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Bulletins
Winter 1996, Bulletin #11
Slovak And Ethnic Hungarian Parliamentarians Sign Agreement On Cooperation
In a historic breakthrough, leaders of Slovakia's three ethnic Hungarian parties, opposition parliamentarians, and representatives of the ruling coalition signed a joint statement calling for continuing dialogue regarding the protection of rights of members of ethnic minorities.
The group, meeting under PER's auspices in Le Mont-Pelerin, Switzerland on September 6-8, 1996, recommended that the government of Slovakia begin without delay to draft a bill on the use of minority languages for official business. Conferees also affirmed their loyalty to Slovakia as citizens and as representatives of their respective political parties, and agreed to support Slovakia's efforts to join NATO and the European Union. They called on all political entities in the Slovak parliament to join in support of their recommendations, and agreed to continue good faith efforts to establish amicable relations among the people of the Slovak Republic.
The Project on Ethnic Relations has been sponsoring a series of roundtables providing a neutral forum for major decision-makers from Slovakia. The first meeting was held in Washington, D.C., in June 1995. The second meeting, co-sponsored with the Slovak National Council (parliament), took place at Casta-Papiernicka, near Bratislava, on May 10-11, 1996. The third was held in Le Mont-Pelerin. PER was joined in these efforts by the White House, State Department, the Pentagon, and major European international organizations.
The full report on the Casta-Papiernicka meeting, Second Slovakia Roundtable, can be obtained from PER.
At the Le Mont-Pelerin talks, there were eleven participants from Slovakia representing the ruling coalition in parliament, the parliamentary opposition (including the three Hungarian parties), the Office of the President, and the Foreign Ministry. Herbert Boesch, an Austrian member of the European Parliament, attended the meeting in his capacity as chairman of the European-Slovak parliamentary joint committee. Ambassador Urs Ziswiler welcomed the conferees to Switzerland on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office for Foreign Affairs.
The participants focused on specific legislative issues, including parliamentary co-operation and possible compromises on drafts of language and minorities laws. The signers of the document included Dusan Slobodnik, Chairman of the National Council's Foreign Relations committee and a member of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), which is the lead party in the governing coalition; Eva Garajova and Eva Zelenayova, also of the HZDS; Anton Hrnko and Milan Knazko of the Democratic Union; Frantisek Miklosko of the Christian Democratic Movement; Jozef Prokes of the Slovak National Party; the chairmen of the three ethnic Hungarian parties, Laszlo Nagy, of the Hungarian Civic Party, Bela Bugar, of the Hungarian Christian Democratic Party, and Miklos Duray of the Coexistence party. Other participants at the meeting were Jan Gabor from the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Milan Zemko from the Office of the President; and Allen Kassof, Livia Plaks, and Samuel Abraham, PER staff.
The conferees' declaration was particularly important in view of mounting tensions in the aftermath of the controversial meeting held in Budapest in July on "Hungary and Hungarians Abroad", in which the leaders of the three ethnic Hungarian parties from Slovakia were participants. At the meeting in Switzerland, the political opponents put aside their differences to join other parliamentarians in calling for mutual efforts to resolve Slovak-Hungarian ethnic tensions in Slovakia in the interest of easing Slovakia's entry into the EU and NATO.
The full text of the Le Mont-Pelerin agreement is available from PER.
Bosnian And Croat Journalists Confer
Twelve journalists from Bosnia and Croatia met for two days of intensive discussions under PER's sponsorship at the Inter-University Center in Dubrovnik, Croatia, September 27-28. Representing both government and independent media, they considered how the Bosnian and Croatian media could contribute to calming post-conflict tensions and help avoid the outbreak of a new war.
Journalists from Zagreb, Sarajevo, and Mostar, who had had little contact since the outbreak of the war in Bosnia, found room for cooperation despite their differing political interests and ethnic backgrounds.
They tackled questions of journalistic independence in the face of political and market pressures; how to report fairly on controversial ethnic issues; how to identify and deal with such "taboo" subjects as war crimes by their own side and the role of churches in inciting ethnic warfare; journalistic ethics during war and its aftermath and the lessons learned from the conflict; the need to report both sides of a story; and how to help get the Bosnian-Croat Federation going with practical cooperation across boundaries. Konstanty Gebert of Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland), who came as a special guest, and Jasmina Kuzmanovic of AP Zagreb, chaired the sessions.
Participants were greatly concerned over barriers to the free flow of information, citing the difficulty of distributing print media, especially from the Bosniac side, across the de facto boundary in the city of Mostar. They recommended that the European Union administration in Mostar be asked to assure the availability of all newspapers from Croatia and the Federation. The participants stressed that professionalism, not ethnicity, should guide their work, and expressed their fear that a censorship "of the gun" still reigns in some parts of Bosnia. All agreed that the development of democracy is crucial to maintaining an independent media.
A report on the meeting is in preparation.
Dialogue Between Romanian and Hungarian Editors
Continuing its series of informal get-togethers for national opinion makers, last May PER brought together four Hungarian newspaper editors in Bucharest to meet their Romanian counterparts for an informal discussion on the role and impact of the press on bilateral and interethnic relations.
After a day of meetings with leading Romanian politicians of the governing and opposition parties to discuss the upcoming elections in Romania, the participants proceeded to Sinaia, where they discussed issues of high priority in the foreign policies of both countries--Euro-Atlantic integration, the Hungarian-Romanian basic treaty and interethnic relations. Editors also dealt extensively with ethical and practical issues of covering the elections in Romania.
The participants from Romania and the newspapers they represented were: Ion Cristoiu, Evenimentul Zilei; Dumitru Tinu, Adevarul; Marius Petrean, Curierul National; Alexandru Stroe, Cronica Romana; Janos Gyarmath, Romaniai Magyar Szo. From Hungary: Jozsef Martin, Magyar Hirlap; Ervin Tamas, Nepszabadsag; Istvan Wintermantel, Magyar Nemzet; Andrej Kiss, Nepszava. Other participants were Maria Koreck, Ferenc Melykuti, Livia Plaks and Larry Watts, PER staff.
Following the meeting Curierul National (Romania) and Magyar Hirlap
(Hungary) undertook a jointly sponsored poll of the Romanian electorate, and
plan an exchange of editorials.
Hungarian Prime Minister Meets with PER
Prime Minister Gyula Horn met with PER President Allen H. Kassof in Budapest
on October 21. The closed-door consultation was also attended by State
Secretary Csaba Tabajdi and Ferenc Melykuti of PER's Budapest office. Among
other matters, the Prime Minister expressed his support for a PER initiative
which is expected to bring together the region's government officials,
opposition politicians, and minority representatives to explore the
connection between majority-minority relations and regional security issues,
and to seek new means to enhance multilateral cooperation.
Grant From The Pew Charitable Trusts Renewed
PER has received a renewal of its grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts for
another two years. The grant covers PER's work in Slovakia and Hungary.
ROMA NEWS
The Media and the Roma in Central and Eastern Europe
The Roma and the media in Central and Eastern Europe were the focus of attention when representatives of the Romani and mainstream media met for the first time in a landmark seminar in Prague from September 19 to 22. Their purpose was to analyze the problem of negative images and stereotypes of the Roma in the media and to promote exchanges of experience between mainstream and Romani media. Journalists from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, as well as Roma activists from the Czech Republic and other countries in the region, took part. Roma participants were deeply concerned over negative stereotyping in the mass media throughout the region.
Discussions centered on cooperation between Roma and mainstream media, and on practical aspects of media operations. Workshops were co-chaired by Jefim Fistejn, editor-in-chief of Lidove Noviny (Czech Republic) and Jarmila Balazova, Cesky Rozhlas (Czech Republic); Konstanty Gebert, Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland) and Orhan Galjus, editor, Patrin (Slovakia).
Roma participants suggested that mainstream journalists need to spend more time in Roma communities if they are to report accurately and with sensitivity. Mainstream papers were urged to consider internships for aspiring Roma professionals at their newspapers. The Romani press was cautioned that it needs to be more business-like and entrepreneurial, and that excessive dependence on government subsidies is no substitute for real competitiveness in trying to reach an audience.
The seminar was co-sponsored by PER and the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe/ Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(OSCE/ODIHR), and was hosted at OMRI (Open Media Research Institute). Also
cooperating were the Romani journal Patrin, ROI (Roma Civic Initiative) and
DZENO (Foundation for Restoration and Development of Traditional Romani
Values) of the Czech Republic. Ambassador Jenonne Walker hosted a reception
at the US Embassy Residence.
Roma/Gypsies at the European Parliament and OSCE
In July, the European Parliament hosted a roundtable discussion on the plight of the Roma/Gypsies in Europe. Experts on the Roma, as well as Roma representatives from many European countries, discussed practical steps to be taken in the political, social and economic fields in order to eliminate ethnic discrimination, poverty and social marginalization.
The PER Roma Advisory Council was represented by Nicolae Gheorghe (Romania), Andrzej Mirga (Poland), Orhan Galjus (Slovakia) and Marcel Courtiade (France). PER was represented by Executive Director Livia B. Plaks. At the conclusion of the discussion, a declaration was issued: "Brussels Declaration/The Roma--A Truly European People". Among other issues it urges the European Commission and the member states of the Union to make the needs of the Roma/Gypsy community an issue of policy.
The new PER-sponsored intern at the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe/Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(OSCE/ODIHR) is Rumyan Russinov from Bulgaria. Mr. Russinov, the fourth
intern sponsored by PER in the past two years, is studying the image of the
Roma in the mainstream media of Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech
Republic, and Hungary, and its effects on inter-ethnic relations. He is
Director of the Human Rights Project in Bulgaria.
Social Policies and Programs for the Roma/Gypsies: Are They Working?
Policy-makers, analysts, and program leaders from Central and Eastern Europe gathered in Sofia, Bulgaria, on October 17-20 to evaluate social policies and programs for the Roma/Gypsy communities in Central and Eastern Europe.
Representatives of the Bulgarian presidency, government, parliament, and Roma organizations and Roma representatives and government officials from Central and Eastern Europe, members of the PER Roma Advisory Council (PERRAC) and PER's staff met to consider, compare and evaluate the effectiveness of different government policies for solving social problems of the Roma; how to improve intra-community relations in areas with Roma populations; and to identify private, governmental, and international sources of funding and assistance for Roma community development projects. Officials from the Council of Europe and OSCE also attended.
The meeting was opened by the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and closed by the President of the Bulgarian Parliament. A representative of the presidency also took an active part in the workshop.
Participants visited Roma settlements in Radnevo, Sofia, Plovdiv, and Sliven to witness the work of local Romani organizations.
PER will publish a report on the meeting.
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
PER in Bulgaria
The Beginning
A visitor to Bulgaria in March 1990, when PER began its work there, could see vivid evidence of how interethnic tensions were complicating the post- communist transition.Bulgarian demonstrators massed daily in front of the Ministry of Education to denounce a Government decision to allow Turkish language instruction during after school hours. In ethnically mixed localities like Kurdzhali, Bulgarians and Turks were locked in bitter struggles for political power. Large segments of Bulgarian public opinion were alarmed by the founding of a Turkish ethnic party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). They considered this to be a violation of the constitution. They were resentful that Bulgarian Muslims had been allowed to take back their Muslim names. Underlying their fears was the suspicion that such measures would strengthen the position of Turkey in Bulgaria.
For their part, the ethnic Turks in Bulgaria, who had suffered during the last years of the communist government from a relentless program of Bulgarization, now sought to organize against potential new assaults on their community and sense of self-identity.
From PER's first conversations with officials and representatives of the
Bulgarian majority and the Turkish community, it was clear that the
interethnic tensions were the result, among other factors, of serious
misconceptions, ignorance on both sides and lack of mutual understanding.
PER saw as its most urgent task the creation of objective information for
policy-makers.
Field Research Launched
Later that year, PER asked Dr. Ivan Ilchev of Sofia University, a distinguished historian of the Balkans, to put together teams of researchers and young assistants from the university and from the Academy of Sciences Institutes of Sociology, Economics, Ethnography, and Folklore Studies. The new teams went out to Bulgarian regions with ethnically or religiously mixed populations to undertake two major projects.
The first was to compile the oral history of the so called "great excursion", or exodus, of the Bulgarian Turks in 1989, capturing the recollections of the Bulgarian Christians who had witnessed it and the Bulgarian Turks who participated. Among the most important discoveries: both Turks and Bulgarians blamed politicians for the rift between the two groups, claiming that the relations between actual neighbors were generally good. (Closer scrutiny revealed that the matter was not so simple: respondents to such surveys, in Bulgaria and elsewhere, typically paint somewhat idyllic pictures to cover underlying tensions. But their perception of politicians is nonetheless telling).
The second was to track political trends in the Moslem population in the Western Rhodope mountains. The PER teams found some potential for Moslem fundamentalism in the region, and a danger that religious feelings, combined with the psychological and identity insecurities of the region's Bulgarian-speaking Moslems (Pomaks) would be exploited for political ends both by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and its political opponents. This 1992 forecast, unfortunately, has come true, as the current national political dispute over the Pomaks attests.
The research teams presented their conclusions at a widely attended conference at Sofia University in December 1992--one of the first of its kind in Bulgaria--which was the subject of wide coverage in the press.
The field research was also the subject of a special meeting organized in September 1992 by PER and the Radio Free Europe Institute in Munich. Bulgarian researchers, Institute experts, and visiting specialists discussed and evaluated the research. A summary was published in the Radio Free Europe Research Report.
PER's field research afforded an additional bonus, providing practical training for the university students who were recruited as research assistants. Many of them came into direct contact for the first time in their lives with members of ethnic or religious minorities, putting aside their fears and prejudices to visit Turkish and Roma (Gypsy) households and shedding some negative stereotypes in the process. Several participants prepared their M.A. theses from materials gathered during the field research, or launched new careers. One of the most notable graduates of the PER field experience is G. Blagoev, who became Bulgarian National Television's leading analyst of ethnic, national and religious problems in Bulgaria and in the Balkans. Other PER field work graduates work as experts on ethnic problems at the Presidency, the Council of Ministers, and various non-governmental organizations, or have become distinguished scholars.
In 1993, the basic results of the research were published in Bulgarian and
English editions. Copies of the Bulgarian language edition of the volume
were distributed to members of the Bulgarian parliament and to government
officials. The book is widely cited in scholarly and political publications.
The English language edition, the first of its kind, has also been much in
demand, and is sold out.
The Vlach Project
In 1993-1994, PER turned its attention to the Vlachs, a small group living on the south side of the Danube. The Vlachs, akin to the Romanians, have always been considered to be fully integrated within Bulgarian society. At the beginning of the 1990s, a new consciousness among some Vlachs was in evidence. Some alleged that this had been encouraged by Bucharest (which has denied the charge) and cited it as a case where group identity, hitherto quite diluted, was revived or even created under the influence of external factors.
Several teams of PER researchers tried to evaluate the changes that recent
years have brought in Vlach villages. A report on their findings was
published in a Bulgarian-language volume, and a summary of policy
implications was circulated to the government and the presidency. One of the
main conclusions is that the Bulgarian state needs to encourage the Vlachs'
efforts at cultural identification. The practical measures proposed,
however, would require new funding for the Vlachs at a time when government
budgets are severely constrained.
The Roma
In 1992, a one-year experimental course in Roma/Gypsy studies was introduced at the University of Sofia (Department of History, Ethnology Program) with the assistance of PER. The two-semester course, taught by two leading Bulgarian specialists, Elena Marushiakova and Vesselin Popov, was followed by a field research trip and collecting of field material by the students. For the first time in Bulgaria, university students could take a college-level course on the history and culture of the Roma, one of the country's biggest minorities.
PER Sofia has supported a landmark study of the Bulgarian Roma (Gypsies), funding the work of professors Elena Marushiakova and Vesselin Popov, who published a major volume in Bulgarian in 1993. The study has been widely reviewed, and has just been issued in an English language edition.
In order to promote the training of new specialists in the Roma field, PER
provided a scholarship for a young Bulgarian anthropologist, Ilia Iliev, to
work with Professor Thomas Acton, a leading Roma specialist at Greenwich
University in Great Britain. PER also maintains close relations with the
Roma Foundation in Plovdiv, and is working on a program to encourage the
authorities to allocate some arable land from state-owned resources to needy
Roma families who are prepared to earn their living in agriculture.
Conflict and Absence of Conflict in South-Western Bulgaria
The problem of why ethnic conflict erupts in some settings and not in others
is an important one for policy-makers and analysts alike. To shed light on
this question, PER launched a three-year comparative study of two localities
in the Western Rhodopes: Iakoruda and Devin. In recent years Iakoruda has
earned a reputation as a focal point of ethnic unrest while Devin, though in
most respects quite similar, has generally been calm. Teams of economists
and ethnographers have stayed for prolonged periods in the two localities
for in-depth research. Their preliminary findings, which have been submitted
to the presidency and the government, point to a complex set of objective
and attitudinal factors, for example the degree of diversification in the
local economy, the proximity of tourist centers, and whether there are
personal disputes between community leaders. A report that was presented in
October 1995 at a conference at Spa, Belgium, organized by the European
Science Foundation and the Council of Europe, is to be published. The
projects are scheduled for completion in late 1997.
New Directions
By 1996, the ethnic situation in Bulgaria had somewhat stabilized, with only occasional outbreaks of ethnic tension. The MRF has lost its capacity "to tip" the Bulgarian parties and now is just another of the four political groups represented in Parliament. The official Turkish position has not proved to be as aggressive as some politicians in Bulgaria feared. As for the Roma question, authorities increasingly view it as a social, rather than an ethnic, issue. At the same time, the eruption of violent conflicts elsewhere in the Balkans has offered a distraction from domestic issues. PER has used this hiatus to take on several broad regional questions.
Jointly with the Center for Minorities and the Government Committee for Bulgarians Living Abroad, the PER office in Sofia participated in a program to follow the migration patterns in the Balkans in the last few years. In 1995, a group of experts visited several localities in Turkey where Bulgarian Turks now live. Their purpose was to assess the emigrants' current attitudes towards Bulgaria and to see whether these populations might be used as a bridge to improve relations between the two countries.
PER has also encouraged the international contacts of rising and influential Bulgarian politicians. In 1993, Bulgarian representatives participated at a PER-sponsored meeting in Moscow devoted to interethnic issues in Russia, and to relations between Russia and its neighbors in the context of East-West relations. In 1995, a Bulgarian representative took part in a PER meeting in Belgrade discussing the problems of national minorities in new Yugoslavia.
The latest PER project in Bulgaria was a meeting in October 1996, that brought together Roma leaders and government representatives from the region in order to assess the experiences of programs of practical assistance and development for the Roma communities in Central, Eastern,and Southern Europe. The Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and the Chairman of the National Assembly, as well as members of the government and the presidency, participated.
PER plans a meeting of young Balkan political leaders for 1997 to begin a
broad-ranging discussion of geopolitical problems of the Balkans at the turn
of the century.
READINGS:
Ivan Ilchev and Duncan Perry, "Bulgarian Ethnic Groups: Politics and Perceptions," RFE/RL Research Report, Vol. 2, No. 12, March 19, 1993, pp. 35-40.
The Ethnic Situation in Bulgaria: Research in 1992, Sofia, 1993.
Elena Marushiakova and Vesselin Popov, Gypsies in Bulgaria, Frankfurt, 1996.