Serbia Today, 97-05-06

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From: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>

Serbia Today

CONTENTS

[01] PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC RECEIVES THE UN UNDER-SECRETARY

[02] REGISTRATION BEGINS FOR THE ELIGIBLE VOTERS FOR THE LOCAL ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

[03] AUSTRIA INTERESTED IN SHELTERING REFUGEES IN SERBIA

[04] STRONG REACTIONS TO THE LETTER BY IZETBEGOVIC AND SILAJDZIC TO THE CONTACT GROUP

[05] YUGOSLAV RAILWAYS - A RELIABLE PARTNER

[06] 'THE FIFTEEN' - PARTNER OF THE PRIMARY ORDER

[07] EVEN MORE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR PRIVATIZATION

[08] SPRING PLANTING IN SERBIA TO BE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED

[09] YUGOSLAV-GREEK CONTRACT WORTH HALF A BILLION DOLLARS

[10] STRONG CONDEMNATION BY KINKEL

[01] PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC RECEIVES THE UN UNDER-SECRETARY

Politika, 1997-05-06

President of the Republic Slobodan Milosevic received yesterday the Under- Secretary of the United Nations, Mr. Bernard Miyet, who arrived on a visit to our country with his associates. During the talks, an important progress was underlined in consolidation of the political situation and strengthening of peace and stability in the region, where the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has undoubtedly given a great contribution. It was specially emphasized that the consistent policy of peace, openness, good neighborly relations, equality and confidence building among states and nations, which is conducted by our country, is a lasting basis for mutual relations and cooperation between the countries of this region and their equitable integration in the contemporary trends of linkage in the world.

[02] REGISTRATION BEGINS FOR THE ELIGIBLE VOTERS FOR THE LOCAL ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

Vecernje novosti, 1997-05-06

Director of the O.S.C.E. Bureau in Banja Luka, Mr. Roger Brayant, announced yesterday at the press conference that registration started of the eligible voters who are to take part at the municipal elections in Bosnia- Herzegovina on September 13 and 14, 1997. "The exception is only Brcko in which registration of the eligible voters was suspended because the situation is still not clear about the elections in this municipality. The decision on this is expected over the next ten days", said Brayant and warned that at the forthcoming elections no one can take part who is not previously registered. "All the eligible voters must be registered now, regardless of the fact that they have done so for the last-year's September elections. Because of the regularity of registration of eligible voters, even 117 international controllers will be engaged from 17 O.S.C.E. member- countries, and this for the area of Banja Luka office alone. For the registration of voters in 420 centers in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and in the centers in Yugoslavia and Croatia, as well as in Bonn and Vienna, another 500 controllers will be engaged.

[03] AUSTRIA INTERESTED IN SHELTERING REFUGEES IN SERBIA

Politika, 1997-05-06

The Republican Minister for Labor, Health Care and Social Policies, Mrs. Leposava Milicevic, had talks yesterday in Vienna with several Austrian officials who expressed interest in participating in the projects for sheltering of over 600,000 refugees in Serbia. After the talks with the Deputy Austrian Minister of Labor, Health Care and Social Policies, Mr. Semp Magistris, Secretary General of the Austrian Red Cross and directors of the Central Bank in charge of foreign investments, Minister Milicevic stated that her counterparts were impressed with the information about sheltering of refugees in Serbia. They underlined their interest for participation in the projects of permanent accommodation of refugees, as well as in other fields. The chief of the Department for Foreign Relations of the Chamber of Economy of Austria, Mr. Egon Winkler, during the talks with Minister Milicevic, announced the visit to Belgrade by the end of May of a delegation of the Austrian businessmen. The owner of one of the largest construction companies in Austria "Era-Bau", Mr. Gunter Salaberger, and representatives of the hotel chain "Rogner" expressed their readiness to invest capital in the investment projects in Yugoslavia. Republican Minister offered to her hosts in Vienna the services of the top medical institutions in Serbia in the field of cardio-vascular surgery and in the other fields.

[04] STRONG REACTIONS TO THE LETTER BY IZETBEGOVIC AND SILAJDZIC TO THE CONTACT GROUP

Tanjug, 1997-05-06

The letter which the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina Alija Izetbegovic and the Co-Chairman of the Council of Ministers Haris Silajdzic have sent to the heads of states of the Contact Group countries, has caused very strong reactions. Deputy high representative of the international community for Bosnia-Herzegovina Michael Steiner even said that this letter "is a shameful way of addressing the international community", while Nicholas Burns, the spokesman of the U.S. State Department called the letter "some complaints which are of no avail". Izetbegovic and Silajdzic in their letter stated that until now the peace process had a negative direction which is leading towards a disintegration of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and they accused for this Serbian, and in part, the Croat sides, the international community, and especially the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (O.S.C.E.). They did that by using an inappropriate wording which did hurt very much their representatives. In the letter, it is suggested that the situation in the regions under the control of the Muslim army is ideal, and that the Dayton Accords have a chance only if the international community is to punish the culprits who, of course, they have listed. Both Izetbegovic and Silajdzic in the letter are venturing on behalf of the entire Bosnia-Herzegovina which they are governing, not having in this respect consulted at all the other two constituent peoples. In a series of interviews which on that occasion Mr. Steiner gave, he was not diplomatically picking the words. "To say in the letter that the O.S.C.E. is making unprincipled compromises which are leading to the legalization of the ethnic cleansing, to say that the organization wished to have the elections at any cost and that it is supporting totalitarian and Fascistic projects, is below any civilizational level. It is simply shameful", said Steiner. Izetbegovic's assessment that there is an unbalance between the military powers of the two entities in favor of the Republic of Srpska, Steiner refused to accept and commented by the following sentence: "Breath-taking armament has been arriving to the Federation, while the Serbian armament consists of heaps of junk iron and garbage". At the same time he denied that the work of the joint institutions is being blocked by the Serbian side.

[05] YUGOSLAV RAILWAYS - A RELIABLE PARTNER

Borba, 1997-05-06

European bank for financing of supply of railway rolling stock "Eurofima" will continue in future to take part in financing of the implementation of the programs for modernization of the Yugoslav Railways, especially for the renewal and modernization of the rolling stock. "Eurofima" is supporting the activities which the Yugoslav Railways are now conducting, and the cooperation over the past years, which was never suspended even at the time of sanctions, was very successful. "We have realized all the achieved agreements, and the Yugoslav Railways have confirmed themselves to be a reliable business partner", said Mr. Heinz Weber, director general of "Eurofima", during his talks yesterday in Belgrade with Milomir Minic, president of the Board of Directors of the Yugoslav Railways, Dr. Svetolik Kostadinovic director general of the Community of the Yugoslav Railways and the Republican Minister of Transport Zivorad Maksimovic, director general of the Railway Company "Belgrade" and Krsta Mitrovic director of the Railway Company of Montenegro. It is necessary to underline that at the time of sanctions, Yugoslav Railways have preserved their status in this renown railway institution, and that all of our obligations and dues, in spite of difficulties, were serviced. Yugoslav Railways, thanks to the credits extended so far by the "Eurofima", have obtained a significant material support for their technological revitalization and the overhaul of the rolling stock.

[06] 'THE FIFTEEN' - PARTNER OF THE PRIMARY ORDER

Politika ekspres, 1997-05-06

Secretary of the Foreign Trade Committee of the Chamber of Economy of Serbia, Mr. Milan Njegomir, stated for the press that after the normalization of the relations with the European Union, establishment of the new production links is expected with the foreign companies, most of all the European Union member-countries, which are our most important trading partner. He specified that the establishment of the largest number of the production and cooperation relations is expected in the production and processing of food. "Our legal framework, and most of all the provisions regulating foreign investments and the process of the ownership transformation, are adjusted to the European Union and the World Trade Organization standards", said Njegomir. While commenting on the cooperation with Germany, which is one of the most important trading partners, Njegomir underlined that with the firms from that country there are over a hundred contracts on industrial cooperation, and that the visits of German businessmen are showing that here is will and readiness for the cooperation with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to be further promoted. While speaking of Italy, a member of the European Union into which we were mostly exporting, Njegomir pointed out that after the lifting of sanctions almost 400 mixed companies were formed and a significant number of contracts concluded on industrial cooperation.

[07] EVEN MORE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR PRIVATIZATION

Politika, 1997-05-06

"The public debate about the draft version of the Law on Ownership Transformation in Serbia has shown that there is great interest for this field, and a high degree of tolerance by the participants in the debate was shown, and there was a lot of concrete suggestions on the basis of which it is possible to up-grade the formulation of the law", said Dr. Miroljub Hadzic, Deputy Minister for Economic and Ownership Transformation, while summing up the results of the one-month public debate. In his opinion, the basic legal solutions are good and no major changes are to be expected. "Completion of the draft version of the Law will be done in the field of methodology of appraisal of the value of social capital, the mass of capital which can go on shares with the discount will be increased, the time of dormancy of gratis shares will be shortened, conditions will be more favorable for repayment of the old foreign exchange savings deposits, and also the role will be changed of the shares fund", specified Hadzic. The basic models of the ownership transformation shall still be the sales of capital with the discount and without the discount, re-capitalization, transformation through special government programs and the debt conversion into investment. In the basis of the ownership transformation still remains the internal share holding of the present-day and former employees, because such a solution is the most satisfactory for the specificity of the existence so far of the social property, concludes Hadzic.

[08] SPRING PLANTING IN SERBIA TO BE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED

Politika ekspres, 1997-05-05

The spring planting season in Serbia is to be completed and so far was made on some 1.8 million from the total of the planned 2.4 million hectares. This was stated by the Republican Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Dr. Jovan Babovic, at the yesterday's session of the Council for Agriculture and Rural Areas of the Main Board of the Socialist Party of Serbia. Successful completion of this job was considerably helped by the Government of the Republic of Serbia which in accordance with its material capabilities made possible favorable conditions to be provided for this extensive work, more favorable than the ones in the previous years. According to the Minister of Agriculture, if the weather conditions are to be favorable, the completion of planting is expected over the next five days. Regarding the settling of debts to the farmers for the sales of the last-years yield of sugar beat, sunflower, soya, tobacco and grapes, Minister Babovic said that the Republican Government has in full repaid its debts.

[09] YUGOSLAV-GREEK CONTRACT WORTH HALF A BILLION DOLLARS

Borba, 1997-05-06

In the Ministry of National Economy of Greece and in the presence of the Yugoslav Minister of Finance and the Acting Governor of the National Bank of Yugoslavia (Central Bank) Bozidar Gazivoda, Greeks and Yugoslavs yesterday have concluded a contract in the total value amounting to over half a billion US dollars. Belgrade "Genex" company contracted the sales of lead and zinc from the Trepca mines for 350 million US dollars to the company "Mitilineos", which in turn will obtain from this Athens partner the concentrate of both ores in the value of some 150 million US dollars and the equipment and parts for another 19 million dollars. The contract is covering a five-year operation period, in which another three Yugoslav signatories are involved: the Mining and Metallurgical-Chemical Combine Trepca from Kosovska Mitrovica, Jugobanka - a Belgrade bank, and "Genex" company. "This is more than a purchase and sales contract, this means a revitalization of Trepca today and is perhaps an announcement of a serious partnership tomorrow", said Gazivoda and stated that this is a full confirmation of the care which Greece is devoting to the economic relations with our country. The host in the Ministry of Economy, Under-Secretary Alexandros Baltas stated the following: "An extremely important contract has been signed, important both for Greece and for Yugoslavia, which covers a major investment program. The contract expresses the wish of both sides and governments for the development of economic relations just as are developed the other relations between the two brotherly countries".

[10] STRONG CONDEMNATION BY KINKEL

Tanjug, 1997-05-06

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel condemned strongly yesterday the Bosnian Croats for their burning down two days ago of the Serbian houses in Drvar. In an official communique, Kinkel qualified those attacks as alarming and as "a slap on the face of all those who are trying to bring peace and reconciliation". "The misguided fanatics should not be allowed to place in jeopardy everything that has been achieved so far", reads the Kinkel's communique. He demanded from those responsible in Bosnia and especially from the Croat authorities in Drvar, to conduct a detailed investigation about the burning down of houses and to bring the culprits to justice.

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