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Serbia Today 96-08-09
Serbia Today
9 August 1996
CONTENTS
[01] SUMMIT BETWEEN PRESIDENTS OF SERBIA AND CROATIA AND THE LEADER OF THE
BOSNIAN MUSLIMS - ON AUGUST 14TH IN GENEVA
[02] U.S.
[03] REACTIONS TO THE SUMMIT IN ATHENS
[04] THE WORLD HAS FORGOTTEN REFUGEES IN THE FR OF YUGOSLAVIA
[05] ZAGREB HAS AN OBLIGATION TO CREATE CONDITIONS FOR SAFE RETURN
[06] "AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH"
[07] WITHOUT THE AGREEMENT ON DISSOLUTION OF HERZEG-BOSNIA
[01] SUMMIT BETWEEN PRESIDENTS OF SERBIA AND CROATIA AND THE LEADER OF THE
BOSNIAN MUSLIMS - ON AUGUST 14TH IN GENEVA
The U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher will meet next
Wednesday
in Geneva with the President of Serbia Slobodan Milosevic, the President
of
Croatia Franjo Tudjman and the leader of the Bosnian Muslims Alija
Izetbegovic, officially reports Washington D.C. The spokesman of the
State Department Nicholas Burns specified that during this meeting the
peace
process in Bosnia will be discussed, and especially the forthcoming
elections.
Christopher will before this meeting, on Monday August 12, 1996 meet
with the
high NATO officials in Brussels. For purpose of preparing of the Geneva
meeting, Deputy Secretary of State John Cornblum left for the Balkans
where he
is to visit Belgrade, Zagreb and Sarajevo, said Burns. (TANJUG, August
9, 1996)
[03] REACTIONS TO THE SUMMIT IN ATHENS
Qualifications of Channel One of the Greek state television that
the
Presidents of Serbia and Croatia "have made one of the most important
steps
along the long road of stabilization of peace in former Yugoslavia and
broader
in the Balkans" is reflecting the opinion of the majority of the
analysts. The
Greeks are seeing the efforts of their Government to make this meeting
possible as "a good key for the future peace in the Balkans", while
Prime
Minister Simitis commented in more detail by saying: "We are already
preparing
plans for the meeting of the Balkan peoples next year. We shall have an
opportunity there to promote contacts between all of the countries and
to
place a corner-stone for strengthening of the relations between
different
states of the region". The pleasure because of the successful meeting
was also
expressed by the officials of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs who
are
stating that the beginning of an overall cooperation between the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia and Croatia will have a positive reflection on
the
developments in the entire region.
The United States of America, together with the European Union,
through
diplomatic channels, have helped the agreement between President
Slobodan
Milosevic and Franjo Tudjman for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and
Croatia to establish diplomatic relations, reported yesterday
unofficially but
openly Washington D.C. Because, according to the estimates in
Washington, the
Dayton Agreement was actually elaborated further in Athens. "The New
York
Times" writes that it is yet uncertain what will be the consequences of
the
improvement of the relations between the FR of Yugoslavia and Croatia on
the
situation in Bosnia, and underlines that "many Bosnian Croats would
rather
wish to see their joint future with Tudjman and Croatia", than within
the
Muslim-Croat Federation in Bosnia.
"Meeting Without Precedent" - with these words the Moscow newspaper
"Sevodnja" qualified the talks between Presidents of Serbia and Croatia.
This
characteristic of their meeting was also stated by the Itar-TASS news
agency,
stating that Presidents of Serbia and Croatia on several occasions have
met at
the international gatherings, but that the meeting in Athens after the
disintegration of their joint state, was their first dialogue outside of
the
framework of international conferences. As the most important target and
result of the talks, the Moscow media are emphasizing normalization of
the
relations and signing soon of the document on establishment of full
diplomatic
relations between Yugoslavia and Croatia.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia Mate Granic had positive
views of
the meeting between President Slobodan Milosevic and Franjo Tudjman,
pointing
out that the two sides have come the closest so far to the normalization
of
the relations in all the fields. At the negotiations there was
discussion
about Bosnia also, although, as Granic said, almost the entire meeting
was
devoted to the talks on bilateral issues. "We only agreed for the two
sides to
give their full support to the Dayton Agreements and holding of the
elections
in Bosnia in the scheduled time", said the Croat minister.
In Bonn are still no official reactions to the meeting between the
Presidents of Serbia and of Croatia in Athens, although the German media
are
devoting great importance to this event, qualifying it as "very useful".
The
daily "Neues Deutschland" underlines that the meeting Milosevic-Tudjman
"is
beyond any doubt a good news" , but is linking the talks with the recent
developments in Mostar, in order to point out at the differences in the
attitude of the European Union towards the Croat and the Serbian sides.
In
this commentary Brussels is being accused of bias in favor of Croats, as
opposed to the constant hostility towards Serbs. "Can this be turned
around
and the aid for reconstruction be sent to Belgrade, while critical
comments
are sent to Zagreb?", writes the commentator of the "Neues Deutschland".
(Politika, Borba, August 9, 1996)
[04] THE WORLD HAS FORGOTTEN REFUGEES IN THE FR OF YUGOSLAVIA
Association of Refugees in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has
called
upon all the humanitarian institutions and organizations within the
system of
the United Nations yesterday, to increase their humanitarian aid to the
refugees in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In the communique it is
stated
that the refugees and exiled persons in the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia
even until now had a much more unfavorable treatment than the refugees
in
other countries, and that this status has been dramatically deteriorated
after
complete suspension of distribution of the humanitarian aid over the
last two
months. "We are expressing our surprise and concern over the fact that
the aid
was suspended immediately after the completion of census of refugees,
which
was carried out under the auspices and in the organization of the
leading
humanitarian organizations, underlines this Association. The Association
insists that the UN High Commissariat for Refugees and the corresponding
commissariats for refugees of Serbia and Montenegro should publicly
publish
the program for the solution of the future of refugees on the basis of
data
obtained by the census of refugees.
(Vecernje novosti, August 9, 1996)
[05] ZAGREB HAS AN OBLIGATION TO CREATE CONDITIONS FOR SAFE RETURN
The spokesman of the UN High Commissariat for Refugees (UNHCR) in
Belgrade Marwan Elkuri stated yesterday at the press conference, that
the
UNHCR is appealing on the Croat Government to create safe conditions for
the
return of the exiled Serbs to Croatia and for the right to return to
their
homes of the refugees to be made unconditional. "We are appealing also
on the
international community to insist that Croatia makes possible
repatriation of
refugees and to insist on the right of the Krajina Serbs to their safe
return
to their homes and for the Croat authorities to fully guarantee them
this
right", said Elkuri. He underlined that the fate of Serbian refugees
from
Krajina is one of the greatest concerns of the UNHCR and added: "We are
welcoming the meeting in Athens between the Presidents of Serbia and
Croatia
as a great step forward which, we hope, will bring about a prompt and
safe
return of all the refugees and displaced persons to their homes".
The UNHCR spokesman also stated that the situation of ten thousand
Serbs
who have remained in Krajina is every day deteriorating. They are
exposed to
harassment and intimidation, and 3,500 of them are sick, old and
bed-ridden
and their survival depends only on the international humanitarian aid.
(Politika, August 9, 1996)
[06] "AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH"
Representative of the Croat Democratic Community (HDZ) Sime Dzodan,
stated in his interview for "Nedeljna Dalmacija" that "from the
humanitarian
point of view it is acceptable that everyone who so wishes should return
to
Croatia". While commenting on the return of Serbian refugees to Croatia,
however, Dzodan said that the question is then "who is to offer safety
to
these people if they are to return to their homes, because it must be
known
that we Croats still respect the principle: an eye for an eye, a tooth
for a
tooth". In an article entitled "If We Are To Allow Mass Return of Serbs,
Croatia Will be Flooded With Terrorists", which is showing once again
the
generally prevailing attitude in Croatia towards Serbs, Dzodan says that
it is
not very probable that 200,000 Serbs will return and concludes: "With
them,
then, would also return those who have participated in the rebellious
Chetnick
army, and that would cause in Croatia strong reactions. We can not even
envisage what would happen in that case". (Politika, August 9, 1996)
[07] WITHOUT THE AGREEMENT ON DISSOLUTION OF HERZEG-BOSNIA
At the meeting of the Forum of the Muslim-Croat Federation attended
also
by the American envoy John Cornblum, no agreement was reached on the
dissolution of the Croat "Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia". According to the
statement by the Muslim leaders, the Croat side is not ready to dissolve
Herzeg-Bosnia and has refused to accept a precise date for its
dissolution.
According to the Federation Vice-President Ejup Ganic, responsibility
rests
for this with the authorities in Zagreb, who did not make "a strong
enough
pressure" on the Bosnian Croats. "They have created Herzeg-Bosnia, they
can
also eliminate it now", underlined Ganic. President of the Federation, a
Croat, Kresimir Zubak, stated for the press that the problem is in the
fact
that Muslims wish to retain the central power from the pre-war period.
The
American envoy Cornblum stated his "deep regrets" that after the meeting
it
can not be reported that the political declaration is adopted and
underlined
that this was not possible because of "profound differences which still
exist
within the federation". (TANJUG, August 9, 1996)
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