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PROJECT ON ETHNIC RELATIONS


Spring/Summer 1997, Bulletin #12


New Grants From The Hewlett Foundation and The Council Of Europe

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation of Menlo Park, California, has made a major grant to the Project on Ethnic Relations. The two-year unrestricted grant will enable PER to continue and enlarge its programs of mediation and related activities.

In Strasbourg, France, The Council of Europe announced that its Confidence-Building Measures Programme has made two grants to support the work of the Project on Ethnic Relations. PER becomes the only American organization to receive Council of Europe funding.

The first Council of Europe grant, made through PER's office in Bucharest, Romania, funds workshops for Romanian opinion leaders on the subject of democracy and the depiction of ethnic minorities, especially Roma (Gypsies) in the media.

The second grant, for a project to be carried out through PER's office in Sofia, Bulgaria, will help to launch a series of regional meetings for the young generation of politicians, public opinion-makers, and ethnic and religious minority leaders from the Balkans.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Council of Europe are the newest supporters of PER, joining the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Starr Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Philip D. Reed Foundation.


Leaders Weigh Ethnic Impact on Regional Politics

How do interethnic relations in one country affect the domestic politics of neighbors and of other countries in the region? How is the balance of relations within the region being shaped by changing national policies and practices concerning ethnic issues and the behavior of ethnic leaders? Can the countries of the region cooperate on ethnic issues to promote regional stability? How do these problems relate to Euro-Atlantic institutions and initiatives?

These were the main questions under discussion at a private, not-for-attribution meeting of political leaders from governing and opposition parties chaired by PER president Allen Kassof at Baden, Austria on February 21-23. Participants were Jan Carnogursky, Chairman, Christian-Democratic Movement and former Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic; Ion Dediu, Member of Parliament, Republic of Moldova; Ilija Djukic, Chair, Foreign Relations Committee, Democratic Party, Serbia; Tudor Dunca, Member of Foreign Relations Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Romanian Parliament; Yevhen Marchuk, Member of Parliament, former Prime Minister, Ukraine; Zsolt Nemeth, Member of Parliament, Vice-President, FIDESZ-Hungarian Civic Party; Livia Plaks, PER Executive Director, Petre Roman, President of the Romanian Senate; Dusan Slobodnik, Chair, Committee on Foreign Affairs, National Council of the Slovak Republic; Istvan Szent-Ivanyi, State Secretary for Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary; Csaba Tabajdi, State Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister, Government of Hungary; and Gyorgy Tokay, Minister, Department for the Protection of National Minorities, Government of Romania.

Observers included Ralph Johnson, Ambassador of the United States to the Slovak Republic, representing the Department of State; Geoffrey Harris, Head of Secretariat for the Joint Parliamentary Committees of the European Parliament; and Herbert Boesch of Austria, member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the Joint Committee of the European and Slovak Parliaments. Heinz Fischer, President of the Austrian Parliament, also addressed the group.

One of the liveliest debates concerned the significance for other countries in the region, especially Slovakia, of the abrupt change in Romanian policy towards the Hungarian minority of that country and the development of a new partnership between Bucharest and Budapest, both resulting from the election of a new Romanian president and parliament and the inclusion of Romania's ethnic Hungarian party in the new governing coalition. Other subjects included Russian-Ukrainian relations, a report on the situation in Serbia, and concerns over who would be admitted in the upcoming NATO enlargement round.

Finally, there was a discussion concerning the plight of the Romani (Gypsy) population in all the countries represented at the meeting. All acknowledged that they were dealing with a difficult and potentially explosive issue and that solutions would have to be found.


Serbs, Albanians Set Scene For Kosovo Talks

In a potential step forward for the Balkans, Serb and Kosovar Albanian leaders have agreed on basic terms for future negotiations over the status of Kosovo. Meeting in New York City at a PER roundtable held at the Carnegie Corporation of New York on April 7-9, leaders of parliamentary parties from Serbia and the Kosovar Albanian political parties issued a memorandum on jointly agreed positions concerning future negotiations, as well as a concluding statement about their deliberations (see below for texts). Both sides recognized Kosovo as a serious problem requiring an urgent solution and called for a dialogue without preconditions. Senior State Department officials and U.S. experts on Serbia also took part in the discussions.

Kosovo, a region of Serbia where the population is now ninety per cent ethnic Albanian, is the subject of a dangerous confrontation between Serbs, who see Kosovo only as a part of Serbia, and Albanians who are calling for ethnically based sovereignty and independence. For both peoples Kosovo has deep historic and symbolic significance. The Kosovo dispute threatens to trigger a wider war in the Balkans that would involve neighboring Macedonia, which also has a large Albanian minority, as well as Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, all of which would seek to assert their interests.

In June 1995, the Project on Ethnic Relations, together with partners from Yugoslavia, co-sponsored a major roundtable in Belgrade to discuss interethnic relations in Yugoslavia, bringing together leading experts and political figures from Yugoslavia as well as from western countries. The meeting marked the first public discussions between representatives of the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia and leaders of the Kosovar Albanians. Both sides asked PER to arrange for further talks, and agreed that they should be held in New York City.

The follow-up meeting, originally scheduled for December 1996, was postponed because of the serious anti-government demonstrations in Belgrade and other cities, but was finally convened in April 1997. To the regret of all participants, the Socialist Party of Serbia, which had previously committed to attend, withdrew at the last minute although its junior coalition partner, the New Democracy Party, was represented by its president.

The participants called for a continuation of their discussions and agreed that the assistance of the international community would be needed in moving the dialogue forward. PER is considering a further round of discussions, in Yugoslavia.

The participants included, from Belgrade: Vuk Draskovic, President, Serbian Renewal Movement; Dusan Janjic, Coordinator, Forum for Ethnic Relations; Miroljub Labus, Vice-President, Democratic Party; Dragoljub Micunovic, President, Party of Democratic Center; Dusan Mihajlovic, President, New Democracy Party; Vesna Pesic, President, Civic Alliance of Serbia; from Prishtina: Fehmi Agani, Vice-President, Democratic League of Kosovo; Mahmut Bakalli, former political leader of Kosovo; Adem Demaci, President, Parliamentary Party of Kosovo; Hydajet Hyseni, Vice-President, Democratic League of Kosovo; Abdullah Karjagdiu, Vice-President, Parliamentary Party of Kosovo; Mark Krasniqi, Chairman, Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo; Veton Surroi, Editor-in-Chief, Koha. American observers were Steven Burg, Professor, Brandeis University; Aleksey Grigor'ev, Program Officer, Project on Ethnic Relations; David Hamburg, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York; Robert Hayden, Professor, University of Pittsburgh; Allen Kassof, President, Project on Ethnic Relations (chairing the roundtable); Jeanette Mansour, Program Officer, The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation; Matt Palmer, Country Director for Serbia/Montenegro, US State Department; Rudolf Perina, Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs; David L. Phillips, Director, Project on the South Balkans, Council on Foreign Relations, Center for Preventive Action; Livia Plaks, Executive Director, Project on Ethnic Relations; Barnett Rubin, Director, Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations; John Scanlan, former US Ambassador to Yugoslavia; Member, PER Council for Ethnic Accord; David Speedie, Program Chair, Program on Preventing Deadly Conflict, Carnegie Corporation of New York; Jim Swigert, Director, Southeast European Affairs, US State Department; William Whitman, special adviser to Cyrus Vance.


Serb-Albanian Kosovo Roundtable

New York City
April 7-9, 1997


CONCLUDING STATEMENT OF THE SERB-ALBANIAN ROUNDTABLE

On April 7-9 1997, leading Serbian and Kosovar Albanian political figures met in New York City to continue the roundtable discussions of Serb-Albanian relations and the issues of mutual concern over Kosovo.

The participants included, from Belgrade: Vuk Draskovic, President, Serbian Renewal Movement; Dusan Janjic, Coordinator, Forum for Ethnic Relations; Miroljub Labus, Vice-President, Democratic Party; Dragoljub Micunovic, President, Party of Democratic Center; Dusan Mihajlovic, President, New Democracy Party; Vesna Pesic, President, Civic Alliance of Serbia; from Prishtina: Fehmi Agani, Vice-President, Democratic League of Kosovo; Mahmut Bakalli, former political leader of Kosovo; Adem Demaci, President, Parliamentary Party of Kosovo; Hydajet Hyseni, Vice-President, Democratic League of Kosovo; Abdullah Karjagdiu, Vice-President, Parliamentary Party of Kosovo; Mark Krasniqi, Chairman, Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo; Veton Surroi, Editor-in-Chief, Koha. Representatives of the Socialist Party of Serbia were invited, but did not attend.

The first roundtable "Democratic Processes and Ethnic Relations in Yugoslavia" was held in Belgrade in June 1995. At that meeting the Socialist Party of Serbia proposed to begin serious discussions towards seeking a solution to the problems in Serb-Albanian relations. The most important result of the first roundtable was the support of this initiative by the Democratic League of Kosovo.

A number of political events in Serbia/Yugoslavia delayed the resumption of the discussions. Finally the participants agreed to convene the second roundtable early in 1997, this time in New York City. The meeting was sponsored by the Project on Ethnic Relations.

The participants engaged in intensive discussions and exchange of views. Several common points emerged at the meeting.

The participants agreed to meet on a regular basis, and plan to reconvene the roundtable as soon as possible in Belgrade, Prishtina, and other suitable locations. The next session will be organized by the Project on Ethnic Relations (USA) in cooperation with the Forum for Ethnic Relations and the Democratic Center Foundation (Yugoslavia).

Accepting the fact that this is a difficult process, the participants urge that a step-by-step approach aimed at facilitating the beginnings of political negotiations on the full range of issues be initiated without further delay. Participants realize their responsibility for the future of the Balkans, Yugoslavia, and Kosovo. The participants reconfirm their commitment to the peaceful resolution of all disputes.

The Socialist Party, as the current ruling party in Serbia, has a special responsibility for promoting the democratic and peaceful resolution of problems in Kosovo. Therefore, the participants urge the Socialist Party of Serbia, which participated in the first roundtable and suggested that there be a second one, to participate in the future work of the roundtable.

The only possible framework for discussions of such issues must be democratization, mutual respect between the sides, respect for human rights, both individual and collective, and promotion of regional stability.

The participants are grateful to the Project on Ethnic Relations and other American institutions for their continuing support in promoting dialogue on this issue and democratization in the region, and hope for similar support from European institutions and organizations. However, all parties recognize that solutions must be reached by the Serbian and Kosovar Albanian political actors themselves.


JOINTLY AGREED POSITIONS

  1. Kosovo constitutes a serious problem that requires an urgent solution. Without international encouragement and assistance the current lack of confidence between the sides cannot be overcome or a lasting settlement reached.
  2. The problem can only be resolved by mutual accord reached through dialogue that is entered into with no preconditions or prejudgment of possible outcomes.
  3. The agreement must be based on the principles of democratization, mutual respect between the sides, respect for human rights, both individual and collective, and promotion of regional stability through respect for Helsinki principles concerning borders. An interim solution requires a democratic Kosovo and a democratic Serbia.



Russians, Europeans, Americans Debate NATO Enlargement and Future Relations

The future shape of relations among Russia, former Warsaw Pact members, and newly independent former Soviet republics (Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and between them and Western Europe and the United States was the subject of intensive discussions at a PER meeting in Warsaw, Poland on May 16-18.

The event was the third in a series designed to help political leaders and decision-makers to understand the perspectives of other countries in the changing regional and international environment. Two earlier meetings, in Moscow in 1995 and 1996, took up the question of how ethnic and national rivalries affect regional security, and considered means and prospects for restoring communications between Russia and her former allies.

Participants at those meetings agreed that, after the break-up, Russia and other countries in the region had tended to ignore each other as they oriented themselves towards the West. However, there was no consensus on how to restore relations. The Russians argued that NATO enlargement will exacerbate or confirm the exclusion of Russia from Europe and will endanger Russian security and the development of Russia's fragile democracy, while the others insisted that the expansion of Euro-Atlantic institutions will provide the best guarantee for a stable continent.

The Warsaw meeting coincided with the announcement of the NATO-Russian Founding Act. Despite this, the gap between the Russians and the other participants remained undiminished, and participants agreed that continuing efforts will be required if there is to be any hope of developing a common understanding.

Participants in the meeting, which was organized with the assistance of the Euro-Atlantic Association and the Center for International Relations at the Institute of Public Affairs in Warsaw, were, from the Czech Republic, Ivan Gabal, former Head, Department of Political Analysis, Office of the President, and Karel Stindl, Ambassador to Poland; from Estonia, Peeter Restsinski, Ambassador to Poland; from the European Union, Thomas Grunert, Senior Official, European Parliament; from Hungary: Istvan Szent-Ivanyi, Leader of Parliamentary Caucus, Alliance of Free Democrats; from Latvia, Uvis Blums, Second Secretary, Embassy in Poland; from Lithuania, Kestutis Jankauskas, Deputy Head, Multilateral Relations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; from NATO, Andrew Dolan, National Expert, NATO and the European Commission; from Poland, Bronislaw Geremek, Member of Parliament and member, PER Council for Ethnic Accord, Janusz Onyszkiewicz, Member of Parliament, former Defense Minister and Chairman, Euro-Atlantic Council, Janusz Reiter, former Ambassador to Germany and Chairman, Center on International Affairs, Piotr Switalski, former Senior Diplomatic Advisor to the OSCE Secretary General and Director of the OSCE Department for Chairman-in-Office Support, Department of the System of the United Nations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Henryk Szlajfer, Director, Department of Studies and Analysis, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; from Romania, Constantin Dudu Ionescu, Secretary of State and Chief of Defense Policy and International Relations, Ministry of Defense and Dorin Marian, Counselor for National Security, Office of the Presidency; from Russia, Vladimir Averchev, Member, State Duma, Boris Makarenko, Deputy Director, Center for Political Technologies and Consultant, Project on Ethnic Relations, Alexei Salmin, Member, Presidential Advisory Council and President, Russian Public Policy Center, and Mark Urnov, Presidential Adviser; from Slovakia, Juraj Migas, Director General, Political Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Miroslav Wlachovsky, Director of Research Center, Slovak Foreign Policy Association; from Slovenia, Anton Bebler, Ambassador to the UN Offices in Geneva; from Ukraine, Yevhen Marchuk, Member of Parliament, former Prime Minister; from the United States, Marshall Adair, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, Stephen Mull, Political Officer, U.S. Embassy in Poland, Cameron Munter, Chief of Staff, NATO Enlargement Ratification Office, Department of State, and Thomas Szayna, Analyst, International Studies Group, RAND. PER was represented by Allen Kassof, President, Livia Plaks, Executive Director, and Aleksey Grigor'ev, Program Officer.


Slovak and Hungarian Editors Renew Ties

Senior editors from the leading dailies in Slovakia and Hungary participated in a meeting sponsored by PER in Bratislava on March 1, 1997, renewing discussions that were held in Budapest last year. They concluded that the majority of Slovak and Hungarian print media had played a positive role in creating an atmosphere of tolerance. In fact, said the participants, communication among journalists is much easier than among politicians, and they suggested that the main sources of interethnic tensions come from politicians rather than from the population or from the media.

The participants discussed various issues, including freedom of the press, economic survival, editorial control, professionalism, markets and marketing tactics, the media and the democratic process, responsibility of the press in building a democratic society, relations with minorities, and the prospects of Hungary and Slovakia in Euro-Atlantic integration.

The participants from Slovakia were: Julius Lorincz, deputy editor-in-chief of Pravda; Karol Jezik, editor-in-chief of Sme; Eduard Fasung, editor-in-chief of Slovenska Republika; Jozsef Szilvassy, editor-in-chief of Uj Szo; Juraj Alner, editor of Narodna Obroda; Martin Skopec, editor of Smer Dnes. From Hungary: Laszlo Dalia, deputy editor-in-chief of Magyar Hirlap; Istvan Wintermantel, deputy editor-in-chief of Magyar Nemzet; Andrej Kiss, editor of Nepszava; Laszlo Hovanyecz, editor of Nepszabadsag.


Tirgu Mures: Interethnic Confidence-Building Measures In Local Administration

Marking seven years since the violent ethnic confrontations in Romania between Romanian and Hungarian inhabitants of Tirgu Mures and surrounding villages, PER organized a seminar on the implementation of new laws and regulations intended to ease ethnic tensions by giving broad decision-making powers to localities.

At the sessions on May 31-June 1, chaired by Executive Director Livia Plaks and Dan Pavel, head of PER's Bucharest office, Dragos Tanasoiu and Mirela Dragulin of the government's Local Administration Department in Bucharest announced the latest details of the brand new laws, which involve a significant move towards decentralization. Other senior government officials joined regional and local authorities in discussions on how the new laws are to be implemented.

The main interest was in how the novel provisions for bilingualism in educational, legal, and administrative settings could be carried out, while protecting the rights and interests of both Hungarian and Romanian speakers, and what practical measures will be required for translation and interpretation. Participants also debated the unresolved question of how to organize Hungarian-language higher education, and whether this should be done within present university structures or in a new and separate institution. Andor Horvath of the Bolyai Association argued for an autonomous Hungarian speaking part of the Babes-Bolyai University. One of the most animated debates involved county prefects and presidents of local councils on the issue of restructuring interethnic relations in the counties of Harghita and Covasna, where Hungarians constitute the majority and the Romanians the minority, and on how the new legislation would affect relations among elected and appointed officials, and between Bucharest and local administrations and councils. The role of the media and interethnic relations was also discussed.

Gyorgy Tokay, Minister, Department for the Protection of National Minorities, and cabinet member Constantin Dudu Ionescu, Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defense, presented their views on the different responsibilities of officials in the central government and regional administration, and on the regional and international impact of recent agreements reached between Romanian and Hungarian governments.

All of the participants agreed that the new provisions move Romania closer to European standards. However, they noted that their effective implementation will require a particular effort, and that confidence-building measures will be needed.

The seminar was organized by Maria Koreck, head of PER's Tirgu Mures office. Allen Kassof, PER's President, also participated.


Police Training Continues in Romania

PER is continuing its collaboration on police training in Romania with the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville (Kentucky). In January, a management seminar for senior law-enforcement officials focused on relations between the police and ethnic minorities, especially the Roma. A follow-up in May assessed the needs of the Romanian police in managing ethnic relations, and in June a team of Romanian police completed a two-week seminar in Louisville. The principal Romanian partner in these activities is the Crime Prevention Service of the Ministry of the Interior. The Council of Europe has also joined the PER-SPI effort, with two of its police specialists participating in the Romanian programs.


PER Staff News

In Bucharest, Romania, Dan Pavel has been appointed to head the PER office there. Mr. Pavel is a political scientist, and has served on the faculties of the University of Cluj and the University of Bucharest. He is also the founding editor of 22 and Sfera Politicii;.


ROMA NEWS:


PER, The Council Of Europe, and ODIHR/OSCE Mount Joint Projects

In February, PER's Executive Director Livia Plaks participated in the session of the Council of Europe Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies, which took place in Strasbourg. The agenda covered human rights problems faced by Roma as well as issues related to education and culture and ways of improving the economic and employment situation of the Roma.

Together with Andrzej Mirga, Chair of PER's Romani Advisory Council, who also co-chairs the Council of Europe Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies, Plaks conferred with John Murray, the Council of Europe's Coordinator for activities on Roma/Gypsies, his staff, and with Jacek Paliszewski, ODIHR/OSCE Adviser, and agreed on joint projects on Romani issues in 1997.


Training young Romani leaders in Bulgaria

Responding to a request from the United Roma Union of Sliven and its leader, Vasili Chaprazov, PER's Sofia office organized a five-day training seminar in Gioletchitza (in the Rila mountains) for twenty four young Romani leaders from four organizations from around Bulgaria. The seminar, which took place from May 25-30, explored questions of the Roma and the media, relations with local authorities, employment issues, basic principles of administrative law, the Romani movement, the Roma and international organizations, basic principles of labor law, and how to apply for funding.

The high-level training team included a journalist from Radio Free Europe, the Dean of the Law Department of Sofia University, the Head of Chancellery of the Government of Bulgaria, the Director of the Agency for Foreign Aid, and experts on Romani culture. The chairman of the PER Romani Advisory Council, Andrzej Mirga, Dr. Ivan Ilchev, PER's consultant in Bulgaria, and PER's executive director, Livia Plaks, joined the trainers.


Prevention Of Violence And Discrimination Against Roma

Violence and discrimination are two long-standing threats to the Romani community in Central and Eastern Europe. On March 21-23, a workshop on Prevention of Violence and Discrimination against Roma in Central and Eastern Europe was jointly organized by PER, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and the Romanian government Department for the Protection of National Minorities, with the cooperation of Rromani CRISS.

The workshop reviewed and assessed efforts undertaken so far, and took up both civil society approaches and legal and administrative mechanisms in the prevention of violence and discrimination against Roma.

Workshop participants included representatives of inter-governmental institutions, public authorities, Roma, and NGO activists from Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland and Yugoslavia.

Participants stressed that comprehensive, integrated strategies are needed, beginning with a clear political determination on the part of Central and East European governments. Effective strategies must include legal and procedural reforms, increased schooling and employment among Roma, and campaigns to alter public attitudes toward Roma. Preventive measures must involve the police, judiciary, local and central authorities, Romani organizations, and the media.

Among the participants were Gyorgy Tokay, Minister, Department for the Protection of National Minorities, Government of Romania, Jacek Paliszewski, OSCE/ODIHR Adviser, and John Murray, the Council of Europe's Coordinator for activities on Roma/Gypsies.


Romani Self-Government in Hungary: Experience and Prospects

Hungary has been a pioneer in offering some measure of self-government to ethnic minorities, including the Roma, in a program that has been in place for almost two years. How well does the system work?

In a workshop co-sponsored by PER and the Council of Europe (Budapest, May 9-11), Romani self-government was reviewed by representatives of the Project on Ethnic Relations, the Council of Europe, the National Gypsy Self-Government in Hungary, and the Office of the National and Ethnic Minorities of the Government of Hungary, as well as Romani and non-Romani officials, experts, and practitioners from Hungary and other countries.

Discussions centered on the principles and legal framework for the self-government system in Hungary; accomplishments and shortcomings of the system; level of acceptance of the system; and co-operation among national and local Romani self-governments, the Hungarian national government, local authorities, and Romani non-governmental organizations.

Roma constitute the largest minority in Hungary, about seven percent of the country's population. Minority self-governance is based on the Law on the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities, adopted by the Hungarian National Assembly in July 1993. After the by-elections of November 1995, 451 Romani local self-governments (and 341 for other ethnic minorities) were created. The Romani national self-government was set up at the same time as national self-governments for other minorities, in April 1995.

Romani national self-government officials expressed the hope that that their new experience will finally enable the Romani minority to control its own destiny. The adoption and implementation of the Act, they say, help the Roma in Hungary to be perceived as a minority with an identity and a culture of its own rather than as a social problem.

State Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, Csaba Tabajdi, and other governmental representatives, as well as Florian Farkas, the President of the Gypsy National Self-Government, noted that much remains to be done in implementing the Act.

Participants went on a field trip to a Romani local self-government in Nograd county to familiarize themselves with working relationships between the local self-government, the Romani self-government, and other authorities.