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<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="7">Events of
September 1996 </FONT></FONT></P>
<HR SIZE="1">
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="5">Anne D. Baylon
</FONT></FONT> </P>
<DIV ALIGN="center">
<CENTER><ADDRESS> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>CENTRAL
EUROPE </I></B></FONT></FONT></ADDRESS></CENTER></DIV>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>Baltic
Republics/Estonia </I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 20</B>
Defeating four contenders, Estonian President Lennart Meri is reelected to
a second term. He promises to use his victory for promoting greater
integration with the rest of Europe. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>Poland
</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>NY Times, Sept.
4</B> Since the collapse of Communism in 1989, young Polish professionals
have taken advantage of the growth of foreign companies in Poland (from
1,100 companies in 1990 to 27,000 today) to fill middle management
positions, especially in finance, law, and marketing. These professionals
typically earn 10 times the average Polish salary and often enjoy perks
such as company cars or pensions. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>Romania/Hungary
</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 16</B>
Ending five years of negotiations, Romania and Hungary sign a treaty on
the status of Romania's 1.6 million ethnic Hungarians. Hungary drops its
demands for ethnic autonomy for its minorities in exchange for minority
rights guarantees. Concluded under Western pressure, the treaty will help
both countries qualify to join NATO and the European Union. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>EASTERN
EUROPE </I></B></FONT></FONT> </P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>Armenia
</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 23</B>
Preliminary results in the first presidential election (held on Sept. 21)
since Armenia's 1991 independence from the Soviet Union show incumbent
President Levon Ter-Petrossian as the winner, with 56.9% of the votes. But
former Prime Minister Vazgen Manukian, the main opponent in the elections,
accuses the President of election fraud; and in the face of voting
irregularities, thousands of protesters demand that the President step
down. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 24</B> As
more votes are counted, the President's lead shrinks to 51.99% of the vote
and supporters of former Prime Minister Vazgen Manukian demonstrate for a
second day, asking for the President's resignation. The results show
considerable decline for Mr. Ter-Petrossian, who obtained 80% of the vote
when he came to power five years ago. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 25</B>
With street demonstrations entering a third day, government troops use
force to disperse the tens of thousands of protesters who are asking for
the President's resignation. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 26</B> In
an effort to stop the protests, government troops arrest and beat dozens
of demonstrators while the government imposes a state of emergency in
parts of Yerevan, Armenia's capital. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 27</B>
Former Prime Minister Vazgen Manukian, who is in hiding, encourages the
opposition to peaceful resistance, calling the government an “illegal
power” that stole the presidential election. According to foreign
election monitors, evidence of fraud lends credibility to claims that the
President did not win more than 48% of the votes. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>Russia
</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 4</B>
Under growing criticism and suspicion, Anatoly Chubais, President
Yeltsin's chief of staff, admits that Mr. Yeltsin is ill, although he
refuses to divulge the nature of his illness. President Yeltsin has not
appeared in public since he took office on August 9, “looking ill and
unsteady.” </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 5</B> In a
major break with the Kremlin's tradition of shielding the illnesses of
Russian leaders, President Yeltsin acknowledges that he needs heart
surgery and will undergo an operation in September. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 7</B>
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl visits President Yeltsin and finds him “active”
but “worried” about his impending surgery. Mr. Kohl assures the
Russian president that NATO's expansion will not take place this year.
</FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 10</B> In
preparation for his heart surgery, President Yeltsin hands over to Prime
Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin broad powers for national security and law
enforcement but he retains the “nuclear button.” </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 19</B>
Moscow announces that Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin will control the
Russian nuclear arsenal during President Yeltsin's operation, planned for
late September or early October. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 23</B>
Early deaths from heart disease are far more common in Russia than in the
West—the consequence of years of insufficient funding and often
substandard medical training. As a result, most Russians suffer and die
without ever having access to the specialized cardiac care that many enjoy
routinely in the West. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 24</B> The
Kremlin has started a media campaign to convince the Russian people that
President Yeltsin is still up to the job despite his disease. The Kremlin
is also countering reports of infighting within its ranks, especially
between Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and security adviser Aleksandr
Lebed. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 25</B>
Complaining that many soldiers' salaries have not been paid for over three
months, security adviser Aleksandr Lebed warns that the military's
discontent could lead to serious unrest. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 28</B> In
a challenge to President Yeltsin, security adviser Gen. Aleksandr Lebed
suggests that Mr. Yeltsin relinquish his authority to a top official until
he recovers from his operation. According to Mr. Lebed, it is unclear who
is in charge and Mr. Yeltsin's aides are taking advantage of the power
vacuum. Mr. Lebed's remarks are an attempt to undermine Prime Minister
Chernomyrdin, who is his rival. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>Russia/Chechnya
</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 2</B> Top
Kremlin officials—including Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin—express
concerns about the agreement to end the war in Chechnya Russian and
Chechen officials signed on Aug. 31. The Kremlin's response reflects the
internal power struggle between Mr. Chernomyrdin and his rival, Gen.
Aleksandr Lebed, who negotiated the agreement. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 4</B>
According to Gen. Lebed, 80,000 people have been killed and 240,000
wounded in the war in Chechnya. Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin “grudgingly”
gives his support to the Chechnya agreement. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 6</B>
Although under the accord the Russians remain in Chechnya as formal
partners in administering the region, the Chechen rebels are establishing
themselves as the dominant force. Chechen rebel leader Zelimkhan
Yandarbiyev makes a triumphant entry into Grozny and the Chechen militia
starts to impose Islamic law with a crusade against alcohol. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 7</B>
President Yeltsin expresses his support for Gen. Lebed's peace agreement
in Chechnya. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 13</B>
While there has been a three-week lull in the fighting, Russian and
Chechen rebel officials accuse each other of preparing their troops for
new attacks. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>THE
FORMER YUGOSLAVIA</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>Bosnia
</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 1</B>
Campaigning for the elections in Bosnia that have been scheduled for Sept.
14 under the Dayton Accord, Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic holds
rallies that feature Islamic prayers and songs. These rallies confirm the
fears of those who believe that Mr. Izetbegovic wants to establish a
Muslim state in Bosnia. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 2</B> The
Polish government rejects a U.S. request to sell battle tanks to the
Bosnian army as part of a program to build a strong Muslim-Croat
Federation army that could deter future Serbian aggression. According to
an official of the Polish foreign office, Poland “stands by the
decision of the Europeans not to arm any side in any way.” </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3">Bosnian Serb
political leader Radovan Karadzic, who has been indicted on war crime
charges, no longer appears in public and is not allowed to run in the
Sept. 14 elections. But in a sign that Serbian nationalist candidates run
on his ticket, his (forbidden) pictures are present at all Bosnian Serb
campaign rallies. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>NY Times, Sept.
9</B> Whether they are Muslims, Croats, or Serbs, the candidates for the
Sept. 14 elections have been conducting campaigns marked by the same
nationalism and intolerance that started the war five years ago. But the
international force overseeing the elections still hopes to fulfill the
goal of “creating ethnic cooperation.” </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 10</B>
According to NATO analysts, fighting in Bosnia will resume unless “a
powerful NATO force” remains in Bosnia for at least two years. As a
result, senior NATO officials are beginning to draft plans to extend the
NATO peacekeeping force, originally scheduled to withdraw on Dec. 20.
</FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 12</B>
Estimates on the Bosnian elections indicate that, out of nearly three
million voters in Bosnia, 150,000 will cross former battle lines to vote
in areas from which they were expelled during the war and another 138,000
refugees may come from Serbia and Croatia. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 14</B>
With a heavy turnout—60% to 70% of Bosnia's three million voters—Bosnians
vote without major incidents to elect a three-member presidency (composed
of an ethnic Croat, a Serb, and a Muslim), a national parliament, regional
parliaments, and leaders of each of the three ethnic enclaves. All these
institutions are to start functioning within two weeks. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 15</B>
American mediator Richard Holbrooke announces that, in an “intense
diplomatic effort” to bring the ethnic factions together, Bosnian
President Alija Izetbegovic and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic will
meet in Paris in early October. They will discuss establishing diplomatic
and commercial relations and rail links to integrate the Bosnian
government with the other republics and with the ethnic Croatian and
Serbian enclaves in Bosnia. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 17</B>
Voters give power to the existing leaders of Bosnia's three major ethnic
groups. Totaling the most votes, Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic will
be chairman of the presidency; he will be joined on the presidency by
Bosnian Serb separatist Momcilo Krajisnik and ethnic Croat Kresimir Zubak.
All three will serve for two years. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 18</B>
Calling the Bosnian elections a “remarkable achievement,” U.S.
Secretary of State Warren Christopher says that the U.S. will now be able
to withdraw its peacekeeping force by year’s end as scheduled,
although he acknowledges the need for some type of “follow-on
international presence” in Bosnia. And in Brussels, NATO Secretary
General Javier Solana emphasizes that the 50,000 international troops will
not abandon Bosnia after their mandate expires on Dec. 20. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 19</B>
With 320,000 Bosnian—mostly Muslim—refugees on German soil (half
of the 700,000 Yugoslav refugees in Western Europe), Germany has decided
to start sending them back to Bosnia on Oct. 1, but only to “safe
areas” where the security situation allows it. Germany has long
complained that the refugee financial burden is too great. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 21</B>
Almost complete election results show that the same nationalists who
plunged Bosnia into war four years ago have now won federal and regional
legislative races, therefore weakening hopes for unity.   </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>NY Times, Sept.
23</B> According to NATO officials, “a couple of hundred”
Islamic militants who were part of the 4,000 volunteers sent by Iran and
other Muslim countries in support of the Bosnian government have remained
in Bosnia where they occupy a dozen villages in the central area. Well
trained as fighters and terrorists, they are “poised” to strike
at NATO forces in Bosnia. Repeated NATO requests to President Izetbegovic
to send these foreign volunteers home (since their presence violates the
Bosnia peace accord) have been ignored. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 24</B>
According to reports by Western diplomats and Bosnian officials, the
Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat political leaders Momcilo Krajisnik and
Kresimir Zubak have formed a political alliance to thwart the goals of
Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic. Since the three-member presidency
must rule by consensus, such an alliance could paralyze the presidency.
</FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 25</B> At
the annual meeting of NATO defense ministers in Bergen, American officials
say that the U.S. may support the creation of a NATO peacekeeping force in
Bosnia in 1997. This force would have as many duties and be as large as
the 50,000-men U.S.-led force that is preparing to withdraw in December.
</FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 29</B> The
Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which
supervised the elections in Bosnia, certifies them despite accusations of
intimidation and fraud because they “were acceptable considering that
the country was emerging from a war.” The certification process is a
first step toward creating a functioning government. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 30</B> In
Sarajevo, Bosnia's newly elected Muslim, Croat, and Serbian leaders meet
for the first time. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>WESTERN
EUROPE / EASTERN EUROPE </I></B></FONT></FONT> </P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>Greece
</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 22</B>
Prime Minister Costas Simitis, who replaced former Prime Minister Andreas
Papandreou as leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, wins the
legislative elections he had called in hopes of obtaining a broad
endorsement from voters for his austerity measures. Mr. Simitis, who is
pro-NATO, intends to bring Greece's economy in line with those of its
European Union partners. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 23</B>
With strong support from voters, Prime Minister Simitis moves to form a
new cabinet that will push through changes in foreign and economic policy.
Mr. Simitis, who has trained in Germany and Britain as an economist and a
lawyer, “has called for an era of sacrifice.” </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>NATO/Russia
</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 21</B>
U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry says that NATO has no intention of
moving nuclear weapons along Russia's borders into potential new states,
but he makes no promises on the subject. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 26</B>
Warning that an expanded NATO would “sharply change the geopolitical
situation in Europe,” Russian Defense Minister Col. Gen. Igor
Rodionov says that NATO should give up plans to take in new members. But
NATO officials' plans are to accept new members as early as next year,
which would cause NATO troops to be deployed directly along Russia's
borders with Europe. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>Radio Free
Europe/Hungary </I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>NY Times, Sept.
28</B> At a conference on historians' access to Cold War archives,
documents concerning Radio Free Europe broadcasts confirm that
commentators encouraged Hungarians to fight during the 1956 uprising
against the Soviets in the false hope that they would receive active
support from the West. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>United
Nations </I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 10</B> At
the U.N. General Assembly, 158 nations endorse the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty that would end nuclear weapons testing (the treaty does not bar
computer simulations, however, or tests involving “subcritical”
blasts that generate no radioactivity). To become international law, the
treaty must be signed by all 44 countries that own nuclear reactors and
ratified by their legislatures. India, which is believed to have a
clandestine nuclear weapons program, says that it will not sign. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 17</B> The
51</FONT><SUP><FONT SIZE="3">st </FONT></SUP><FONT SIZE="3">session of
the U.N. General Assembly begins “without ceremony, in financial
crisis and with no idea who its Secretary General will be when this
session ends on Dec. 23.” </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 24</B> At
the U.N., President Clinton signs the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
intended to ban all nuclear tests. Since the treaty will not go into
effect for at least two years, Washington hopes to bring India around by
then. Without India's assent, the treaty cannot enter into force, although
countries that do ratify it will be required to observe its provisions.
</FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>U.S.A./Russia
</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>NY Times, Sept.
24</B> Intent on highlighting Russian-American cooperation, the U.S. and
Russia reach agreement on the first stage of the “theater missile
defense” issue concerning low-velocity systems that would permit the
U.S. to build defenses against shorter-range missiles while preserving the
1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The U.S. and Russia will now negotiate
on the second part, to cover higher-velocity anti-missile systems. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3">With the decline of
its Alaska oil fields, ARCO, the traditionally domestic oil producer based
in Los Angeles, has been seeking new prospects overseas. It has teamed up
with Lukoil, Russia's largest oil company, to develop the vast oil and gas
reserves in Russia and the Caspian Sea region. ARCO and Lukoil will have
respectively a 54% and 46% stake in the joint venture, called Lukarco.
</FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="center"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="4"><B><I>U.S.A./Russia/NATO
</I></B></FONT></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="left"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE="3"><B>Sept. 6</B> U.S.
Secretary of State Warren Christopher announces that a NATO summit to name
new members to the Alliance will take place in the spring or the early
summer of 1997. He calls for a formal charter to handle NATO/Russia
relations and promises that Russia will be integrated into a new world
order, “our full partner in building a new Europe free of tyranny,
division and war”; he also urges the European Union to proceed “swiftly”
with a program of enlargement. </FONT></FONT> </P>
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