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Serbia Today 96-07-29
Serbia Today
29 July 1996
CONTENTS
[01] THE PEACE PROCESS CAN NOT BE CONCLUDED WITHOUT THE COMPLETE REMOVAL OF SANCTIONS AGAINST FR YUGOSLAVIA
[02] NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN FRY AND THE LONDON CLUB
[03] YUGOSLAV PRODUCTS FOR THE WORLD MARKET
[04] MACEDONIAN TRADE DELEGATION VISITING FRY
[05] ZAGREB IS THREATENING EUROPE
[06] THE WEST WILL NOT TOLERATE THE CROATIAN BLOCKADE
[07] VIOLENCE IS SPREADING IN THE MOSLEM-CROATIAN FEDERATION
[08] MOSLEMS ARE EVICTING SERBS FROM FORMER YPA APARTMENTS
[09] PROTESTS IN FAVOR OF A JUST PEACE
[01] THE PEACE PROCESS CAN NOT BE CONCLUDED WITHOUT THE COMPLETE REMOVAL OF SANCTIONS AGAINST FR YUGOSLAVIA
Speaking at the at the Military Academy of the Yugoslav Army, at
the traditional ceremony for the promotion of the young officers of the
48th and 49th class, Mr. Zoran Lilic - President of FR Yugoslavia and
Head of the Supreme Defense Council, stated amongst other things, that
"our choice is peace and we have done all we could to make it possible.
The correctness of this choice is confirmed by the fact that FR
Yugoslavia is practically the only multiethnic and multi-confessional
state in former Yugoslavia." Our country, which is a civil state,
includes 24 nations and national minorities and they all enjoy equal
civil, national, religious, cultural and other human rights and
freedoms, according to the highest European standards, and it must stay
that way - President Lilic stressed. Speaking about the elections in
Bosnia representing a cornerstone of the peace process and about the
role of Yugoslavia in this process, Mr. Lilic underscored: "We shall
pursue this position and we expect that the international community will
fulfill its obligations - and finally remove all the sanctions against
FRY and allow our complete reintegration in the international political
and financial institutions. This fully justifies our stand that the
peace process can not be completed without the complete abolition of the
sanctions and the re-establishment of the international legitimacy of
FRY", remarked Yugoslav President Zoran Lilic.
(Borba, July 28, 1996)
[02] NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN FRY AND THE LONDON CLUB
In the talks with the London Club of commercial banks, Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia insists that the re-programming of old debts, the
freeing of the blocked funds and the opening of new lines for financial
arrangements, be made part of a comprehensive strategy for the economic
renewal and industrial development - said Federal Minister Vuk
Ognjanovic, head of the Yugoslav delegation in London. He stressed that
such a choice, has been welcomed by the representatives of the 16 major
banks. The Yugoslav proposal that the existing debts be transformed into
shares of Yugoslav companies and thus be used for the economic
revitalization of the country has been judged to be a very interesting
one. The London club made public for the first time the list of
principles and issues that should be encompassed by the future
agreement; the Yugoslav delegation interprets this as an important step
forward and an anticipation of the prospective agreement. "The talks are
progressing with foreseeable difficulties", said Mr. Ognjanovic, "but
they can be generally judged as positive."
(Vecernje Novosti, July 27, 1996)
[03] YUGOSLAV PRODUCTS FOR THE WORLD MARKET
Prof. Dr. Mihailo Milosevic - Chairman of the Yugoslav Chamber of
Trade and Industry stated that, due to the objectively low production
rate and prolonged duration of the sanctions, the struggle for a place
on the world markets will be complex and linked to the effective
industrial activities. However, the realization of export plans,
amounting to about a billion dollars by the end of the year, is possible
because they have real grounds - linked to contracts with foreign
partners. Mr. Milosevic stressed that at the present moment the most
important thing is that the return of the Yugoslav industry on the
global markets be supported.
(Politika, July 29, 1996)
[04] MACEDONIAN TRADE DELEGATION VISITING FRY
The Macedonian trade delegation - headed by Chamber of Commerce
Chairman - Mr. Dusan Petreski, visiting our country upon an invitation
extended by the Serbian Chamber of Trade and Industry, has been received
by Federal Premier Dr. Radoje Kontic. The talks concerning the
prospective renewal expansion and enhancement of the Yugoslav-Macedonian
cooperation involved a dozen general managers of Macedonian trade and
industrial companies. Stressing the importance of the recent Agreement
on the normalization of relations between FRY, Prime Minister Kontic,
underscored that Yugoslavia has every intention of establishing a free
flow of goods, persons and capital with Macedonia. The cooperation
between the Yugoslav and Macedonian businessmen will greatly help the
integration process in the Balkans, remarked the Federal Premier. Mr.
Dusan Petreski stressed that the businessmen are opposed to state
barriers obstructing the development of trade relations.
(Borba, July 27-28, 1996)
[05] ZAGREB IS THREATENING EUROPE
France officially revealed that it will hold Croatia and its
president Franjo Tudjman responsible for the continuation of the
blockade of the unification of Mostar sanctioned by the recent municipal
elections. The Croatian boycott must be ended by August 3rd, said the
representative of the French Foreign Ministry. Otherwise, the European
Union will withdraw from Mostar and punitive actions will be used
against Croatia. Paris warned that Mr. Tudjman's regime "threatens to
destroy the EU peace efforts in Bosnia". Not only France, but the entire
EU finally realizes that the policy of the Bosnian Croats and the
attitude pursued by official Zagreb are jeopardizing the Dayton
Agreement.
(Borba, July 27-28, 1996)
[06] THE WEST WILL NOT TOLERATE THE CROATIAN BLOCKADE
Mr. Michael Steiner, Deputy of Mr. Karl Bildt - High Representative
of the international community for Bosnia Karl Bildt, said that a
political "Mafia" lies behind the Croatian boycott of the results of the
elections in Mostar designed to re-unite this ancient town in
Herzegovina. However, the west will not tolerate this blockade, said Mr.
Steiner, adding that should it be necessary, the UN Police - backed by
IFOR troops, will enter the Croatian (western) part of Mostar, to
endorse the new Mostar Municipal Council where the Moslems have the
majority. Some of the ultra-right-wing gangsters that seized the control
of the western part of Mostar during the war, will probably end up "UN
lists of war criminals", said Mr. Steiner. He added that Croatian
President Tudjman - mentor of the Bosnian Croats - has the obligation
to induce his co-nationals in Mostar to accept the election results or
face the possible international sanctions.
(Politika, July 29, 1996)
[07] VIOLENCE IS SPREADING IN THE MOSLEM-CROATIAN FEDERATION
Moslem Radio Sarajevo reported that on Saturday Croatian extremists
opened fire and damaged the mosque in the village of Guber near the town
of Livno. The remaining 3,000 moslems in Livno are now living in fear,
stresses the same source, affirming that in this town under Croatian
control, terrorist attacks against Moslems and their property have
become frequent. This is in fact the fourth temple attacked in the
Moslem-Croatian Federation in the past four days. On Wednesday the
Moslems blew up the Catholic church in the village of Humac near
Bugojno, and the day after the Croats retaliated setting fire to the
mosque in Prozor; then the Moslems blew up the Catholic church in
Bugojno. Both Croatian and Moslem local radio-stations report that the
wave of violence and incidents is spreading throughout the Federation.
(Politika Ekspres, July 28, 1996)
[08] MOSLEMS ARE EVICTING SERBS FROM FORMER YPA APARTMENTS
Agencies report that Moslem-Croatian Federation Police has evicted
dozens of people - mostly Serbs - from their apartments in Sarajevo to
make space for Moslem veterans. UNHCR spokesman - Mr. Chris Yanowski,
specified that these were all apartments that the former owner -
Yugoslav People's Army, sold to the tenants. "The victims are Serbs" he
said and added that most of the apartments in question are located in
the zones of Sarajevo that passed under Federation control according to
the Dayton Agreement. The Government simply annulled the sale and
property rights dating back to former Yugoslavia, said Mr. Yanowsky.
"The problem is growing. It is an important one because it involves
broader issues such as legality and human rights in Bosnia", the UNHCR
official said.
(Borba, July 29, 1996)
[09] PROTESTS IN FAVOR OF A JUST PEACE
More than ten thousand people from all the villages and towns in
Eastern Slavonija, Baranja and Western Srem for a major protest rally
with the slogan "Protest for a Just Peace". The demonstrations organized
by six NGOs, non-political organizations and associations from the
region, have been used to formulate a protest against the way UNTAES
operates, against the solutions introduced by the international
community and the way the Erdut Agreement is being implemented. The
speakers at the rally invited the people of the region not to move and
thus prevent another exodus of the Serbs, and insisted that the return
of the Croats to the Region of Slavonija, Baranja and Western Srem be
linked to the reciprocal return of Serbs to Krajina. A petition by the
people of the Serbian Region has been publicly read; reminding of the
tragedy and genocide faced by the Serbian people in this area from the
times of Nazi Croatia to the latest aggression on Krajina, the document
stresses that the Serbian side fulfilled all the obligations it assumed
with the Erdut Agreement - first of all the demilitarization. On the
other hand, the Croatian authorities continue to use state terrorism
against the Serbian population. At the same time, UNTAES is favoring
Croatian demands while completely ignoring those put forth by the local
Serbs. The petition demands that a special status be granted to the
Region to ensure individual and collective human rights, as well as
political and national rights of the citizens according to the highest
international standards, and that these be warranted by the
international community through special mechanisms.
(Politika, July 29, 1996)
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