Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-08-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] MILOSEVIC AND TUDJMAN TO DISCUSS YUGOSLAV-CROATIAN RELATIONS IN ATHENS

[02] TURKEY AND YUGOSLAVIA RAISE RELATIONS TO AMBASSADORIAL LEVEL

[03] BILDT: FORTHCOMING CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES IN BOTH BOSNIAN ENTITIES

[04] MUSLIMS AND CROATS REACH AGREEMENT IN MOSTAR

[05] MOSTAR CITY COUNCIL TO APPOINT MAYOR ON AUGUST 8

[06] ITALIAN GOVERNMENT WELCOMED THE AGREEMENT

[07] IRELAND TO PROPOSE E.U. STAYS ON IN MOSTAR

[08] VOTERS-REFUGEES IN YUGOSLAVIA REGISTERED FOR BOSNIA ELECTIONS

[09] BOSNIAN MUSLIMS PELT BUS TRANSPORTING SERBS

[10] EU COMMISSION DELEGATION VISITS VUKOVAR

[01] MILOSEVIC AND TUDJMAN TO DISCUSS YUGOSLAV-CROATIAN RELATIONS IN ATHENS

The host, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, welcomed President Milosevic at the approach to the Vouliagmeni Resort, where the meeting is held.

Simitis attended the opening of the talks, as earlier announced.

Milosevic and Tudjman are discussing possibilities for the promotion of initial steps in economic cooperation, steps which have produced good results, including the opening of the Zagreb-Belgrade motorway and the establishment of cooperation between the oil industries of Yugoslavia and Croatia.

The two Presidents will discuss also the normalization of political relations, conditions for which Croatia has to meet under the Dayton Accords.

[02] TURKEY AND YUGOSLAVIA RAISE RELATIONS TO AMBASSADORIAL LEVEL

Accepting the Dayton Peace Agreement was a decisive step towards laying the conditions for peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Demirel said, pointing to the significant contribution of Yugoslavia and especially Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. Yugoslavia has thus demonstrated its endeavours for peace, Demirel underlined.

Demirel also expressed optimism regarding the future development of bilateral relations and said they would from now on be better developed than in the past. In this context, he advocated regional cooperation which would provide the Balkan States with the best prospects for integration in Europe.

Expressing hope that the normalization of bilateral relations would pave the way for his visit to Belgrade, Demirel said that this would provide him with an opportunity to present to Yugoslav leaders his views on future relations between the two countries and on cooperation in the Balkans in general.

The new Turkish Ambassador to Belgrade will be Alev Kilc, diplomat and expert in Balkan affairs.

BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA

[03] BILDT: FORTHCOMING CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES IN BOTH BOSNIAN ENTITIES

After meeting Acting R.S. President Biljana Plavsic behind closed doors in Banja Luka, Bildt said the elections scheduled for next September 14 in Bosnia should be followed by economic reforms in line with the Dayton Agreement.

The talks also focused on accelerating the release of all prisoners of war and of the exhumations of remains of the killed, as both these processes should be completed before the elections, Bildt said.

In a brief statement to the Press, Plavsic said that every meeting with Bildt gave an impetus to the implementation of the Dayton Agreement to which the R.S. remains firmly committed, and that the provision on POW release was particularly important as this process had been due to be completed by last January 19.

Plavsic also pointed to problems hindering the exhumations of bodies of Serb soldiers and civilians from mass graves in Glamoc and Sanski Most in Western Bosnia and on Mt. Ozren in Northern Bosnia, due to the interference of Muslim-Croat Federation Authorities.

Bildt and his staff are working to put an end to the suffering of the people whose kin are either dead or in jail, although facing the truth would be very painful for many, Plavsic said.

[04] MUSLIMS AND CROATS REACH AGREEMENT IN MOSTAR

Details of the agreement, reached after several days of E.U. - mediated marathon talks, have not yet been made public.

[05] MOSTAR CITY COUNCIL TO APPOINT MAYOR ON AUGUST 8

Granic was quoted by the AFP as notifying de Charette that an agreement was signed Tuesday by the Mostar Croats and Muslims to enable operation of joint institutions in that southern Bosnian city.

The agreement provides for Mostar Mayor to be a Croat and for Assistant Mayor to be a Muslim.

The signatories to the agreement accepted that the City Administration be instituted and pledged their full cooperation with the Special Envoy of the European Union for the city of Mostar.

The agreement also provides for the BiH Federation's Constitutional Court to review regularity of the june 30 elections, following a request by the Croat side, but this would not postpone the instituting of the City Authorities.

The City Council would reconvene after the Constitutional Court made public its ruling about regularity of the elections.

[06] ITALIAN GOVERNMENT WELCOMED THE AGREEMENT

Italy believes that by remaining in that town, the EU administration will help the process of reunification of Mostar, its reconstruction, development and reconciliation of the two ethnic communities.

[07] IRELAND TO PROPOSE E.U. STAYS ON IN MOSTAR

Ireland said it would propose to its E.U. partners that the E.U. presence in Mostar be maintained under the leadership of Sir Martin Garrod, in order to ensure an orderly transfer of responsibilities to the local Mayor and Deputy Mayor who will shortly be elected.

[08] VOTERS-REFUGEES IN YUGOSLAVIA REGISTERED FOR BOSNIA ELECTIONS

The Yugoslav Information Secretariat said there is enough time to check the lists. The precise number of voters from Yugoslavia entitled to vote at the September 14 elections will be known on September 7.

[09] BOSNIAN MUSLIMS PELT BUS TRANSPORTING SERBS

This is the second attack on a bus operating on the Srbinje-Visegrad-Srbinje line introduced by the U.N High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on july 12. Under the Dayton Agreement, freedom of movement in Bosnia-Herzegovina is guaranteed and this road has the status of a blue route.

Traffic is functioning normally without any incidents on all roads in the Republika Srpska which are also used by buses from the Muslim-Croat Federation. Two buses operating from Sarajevo to Podgorica, capital of the Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro, via Srbinje transport Muslims every day.

CROATIA - SERBS

[10] EU COMMISSION DELEGATION VISITS VUKOVAR

Schefers is heading a three-member EU Commission delegation, which includes British Ambassador to Croatia Gevin Hewitt and Italian Ambassador to Croatia Fulvio Paolini. The delegation held talks with the President of the Executive Council of the Serb Area of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem, Vojislav Stanimirovic.

Stanimirovic said that the EU delegation described Croatia's Amnesty Law as very unsatisfactory and that its amending may be expected in the near future. The three Ambassadors, who voiced the stand of the European Union, maintain that such a Law is politically detrimental to Croatia and that it is therefore subjected to great international pressure, Stanimirovic said.

He said that the meeting with the three Ambassadors also tackled elections and political parties. I pointed to the EU delegation the fact that Croatia's Law on Territorial Organization was a violation of the Erdut Agreement, Stanimirovic said, adding that the Erdut Agreement stipulated that Serb Municipalities shall also be treated as Regions in the Territorial Organization of Croatia.

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