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Serbia Today, 97-02-21
Serbia Today
CONTENTS
[01] CROATIAN REACTIONS TO GRANIC'S VISIT TO BELGRADE
[02] CROATS THREATENED IN SARAJEVO, MOSLEMS IN ZEPCE
[03] 12-YEAR-OLD PRISONER
[04] ONLY 27.000 SERBS REMAIN IN SARAJEVO
[05] EVIDENT HYPOCRISY
[06] GREAT STRIDES TOWARDS ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DEMOCRACY
[07] NEW SADAKO OGATA MISSION
[01] CROATIAN REACTIONS TO GRANIC'S VISIT TO BELGRADE
Croatian newspapers offered ample reports on the Belgrade visit of Foreign
Minister Mate Granic and his encounters with Serbian President Milosevic
and Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic. The articles underscore
the evaluation agreed upon by both sides - that progress has been made
concerning a number of issues on future relations between the two
countries. All dailies, radio and TV stations quoted Mr. Milutinovic's
statement that the Belgrade talks have enhanced the overall Yugoslav-
Croatian relations - representing the backbone of Balkan relations. Mr.
Granic's remark that the Belgrade meeting will result in the signing of a
significant number of bilateral agreements, has also been quoted by the
Croatian press.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-21 ; Politika, 1997-02-21
[02] CROATS THREATENED IN SARAJEVO, MOSLEMS IN ZEPCE
Croats in Sarajevo are now frequently molested by anonymous telephone calls
threatening revenge for Mostar - reports the Sarajevan daily "Oslobodjenje",
quoting the Catholic news agency in Sarajevo. According to "Oslobodjenje"
the same news agency reported that on Tuesday the St. Anthony Church in the
Sarajevan quarter of Bistrik was stoned, with the remark that this was not
the first attack on this convent. Convent guardian - Perica Vidic said that
such attacks happen quite frequently and that they are not only due to the
war, but also to the current conflicts within the Moslem-Croatian
Federation.
Croatian authorities in the Bosnian town of Zepce passed a unilateral
decision to change the names of all the streets, dubbing them after famous
Croatian personalities - Moslem Radio Sarajevo reported yesterday. "This is
the best proof that the Croatian authorities in Zepce discard any
possibility of Moslems returning to their homes and apartments in this
town" observed the Radio Sarajevo commentator. In 1993, Croatian Defense
Council troops exiled practically all Moslems from Zepce, though they
represented half of the town population before the war.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-21 ; Politika, 1997-02-21
[03] 12-YEAR-OLD PRISONER
Yesterday, the Banjaluka Court continued the hearings in the trial against
Alija Izetbegovic - accused of war crimes against civilians, war prisoners,
wounded and sick persons. The presentation of evidence started on January
21, and 41 witnesses have been heard. One of the most shocking testimonies
was given by Dusko Sakan, arrested as a 12 year old boy by Moslem
fundamentalists from the village of Vecic (Kotor Varos County), and kept in
prison for 6 months. Strahinja Zivak - a retired person from Konjic, was
arrested even though he was a bedridden patient. He was first taken to the
Kosevo Hospital in Sarajevo and then transferred to a solitary cell in the
notorious jail set up in the former Yugoslav Peoples Army barracks "Viktor
Bubanj" . He was then kept in a 6 sq. meter cell together with four other
Serbs - and without any personal hygiene facilities. Members of the Moslem
para-military formations were quite "inventive" in torturing the Serbs,
said Mr. Zivak and confirmed that Alija Izetbegovic was fully aware of
these monstrosities and authorized them because he visited on several
occasions the prisons and camps in Sarajevo, Tarcin and Konjic.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-21 ; Ekspres, 1997-02-21
[04] ONLY 27.000 SERBS REMAIN IN SARAJEVO
Currently only 27.000 Serbs live in Sarajevo - said Mr. Beris Belkic -
Cantonal Minister of Occupation, Displaced Persons and Refugees. Previous
data - based on the 1991 census, indicate that then there were 157.526
Serbs in Sarajevo. Simple arithmetic reveals the shocking fact that 130.000
Serbs left Sarajevo during the war. The Croats were a bit more lucky then
the Serbs. In 1991 they were 34.867, and now they are about 20.000
according to figures provided by Mr. Belkic. Bearing in mind that the same
official revealed that there are about 310.000 Moslems in the Bosnian
capital, then the idea of a multi-ethnic Sarajevo - advocated by Moslem
political leaders really seems both tragic and comic. The pre-war
demographic structure has radically changed during the war and even serious
analyses forecast that Sarajevo will progressively become a mono-ethnic
city. Experts have already warned that the exodus from Sarajevo will
continue in peace time, once new laws on tenancy are passed which will
allow to purchase, sell or swap apartments. This will practically prevent
people from returning to their homes and initiate the second phase of the
exodus to "national territories".
Serbia Today, 1997-02-21 ; Vecernje Novosti, 1997-02-21
[05] EVIDENT HYPOCRISY
As far as Brcko is concerned, some of international military and civilian
officials, have revealed their true colors, unveiling that their real
intention is to wipe out the Republic of Srpska and create a Moslem state
in this part of Europe - said major-general Pero Colic, - Chief of Staff of
the Republic of Srpska Army (VRS), stressing that he is speaking as an
ordinary person and veteran, and not as a VRS top official, that is ready
to carry out every order given by state leadership. "The fact that the fate
of this town has been turned into an arbitration issue is a disgrace for
the international community. We have won Brcko in battle and all peace
documents indicate that it is to belong to the Republic of Srpska only",
remarked gen. Colic and asked: "What freedom of movement are international
representatives talking about? Why are Moslems settling ruins? Certainly
not to live there, but rather to cut Republic of Srpska in half and destroy
it with foreign support." General Colic invited international
representatives to take into consideration the freedom of movement of the
Serbs in Drvar, Petrovac, Kljuc and Sanski Most, where they were once the
majority. According to the Republic of Srpska Chief of Staff, this clearly
indicate the presence of double standards and the hypocrisy part of the
international community is displaying regarding the Serbs in the case of
Brcko. "We have fulfilled most of our Dayton Agreement obligations before
the others, nut the Republic of Srpska still has not been given 49% of
Bosnian territory it is entitled to. The Brcko corridor must not be
questioned" - general Colic stressed.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-21 ; Vecernje Novosti, 1997-02-21
[06] GREAT STRIDES TOWARDS ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DEMOCRACY
At the press conference for reporters accredited at the UN Building, the
Minister of Information of the Republic of Serbia - Dr. Radmila
Milentijevic, stressed that the political crisis, generated by the November
elections, has been terminated and that Serbia will make great strides
towards the realization of two basic objectives: development of political
and economic democracy. The privatization process initiated before the war
that destroyed former Yugoslavia, and which was subsequently truncated by
the sanctions, is now being successfully revitalized - said Minister
Milentijevic. As far as democracy is concerned, freedoms are warranted by
the Constitution and they are embodied in various forms: a multi-party
system exists, several democratic elections have been held on various
levels, and there is major freedom of the press. In Serbia there are
numerous opposition dailies, weeklies, monthlies and periodicals - Ms.
Milentijevic stressed, adding that accusations about lack of freedom of the
press are completely unfounded. "We hope that our imminent efforts to be
promptly re-admitted to the United Nations will be fruitful - since our
country was one of the UN founding members, and because all that Serbia is
doing today is aimed at its integration into the western world, into the
European and global community", remarked the Serbian Minister of
Information. She rejected, however, the possibility of certain obsolete
state unions being newly formed, and underscored that the trend is -
probably - to "create an economic community in the Balkans, so that
integrated Balkan states might join Western Europe and consequently the
world as well."
Serbia Today, 1997-02-21 ; Tanjug, 1997-02-21
[07] NEW SADAKO OGATA MISSION
UN High Commissioner for Refugees - Ms. Sadako Ogata will soon initiate a
new mission in former Yugoslavia, most probably in mid-April. It is
expected that she will visit Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and FR
Yugoslavia to personally verify the realization of UNHCR humanitarian
projects and to see whether the necessary conditions for the repatriation
of refugees have been created. According to the revised UNHCR plan, half a
million refugees should return this year to Bosnia alone, mostly from
western Europe, FR Yugoslavia and Croatia. UNHCR has not yet made a precise
plan for the return of Serbian refugees to Krayina this year, but it is
quite certain that during the tour Ms. Ogata will insist with the Croatian
authorities that the barriers for their return be finally lifted.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-21 ; Borba, 1997-02-21
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