February 1997 Monitoring.

(This summary is based on the February reports of all of the countries, except for Romania and Turkey, whose reports are from January 1997. There were no reports from Albania and Macedonia available).

Mariana Lenkova

The Bulgarian media kept the tendency to cover the other Balkan states in order to make a comparison in respect to (and at the expense of) Bulgaria itself. This tendency was most visible in regards to ALBANIA which "has overtaken us in everything, it is time we started exchanging experience with this Balkan country. Once we described half wits as Albanian heating coils and now we are forced to give up central heating [which became so expensive Bulgarians can no longer afford it]... In Albania when someone messes a job up, they do not call in Gypsy work but Bulgarian work." (168Ch, 14-20). The same paper made some allusions to the threat which Albania poses: "Albania - a potential bomb on the Balkans... Two ethnoses, several religious denominations, compact masses living beyond the border are all factors provoking conflict situations... Extremists in Tetovo are ready to spark a second Bosnia, this time dangerously close to Bulgaria." (168Ch, 7-13).

The references to another neighbor, GREECE, were fewer than usual. The discussion on Greece’s initiatives to support Bulgaria were read ambivalently by the different papers. Thus some of them predicted that "Athens will stop our emigrants with shipments of food" (De, 20); "Athens sends us help to stop refugees" (24Ch, 20), while others praised the "Greeks [who] took the place of the church in helping the poor" (NT, 24-25). However, when it came to presenting the Greek demand that the N-plant in Kozlodoui be closed, many papers cried out in outrage: "We Want No Hellenic Silver!; If the price of Hellenic help is the shutting down of our N-plant, then our neighbors better stuff their drachmas up the most sensitive parts of their bodies." (24Ch, 17). Apart from these economy related issues, there were direct accusations in the case of Greek claims on Bulgarian historical heritage, namely the implication of an article in a Greek paper which "contests the Slav origin of Cyril and Methodius [the inventors of the Slav alphabet]" (Do, 18).

MACEDONIA was covered mainly in relation to Macedonian coverage of Bulgaria and its people. The newspapers reported on the positive reception of Prime Minister Sofiyanski’s statement in an interview for Macedonian radio that "the language dispute is ridiculous and formal". However, implications about the "inferiority complex on the historical heritage issue" of the younger state were still present, especially when the latter contested the national identity of historical figures whom the Bulgarians consider Bulgarian and the Macedonians consider Macedonian (e.g. poet Nikola Vaptsarov, revolutionary Gotse Delchev etc.). Apart from these purely historical disputes, some everyday bilateral problems were dealt with and the media based their analyses on data from the annual report of the US State Department: "Skopje Restricts Access of Bulgarian Dailies to Macedonia" (T, 1) and "Skopje Does not Admit Bulgarian Press" (Do, 1). And it was again on the everyday level that some very positive references were made: "Macedonians Feed Poor Bulgarians in Restaurants; Compassionate Macedonians pay the bills of hungry Bulgarians in Blagoevgrad... the generosity of our neighbors who experienced the same crisis two or three years ago (S, 11).

ROMANIA was presented in a rather favorable light when compared to Bulgaria which was called "an ominous example" by Romanian Prime Minister Ceorbae who warned against the "threat of Bulgarization" (De, 1). The media was constantly improving the image of the northern neighbor: "Aid for Reforms in Romania" (S, 5); "Bucharest has taken an enviably pragmatic stand. The Romanians do not want charity, they offer what they have: a favorable geopolitical location." (Do, 24). Still, there appeared some articles which painted a gruesome picture of utter poverty and backwardness: "Over 4,000 HIV-positive Children in Romania (headline)... which is more than a half of the registered pediatric AIDS cases in Europe." (T, 7); "Swine-Cholera Infected Pigs Coming from Romania" (24Ch, 7).

SERBIA was also compared to Bulgaria but this time it was due to the similar political activities in the two countries. Almost all Bulgarian papers hailed the Serbian people who "stood up against this fearsome force with an inexhaustible sense of humor, something unprecedented in Eastern Europe." (Sega, 6-12). However, even this positive reception was not absolute and there were many articles which pointed to the fact that "[T]he opposition emerged as an extreme nationalistic alternative to the nationalist policy of Milosevic himself" (24Ch, 6) and stressed the fact that "[T]he nationalist interests of the Serbs remained unchanged for decades... Unification of all Serbs, assimilation of foreign ethnic groups and expansion in three directions" (T, 18).

TURKEY was present mainly in reference to the threat of "Islamization" which the Bulgarian media (as well as the other Balkan ones) perceived: "Islamists will defend their power in Turkey, rifle in hand" (24Ch, 13);"The Sheriat is approaching our southern border" (Do, 5) and "Is Islam in Turkey on the offensive?" (24Ch): "the tragic consequences this has had in Bulgarian history, however, fully justifies a careful observation of what is happening to the east." (T). Hand in hand with "Islamization" came the discussion of Turkish nationalism which "is based on the dangerous concept that all subjects of the Turkish state are Turks by nationality… The ‘peace with the word’ formula, in its turn is no obstacle to raising nationalistic slogans of the ‘Turkey - from the Great Chinese Wall to the Adriatic Sea’ type." (T, 18). The month saw numerous reports on the decision of the Turkish government to deport Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origin staying illegally in Turkey. The commentaries varied from"[W]e can only regret that thousands of our fellow countrymen are homeless in their old and their new homeland." (S, 20) to "[U]nofficially it is claimed in Turkey that the Islamists do not want them [the Bulgarian Turks] because of their secular views" (C, 20). Though rare, there were some positive texts as well, mainly dealing with humanitarian aid coming from Turkey.

As regards the internal minorities, the Bulgarian media directed their attention to the ROMA, presenting the latter with much bias, which bordered to open racism: "The Gypsies: Unarmed but hungry and very dangerous; Dark-skinned Bulgarians took the opportunity of the civil disobedience and made massive raids on cellars, shops and ware houses; Probably they have become wild with hunger, and the Gypsies can do things a Bulgarian would never think of doing" (168 Ch, 7-13). However, when it came to another event - the death of four Roma, who were blasted by a bomb they had found at a firing ground - there were marked differences in the coverage. While many of the papers held that "[T]he tragedy… is one of the series of incidents in which dark-skinned quack sappers have challenged death… they freely raid the prohibited areas and load their carts with blind shells" (T, 25), there were others which showed sympathy for "the misfortunate four… [who] were not stealing, they were digging for metal, driven by the misery. We should have long forgotten the selling of bombs and telephone cables, wire, etc. There wouldn’t have been any incidents then, and our TVs and telephones would have never stopped working" (K, 25).

The TURKS of Bulgaria got much less negative coverage. Moreover, the greater part of the papers expressed their understanding for the unhappiness of those Turks who had fled Bulgaria a few years ago and whom the Turkish government was reportedly planning to extradite: "Another Tragedy Has Impended over the Bulgarian Turks" (De, 25). There was one article however, which directly opposed Islam and played with the prejudices dividing Christians and Muslims in Bulgaria: "A mosque next to a Christian cemetery in Nova Zagora separated Bulgarians, Turks and Gypsies all of a sudden. The temple of the Muslims provoked ethnic hatred and religious intolerance, although its construction has just started.. The Hodja will sing closer to the late Christians than to living Muslims, say grudgingly the people from the town" (24 Ch, 25).

Guide to newspaper initials: 24 Ch "24Chassa", C "Continent", De "Demokratsiya", Do "Douma", SN "Standart News", T "Dneven Troud", NT "Noshten Troud", Sega "Sega" magazine, 168 Ch "168 Chassa".

The Greek media covered the main events taking place in the Balkans during the month. However, there were differences in the intensity and degree of this coverage in respect to the different countries. The daily reports on the respective economic crises in Bulgaria ["They eat from the food of the dogs" (Ad.T., 20)] and Romania ["They abandoned 100,000 children in Romania" (El., 11)] sounded very similar, while the information on the other countries was more varied. It is notable that the month saw a decline in the negativism accompanying the articles on Macedonia, since the major events present in the Greek papers were the students’ protests against the introduction of Albanian at the Pedagogical Faculty of Skopje University which were covered mostly in a neutral and informative way.

Accounts of the social and political unrest in ALBANIA occupied the pages of the Greek printed media. "The Balkans’ miserable ones… who don’t have even bread to eat” (E.T. 17) were usually contrasted to the “[G]overnment of mobsters” (E.T. 15). But even such stories were not able to change the predominant attitude of the public which was visible in the research results published in K. (16/2) “in the conscience of most Greeks the image of the immigrant is identified with that of the Albanian and has as a consequence the stereotype ‘Albanian, illegal immigrant, violent, thief, dangerous, criminal’… the use of violence against Albanians and, more generally, against other immigrants is no longer a moral demerit. In the conscience of many people it is been preceded by the image of these immigrants as inferior and potentially dangerous. A migrant has henceforth the image of a human being unworthy of respect and protection.”

As regards SERBIA, and especially as regards the political leaders of that country, the media somehow returned to their stories about the heroism of people like Milosevic and Karadjic who were compelled to lead their country in “a blood bath caused by foreign interests” (V., 9). The essence of this position was given in the commentary “Underground” (Ad.T., 7). “It [Yugoslavia] is a country which affects us, a fatherland that became the target of all the bastards of the world… As we were about to say ‘thank God!’ and brag like Orthodox, something happens and everything collapses… What a shame. Who would have expected from a people which stood united against the bullets and the hunger to humiliate themselves on party issues… What are they looking for now? For Milosevic to go and get some kind of Yeltsin in his place or to have some liberal experience like Berisha’s, so as to enjoy… elections and liberalism… What can I say? Demonstrations with the clergy in the front! I lose face. Muslims can only be happy and those who were bombing us through yesterday may now intervene to … help restore order.”

TURKEY kept its negative image, associated mainly with “Islamization” and its consequences for the whole region: “Turkey is in a transition period between the evolution to an Islamist state and the imposition of a military dictatorship aiming at the return of the Attaturk order. Both alternatives lead to regimes which have no place in a democratic civilization” (El., 9). Still, there were some dissenting voices which tried to contradict the usual stereotypes: “They dream of a better future, without state terrorism, racism and misery. Greek media usually do not deign to cover these other Turks, who contradict the stereotypes we have learnt at school.” (El., 2)

Here is the place to mention that many of the disagreements with Turkey come from the problems which Greece has in dealing with the TURKS within its borders, who are recognized only as a religious minority and are referred to as Muslims: “We’ve become a country that gets humiliating slaps in the face; Orgy of terror by Turkish Consulate men in Thrace. Erbakan’s agents, totally insolent, ‘throw to the lions’ whoever does not satisfy Ankara’s appetite. Their target are the Greek Muslims in Komotini and Xanthi who want to cut the ‘umbilical cord’ with Turkey… They are beating relentlessly, destroying properties, blackmailing, bribing and exerting tremendous pressure on whoever resists them.” (Ad.T., 16)

The same negative attitude was typical of the coverage of the MACEDONIANS (whose existence is not recognized by the state), so it is almost natural to expect that the two minority groups would be implied in common schemes: “alliance between the Muslim bow and the Rainbow… Muslims and pro-Skopjans booed the witnesses for the prosecution.” (Ad.T., 26). There was a rather sarcastic account of a Skopje meeting of some Greek and Macedonian NGOs: “A non-governmental delegation discussed, they say, with our good neighbors, the Aegean issue and the question on whether there are Skopje ‘Macedonians’ from Greece whose identity is challenged by us, the bad racist Greeks, and we also search through their files at the customs offices. We have no doubt whatsoever that some empty-headed ‘progressive’ ones from our side went to Skopje to discuss the … Aegean issue and other such … racist problems” (Ad. T., 16).

Guide to newspaper initials: Ad.T. Adesmeftos Typos (center-right); Ap. Apogevmatini; E.T. Eleftheros Typos (center-right); El. Eleftherotypia (center-left); Eth. Ethnos (center-left); K. Kathimerini (center-right); N. Nea (center-left); V. Vima (center-left - Sunday equivalent to Nea)

The Romanian press did not show a particular interest in the other Balkan countries, and for the most part it covered them on the basis of the information of the international news agencies, without showing bias or prejudice. Thus the main events taking place in Romania’s neighbors were presented, but the comments were left for the readers themselves. However, when it came to the internal ethnic minorities, the printed media were not that tolerant and impartial.

This held especially true of the HUNGARIANS who drew the media’s attention once again during January, this time due to the re-opening of the Hungarian Consulate in Cluj, one of the main Romanian cities. The event was followed by a long dispute, initiated by the largest circulation newspaper: "The former Hungarian Consulate in Cluj Closed Down Because the Hungarian diplomats Engaged in Espionage and Hard Currency Traffic" (EZ, 6/1). On the next day the same paper presented its version of the implied goal of the re-opening of the Consulate ["Through the Cluj Consulate, Hungary will Have Spies with Diplomatic Immunity in Transylvania." (EZ, 7)], while the president of the PDSR Cluj chapter declared that "one more ethnic profile institution in Cluj would only add one more agency for UDMR to use in promoting its program of ethnic separation" (JN, 10)

The ROMA were also constantly present in the papers which did not change their attitude in dealing with that particular minority. All of them shared and promoted the well-established negative images and hatred: "Under the terrified eyes of his nine children, the Gypsy Pavel Varga killed his wife and hung the body to simulate suicide." (EZ, 27); "Seven police officers were attacked with knives and axes by a group of Gypsies, because they didn’t want to set free the Gypsies’ friends who had stolen wood" (EZ, 22). There was one very interesting article which showed how destructive prejudice can be. The article reported complaints on the tendency of the cab drivers to overcharge their clients and concluded that "of all the cab drivers approached, only one (and Roma, too, to our surprise) has asked for a correct fare, within the limits of common sense" (A, 9)

Guide to newspaper initials: EZ Evenimentul Zilei; RL Romania Libera; CR Cronica Romana; CN Curierul National; JN Jurnalul National; A Adevarul; Z Ziua.

TURKEY

In January the mainstream media in Turkey retained their interest in the protests taking place in the other Balkan countries. They presented the events in Serbia and Bulgaria in depth and covered the ones in Albania more concisely. The latter held true also of the coverage of Macedonia and Romania.

The anti-government protests in BULGARIA were presented in respect to the influence which they had on the well-being of the ethnic Turks in the country: "demonstrations in Sofia attract little attention from the Turks, because they do not feel as being part of the Bulgarian society, though the crisis have ruined them too" (T, 18/1, quoting the imam of the Sofia mosque). Other papers painted the situation in the neighboring country as extremely desperate: "Sofia at the brink of a catastrophe" (R, 29); "A struggle for life in Bulgaria; the slogans shouted in Sofia too abstract for Bulgarians who are almost at the point of dying from hunger." (M, 14, quoting Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov). Apart from this miserable depiction of Bulgaria, the press openly supported "the revolt of the ten thousand against the Socialist government" (Ak, 22).

GREECE was usually presented as a country which "strives to keep perpetually on the agenda the enmity towards the Turks in political, military and economic fields, and all this with an aggressive disposition, though it is aware that it cannot withstand Turkey at all" (Z, 17/1). There were some Turkish journalists who expressed their attitude even more openly: "It is unlikely that the prospects of Turco-Greek relations turn brighter, because Greece does not will stability. On the contrary, stability in Greece is sustained by a policy of enmity towards Turkey… Though Greece has lost all the wars against Turkey in which it has engaged, it was able to retain a six-fold growth. Is this admissible? One shall engage in wars, be the loser and still succeed in growing! Because Greece has become accustomed to this, it keeps alive the notion of ‘Megali Idea’ which is the essence of Hellenism… The US however… will opt for Turkey in case [the two countries] get involved in a confrontation" (YS, 17). Still, there were also voices which tried to explain rationally the existence of the hostility between the two countries, pointing out that "our prejudices are correlated with our national identities. When we shape our national identities, we at the same time specify enemies. . . . In so far as these prejudices remain intact, solution of our difficulties seems unlikely, unless dictated from outside." (Z) Moreover, there were even some straightforward positive articles advocating that "a ponderous part of pressure groups, of the media and the intelligentsia in Turkey wishes the solution of the problems between Turkey and Greece… Our hopes for a Turco-Greek peace lie with the private citizens, not with the politicians." (M, 14)

January showed a notable change of attitude towards SERBIA and its people which during the war in ex-Yugoslavia used to be labeled as "ferocious murders, butchers, crusaders, enemies of Turks and Muslims". Now the media started presenting a rather friendly and sympathetic image of the people which had risen against a dictator. Moreover, there were reports that these same people "praise the Ottomans" (M, 8) and are "yearning for the Turks" (S, 12) and for "the good old days under the Ottoman rule" (T, 12)

Guide to newspaper initials: H Hurriyet; M Milliyet; S Sabah; YY Yeni Yuzyil; YS Yeni Safak; T Turkiye; Z Zaman; D Demokrasi; C Cumhuriyet; Ak Akit; A Aksam; R Radikal

The FRY press followed closely the events in the Balkans, often providing comments which contained some stereotypical images and prejudices. The country which attracted hardly any comments, apart from the usual information items, was Bulgaria. The presence of ALBANIA was more prominent than in previous months, because of the mass protests and the subsequent bloodshed there. Reports varied from condemnation of the Berisha government ["The so called ‘crisis if the interest rates’ is nothing else but the other side of the BIG ELECTORAL FRAUD of May 26" (NB, 15-16)] to sweeping conclusions on the relation of the crisis to the fundamental goals of the Albanians ["the whole idea of Great Albania is exclusively in function of the widening of the Albanian frontiers on the account of the neighboring countries" (P, 14)].

GREECE got a relatively unfavorable coverage, which was triggered by a series of articles published by VN which spoke about "The Hell of the Greek Plantations". Though rather disturbing, the stories were handled very carefully and the word "Greeks" was used only once: "Greeks treat us as if we were people of a lower species. They didn’t allow us to pour some water. Disgusted, they sent us to the toilets! Why? All things aside, marks and troubles, but Greeks, why are you underestimating and humiliating us in such a way?" (VN, 7). However, after printing a letter of apology of the Greek Embassy in Belgrade, the paper underlined that the only reason behind its publishing of the articles was to show how season workers are abused of "in that friendly country" (VN, 11). It is interesting to mention an article which tried to analyze the origin of the recent Greek-Serbian friendly relations: "Until the appearance of Slobodan Milosevic on the political scene of Serbia and the Balkans, the Serbs didn’t know that the Greeks were their brothers and relatives." (V, 15)

MACEDONIA’s presence was determined by the demonstrations against the controversial law on the introduction of the Albanian language in Skopje’s Pedagogical Faculty. The greater part of the FRY papers criticized the "Shiptars", who are "using the step-by-step tactics" in order to conquer "the space limited to them by the Macedonian Constitution" (D, 12). On the other hand were papers like NB (21/2) which warned against the fact that "Macedonia [is] on the verge of nationalistic chaos" and blamed this on all parties included in the argument.

ROMANIA did not attract much interest, but when it did, it was presented rather positively, stressing the fact that "[D]uring the last decades, and also during the last several years, when the FRY was isolated with harsh and blackmailing sanctions that estranged most countries, Romania proved that it was and had remained a friend." (D, 7).

"Islamization" was the most important issue discussed in respect to TURKEY: "Time works for the Islamists… Islamists have the most attractive bait at this moment - sheriat and moral purity. Secular circles haven’t offered anything new for a long time. They are now pressed to the wall and are left with little more than writing letters and threats of military coups." (P, 28) The consequences of such a development were also discussed at length: "For all Christian nations of Europe’s southeast the most important question is whether the Turkish turban - the latter behaving like a regional American sheriff, who doesn’t hide its old demands - is coming back to Ottoman borders. This fits the strategical interests of the US and Europe…" (VN, 20).

The Kosovo ALBANIANS were the minority which was constantly present in the mainstream media. There were differences in the coverage, resulting from the affiliation of the papers. Those close to the Serbian regime tended to play down the responsibility of that regime when dealing with the Albanians: "Instead of at least a verbal condemnation of crimes in which both Serbs and Albanians were victims, those ‘peacemakers’ attacked the Serbian authorities, accusing them of - terrorism" (D, 7). The line of the independent media was much more humanistic and sympathetic to the minority: "Escalation of torture over Albanians" (NB, 28); "Exertion of false testimonies" (NB, 13).