Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-01-16

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] SERBIA'S NEW DEMOCRACY PARTY LEADER CONFERS WITH ITALIAN OFFICIAL

[02] BELGRADE UNIVERSITY COUNCIL VOTES CONFIDENCE TO RECTOR VELICKOVIC

[03] U.N. RAPPORTEUR REHN CONDEMNS TERRORISM IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

[04] COALITION ZAJEDNO LAWYERS SAY CITY ELECTION COMMISSION DECISION VAGUE

[05] BELGRADE UNIVERSITY CHANCELLOR HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE

[06] YUGOSLAVIA PLANS STABLE CURRENCY, PRICES, MORE GOODS, EXPORT IN 1997

[07] PATRIARCH PAVLE OF SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH RECEIVES ITALIAN OFFICIAL

[08] YUGOSLAV DEFENCE COUNCIL CONVENES

[09] FRY PREPARES FOR TALKS WITH WTO

[10] YUGOSLAV ARMY CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF RECEIVES ITALIAN OFFICIAL

[11] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH U.S. SENATORS

[01] SERBIA'S NEW DEMOCRACY PARTY LEADER CONFERS WITH ITALIAN OFFICIAL

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

[02] BELGRADE UNIVERSITY COUNCIL VOTES CONFIDENCE TO RECTOR VELICKOVIC

The no-confidence motion for Velickovic and Djurdjevic was placed on the agenda of the Council at the request of Serbian Education Minister Dragoslav Mladenovic. Minister Mladenovic told the Council he had submitted this motion at the request of Serbian Government following a meeting between Deputy Prime Ministers Ratko Markovic and Nedeljko Sipovac with representatives of student protesters.

The students had presented two principal requests - recognition of the results of the second round of local elections held last November 17, and dismissal of the Rector and Student Prorector of the Belgrade University.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

[03] U.N. RAPPORTEUR REHN CONDEMNS TERRORISM IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

In a meeting between Rehn and Kosovo District Chief Aleksa Jokic and other Provincial officials on Wednesday, it was assessed that 'the international community ought to have taken a stand' on the issue, a Provincial Government statement said.

Kosovo and Metohija authorities stressed their readines to take all necessary measures for as prompt as possible implementation of the Accord on Education in the Albanian language reached last year between Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and ethnic-Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova, the statement said.

Rehn conferred also with Commander of the Provincial Serbian Interior Ministry Headquarters Col. Miroslav Mijatovic, and she toured a prison in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Rehn met for the first time, at her own request, with representatives of the Association of Serbian Resistance Movements. After a closed-door meeting, Association President Momcilo Trajkovic told reporters that Rehn had been informed that the ethnic-Albanian separatist movement's conflict with the state of Serbia was at the crux of relations between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija. We have informed Ms. Rehn that the goal of the ethnic-Albanian separatist movement was to create on Serbia's territory an other Albanian state, and that ethnic-Albanian leaders were using alleged human-rights issues to attain their goals, Trajkovic said.

Renh met also with representatives of ethnic-Albanian political parties and Human Rights Committee, but declined to make any statement before a news conference.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

[04] COALITION ZAJEDNO LAWYERS SAY CITY ELECTION COMMISSION DECISION VAGUE

The City Election Commission has recognized the preliminary results of the Nov. 17 elections, according to which Zajedno has won 60 of the 110 seats in the City Assembly, the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and the Yugoslav Left (JUL) 23, the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) 15, and the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) 2 seats.

Zajedno lawyer Vesna Rakic Vodinelic told a news conference that the City Election Commission decision meant that the 'legal consequences of the third election round have been annulled.' She said the explanation of the Commission's latest decision was equivocal and worded in unusual legal terminology in the part dealing with the effectiveness of the court decisions.

Zajedno's legal expert Dragor Hiber said the explanation of the Commission's decision was not quite clear. He, however, expressed hope that the Belgrade City Assembly would be constituted soon, and noted that Democratic Party leader Zoran Djindjic would most likely be elected city mayor.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

[05] BELGRADE UNIVERSITY CHANCELLOR HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE

At a press conference held after the University Council session at which he received their support, Chancellor Velickovic expressed hope that the students' demand for the dismissal of the Chancellor has been honored, as they demanded that the dismissal be included in the agenda of the Council. He explained that that the Chancellor can be dismissed only by the body that appointed him, or the University Council.

Assessing the Council session as successful, at which concrete, substantial positions were expressed by all sides and people who have different opinions, Velickovic pointed out that the coming period must not be wasted in conflicts, but used for finding out common points, so as to return the University to normal trends.

Velickovic stressed that he will work for the fulfilment of other Student demands, as the 'truth about the elections must be found out to the end,' but that he did not support the continuation of student protests.

A part of student demands, the Chancellor said, requires certain procedure that must be conducted within the institutions of the system. 'That can take one, two, five days, but that is not up to me. My job is to assemble the University and to go ahead with normal work,' he said.

Velickovic expressed once again his concern that the students did not come to talk with him, since 'a Chacellor cannot talk with students on the sqaure, that is no place for a Chancellor, and people who spoke on that square had no connection with the University or with students.' 'Had the students comes to me, I would have ordered the faculties to adjust timetables to enable them to come in front of the Faculty of Philosophy as the students are demanding justice, Chancellor Velickovic said in conclusion.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

[06] YUGOSLAVIA PLANS STABLE CURRENCY, PRICES, MORE GOODS, EXPORT IN 1997

Zebic said that in 1996 the currency had been stable and the inflation rate and price increases had been smaller than in 1995 and had stood at 58.7 percent. Also, he added, production had risen by 14 percent over the year, and foreign trade by 37 percent, with export increased by 14 percent.

Zebic said that a very important economic policy job was to intensify work for returning the federal republic of Yugoslavia to international financial and commercial organisations. He announced brisk activity on economic legislation aimed at adjusting the Yugoslav economy to conform to market business conditions and coordinate the new laws with the Yugoslav Constitution and European standards.

Zebic said that public spending would be limited to not more than 47.5 percent of the domestic product, with strict safeguards to ensure its financing only from the real sources.

Import duties are planned at between 0 and 40 percent, in keeping with the regulations of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), he said, adding that prices would be allowed to form freely, with a recommendation that they be lowered where possible.

The present level of prices was not conducive to Yugoslav goods'competitiveness on the world market, and Government had no intention of stimulating expensive export by altering the exchange rate of the dinar, he explained.

Wages, too, would be free, with full respect for financial discipline, and would depend on business results.

Also, significant attention in 1997 would be devoted to adjusting the economy to conform to the market laws, as well as to the privatisation of companies and banks, their consolidation and economic recovery.

Government plans a 13-percent rise of the domestic product - industrial production is expected to rise by 14 percent, agriculture by 6, the construction industry 12, transport 16.5, trade 16, catering 20 and other sectors, by 15 percent.

Zebic said that import was expected to rise by 20 percent and export, by 42 percent.

Finance Minister Tomica Raicevic said at the same news conference that the Finance Ministry would amend laws on the tax system and draft a law on value added tax (expected in february). It would also draft laws on payment transactions, tariffs, hard-currency transactions and on paying out old hard-currency savings, he added.

Minister of Development, Science and the Environment Janko Radulovic announnced an intensification of cooperation with the industrialised states. Radulovic said that there would be scope for the operation of joint- stock banks and foreign banks which would bring more capital into the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Economy Minister Rade Filipovic placed special stress on the development of the power industry and said that a law to regulate the country's power system would be passed next year.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

[07] PATRIARCH PAVLE OF SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH RECEIVES ITALIAN OFFICIAL

The meeting was attended also by Italian Ambassador in Belgrade Francesco Bascone and Bishop Irinej of Backa.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

[08] YUGOSLAV DEFENCE COUNCIL CONVENES

According to the Military Cabinet's statement, the Council examined the international position of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its efforts to be fully integrated in the internatioal community as soon as possible.

Here the Council noted that Yugoslavia's international position had been adversely affected by increasing political differences, absence of a political dialogue in the institutions of the system and growing economic problems.

The body discussed also a report on the current financing of the Yugoslav Army, and other questions in its province.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

[09] FRY PREPARES FOR TALKS WITH WTO

At a meeting with the President of the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce, Mihailo Milojevic, and representatives of the Chambers of Commerce of the Yugoslav Republics of Serbia and of Montenegro, Kontic said that the FRY was about to start talks for the normalization of relations with the World Trade Organization and that a program of preparations for the talks had been drawn up at the beginning of the year.

The Prime Minister said the FRY membership in WTO will influence stronger market conditions of production, attracting foreign capital and restructuring the economy.

Kontic said the negative effects of the membership would be an arrowing down of independent decision-making about certain foreign trade issues, as well as certain economic policy elements.

The President of the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce pointed out that the economy has been supporting all along the Federal Government in its preparations for the country's reintegration in all international economic organizations, especially the World Trade Organization. The process, he added, as much as it is indispensable, will be a difficult one.

Milojevic asserted that in the upcoming liberalization of export-import trends, in accordance with WTO trade regulations, it must be completely clear what the FRY will be protecting under its development strategy and what it will expose to international competition. At the same time, he said, facilities should be provided for the entry of foreign technology and capital into the country, intoproduction branches expected to become important exporters.

Federal Minister for Trade Djordje Siradovic said that the Ministry of Trade had prepared material for the first phase of economy liberalization adjustments from 1997 to 1999, as one of the most important factors for membership in the WTO is the liberalization of the economy.

It is the joint assessment of the Government and of economists that talks cannot start 'tomorrow', due to reactions in the world to the current political situation in the country. That is why the Government has postponed the adoption of the program of liberalization in the first semester of this year, Siradovic said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

[10] YUGOSLAV ARMY CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF RECEIVES ITALIAN OFFICIAL

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

[11] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH U.S. SENATORS

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-16 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-15

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