Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-03-26

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

26 March 1996

CONTENTS

[A] YUGOSLAVIA - IMF

[01] YUGOSLAV GOVERNOR SUGGESTS SETTING UP BALKAN LOAN FUND

[B] YUGOSLAVIA - SOUTH AFRICA

[02] TALKS ON COOPERATION

[C] HELSINKI COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

[03] CROATIA BLOCKING RETURN OF REFUGEE SERBS

[D] MUJAHEDDIN IN BOSNIA

[04] IZETBEGOVIC SAYS MUJAHEDDIN WILL STAY

[A] YUGOSLAVIA - IMF

[01] YUGOSLAV GOVERNOR SUGGESTS SETTING UP BALKAN LOAN FUND

National Bank of Yugoslavia Governor Dragoslav Avramovic was speaking at Tanjug's international press centre in Belgrade.

The disputed assets, to be divided among the former federal units, amount to between one billion and one and a half billion dollars in gold and hard currency, Avramovic said.

Instead of each former republic getting a fraction of the sum, the total should be used to set up a dependable institution which should cooperate with all organisations - banks, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, Avramovic said.

The new body could quadruple the capital and could be joined by other Balkan states, such as Albania, Bulgaria and Romania, he said and added that this might be the start of pan-Balkan cooperation.

Avramovic said that the important thing for Yugoslavia in its upcoming talks with the IMF would be to obtain short-term support for its stabilisation programme and then look for support for its investment programme over the next four years.

He said he had 'discussed abroad support for our stabilisation programme and the (national currency) dinar, and this should be discussed also with the IMF, because if the dinar collapses everything collapses,' Avramovic said.

Avramovic has recently visited London at the invitation of the British Government, and is due to travel to Paris for talks with the IMF on March 27 - April 3.

Avramovic said that Yugoslavia now needed to strengthen its foreign currency reserves to maintain the stability of the national currency.

'I plan to inform the IMF of our economic situation and our prospects, on the basis of which to win their approbation necessary for talks with other creditors,' he explained.

'There are indications that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, too, might be ready to help us', he added.

Avramovic said that Yugoslavia was required to agree to 36.5 percent of the quota of former Yugoslavia, which it had already done. All countries of the former Yugoslavia are entitled to inherit a share of former Yugoslavia's quota in the IMF, which does not mean applying anew for membership, he explained. Yugoslavia needs to confirm its agreement to the quota and pass a law to this effect, and the IMF needs to declare it capable of paying its debts, which it has been unable to do because of sanctions, Avramovic said and added that all these were formalities.

The IMF and the World Bank are sending eight negotiators to Paris to talks with Yugoslavia, Avramovic said. He expressed hope that the talks would be fruitful.

[B] YUGOSLAVIA - SOUTH AFRICA

[02] TALKS ON COOPERATION

As was noted at the talk, ample advantages and joint interests existed in promoting bilateral cooperation, especially in the economy, the Foreign Ministry said in an announcement.

The South African delegation, headed by Teboho Dennis Mafole, Deputy Director General at the Foreign Ministry, arrived in Belgrade on Sunday at the invitation of the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry.

At the talk, the announcement said, the South African delegation was informed also of regional developments and Yugoslavia's peace efforts.

Pursuant to an agreement, which was assessed favourably, air links would open between Belgrade and Johannesburg to facilitate the maintenance of business contacts, travels, tourist trade and bonds with Yugoslavia for several tens of thousands Yugoslav emigrants and workers living in the Republic of South Africa.

[C] HELSINKI COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

[03] CROATIA BLOCKING RETURN OF REFUGEE SERBS

'The refugee Serbs are Croatian citizens and it is said here they will not be allowed to return. They can only do so individually on the basis of individual requests,' Cicak said in an interview published Saturday by the Rijeka Novi List.

The world insists on the Serbs' return because their failing to do so would legalise results of ethnic cleansing, Cicak said. Last year was the worst because that is when the most brutal human rights violations were committed, Cicak said. He said that U.N. reports in its documents that about several hundred people were killed after operation storm while some 900 people were killed during the operation itself.

'Not only do Croatian authorities fail to respect the highest human rights standards but disregard and violation of human rights is their political platform,' Cicak said.

Many Serbs who remained in Croatia at the invitation of President Franjo Tudjman are now being expelled from their homes in which Croats move in while the authorities continue colonising areas by bringing in refugees from Bosnia into Serb homes, Cicak said.

[D] MUJAHEDDIN IN BOSNIA

[04] IZETBEGOVIC SAYS MUJAHEDDIN WILL STAY

It is true that there are still about 50-60 mujaheddin on two locations in Bosnia, Izetbegovic said in a letter to U.S. senators Robert Dole and Joseph Lieberman, Reuters quoted the Bosnian Muslim news agency BH Press as saying. Izetbegovic's letter was a reply to the senators' request that Bosnian Muslims s all military cooperation with Iran.

'It is not in accordance of the ethic of our Bosnian people to expel those people who had fought with us and who had no place to return to because they cannot go back to their countries,' he said.

Reuters quoted Bosnian Muslim Government officials as saying earlier that all mujaheddin who had remained in Bosnia were civilians who had married local women and obtained Bosnian citizenship.