Comment 3 for bug 442010

Have those you can't import have any text as part of the drawing? UniConverter - the python program that is called by the Inkscape extension system to convert CDR files to SVG files before import - can't handle text objects yet:
<http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Release_notes/0.47#UniConvertor-based_import_and_export>

could you
- attach a file that fails to open in Inkscape, or
- convert it on the command line with the UniConverter that comes with Inkscape to test if this produces the same result (empty SVG)?
(@Alvin - do you have more detailed instructions how to do this?)