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Serbia Today 96-06-20
Serbia Today
20 June 1996
CONTENTS
[01] THE END OF THE OIL CRISIS
[02] RENEWAL OF TRADE AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION
[03] IMPROVING THE YUGOSLAV INTERNATIONAL POSITION
[04] INFORMATION IN ALL LANGUAGES
[05] STEINER: "I AM ASHAMED BECAUSE OF THE PERSECUTION OF THE SERBS IN
SARAJEVO"
[06] WE SHALL NOT ACCEPT ANY SOLUTION OUTSIDE THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
[07] EMBARGO LIFTED - ARMS WILL POUR INTO BOSNIA
[08] RESTRICTIVE AMNESTY IN CROATIA
[01] THE END OF THE OIL CRISIS
The Serbian oil industry (NIS) refineries in Pancevo and Novi Sad
will now be processing 9.000 tons of oil daily, which is a threefold
increase compared to the current 3000 tons per day. At the ceremony
inaugurating the production increase in the NIS refineries, the Federal
Deputy Premier Nikola Sainovic said: "We are now inaugurating full
capacity production in our country in the oil industry. This will create
the preconditions to reactivate the entire chemical sector. This is also
the end of the oil crisis which started on September 6, 1991, when the
pipeline used to transport 80% of the Yugoslav crude oil was closed. NIS
continued its traditional cooperation with its Chinese partner
"Cinochem", which will also open the large Chinese market for the
Yugoslav industry. Mr. Sainovic remarked: "Our strategy is to establish
healthy business arrangements with partners all over the world. The
government will promote the normalization of the relations with the
global financial institutions, and business banks and companies should
create a number of similar arrangements." "Our policy", said the Federal
Deputy Prime Minister "is oriented towards the strengthening of the peace
process in the Balkans in order to ensure the complete stabilization of
peace, and allow all nations living in the region to turn back to economy
and development." (Politika, June 20, 1996)
[02] RENEWAL OF TRADE AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION
Mr. Djordje Siradovic - Federal Minister of Trade, currently
visiting Great Britain, had talks yesterday at the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development. The possibilities of renewing the ties
with international institutions have been discussed, as well as several
concrete projects for the revitalization of industry and financial
markets in Serbia and Montenegro. The Yugoslav minister also met with
the experts of the British Ministry of Industry and Trade and with the
representatives of the World Trade Organization. During his stay in Great
Britain Mr. Siradovic took part in the seminar on the Yugoslav economic
potentials, organized by the British Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Ending his German tour the Serbian coordinating Minister - Mr.
Dragan Tomic remarked that the objectives defined in Belgrade have been
achieved and that his visit has been a complete success. Mr. Tomic
stressed the importance of the fact that the German side has been
informed about what has been achieved in our country and about our plans
to merge with the global economic flows. The Serbian official also
stressed that the German side was surprised by the degree of
privatization in the agricultural sector in Serbia and by the large
number of small private firms. (Borba, June 20, 1996)
[03] IMPROVING THE YUGOSLAV INTERNATIONAL POSITION
Yesterday in Belgrade, the session of the Socialist Party of Serbia
Foreign Cooperation Committee has been held. The Committee discussed the
basic strategy for the enhancement of the international position of FR
Yugoslavia. The policy of peace, neighborly relations, equitable
cooperation and modern economic development, endorsed by the Socialist
Party of Serbia (SPS), secured for Yugoslavia the role of an
indispensable and constructive factor in the peace process and stable
development in the Balkans - the participants agreed. A confirmation of
such a policy can be found in the normalization of relations with almost
all European countries, in the improved relations with the European
Union, in the renewed dialogue with the international institutions and
organizations, as well as in the constant expansion of contacts and
cooperation with the most influential countries in the world. All this
has contributed to the rejection of previous biased and unilateral stands
maintained by a part of the international public opinion, and FRY has
been accepted as a partner in the settlement of regional issues and in
the evolution of mutually fruitful bilateral relations. The fundamental
importance of implementing coherently the Dayton/Paris agreement has been
stressed during the meeting, because it represents a basis for lasting
and stable solutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a precondition for a
broader stability and development in the region. At the meeting it has
also been stressed that in the present phase, priority must be given to
the preparations for the free elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In
this sense the coherent SPS position has been reaffirmed - namely that
the equal treatment of both of Republic of Srpska and the Moslem/Croatian
Federation in all the phases of the peace plan implementation was and
remains a key precondition for the success of the peace process.
(Politika, June 20, 1996)
[04] INFORMATION IN ALL LANGUAGES
According to a public opinion survey, the public information in
Serbian and in the languages of all the ethnic minorities and groups in
Vojvodina is satisfactory. This report has been discussed yesterday at
the session of the Vojvodina Parliament Inter-ethnic Committee. The
survey also revealed that the radio and TV programs in ethnic minority
languages have a broad audience, and that the municipalities and
countries are showing a growing interest for the creation of local
broadcasting institutions, along with the 26 existing ones. As far as
the information and the status of the ethnic minorities is concerned,
Yugoslavia has higher standards than some other countries with similar
population ethnic structure, said Mr. Pavel Domonji - the Vojvodina
Secretary for Ethnic Minority Rights. (Borba, June 20, 1996)
[05] STEINER: "I AM ASHAMED BECAUSE OF THE PERSECUTION OF THE SERBS IN
SARAJEVO"
Mr. Michael Steiner - Deputy of the International Community High
Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina stated yesterday that he feels
ashamed because of the persecution and terror faced by the Serbs in the
Sarajevan quarters that have passed under the control of the
Moslem/Croatian Federation. In an interview for the Sarajevo daily
"Oslobodjenje", Mr. Steiner accused the Moslem government of lacking true
political will to stop the terror and the robberies faced by the last
8.000 Serbs that are preparing to leave the city. "Be it organized or
not, what is happening in Sarajevo is nothing but ethnic engineering." -
Mr. Steiner said. "I am ashamed because of Sarajevo", he added and said
that Serbian homes are robed daily, and every night windows are shattered
and things stolen from the homes. In the quarters of Ilijas, Vogosca and
ilidza, explosives are even placed in front to Serbian homes, while the
police merely patrols and files reports on robberies. Terrorized
Sarajevan Serbs are abandoning the city, warned Mr. Steiner. "I am
ashamed personally because I promised the local Serbs - doctors for
example - that they will keep their jobs, and they are now being fired",
clarified Mr. Steiner and added that what is happening is a shame for
Sarajevo. "I wonder why Izetbegovic isn't talking about it and where did
the pride of multiethnic Sarajevans go." - commented the international
community official. He also added that he met with the Moslem leader
Alija Izetbegovic and representatives of the Moslem government in
Sarajevo and that "...they all agreed that this is not right, but the
robberies and harassment have been going on for months." If true
political determination existed, all this would have been stopped -
concluded Mr. Steiner. (Ekspres Politika, June 20, 1996)
[06] WE SHALL NOT ACCEPT ANY SOLUTION OUTSIDE THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
"Any attempt to impose solutions outside the Dayton agreement would
interrupt its implementation. We will carry out the commitments we have
assumed, but additional suggestions and pressures are out of the
question." This is part of the statement made by the Prime Minister of
the Republic of Srpska - Mr. Gojko Klickovic, in a program broadcast by
the Bosnian Serb RTV. "In spite of the fact that some institutions in
Sarajevo are trying to depict a unified Bosnia and Herzegovina, it will
never take shape because according to the constitutional solutions
adopted in Dayton, B&H is a completely decentralized state" - said
Republic of Srpska Foreign Minister - Mr. Aleksa Buha, who appeared in
the same program. "Although some figures find it hard to pronounce the
name of the Republic of Srpska, it made its first independent appearance
on March 23 in Moscow, and achieved a true triumph at the recent
ministerial meeting in Florence." - added Mr. Buha. Commenting the
attitude of the international community, he added that "...it is now
admitting its previous mistakes". "The international community now admits
that Croats and Moslems received arms in spite of the embargo. It also
admitted that the Vasa Miskin St. massacre and the Markale incident were
committed by the Moslems. If true justice existed, someone should be
indicted for all the things that have been kept secret until now", said
Mr. Buha. (Vecernje Novosti, June 20, 1996)
[07] EMBARGO LIFTED - ARMS WILL POUR INTO BOSNIA
British commentators stress that the formal lifting of the UN arms
embargo for former Yugoslavia, generated concern among European countries
whose soldiers are deployed in Bosnia as part of the international
forces. Although NATO and IFOR will control the purchases of arms by the
former warring sides, it is feared that the peace process might be
jeopardized. Arms have been arriving in Bosnia in spite of the embargo,
but now a much broader channel for increasing the military potential has
been opened - in particular for some sides in Bosnia only. The Guardian
stresses that the double role played by the US is particularly
indicative: it is a leading country in the international peace forces but
at the same time it plans to coordinate the arming of the Bosnian Moslem
forces. Great Britain and France are particularly concerned because of
this situation. (Borba, June 20, 1996)
[08] RESTRICTIVE AMNESTY IN CROATIA
The Amnesty Law adopted in Croatia is restrictive to the point that
the good intentions of the Zagreb Government can be justly doubted -
reads one of the conclusions of the analysis by international legal
experts, quoted by the Beta news agency. The report stresses the major
shortcomings of the Croatian law and underscores the fact that it refers
only to the counties of Vukovar-Srem and Osijek-Baranja, namely to
persons "that have a domicile there". It is unclear whether the law
applies to those that used to live there or only those presently residing
in the counties. The analysis made for the international organizations
also indicates that there are no instructions in the law about the
modalities to prove the domicile status. Although Article 1. of the law
grants amnesty to all those that committed criminal acts during the war
of aggression or armed rebellion against the Republic of Croatia, it is
essentially very restrictive because, on the one hand, it does not
specify which crimes are contemplated, and on the other, contains a long
list of crimes that the amnesty explicitly does not apply to. Instead of
listing the crimes that are being pardoned, the Croatian law contains a
long list of criminal actions that are exempted from it - states the
analysis made by international jurists. (Politika, June 20, 1996)
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