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Serbia Today 96-04-04
From: ddc@nyquist.bellcore.com (D.D. Chukurov)
4 April 1996
In This Edition
WALKER SAID THE TRUTH ABOUT MARKALE
EVEN PURE CROATS HAVE BEEN CLEANSED
BULLETIN SUPPLEMENT: CROATIA IS OBSTINATELY PREVENTING THE RETURN
CONTENTS
[01] FRY AND US CONTINUE THE COOPERATION IN THE INTEREST OF PEACE
[02] GERMANY OPPOSES THE INDEPENDENCE OF KOSOVO
[03] WALKER SAID THE TRUTH ABOUT MARKALE
[04] GERMAN PESSIMISM FOR THE PEACE PROCESS IN BOSNIA
[05] EVEN PURE CROATS HAVE BEEN CLEANSED
[06] NEW ATTACKS ON THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
[07] CROATIA IS OBSTINATELY PREVENTING THE RETURN OF SERBIAN REFUGEES
[01] FRY AND US CONTINUE THE COOPERATION IN THE INTEREST OF PEACE
Federal Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic met with a US Senate
delegation headed by Pennsylvania Republican - Sen. Arlen
Specter. The delegation was interested in the position of our
country about the most important issues concerning the political
situation in the region, especially the implementation of the
peace agreement for Bosnia. It has been stressed that the
international forces have been accepted with understanding and
cooperation by the Bosnian sides, which is made evident by the
present course of the implementation of the agreement,
especially of its military part. The talks accented the need for
FRY and the US to continue their active cooperation to
strengthen peace and stability in the region, and evidenced the
fact that that a continuous political dialogue between the two
countries constitutes a good basis for intensifying bilateral
relations and developing cooperation between Yugoslav and
American partners. (Politika, April 4, 1996)
[02] GERMANY OPPOSES THE INDEPENDENCE OF KOSOVO
Stating that "Germany is not in favor of the independence of
Kosovo" but rather "endorses its autonomy within the existing
Serbian state", Mr. Wolfgang Ischinger - Director General for
Foreign Affairs of the German Foreign Ministry - sent a new
awakening signal to the Albanian community in an interview for
"Zeri" - a newspaper published in Albanian. Addressing the
Albanian public, the German official warned that his country -
within the EU framework - firmly endorses the principle of
inviolability of borders. The interview also indicates that the
European partners are interested in "preventing the
deterioration of the situation in Kosovo", with the firm stand
that only the quality of the autonomy and the minority rights
can be negotiated with Belgrade, in particular only from the
aspect of coherent implementation of human rights. (Politika,
April 4, 1996)
[03] WALKER SAID THE TRUTH ABOUT MARKALE
Two years after the Markale bazaar massacre, Bernard Walker - a
journalist of "Tele France 1" who reported that "Moslem army
opened fire against its own people to induce an intervention of
the West" won the law-suit in Paris. The Court decided that the
"Yellow TV Card" Association, which accused Walker of
broadcasting unverified news, "unjustly questioned his
reputation and professional competence, causing him moral
damages". The national television station TF1 broadcast Mr.
Walker's report about 48 hours before the expiration of the NATO
ultimatum to the Bosnian Serbs. Quoting a UNPROFOR report, Mr.
Walker reported that Moslems "opened fire against their own
people" and added that the same report has been submitted to UN
Secretary General Ghali who failed to make it public for "higher
political interests". All this is corroborated by various
chapters of the recently published book authored by late French
President Francois Miterrand. At the time, the French press
expressed major doubts and suspicion about Walker's report, the
campaign being headed by "Le Mond". Two days ago - with an
enormous delay - the same newspaper ("Le Mond") published
Bernard Walker's reaction to the accusations, although all other
media reported about the court verdict back in December. In his
letter to the editor (published 4 months after the conclusion of
the law- suit), Walker denies all that "Le Mond" published at
the time - namely that his source was the Yugoslav news agency
TANJUG - and stresses that he gathered the information himself.
The question who fired the grenade on the Markale market place
has not the same weight as it did two years ago, when it was the
cause of air strikes and bombing against the Bosnian Serbs, but
it constitutes a lasting example and testimony of the decay of
ethics and professionalism in numerous western media. (Politika,
April 4, 1996)
[04] GERMAN PESSIMISM FOR THE PEACE PROCESS IN BOSNIA
German pessimism concerning the implementation of the peace
process in Bosnia, i.e. of the civil part of the Dayton
Agreement, is becoming increasingly evident. "Will Bosnia become
another Cyprus?" asks the "Die Welt" commentator in an article
published yesterday. He backs his remarks with the conclusions
drawn by the experts of the Science and Politics Foundation in
Eberhausen. The study on Bosnia, prepared by the Foundation
experts, indicates that the principal obstacle for the
implementation of the civil reconstruction program - is the
objection of the Moslems and Croats to the federation imposed
upon them by others. Lately, the merit for creation of the
Bosnian Federation is ascribed to the Americans only, whilst the
role played by Bonn is being minimized. (Borba, April 4, 1996)
[05] EVEN PURE CROATS HAVE BEEN CLEANSED
The Polish newspaper "Gazetta Wyborcha" published the article
"The Culture of Lies" authored by the Croatian writer Ms.
Dubravka Ugresic - which stresses that nationalism has
infiltrated all pores of social life in Croatia, all state
institutions, the Police, the media, and especially the Ministry
of Culture which radically "cleanses" all that is not "purely
Croatian". In accordance with this policy, the educational
programs have been modified, and the mother tongue (Croatian)
can now be taught only by "pure Croats". All books printed in
Cyrillic have been eliminated from public libraries, as well as
those "imbued with pro-Yugoslav spirit" - the article says. The
same author reveals the ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Zagreb
and other Croatian cities, and quotes examples of harassment of
Serbs, of their children in the schools, forcible evictions from
apartments and demolition (with explosives) of their homes. Ms.
Ugresic also indicates that sometimes Serbs in Croatia simply
"disappear in the night". "Disloyal" Croats are also harassed -
those that disagree with the nationalist policy of the Zagreb
regime - affirms Ms. Ugresic who had to emigrate from the
country for the same reason. (Borba, April 4, 1996)
[06] NEW ATTACKS ON THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
A group of "experts" took part in a panel show broadcast Tuesday
evening by the Croatian state television and was asked whether
the war in Bosnia was a religious one. They all agreed that the
war had no religious connotations, except for those imposed by
the Serbian Orthodox Church which acted as the amalgamating
element in the Greater Serbia ideology. This stand was
particularly stressed by the Dean of the Theology College in
Zagreb - Dr. Adalberto Redic, who spoke about the
"aggressiveness of the Serbian Orthodox Church". He therefore
endorsed the creation of the Croatian Orthodox Church, redrawing
the concept of the Ustashi leader Ante Pavelic. The debate did
not include a single representative of the Serbian Orthodox
Church, and the host made great efforts to accuse the Serbs of
being the sole culprits for the war. He even affirmed that the
"Serbian aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina led to the
Moslem-Croatian conflict." (Vecernje Novosti, April 4, 1996)
[07] CROATIA IS OBSTINATELY PREVENTING THE RETURN OF SERBIAN REFUGEES
expatriates, and the recent modifications of the obligation
legislature eliminated any liability for the destruction of the
property of the Serbs, which is a direct infringement of the
international obligation laws. Thus, the Croatian administration
decided to "bend" the laws and evade the responsibility for the
devastation of the property of the Krajina Serbs, in spite of
international regulations and the Dayton Agreement which
specifies that all refugees are entitled to an indemnity for
their property that has been destroyed.
According to the date collected by the UNHCR Belgrade Office,
some 600 persons stated that they want to return to the Republic
of the Serbian Krajina, and only 200 actually returned there
since January 31, 1995 - with the help of the UNHCR. The
Helsinki Committee in Serbia has registered about 30.000 such
applications, whilst other similar organizations revealed that
they have date on 50.000 people that want to go back to Croatia.
Since 1991, when Croatia initiated its armed secession from
ex-Yugoslavia, more than 500.000 Serbs were forced to leave this
former Yugoslav republic.
In the past several months, the international community has
repeatedly reproached Croatia for breaching human rights and
continuing the destruction of the Serbs that fled from Krajina.
In fact, at the end of last year, this international pressure
forced Croatia to abolish the deadline for applications
concerning property abandoned by the Serbian refugees. On the
other hand the authorities accelerated the procedure for issuing
permits to displaced Croats to seize empty houses and apartments
owned by Serbs. According to Croatian laws, these new "owners"
have the right to legally become possessors if the original
owner does not submit an application for the restitution of
property within a period of three years.
As the time of the return of refugees to Bosnia draws closer,
the exiled persons from Croatia are becoming increasingly
interested in the possibility of getting their homes back.
According to refugees from Pakrac, that recently visited their
homesteads of their own initiative, the rights granted by the
Croatian Constitution to the Serbs, are practically
inapplicable. For example, in the Pakrac County, ever since the
"Operation Flash" carried out by the Croatian Army in May '95,
not a single Serb has been given employment. It is a fact that
even Croats have difficulties finding work, but every time there
is a job opening, a less experienced Croat is taken on rather
than an experienced and expert Serb.
The reconstruction projects have been initiated in this region,
but not a single Serb has been granted a loan for the
reconstruction of his home. According to the refugees, the
Croatian Police in Pakrac told them that one Serb returned, but
they did not tell them that 59 Serbs left the town in the past
several weeks. The remaining Serbian families are looking for a
buyer to sell their farms and move out.
The Croatian Law on Temporary Seizure and Use of the property of
persons that left Croatia, has been formulated in such a way
that property can be permanently or temporarily seized at any
time, and appeals to higher courts are useless. Using a tested
recipe, Croatia pulls out its "democratic" papers every time it
faces foreign pressure, but in practice it is coherently
implementing a policy designed to create an ethnically pure
state. Furthermore, the Croatian Parliament did not yet discuss
let alone enact two basic laws - one on abolition and another on
amnesty - representing the precondition for the return of all
refugees, even though this is one of the commitments it assumed
with the Dayton Agreement. (TANJUG, April 4, 1996) .
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