Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-03-05

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory

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

5 March 1996

CONTENTS

[A] YUGOSLAVIA - CZECH

[01] KLAUS: VISIT TO BELGRADE TO PURSUE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN CZECHS AND SERBS

[02] YUGOSLAV, CZECH TALKS END

[03] YUGOSLAV, CZECH PREMIERS FOR PROMOTING BILATERAL COOPERATION

[04] YUGOSLAV-CZECH TALKS SHOW MUTUAL INTEREST IN ALL-ROUND TIES

[05] CZECH PREMIER RECEIVES SERBIAN OPPOSITION LEADERS

[06] CZECH PREMIER WANTS NEW, FRUITFUL COOPERATION WITH YUGOSLAVIA

[B] YUGOSLAVIA - CHINA

[07] GOOD PROSPECTS FOR DEVELOPING YUGOSLAV-CHINESE COOPERATION

[C] BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA

[08] RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN BOSNIA PRIORITY TASK

[D] THE HAGUE WAR TRIBUNAL

[09] WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL NEW PROSECUTOR VOWS TO CONDUCT FAIR TRIALS

[10] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL: INDICTED SERB GENERAL PLEADS NOT GUILTY

[A] YUGOSLAVIA - CZECH

[01] KLAUS: VISIT TO BELGRADE TO PURSUE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN CZECHS AND SERBS

Talking briefly to journalists at Belgrade airport, Klaus said he was especially satisfied with the fact that he was the first Czech Prime Minister to visit the FRY and said he believed that his talks with Prime Minister Kontic will be productive.

Prime Minister Kontic said that it was the first visit at such a high level since the founding of the Czech Republic and of the FRY.

Kontic said that he was especially pleased that his guest was Prime Minister Klaus who has reformed the economy and the state. He is very respected in Yugoslavia because of his attitude towards the Yugoslav crisis, his efforts for its peaceful solution and the equidistance he kept toward all the forces involved in the crisis, Kontic said.

Kontic said that Belgrade values highly the fact that the Czech Republic had passed a law, immediately after the suspension of sanctions, on the cessation of the embargo. It has also upgraded its diplomatic representation in the FRY to the level of ambassador.

Kontic said they expected that the Czech Republic and Mr. Klaus will continue to be committed to the full reintegration of the FRY into the international community, and that this visit will mean therenewal of the former scope of bilateral cooperation. Kontic added there were realistic expectations that economic cooperation between the FRY and the Czech Republic will soon exceed one billion dollars.

[02] YUGOSLAV, CZECH TALKS END

Kontic and Klaus, who arrived on an official visit to the Yugoslav Federation on Monday, met in Belgrade for talks on promoting bilateral relations and Yugoslavia's reintegration into the international community.

Klaus said he hoped that the Dayton agreement would be fully implemented and that lasting and stable peace would be achieved in the former Yugoslavia, with equal treatment of all sides and nations.

The two Prime Ministers agreed that infrastructural reconstruction and return of refugees and displaced persons were the priority tasks now that peace had been restored.

Klaus said that the Czech Republic was ready to actively contribute to these processes and fully support Yugoslavia's efforts to return to all structures of the international community.

Both sides stressed that there were no problems in mutual relations that had been traditionally close and that the vast experience accumulated in economic cooperation could be used in reconstruction works and promotion of other forms of cooperation.

An economic cooperation agreement is expected to be signed by the middle of this year.

Kontic and Klaus agreed to continue diplomatic consultations for a gradual easing of customs formalities that would eventually result in the abolishment of visas for diplomats, business travels and tourist groups.

The Czech Republic was among the first countries to suspend sanctions against Yugoslavia and upgrade diplomatic relations to the ambassadorial level.

[03] YUGOSLAV, CZECH PREMIERS FOR PROMOTING BILATERAL COOPERATION

Speaking at the close of his one-day visit to Belgrade, Klaus gave assurances that the Czech Republic would always be on the side that supports the reintegration of Yugoslavia in the world community.

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic said that Klaus's visit, although brief, had been useful and very fruitful, and that promotion of bilateral cooperation had been the chief topic of discussion. Greatest attention was devoted to the promotion of bilateral economic cooperation, specifically in agriculture, the food, textile, car and wood and timber industries, and ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, Kontic said. He added that the two sides had agreed it was necessary to coordinate as soon as possible the relevant state regulations, specifically agreements on economic cooperation, avoidance of double taxation and the protection and stimulation of investment.

Kontic said that both sides took the view that all conditions existed for annual trade between Yugoslavia and the Czech Republic to reach one billion dollars in value quite soon. He said that Yugoslavia had proposed abolishing visas, with the Czech side agreeing to abolish visas for diplomatic, service and business passports first.

The Czech side agreed without question to a request for a normalisation of the payment of Czech pension benefits to Yugoslavs entitled to them, Kontic added.

The two sides agreed that Yugoslavia must be returned to European associations as soon as possible, he said.

Prime Minister Klaus promised personally to support all initiatives for Yugoslavia's reintegration in the international community, Kontic said. He added that this meant a normalisation with the U.N., the IMF, the EU, the OSCE and other organisations.

Kontic further said that the Yugoslav Government had shown great interest in regional associations, too, such as the Central European Initiative and the Visegrad Group, of which the Czech Republic is a member.

[04] YUGOSLAV-CZECH TALKS SHOW MUTUAL INTEREST IN ALL-ROUND TIES

The process of negotiating concrete agreements should be intensified, on the basis of the interest of the two countries' economic partners in boosting joint ventures in industry, transport, agriculture, tourism and other fields, the Cabinet's statement said. This will be the best expression of an over-all positive development of relations between Yugoslavia and the Czech Republic.

Political contacts, too, are an important stimulus to strengthening bilateral cooperation and ties.

Klaus's official visit to Yugoslavia and objective attitude to the existing problems in former Yugoslavia contribute to a consolidation of inter-state relations in Europe.

Both sides showed interest in the internal situation in the other country, and stressed an openness to an exchange of positive experience, especially in the sphere of economic development, which is certainly helped along by progress made in diplomatic relations.

The meeting was attended by Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic and Ambassador in Prague Djoko Stojicic, and by Czech Ambassador to Yugoslavia Ivan Busniak.

[05] CZECH PREMIER RECEIVES SERBIAN OPPOSITION LEADERS

[06] CZECH PREMIER WANTS NEW, FRUITFUL COOPERATION WITH YUGOSLAVIA

Klaus said he had discussed the crisis in the former Yugoslavia with a number of senior Yugoslav officials and compared it with the manner of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. He said that the Czech Republic's experience made it highly sensitive to developments in Yugoslavia.

Klaus said he hoped that the Dayton peace accord for Bosnia was a good start in the quest for a final solution to the crisis in the former Yugoslavia.

[B] YUGOSLAVIA - CHINA

[07] GOOD PROSPECTS FOR DEVELOPING YUGOSLAV-CHINESE COOPERATION

In an interview with the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti, the Chinese Ambassador welcomed an initiative to set up a China Town in Belgrade. He said that it was a good way for strengthening friendship between the two peoples and developing economic relations in the interest of both sides.

Zhu welcomed Yugoslavia's reintegration into the international community, which had always been favoured by China.

China advocates an independent foreign policy and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, he said, adding that some countries persistently wanted to dominate others and interfere in their internal affairs which triggered off conflicts around the world, he said.

It has been hard to find a path of socialism in Chinese colours, he said, adding that every country should find its model of development in line with its tradition and characteristics.

Some people want to impose their model of privatization in China and many countries from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe have faced many problems in implementing this model. Their problems are in indication that the model cannot be applied in China, the Chinese Ambassador said.

[C] BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA

[08] RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN BOSNIA PRIORITY TASK

The international community must create in Bosnia an atmosphere of trust and respect of fundamental rights and freedoms for all people living there, and lay the conditions for the holding of free elections as planned, Bildt said.

Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schuessel said that ever since the outbreak of Yugoslav Crisis, Austria had been advocating the respect of human and minority rights as the only way for laying the conditions for the repatriation of refugees and displaced persons.

The Special Rapportuer of the U.N. Human Rights Commission Elisabeth Rehn raised the issue of recognizing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia although the meeting's agenda focuses on human rights in Bosnia. She said that international community should not recognize FRY before it presents guarantees on the respect of human rights in its federal republics of Serbia and Montenegro and in areas under Serb influence in Bosnia. The same condition should be laid for a lasting lifting of anti-Yugoslav sanctions and for economic aid, she said at a press conference organized by Liberal Forum, party with least influence in austria.

At the end of the conference held behind closed doors, two working groups will present reports on human rights situation in Bosnia and on measures to be taken in the future in this regard.

The conference, whose goal is to provide a fresh impetus to the setting up of democratic institutions in Bosnia and to its economic recovery, is attended by the countries signatories of the Dayton accord, E.U. member-states, the U.S., Russia, Canada, Norway, Morocco, Japan, Turkey, various international and non-governmental organizations (E.U., U.N., UNHCR, OSCE) and the Organization for the Protection of Human Rights.

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is represented by the Charge d'affaires of its Embassy in Vienna Dobrosav Veizovic, and Republika Srpska by its Prime Minister Rajko Kasagic.

[D] THE HAGUE WAR TRIBUNAL

[09] WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL NEW PROSECUTOR VOWS TO CONDUCT FAIR TRIALS

Arbour said that the Tribunal had the U.N. Security Council and the international community behind it, which gave it sufficient legitimacy to try offenders against international law, especially laws against humanity, in the Balkan war.

She said, however, that she could not be certain how far the Tribunal would be efficacious, as this depended on the international community's support and on cooperation from the warring parties.

Arbour has not taken over from outgoing Chief Prosecutor Richard Goldstone, who is due to leave on Sept. 30 at his own request.

[10] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL: INDICTED SERB GENERAL PLEADS NOT GUILTY

I have not done anything for which I should be tried by this court. The way I have been indicted, charges can be filed against any soldier in a war, any citizen of Republika Srpska (R.S.), or any other state, who happened to be in Bosnia or in R.S. territory during the war, Gen. Djukic told the Hague Tribunal when he was read the charges.

The Hague Tribunal's Chief Prosecutor, Judge Richard Goldstone of South Africa, raised an indictment on March 1, charging the Assistant Commander for logistics with the R.S. Army Command and member of the R.S. Army General Staff with crimes against civilians in Sarajevo.

Gen. Djukic said he had been arrested as a civilian and in territory which was under international control and protection. He said he believed the International Tribunal would indeed judge by the law and not as ordered by someone outside or any other institution. Gen. Djukic said he would therefore no longer cooperate with the Prosecutor or make any statements before the trial.

The Court scheduled the next working meeting for March 14, to be held behind closed doors. Judge Claude Jorda said the start of the trial would depend on the time necessary for both the prosecution and defense to get ready.