Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-03-14

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

14 March 1996

CONTENTS

[A] YUGOSLAVIA - FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

[01] MINISTER'S VISIT TO ZAGREB HELPS NORMALISATION

[02] YUGOSLAVIA'S CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE AT ROME MEETING

[B] YUGOSLAVIA - FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

[03] GOVERNMENT ADVISED TO PREPARE FOR TALKS ON YUGOSLAVIA'S FOREIGN DEBT

[04] INTERNATIONAL BODIES WANT TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS

[C] YUGOSLAVIA - MOLDOVA

[05] YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL URGES COOPERATION WITH FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS

[D] YUGOSLAVIA - ARGENTINA

[06] DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES ARGENTINEAN DIPLOMAT

[E] U.N. - PREVLAKA

[07] SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF OBSERVER MISSION

[F] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

[08] KRAJISNIK, GYARMATI FOR EQUAL TREATMENT OF BOTH ENTITIES

[09] THERE IS MONEY FOR ARMS BUT NOT FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF BOSNIA

[G] SARAJEVO SERBS

[10] TERROR OVER SERBS REMAINING IN ILIDZA CONTINUES

[H] CROATIA - SERBS

[11] BIAS SHOWN IN TRIAL OF SPY SUSPECTS FOR YUGOSLAVIA

[A] YUGOSLAVIA - FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

[01] MINISTER'S VISIT TO ZAGREB HELPS NORMALISATION

During the one-day visit, Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic discussed with Croatian Vice President and Foreign Minister Mate Granic a full normalisation of relations between Yugoslavia and Croatia. Yugoslavia's delegation, headed by Milutinovic, acted in line with the Government's platform and obligations undertaken under the Dayton peace accord, a Government statement said.

The Government adopted Milutinovic's report on the talks held by the delegation in Zagreb on March 11, the statement added. The Government instructed the relevant ministries to cooperate with business organisations to implement agreements stemming from memoranda signed in Zagreb.

[02] YUGOSLAVIA'S CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE AT ROME MEETING

The most important result of the Rome meeting is the suspension of sanctions against the Republika Srpska, which paved the way for its economic recovery, improvement of the living conditions and development of economic relations with Yugoslavia and Europe.

The conference gave a significant stimulus to the implementation of the peace agreement in Bosnia and the agreement on the Srem-Baranja region, the statement said.

[B] YUGOSLAVIA - FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

[03] GOVERNMENT ADVISED TO PREPARE FOR TALKS ON YUGOSLAVIA'S FOREIGN DEBT

The Commission on Wednesday reviewed a programme for consolidating and rescheduling Yugoslavia's foreign debt, the Yugoslav Information Secretariat said in a statement.

The Commission positively assessed Yugoslavia's activities in solving the problem of foreign debt and accepted in principle the offered analysis as a good basis for drawing up a platform for talks with foreign creditors, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

[04] INTERNATIONAL BODIES WANT TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS

The talks in London have been beneficial, but Yugoslavia's position further depends on talks with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, taking place in Paris from Mar. 27 to Apr. 2, said Avramovic in a telephone conversation from the United States, where he flew after his visit to London.

Avramovic said that in London he had reached agreement with British petroleum for a six-month credit to Yugoslavia to purchase oil.

The precise quantity of oil will be agreed at a later date, and the payment will be made six months after delivery.

'We have been given support for membership to international financial organizations, and possibilities to help us maintain the liquidity and stability of the local currency are being examined,' said Avramovic.

He said Yugoslavia should soon become a member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as it was willing to establish cooperation with Yugoslavia.

He said his proposal had been accepted that about 600 million dollars in gold - the inheritance from the former Yugoslavias (the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) - should not be a subject of division among the former Yugoslav states, but as a basis for creating a fund for Southeastern Europe. The fund would enable a loan of 2.5. billion dollars to be used by the former Yugoslav republics, said Avramovic. Membership to the fund would be extended to Albania, Bulgaria and Romania, so as to create a regional community of Southeastern Europe, said Avramovic.

[C] YUGOSLAVIA - MOLDOVA

[05] YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL URGES COOPERATION WITH FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS

Chamber of Citizens Speaker Radoman Bozovic headed a Yugoslav parliamentary delegation on a two-day visit to Moldova that ended on Wednesday.

Bozovic said that, with the lifting of the international sanctions against Yugoslavia, wide scope had been opened for developing cooperation with partners in the former Soviet republics.

Where Yugoslav-Moldovan cooperation is concerned, the two countries' governments should now give serious attention to this matter, he added.

He welcomed the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Moldova, and said he hoped that peace would hold also in former Yugoslavia.

[D] YUGOSLAVIA - ARGENTINA

[06] DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES ARGENTINEAN DIPLOMAT

The two sides declared an interest in resuming traditionally friendly relations and cooperation between Yugoslavia and Argentina, especially economic, the Yugoslav Ministry said in a statement.

Bulajic expressed appreciation of Argentina's constructive position as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and Chairman of the Sanctions Committee in 1994-1995, and for Argentina's declared intention to send an Ambassador to Yugoslavia shortly.

[E] U.N. - PREVLAKA

[07] SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF OBSERVER MISSION

The Security Council agreed that the mandate should be extended in order to prevent tension or violation of the agreement on demilitarization of the zone until a final solution to the problem is found.

Boutros-Ghali said in his report that the situation at Prevlaka was stable despite sporadical violations. He said that Yugoslavia and Croatia had expressed readiness to settle the disputed issue at the negotiating table.

[F] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

[08] KRAJISNIK, GYARMATI FOR EQUAL TREATMENT OF BOTH ENTITIES

After the meeting with Gyarmati on Tuesday, Krajisnik told reporters that he had warned the Hungarian diplomat, who is in charge of military affairs within the OSCE, that the intention of the international community to arm the Muslim-Croat Army was not conducive to maintaining peace.

'We must eliminate such occurrences and intentions if we want peace in these fragile lands to be maintained,' Krajisnik said, expressing hope that cooperation would be good between his country and the OSCE in arms supervision and inspection on both sides.

Krajisnik said the Dayton accords must be fully respected because all segments make up the peace plan, the news agency SRNA said.

He reiterated the R.S. leadership stand that issues which had not been a subject of agreement should not be forced in through the back door, because such things cannot lead to a stable peace.

Any unions to secure a majority vote or any enforcement leads to a conflict, and 'it is our objective to respect such a small number of offices, on which we agreed, and not to deal in obstructions,' Krajisnik said.

[09] THERE IS MONEY FOR ARMS BUT NOT FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF BOSNIA

Buha said in Pale it was absurd that a conference on the arming of the federation was being prepared for March 15 in Ankara while at the same time negotiations are underway in Vienna on disarmament and reduction of troops in the region.

'This does not bode well' said Buha and called on the international community to s such activities while there is still time.

[G] SARAJEVO SERBS

[10] TERROR OVER SERBS REMAINING IN ILIDZA CONTINUES

International Police Force Commissioner Peter Fitzgerald told Reuters that federation police Wednesday arrested several persons.

Fitzgerald advised the Serbs to remain in Ilidza, although he could give them no guarantees. All he could say was that his police force would be present in considerable numbers.

Less than 2,000 Serbs remain in Ilidza at present. While the suburb was under Bosnian Serb control, it was inhabited by about 25,000 people, mainly Serbs.

Fitzgerald warned that situation could become very dangerous unless the gangs are sped quickly.

International police representatives have received many complaints on stolen cars and looted houses and on two separate attacks on a man and a woman in Ilidza, Associated Press reports.

[H] CROATIA - SERBS

[11] BIAS SHOWN IN TRIAL OF SPY SUSPECTS FOR YUGOSLAVIA

'The problem is not whether the defendants are guilty or not but in the fact that the defence was not given access to the investigating documents', one of the Defence Lawyers, Silvije Degen told AFP.

The renknowned Croatian lawyer is defending 49-year old Serb Nikola Ivancevic who worked in the Croatian Parliament before being arrested on October 23, 1995 under allegations of spying.

'Defence was denied access to the documentation compiled by the investigation, over 1,500 pages, or was allowed access too late, preventing it from preparing the file,' Degen said.

The indictment charges a group of thirteen Serbs and two Croats of spying for the Yugoslav Army and the Republic of Serb Krajina 'while Croatia was in a state of war'.

The prosecutor described three Serbs - Mihajlo Knezevic, Mirko Vuletic and Mileta Kosanovic - former officers of ex-Yugoslavia's Army as 'instigators of the spy network in Croatia'.

The lawyers of the accused disputed the competence of a military court contending that their clients were now pensioned former officers and should therefore be treated as civilians. Judges denied the objection after deliberations.