Serbia Today, 97-05-15

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

Serbia Today

CONTENTS

[01] CHIEF OF YUGOSLAV DIPLOMACY IN BRUSSELS

[02] DANGEROUS STATEMENTS AND INTENTIONS OF THE MUSLIM LEADERSHIP

[03] REGISTRATION OF VOTERS FOR THE ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA IS SATISFACTORY

[04] BRCKO DETERMINES THE FATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA

[05] PROVIDING FUNDS FOR FINANCING EXPORTS

[06] CROATIA IS NOT RESPECTING THE SIGNED AGREEMENT

[07] CROATS IN SERBIAN HOUSES

[08] AGREEMENTS BETWEEN YUGOSLAVIA AND CROATIA AND MACEDONIA SOON

[01] CHIEF OF YUGOSLAV DIPLOMACY IN BRUSSELS

Tanjug, 1997-05-15

During extensive and friendly talks in Brussels, mutual interests have been confirmed again of the Kingdom of Belgium and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to further promote traditionally good relations characteristic for the growth of economic links, especially instigated by the recent decision of the European Union on introduction of the autonomous trade preferential for our country. This was stated yesterday after the meeting, as their impressions, by the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Eric Dereik and the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Milan Milutinovic. The visit of Minister Milutinovic is the continuation of the past regular political contacts and dialogues. Minister Dereik stated that the relations between the two countries are good and that the visit of the Yugoslav minister has come at the right time for the overall bilateral relations. While underlining that this is his first visit to a member-country of the European Union since the Fifteen have at the end of April this year adopted the autonomous trade preferential for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Milutinovic said that special importance is attached to the meeting between the businessmen who are to find ways to further broaden economic cooperation. "We have informed the Belgian side that this year for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia will be the year of significant structural reforms of our society and economy, in the aim of constructing market economy and democratization of the political life, and that in the achievement of these objectives, we are counting on the cooperation with Belgium, as well as the other member-countries of the European Union, especially on the economic level", said Milutinovic. He also conveyed to his Belgian counterpart that "one of the priorities of our foreign policy is the development of comprehensive relations with the European Union and with all of its members and that such a development is our long-term, strategic orientation".

[02] DANGEROUS STATEMENTS AND INTENTIONS OF THE MUSLIM LEADERSHIP

Politika ekspres, 1997-05-15

Major-General Pero Colic, chief of the Main Headquarters of the Republic of Srpska Army, qualified the military and political situation in the Republic of Srpska as unfavorable. If for no other reason then because of the specific situation in which the Republic of Srpska has found itself, most of all because of its geographic position and environment. Furthermore, the statements and intentions of the Muslim leader Alija Izetbegovic and his military commander Rasim Delic to return Bosnia-Herzegovina within its pre- war frontiers, and transform it into some kind of Islamic jammahiria, are additionally complicating the military situation in the Republic of Srpska. While speaking of the Army of Bosnia-Herzegovina, General Colic says the following: "It is clear to the entire world that this is not the army of Bosnia-Herzegovina, but an exclusively Muslim army, that is being armed and trained by the entire world. It is also clear to the entire world that the relations between Muslims and Croats are such that at this moment no one can unite them together. They are trying to separate, although both the ones and the others are counting that it will be easier if they are to expel Serbs from these areas. They will in future try to provoke us so that the international factors will condemn Serbs". General Colic further stated that there is a constant pressure being made on the Republic of Srpska and that against it there is still a media war going on. Recently, in some of the Muslim media there is a map appearing according to which the western part of the Republic of Srpska should belong to the Federation. "This is one of the forms of a special war against the Republic of Srpska. There were maps before the war, and the intention is now by aid of fear and panic, without a single bullet fired, to empty out the western part of the Republic of Srpska", warns Colic.

[03] REGISTRATION OF VOTERS FOR THE ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA IS SATISFACTORY

Vecernje novosti, 1997-05-15

Registration of refugees who are eligible for voting at the local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina, is taking place in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in a satisfactory way, stated the Federal Commission for rendering assistance to refugees in the realization of their rights at the elections in Bosnia. At the session it was stated that the new rules of the international community for the participation of refugees at the local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina is more restrictive regarding the conditions for registration and acquiring the electoral right in respect to the last year's ones, which will make it impossible for a good part of refugees to vote. It was also stated that, together with the extensive preparations which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has undertaken as the host country in assisting the refugees to exercise their voting rights, also a high degree of cooperation was achieved with the representatives of the O.C.S.E. under the auspices of which preparations for the elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina are taking place.

[04] BRCKO DETERMINES THE FATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA

Politika, 1997-05-15

If a city has ever been in the geo-strategic or geopolitical importance for the state in which it is located, than it is Brcko today. The fate of this city is also the fate of the Republic of Srpska, and even the fate of the entire Serbian people living west of the Drina river. This is the basic conclusion of the book entitled "Brcko - Scissors Above the Umbilical Cord", by the group of authors, published by the Institute for Geopolitical Studies of Belgrade. Editor-in-chief Veljko B. Kadijevic, while presenting this book, said that over each one of its pages the fatal question is imminent - whether this umbilical cord will be cut off, whether the scissors will snap and thus annihilate the entirety of the territory of the Republic of Srpska. The authors of the chapters are writing about both the geo-strategic and the military and defense significance of Brcko, they are speaking of the history full of cases of continuous eradication of the Serbian presence in the Sava river valley (Posavina), all through to our days, and about the nature of the present-day international arbitration about Brcko, which, according to the authors, is a political and not a legal judgment. General Radovan Radinovic, one of the authors, says that even at a glance on the map one may conclude that Brcko, as a territory under the sovereign rule of the Republic of Srpska, is an indispensable precondition for its survival as a state. "In contrast with the enormous and immeasurable geo-strategic significance which Brcko is having for the Republic of Srpska, it is almost of no importance at all for the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, except in the negative sense", says General Radinovic.

[05] PROVIDING FUNDS FOR FINANCING EXPORTS

Politika, 1997-05-15

At the yesterday's meeting of the Coordination Team of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the business banking system, relevant questions were discussed for instigation of production for exports and provision of funds for financing of export oriented programs. Exports are the imperative of our development and successful implementation of the ownership transformation in the economy, and the completion of this should provide a constant growth of economic activities and employment, concluded the meeting. Concrete suggestions were given about the activities necessary for financing of exports and in this connection the measures were stated which the National Bank of Yugoslavia is already applying, as well as the additional activities of the business banks and provision of funds from the foreign sources of finances. Coordination team is pointing out that all enterprises must fully adopt market principles in their business operations, that the competent state bodies must provide a favorable climate for successful functioning of the economy and that it is necessary to establish mechanisms and institutions for promotion of exports which are being applied in the developed countries.

[06] CROATIA IS NOT RESPECTING THE SIGNED AGREEMENT

Politika, 1997-05-15

The latest decision of the President Franjo Tudjman regarding the nomination of two Serbian deputies to the Chamber of Counties of the Croat Parliament (Sabor) has very much upset the Serbian community in Croatia, especially its part living in the eastern areas which is on the path of a peaceful reintegration into the constitutional and legal system of Croatia. Violating the achieved agreement on the peaceful reintegration of Baranja, Eastern Slavonia and Western Srem, Tudjman, by nominating Serbian representatives, "has forgotten" that it was agreed for both of the deputies to be from the region of the UNTAES. One of them, from Vukovar, Dr. Vojislav Stanimirovic, because of such a decision, did not attend yesterday the constitutive session of the Chamber of Counties (Zupanijski dom) and did not give his pledge, saying on this occasion that this is a disrespect for the Letter of Intent of the Croat Government and for the presidential statement of the Security Council. Deputy chief of the offices of the Croat President Vesna Skara Ozbolt is claiming that "Stanimirovic is not right", because in the Letter of Intent there is no mention that both representatives of the Serbian ethnic community must be from the Croat Danube river valley". It turns out thus that the agreement on the peaceful reintegration was not made with Serbs from the UNTAES region, but with the entire Serbian community in Croatia, which is otherwise not organized and has no organization which would be able to represent it in this sense. The official spokesman of the UNTAES Philip Arnold did not have any dilemma in this respect and said the following: "Presidential statement of the UN Security Council clearly underlines that in the Sabor (Croat Parliament) there will be two representatives of Serbs from the Danube river valley, which sounds logical because it is not a question of one area, but of the two separate counties". Although the document of the Security Council is clear, yesterday's "Vjesnik" newspaper is still dealing with the dilemma about the term 'local Serbs' and to whom the term refers: whether only to the Danube river valley or to the entire Serbian community in Croatia. In this way, in fact, the entire UNTAES and the Security Council are being presented as confused persons not knowing what they are doing. From this also derives that all the other obligations arising from the agreement on integration the Croat side can interpret as it well pleases.

[07] CROATS IN SERBIAN HOUSES

Politika ekspres, 1997-05-15

The readers of "The New York Times" yesterday had the opportunity of reading on the front page that the Croat government is in a planned manner settling Croats into the houses snatched from Serbs. The newspaper is writing that the program is now being carried out, worth several million US dollars, which is especially aimed at "convincing" some 100,000 of the Bosnian Croats who took refuge in Germany, to take over the expropriated houses and Serbian lands in Krajina. Government in Zagreb has actually, in a decisive procedure expropriated tens of thousands of houses which were belonging to the Serbian families and is now offering them to the Croats from Bosnia and Serbia. This campaign seems to be definitely extinguishing any hopes that some 350,000 Serbs might be having of returning to their homes, in accordance with the Dayton peace accords, writes the reporter who had visited Kistanje, the town in which before the war only nine Croats were living and 1,980 Serbs. Except for a few old men, all Serbs have escaped in the year 1995 and the "victorious Croats" have plundered their houses and set them on fire, writes the American newspaper. Recalling the official reports, the New York Times is publishing that from 2,000 Serbs who have returned over the past months from the exile, in accordance with the special UN decision, some 90 percent of them could not even get close to their homes. The estimates of the western diplomates are also being quoted that because of such policies of the official Zagreb the question is rightfully raised about the admission of Croatia into the European Union. The American ambassador in Zagreb, Peter Galbright, became very critical towards the Croat program of settling of population. In spite of all the criticism, Croat government has already sent some 20,000 Croats from Bosnia and Serbia into Krajina and is planing to continue with an accelerated settling of Serbian houses.

[08] AGREEMENTS BETWEEN YUGOSLAVIA AND CROATIA AND MACEDONIA SOON

Politika, 1997-05-15

Deputy Yugoslav Minister of Labor, Health Care and Social Policies, Maksim Korac, stated that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in June this year should design the agreements on pension and social insurance with Croatia and Macedonia. Yugoslav ministry agreed with the competent ministries of Croatia and Macedonia to regulate through these agreements all the matters pertaining to the payment of retirement pensions, health insurance, children's allowances and alimonies. "The agreement should cover all the citizens of former Yugoslavia, regardless of their status", said Korac. He also stated that the initiative was given in the Republic of Srpska, in accordance with the Agreement on special parallel relations between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Srpska, to draft such an agreement. "As soon as the conditions are ready, the same will be proposed to Bosnia-Herzegovina. With Slovenia an agreement will be signed along the same principles as with Croatia and Macedonia, but when the conditions are right for that", said Korac. He recalled that by the introduction of sanction of the UN Security Council there was a suspension of the transfer of payments, which also suspended the payment of foreign exchange retirement pensions for some 60,000 retired persons in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and children's allowances for some 40,000 children.

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