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Serbia Today 96-05-10
Serbia Today
10 May 1996
In This Edition:
* FRY is strengthening its international relations
* Italian aid for the refugees in Serbia
* Praises for Yugoslavia
* Cooperation with the European Union
* Balkanologists at the Academy of Arts and Sciences
* The indictments will soon be balanced
* Politicization of the Hague Tribunal
* Delalic finally in the Hague
* The Serbs do not want Jasenovac to be transformed
CONTENTS
[01] ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - TOP PRIORITY
[02] FRY IS STRENGTHENING ITS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
[03] ITALIAN AID FOR THE REFUGEES IN SERBIA
[04] PRAISES FOR YUGOSLAVIA
[05] COOPERATION WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION
[06] BALKANOLOGISTS AT THE ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
[07] THE INDICTMENTS WILL SOON BE BALANCED
[08] POLITICIZATION OF THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL
[09] DELALIC FINALLY IN THE HAGUE
[10] THE SERBS DO NOT WANT JASENOVAC TO BE TRANSFORMED
[01] ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - TOP PRIORITY
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic visited the steel concern "Sartid
1913 . After touring the plants and talking with the managers of the Smederevo
steel-mill he stated: "Today, the primary task for our entire society is the
reconstruction of the economy and further development. I believe that the
conditions have been met to complete successfully this objective so that it
may ensure a higher standard and a better quality of life in our country. Mr.
Milosevic acknowledged the achievements made by the workers of "Sartid 1913"
and the company management, because they jointly managed to preserve the
production facilities in the dire period we have now left behind marked by
pressures and sanctions, as well as to maintain a minimum production allowing
them to restart regular production. The very fact that all production lines
in the Smederevo steel-mills are now operational, both in the iron and steel
plants as well as in the rolling mills, constitutes a clear confirmation that
the company policy was a correct one, and that everything has been ensured at
the right moment to face the challenge and harsh competition of the market in
which this concern operates." - said President Milosevic. For the time being,
only a lesser part of the production will be sold domestically - added the
President - but the task for this company and this entire industrial sector is
to increase the quantity of raw iron and steel processed in the country, to
increase production and productivity and to allow that these products be used
on a higher industrial level. During his visit to "Sartid 1913", President
Milosevic talked with a number of prominent business managers and discussed
with them the most pressing issues and problems concerning the revitalization
of the production and growth in the metallurgical sector. (Politika, May 10,
1995)
[02] FRY IS STRENGTHENING ITS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
At its session held yesterday, the Federal Government defined the draft
laws on the confirmation of agreements between the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia and the governments of Russia, Belorussia, Romania, China and
Macedonia, concerning the relations in and enhancement of relations in economy
and trade and science and technology. Once the Federal Parliament reconfirms
these agreements, the legal framework will be created for unobstructed
evolution, expansion and expansion of cooperation between Yugoslavia and these
countries. The Government also approved the report on the status and rights of
ethnic minorities. It has been remarked that the rights of the ethnic
minorities in FR Yugoslavia are harmonized with international documents and
that in some areas they exceed global standards and regulations. The Federal
Government also adopted the platform to be used by the Yugoslav delegation at
the meeting of the working group for humanitarian issues of the Peace
Implementation Council and for the talks with the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees, the General Director of the World Health Organization, the General
Director of the International Migration Organization, and the International
Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. (Borba, May 10, 1995)
[03] ITALIAN AID FOR THE REFUGEES IN SERBIA
The Italian Government allocated 3 billion lire for aid to refugees in
Serbia, stated Mr. Gianfranco Varnesi - Deputy General Director of the
Cooperation for Development - during his meeting with the Serbian Commissioner
for Refugees - Ms. Bratislava Morina. In order to allow a quick deployment of
the funds, the Serbian Commissariat for Refugees will prepare a list of needs.
Ms. Morina thanked the Italian Government for the aid to refugees in Serbia.
The Italian officials she has met with were impressed by the fact that out of
700000 refugees currently in Serbia, 130.000 are non-Serbs, a fact that is
generally ignored in Italy. (Politika, May 10, 1995)
[04] PRAISES FOR YUGOSLAVIA
Polish President Aleksandar Kvashnevsky received in Warsaw Mr. Radoman
Bozovic - Speaker of the Chamber of Citizens of the Yugoslav Federal
Parliament, heading the Yugoslav parliamentary delegation on an official visit
to Poland. Mr. Kvashnevsky praised the role plaid by Yugoslavia in the peace
process in Bosnia and expressed full support to FR Yugoslavia in the
implementation of the Dayton peace agreement. The Polish President said that
his country acknowledges the necessity of a quicker reintegration of FRY into
the international organizations and institutions adding that Belgrade can
count on Warsaw's full support in this sense. During the talks with the Polish
President and other high state officials, Mr. Bozovic stressed the
determination of Yugoslavia to renew and develop a complete and comprehensive
cooperation with Poland, since this represents one of the priorities of
Yugoslav foreign policy. (Borba, May 10, 1995)
[05] COOPERATION WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION
An international meeting dedicated to the economic cooperation with the
European Union starts today in Belgrade. Some sixty renown experts form
Yugoslavia and abroad will present their views about the European
architecture, regionalism and multilateralism, economic cooperation between
Serbia and Montenegro and the EU, on Yugoslav exports attractive for the EU
market, on the general economic environment in Yugoslavia Serbia. The venue
has been organized as part of the Europe's Day celebrations and is the first
of a series of international meetings "Yugoslavia After the Sanctions"
organized by the European Movement of Serbia, and the Belgrade Economic
Institute, with the support of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.
The meeting will be opened by Mr. Max Ambul - Vice President of the
International European Movement and by Mr. Radoslav Bulajic - Deputy Federal
Foreign Minister. (Tanjug, May 10, 1995)
[06] BALKANOLOGISTS AT THE ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
A conference involving the directors of the Balkanological institutes
and experts in history and culture of the Balkan nations has been inaugurated
yesterday at the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences (SANU). The venue is
hosted by the SANU Balkanology Institute and the most prominent Yugoslav
balkanologists. The leading experts in this field already met to discus their
priorities and projects in 1982 in Belgrade and then years later in Salonika.
Academician Antoni Emil Tahiaos, President of the Institute for Balkan Studies
in Salonika, Chairman of the Greek Association of Slavists and Director of the
"St. Cyrill and St. Method" Cultural Center in Salonika, stressed that this is
a good occasion to "talk about the fundamental elements that link us as men
and brothers having a common spiritual and cultural tradition." According to
Academician Dragoslav Antonijevic, the interdisciplinary character of
balkanology stresses this link in the community of Balkan nations and ethnos,
which has a common foundation regardless of all the present-day differences.
(Politika, May 10, 1995)
[07] THE INDICTMENTS WILL SOON BE BALANCED
Mr. Graham Bluitt - Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, stated that the imbalance of indictments for
war crimes raised by the Hague tribunal will soon be corrected. The fact is
that there are more indictments against the Serbs, but I am confident that
this ratio will change with time." said Mr. Bluitt before departing from
Belgrade yesterday. He said he is very pleased with the results of his visit
to Belgrade where he made arrangements with his hosts to open a bureau of the
Hague Tribunal in the Yugoslav capital as soon as next week. "It will play a
very important role in establishing contacts with the victims and the
witnesses of crimes committed against the Serbs." - Mr. Bluitt said. (Ekspres,
May 10, 1995)
[08] POLITICIZATION OF THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL
The trial against Dusan Tadic is being closely followed by the French
press, and the editorials of the leading dailies agree about the danger of a
politicization of the Hague Tribunal. Criticizing the politicization of the
Tribunal, the "Le Liberation" columnist remarks that wherever partial politics
appears, justice ends. The same author also warns that the "fragile balance in
Bosnia" should not be broken and concludes that the Hague Tribunal is without
future". The attempt to turn the trial against Tadic into a "symbol of
international justice" has degenerated into a "mere theatrical play", says "Le
Liberation". Le Figaro remarks that the eight hour lecture of the British
historian (which has not been concluded) was nothing but a show. According to
the Paris daily the presentation going as far as 14th century seemed to be an
"accusation against an entire nation". Commentators warn that the deviation
into injustice threatens to turn the Hague Tribunal into a mere tool of those
forces that want to launch a new campaign designed to defend at any price the
thesis that the Bosnian war was a confrontation of "innocent angels on the one
side and devils on the other." Within this context "Le Figaro" reminds that
Tudjman carried out "an ethnic cleansing for his own purposes", whilst Le
Mond raises the question: how can the truth about the Krayina tragedy be set
aside, when Serbs "that settled these lands 4 centuries ago" were chased out
overnight from their homes with fire and sword? (Borba, May 10, 1995)
[09] DELALIC FINALLY IN THE HAGUE
The Bosnian Moslem Zejnil Delalic, charged of war crimes against Serbs
in Bosnia, has been transferred from Germany to Holland. The Hague Tribunal
investigation established that Delalic coordinated the activities of both
Moslem and Croatian forces in the zone of Konjic, where the Celebici prison
camp for Serbs had been set up. Delalic is accused of being directly
responsible for the death of at least 14 prisoners as well as for torture,
rape and sadistic treatment. Zdravko Mucic - a Croat accused of similar crimes
has been already transferred to the Hague, and it is expected that Sarajevo
will extradite two other suspects: Hazim Delic and Esad Landzo. These four
were, in fact, in charge of the Celebici prison camp. According to Tribunal
sources, their trial as well as the procedure against the Croatian General
Tihomir Blaskic (enjoying "special conditions" in the Hague Tribunal jail)
will be initiated before the end of the year. (Vecernje novosti, May 10, 1995)
[10] THE SERBS DO NOT WANT JASENOVAC TO BE TRANSFORMED
On the occasion of May 9 - V-Day, a delegation of Serbian organizations
from Zagreb, headed by Dr. Milorad Pupovac, visited yesterday the Memorial
Park Jasenovac and laid wreaths and flowers on the graves of 700.000 victims -
most of them Serbs - killed in this concentration camp. The Serbs do not want
the Jasenovac Memorial to be transformed nor its purpose changed. These
grounds should not be touched and its original function should remain - this
is a memorial to the victims of Nazi and Ustashi terror. - said Mr. Pupovac
adding that the Serbs were massacred in Jasenovac due to a criminal and racist
policy which refused to accept ethnic variety in a country. (Tanjug, May 10,
1995)
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