NAGORNO-KARABAKH / AROUND THE WORLD
AROUND
Armenians of preparing an attack to take Shushi, where the artillery that daily shells Stepanakert is situated
Moreover the road that links Karabakh with Armenia passes through Shushi. Melik-Shahnazarian told me that if the Armenians took Shushi, the Kurdish population in Lachin would change their stand and let supplies pass from Armenia to Karabakh.
But it is not easy to take Shushi, which is protected on three sides by mountains and gorges, and whose defenders are better equipped than the Armenians.
Such an attack would also embarrass the Pan-Armenian Movement in power in Yerevan. After President LevonPetrossian came to power, he changed his policy of demanding immediate unification between Armenia and Karabakh into a more pragmatic stance.
Azerbaijan tries to portray the conflict as being about Armenian claims on Azerbaijani territory, rather than about the right of self-determination for the people of Karabakh, according to Alexander Tadeosian, in charge of Armenia's relations with the CIS.
Armenian support for self- determination
Until now, Armenia had not officially recognized the independence of Karabakh in order not to complicate the situation, but now Armenia supports the right of the Karabakh people to self-determination, he said.
If Shushi were to be taken by the Armenians, a direct link between Yerevan and Stepanakert would be established, bringing the danger of direct conflict between Armenia and Azerbai-
The present ruling party in Armenia is trying to avoid this, unlike the opposition Dashnak party, which has great influence in Karabakh.
At Khojalu airport one can see families with their luggage awaiting the chance to get onto one of the planes. But only people with special permission can leave.
Factories have either been destroyed by bombing or closed because of lack of raw material. There are no electricity or telephone services and the threat of epidemics looms over Stepanakert.
The people of Karabakh appreciate the presence of foreign journalists. A family invited us for dinner; Krikor the grandfather explained to us that it was the Bolsheviks had placed Karabakh under Azeri rule, and that the Armenians were now fighting for independence and were ready to die for it. *
THE
WORLD
SPANISH
STATE
Maastricht versus the workers
THE signature of the
Maastricht Treaty on
European union by the
Spanish State implies a drastic austerity programme in the attempt to meet the treaty's convergence criteria, including social spending cuts, and privatization of transport, health and education and some state-owned enterprises.
Whatever the details, the programme does not allow room for any agreement with the unions and must mean a wage squeeze. The government of Felipe Gonzalez is no doubt hoping that high unemployment will help in cowing worker protest.
The core of the plan is to reduce the public deficit and change the state's role in the economy. Public services are to undergo reforms, minimum wage regulations will be abolished for some professional sectors, monopolies in water supply, gas and electricity will be broken up and so on.
For workers the plan means an across the board onslaught, including measures to increase the geographical mobility of labour, reform of labour contracts to make sacking easier and reductions in unemployment insurance. At the same time the government is planning to reduce public spending on health.
Indirectly, all this will put pressure on wages and bring job losses. The union confederations, the General Workers'
Union (UDT) and the Workers' Commissions (CCOO) have long hesitated to confront these plans, while calls from the ranks for a general strike have increased.
Finally, after statements from the
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
"advising" European governments to reduce unemployment benefits and the adoption of a decree to this effect by the
1992
Spanish government, the UGT leadership finally felt obliged to take a stand, stating that it would organize a gradually increasing mobilization until the pro-
In agreement with the CCOO the UGT has called for a half day of industrial action at the end of May and a general strike in October 1992. The UGT's general secretary, Nicolas Redondo, has declared that it is necessary to move towards a general strike because "we are not sure that these will be the last anti-worker decisions by the government".
The leadership of the Socialist Party has supported the government decisions, while offering to mediate between government and unions (Sources: Pagina Abierta, El Pais). * AUSTRALIA Left candidate wins byelec tion AN independent left candidate, Phil Cleary won a by-election in a Melbourne seat traditionally seen as a stronghold of the ruling Labor Party and once occupied by former Labor prime minister Bob Hawke, on April 11, 1992
Cleary's campaign was supported by a
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