Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-02-28

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory

From: ddc@nyquist.bellcore.com (D.D. Chukurov)

28 February 1996

CONTENTS

[A] YUGOSLAVIA - PREVLAKA

[01] DISPUTE OVER PREVLAKA PROMONTORY TO BE SOLVED PEACEFULLY

[B] YUGOSLAVIA - RUSSIA

[02] YUGOSLAVIA, RUSSIA FOR CONSISTENT IMPLEMENTATION OF PEACE AGREEMENT

[C] ARMS CONTROL NEGOTIATIONS

[03] YUGOSLAVIA READY TO FULFIL DAYTON COMMITMENTS

[04] YUGOSLAVIA DETERMINED TO CONTRIBUTE TO ARMS CONTROL NEGOTIATIONS

[D] YUGOSLAVIA - NATO

[05] DEFENCE MINISTER ON 'PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE'

[E] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA - SANCTIONS

[06] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT LIFTS MEASURES ON BREAK-OFF OF RELATIONS WITH R.S.

[07] SUSPENSION STRENGTHENS RELATIONS BETWEEN R.S. AND YUGOSLAVIA

[08] SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS STRENGTHENS PEACE

[F] SARAJEVO SERBS

[09] E.U. COMMISSIONER BLAMES MUSLIMS FOR EXODUS

[G] DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

[10] AUSTRIA READY TO RENEW FULL DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

[11] CANADA TO FOLLOW EUROPEAN STATES IN NORMALIZING TIES

[A] YUGOSLAVIA - PREVLAKA

[01] DISPUTE OVER PREVLAKA PROMONTORY TO BE SOLVED PEACEFULLY

After his talks with Annan in the Montenegrin city of Herceg Novi, Bulatovic told journalists that more intensive talks with Croatian representatives on the disputed Adriatic promontory of Prevlaka on the Montenegrin-Croatian border would begin in about ten days.

The Montenegrin President reiterated to Kofi Annan the Yugoslav stand that a peaceful solution to the Prevlaka issue was the condition for mutual recognition between Yugoslavia and Croatia.

In a statement after his talks with Bulatovic, Annan pointed out that he was impressed by Montenegro's positive role in the peace process, by its resolve to work on the normalization of relations between the sovereign states in the territory of former Yugoslavia and its determination that all the outstanding issues be resolved peacefully.

[B] YUGOSLAVIA - RUSSIA

[02] YUGOSLAVIA, RUSSIA FOR CONSISTENT IMPLEMENTATION OF PEACE AGREEMENT

Milutinovic and Afanasiyevski, who heads a delegation of his country to the Yugoslav-Russian diplomatic consultations, voiced the two countries' readiness to go on promoting political dialogues and comprehensive cooperation.

The talks favourably appraised the results of contacts so far between the representatives of governments, parliaments, business, cultural and scientific institutions, and other public figures, of the two countries, the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry announced. Also stressed at the talks was the significance of the further promotion of the two countries' economic cooperation about which great common concern exists.

[C] ARMS CONTROL NEGOTIATIONS

[03] YUGOSLAVIA READY TO FULFIL DAYTON COMMITMENTS

Milutinovic pointed to Yugoslavia's great interest in the establishment of comprehensive peace and security in the region. He also expressed hope that the forthcoming talks on essential issues would be concluded successfully within the planned deadline, Yugoslav Foreign Ministry said.

[04] YUGOSLAVIA DETERMINED TO CONTRIBUTE TO ARMS CONTROL NEGOTIATIONS

Negotiations on arms control in the former Yugoslavia are being held in Vienna in line with the Dayton peace accord. Perisic and Eide pointed out that in this stage of the talks, it is essential that all participants submit exact and full information on the five categories of armaments which are the subject of the talks.

[D] YUGOSLAVIA - NATO

[05] DEFENCE MINISTER ON 'PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE'

'To make a decision on this matter, what must be scrutinized is what is to be gained and what lost that way,' said Bulatovic in an interview to Radio Yugoslavia.

Bulatovic said that the idea about the Partnership for peace program should be examined seriously because this program has been designed so as to ensure for Europe and the Balkans the stable development and security of its members.

Bulatovic held that there were no absolute guarantees for one's security, and that the biggest guarantees of a country's security were its own forces, foreign policy, and stability of the region in which it is located.

Yugoslavia has been actively cooperating, without any prejudice, with NATO member countries, those which joined the Partnership for peace program, those intending to do so, as well as those not in this or some other military alliance,' Bulatovic stressed. 'This is why I do not see any reason for Yugoslavia to rush to a decision,' said Bulatovic.

Bulatovic held that Yugoslavia's presence in international political, economic and financial organizations should be secured first, and only then talks held on its possible joining certain military alliances.

'The F.R. Yugoslavia maintains that the key question in the Balkans at this time is the building of confidence amongst the states in the region. Once mutual confidence is secured, conditions will be generated for the diversified forms of cooperation, among others, in the military field, and this would increase the stability and security of this area,' Bulatovic stressed. Bulatovic recalled that this was the direction of the talks he has held in the past month's time with the defence ministers of Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

[E] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA - SANCTIONS

[06] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT LIFTS MEASURES ON BREAK-OFF OF RELATIONS WITH R.S.

The Yugoslav Government broke off economic and political relations with the R.S. and closed its border with it for all goods other than humanitarian in token of discord with the R.S. leadership's decision not to accept the international community's map of territorial division of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The new decision that annuls the August measures against the R.S. shall take effect on February 28, 1996, at midnight, said an announcement by the Yugoslav Information Secretariat.

[07] SUSPENSION STRENGTHENS RELATIONS BETWEEN R.S. AND YUGOSLAVIA

The economy of the former F.R. of Yugoslavia was developed in a complementary manner, and our business firms are still not competitive on the world market, so the suspension of sanctions will enable a gradual adjustment to the economy of Europe and the world, Kasagic told Tanjug.

[08] SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS STRENGTHENS PEACE

At this most difficult time for the Serb people, this is the best news after the signing of the Dayton accord, Koljevic said. The suspension provides hope for lasting and stable peace as prospects for economic recovery will prevent any militant option, Koljevic said.

[F] SARAJEVO SERBS

[09] E.U. COMMISSIONER BLAMES MUSLIMS FOR EXODUS

He said that the Muslim authorities had not given adequate guarantees to the Serbs that they would be safe living side by side with the Muslims and Croats in Sarajevo.

Reporting to the European Parliament's Foreign Policy Committee about the situation in the former Yugoslavia, van den Broek said that the problems of Sarajevo and Mostar were the key obstacles to the implementation of the Bosnia peace accord.

Belgrade, Feb. 27 (Tanjug) - The Republika Srpska has closed down all prisons and released all Muslim and Croat troops, while the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia are still holding in their prisons 2,000 Serb troops, the Belgrade daily "Vecernje Novosti" said Tuesday.

Most of the prisoners are not registered. It is not known how many missing there are in the territory of the Muslim-Croat federation and in the Republic of Croatia, and their fate is completely unknown.

An association of families of imprisoned and missing men from Krajina, recently formed in Banjaluka, is trying to find out what happened to them, "Vecernje Novosti" said.

The authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia are hiding our children from the International Committee of the Red Cross and from IFOR. They are simply non existent, the President of the Association, Branko Panic, said.

R.S. Premier Rajko Kasagic told representatives of the Association that the R.S. had complied with all the terms of the Bosnia peace agreement and that is had released all imprisoned troops of the armed forces of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Pressure on the governments of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of Croatia must be exerted by the International Committee of the Red Cross and by IFOR, because they did not release even those prisoners who are on the lists of international humanitarian organizations, Kasagic said.

[G] DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

[10] AUSTRIA READY TO RENEW FULL DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

In an interview to Radio Yugoslavia, Weninger said that Yugoslavia had a decisive role in implementing the Dayton peace agreement for Bosnia, signed in Paris, as well as in finding an overall solution to the crisis in the former Yugoslavia.

Austria is interested in the development of bilateral relations in the economy, science and culture, and in their upgrading to the level from before the imposition of sanctions, Weninger said.

[11] CANADA TO FOLLOW EUROPEAN STATES IN NORMALIZING TIES

Snyder said that the raising of Canadian-Yugoslav relations to the ambassadorial level was inevitable. If Britain, Spain, Italy, Belgium and other European countries normalize their ties with Yugoslavia in the near future, Canada will do the same, he said.