski
have not yet declared candidacies, but Standart quoted an unnamed BSP
deputy as saying that Pirinski "does not want to be a tool in the
party's hands." The BSP candidate is to be nominated on 15 June. In
other news, Prosecutor-General Ivan Tatarchev invalidated Sendov's
recent decision to designate a guarded zone around the parliament
building. Finally, the government announced that it will not pay for a
national meeting of breakaway Orthodox clerics under Metropolitan Pimen.
At the meeting, scheduled for 1 July, the clerics might declare
independence from the official church, which is headed by Patriarch
Maksim. -- Stefan Krause

SANTER AND DINI ON BALKAN TOURŠ President of the EC Jacques Santer and
the current chairman of the EU Council of Ministers, Italian Foreign
Minister Lamberto Dini met Bosnian, Croatian, rump-Yugoslav, and
Macedonian leaders in those countries' capitals during 7-10 June. The EU
is preparing a broader Balkan conference next week, Reuters reported. In
Belgrade, Santer said, "it is very important that we normalize our
relations in this region," adding that "we see very positive prospects
for [rump] Yugoslavia for the near future." Concerning Bosnia, Dini said
that "the holding of elections not later than 14 September [is]
essential for the peace process." He added: "We are aware that [basic]
conditions are not fulfilled Š [but] in three months a lot can be done."
-- Fabian Schmidt

ŠSAY MACEDONIA IS NEAR AN AGREEMENT WITH EU. Dini pointed out that
Macedonia is quite close to a trade and cooperation agreement with the
EU, which is "a very important move in the establishment of closer
relations with the EU." Meanwhile, Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov on
10 June met special adviser to U.S. President Bill Clinton, Richard
Clarke, to discuss the role of UNPREDEP. Clarke stressed U.S. support
for "strong military ties and Š for the territorial integrity of
Macedonia," AFP reported. No decisions have, however, been made so far.
U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry will hold talks in Skopje on 12
June on that issue. The U.S. has 550 troops in the 1,000-strong UNPREDEP
force. In other news, Nova Makedonija reported that a new round of
Greek-Macedonian talks on the name issue started in New York on 11 June
but that no breakthrough is expected. -- Fabian Schmidt and Stefan
Krause

ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS SET CONDITIONS FOR DIALOGUE WITH DEMOCRATS.
Following a proposal by Democratic Party leader Tritan Shehu for round-
table talks between the government and the opposition, the Socialists
demanded that the Democrats acknowledge massive irregularities in the
elections. A socialist spokesman said that "our only precondition [for
talks] is that [the Democrats] move away from the coup d'etat." The
Socialists demand an annulment of the election results and
investigations into the irregularities. Meanwhile ATSH reported that
Parliamentary Speaker Pjeter Arbnori called the Albanian parliament a
"temple of democracy." The Central Electoral Commission has so far
received over 100 complaints of irregularities. -- Fabian Schmidt

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Susan Caskie

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            Copyright (c) 1996 Open Media Research Institute, Inc.
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