Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-01-20

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT

[02] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS CLAIM THIRD VICTIM IN A MONTH

[03] SLOW RETURN OF SERBS TO CROATIA

[04] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT OPENS SERBIAN-LANGUAGE SCHOOL IN BUDAPEST

[05] ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER SUPPORTS SERBIAN OPPOSITION

[06] SERBS WARN OF DANGEROUS TENDENCIES IN ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT ORGANS

[07] SERBIAN DEPUTY PREMIER SLAMS CITY ELECTION COMMISSION DECISION

[08] PROTEST RALLY IN PRISTINA FOLLOWING TERRORIST ATTACK ON CHANCELLOR

[09] SPECIAL U.N. RAPPORTEUR SATISFIED WITH YUGOSLAVIA'S ATTITUDE TO REFUGEES

[01] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT

'Mrs Elisabeth Rehn, the Special Human Rights Rapporteur, on January 18 sent a letter to Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic apologizing for the possible wrong interpretation in the public of her talks with the leaders of the Zajedno Coalition, saying that Milutinovic had said no such thing, nor was the matter discussed in their talks on Friday.

Mrs. Rehn in her letter thanks Milutinovic for their constructive meeting and the sincere and open talks they had on January 17,' the statement said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-20 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-19

[02] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS CLAIM THIRD VICTIM IN A MONTH

An ethnic Albanian terrorist organisation calling itself the Liberation Army of Kosovo has claimed responsibility for the crimes, in which Zen Durmisi, 44, died and his son Nazmi, 20, was wounded in their village of Rakitnice in the Srbice commune.

Zen Durmisi was an activist of Serbia's ruling Socialist Party (SPS), who actively supported the party and voted in nov. 17 municipal elections in Serbia, which were boycotted by ethnic Albanian separatists.

Durmisi had friends among the local Serbs, which apparently was his crime for which he was killed by the terrorist, according to the local branch of the SPS.

This was the third ethnic Albanian loyal to the Government to be killed by this secret terrorist organisation in the past month in Kosovo - Metohija, where ethnic Albanians are the majority population. The same organisation has claimed responsibility for the Jan. 9 murder of SPS councillor Malic Seholi in Podujevo and the murder of Faik Belopoj in the village of Besija near Podujevo on Dec. 26.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-20 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-17

[03] SLOW RETURN OF SERBS TO CROATIA

Over half a million Serbs have fled Croatia since the beginning of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, and in April and August alone, in 1995, the Croatian Army expelled approximately 250,000 Serbs from Krajina and Western Slavonia.

UNHCR is not satisfied with the dynamics of return of Serb refugees to their anscestral homes, and is particularly dissatisfied with the small number of Serbs who have been issued permits by the Croatian authorities to return to Krajina.

UNHCR officials have on several occasions expressed their hope that an agreement on the normalization of relations between FR of Yugoslavia and Croatia, signed last year, will facilitate repatriation, but the Croatian authorities are still pursuing the practice of issuing return permits, now and then, only to a small number of Serb refugees.

The practice has been sharply criticized by the international community, and the strongest critical remarks in the last few months have come from the United States whose representative at the International Conference of the Working Group for Humanitarian Issues in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia, held mid-December in Geneva, issued a strongly-worded warning to Zagreb to put an end to the practice of not allowing the return of Serb refugees.

According to UNHCR data, there are still 298,000 Serb refugees from Krajina and Western Slavonia in the FRY, of the total of approximately 600,000 refugees in the territory of the former Yugoslavia.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-20 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-18

[04] HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT OPENS SERBIAN-LANGUAGE SCHOOL IN BUDAPEST

'I am proud to have the opportunity of opening this school which will certainly contribute to the further development of comprehensive cooperation between Hungary and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,' Goencz told the opening ceremony.

After the playing of the national anthems of both countries, Goencz expressed satisfaction that the flags of Hungary and Yugoslavia were flying over the school as a reflection of the political and spiritual changes in the region.

He said that these national symbols show that the Serbs in Hungary live in complete freedom and can proudly show their origins and at the same time feel themselves to be the citizens of Hungary.

Serbian Education Minister Dragoslav Mladenovic underscored the traditionally good cooperation between the two countries and added that Serbia attaches great importance to relations with Hungary.

He said that Serbia, even during the very difficult times, had tried to realize in practice all the rights of the national minorities in keeping with the highest European and world standards.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-20 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-18

[05] ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER SUPPORTS SERBIAN OPPOSITION

Demachi said in an interview to Montenegrin Monitor weekly that the admired the imagination displayed by Belgrade demonstrators.

This, he said, had inspired him to believe that Albanians in Kosovo should take to the streets, as 'this is a way to activate the imaginations of thousands of people, who can then perform miracles,'he said.

Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic would in that event go easier on the Albanians, otherwise he might have to deal with the Hague Tribunal and America, said Demachi.

'Albanians who fear that Milosevic could open a front in Kosovo are cowards, ' he said.

Speaking about his support to Belgrade demonstrators, Demachi said 'Albanians cannot think that what is going on in Serbia is an internal affair, because they are fatefully connected with the Serbian people, and must take part in events in Serbia.'

Expressing enormous interest for the goings-on in Serbia, he said he had backed the protests because he 'recognized at the very beginning that a strong democratic movement was on the rise, overpowering the Zajedno Coalition.'

He said democracy was nonexistent in Serbia since 1878, when the Serbian State was created. Regimes replaced one another, but there was no democracy, said Demachi, and added that the question of Kosovo had not been properly explained.

'Serbians lived, as we did, in an undemocratic regime, in fear, failing to put up resistance and demand the liberation of Albanians,' said Demachi.

'Albanians must not just sit around and wait for (Serbian Renewal Movement leader) Draskovic to give them Kosovo. The world has lent support to the Serbian democratic movement and has a right to make some demands.'

Serbians are obligated to Albanians for their support to the democratic movement in Serbia, and should have more feeling about our rights, said Demachi.

'Albanians must be part of the democratic movement in Serbia, to contribute to it, but also to make demands,' said Demachi, and added that 'by struggling for their rights, Albanians are also struggling for the democratization of Serbia.'

'We cannot wait for Serbia to be democratized first,' said Demachi, continuing, 'and give up on Kosovo, and then say the Serbs are good - they must be induced to it.'

He said the Albanians' minimum demand would be confederation, which he believes is a 'big concession to the Serbian people.'

Demachi is convinced that conditions are ripe for the creation of an independent Kosovo, as Europe and the world are prepared to help.

'The Americans are not in Albania and Macedonia by accident. They have carried out 12 military manoeuvres with Albanians in Albania in a year,' said Demachi and added that nothing was settled in the region and that Serbs should not open a front in Kosovo.

Demachi said he openly negotiated with the Serbian opposition, as he had many friends among the organizers of the demonstrations.

He said he had been to Belgrade four times over the past two months, and wished the Serbian opposition would come to power, and 'be prepared for a democratic solution to the question of Kosovo.'

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-20 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-19

[06] SERBS WARN OF DANGEROUS TENDENCIES IN ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT ORGANS

The representatives in question work on the establishment of the Central Bank and of other joint organs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a manner that is not provided for by the Dayton Agreement and that does not exist anywhere in the world, Krajisnik's office said.

The tendencies are slowing down the establishment of joint functions and the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the statement said.

Krajisnik and Steiner talked about issues that will be on the agenda of the Presidency session, scheduled for Monday in Sarajevo.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-20 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-19

[07] SERBIAN DEPUTY PREMIER SLAMS CITY ELECTION COMMISSION DECISION

'The decision is an expression of usurpation of competency, reached by an organ that has flagrantly usurped powers it has on no grounds at all' said Markovic in an interview to Saturday's edition of Belgrade Politika daily.

The Commission had earlier in the week nullified 45 court rulings, thereby conceding to the opposition 60 seats in the City's Parliament.

Markovic said the decision 'does not have the forms of a legal act,' and added that the Commission had 'simply requalified a judicial act into an administrative one,' turning from a 'controller of the legality of administration, into a controller of the legality of the judiciary.' Markovic said the Commission, a second-degree, supervisory authority, had cancelled a court ruling, which is inconceivable from the legal standpoint, and can only be described as a freak-act, he said.

Markovic said administration can never judge a court, only vice versa.

The Commission has annulled court rulings. Such legal procedure exists only to remove administrative acts that had committed serious offenses, said Markovic.

He said he saw no reason for the turnover of the court ruling.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-20 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-18

[08] PROTEST RALLY IN PRISTINA FOLLOWING TERRORIST ATTACK ON CHANCELLOR

The rally, while strongly condemning the crime, demanded from competent State organs to find out not only the perpetrators, but also their instigators.

Addressing the rally, the Mayor of Pristina Dusan Simic said that the terrorist attack on the Chancellor was an attack on the state of Serbia, in view of the fact that it was precisely on Pristina University where the pernicious influence of Albanian separatists had been checked.

The attack shows, Simic said, that Albanian extremists are ready to use the darkest methods in the intimidation of the Serbian and Montenegrin population in the southern Serbian Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

Simic said that Albanian extremists and separatists, who 'before the international community act as peacemakers, democrats and support opposition demonstrations in Serbia, stand here behind the darkest political terrorism and ethnic cleansing.'

Simic urged the neutralizing of those who daily instigate terrorists to commit murders and whose appearance on the political scene sets off a chain of terrorist actions.

'They enjoy the support of Tirana, from where appetites have risen towards Kosmet. Tirana supports opposition protests in Belgrade, in its desire to weaken Serbia so that Albanian separatists will have an easier job in Kosmet. That is what Adem Demachi is doing. He is sending letters to opposition leaders full of love for the Serbian people, while the crimes in Kosmet, ambushes and booby-traps go unnoticed and without comment,' Simic said.

'Those who are destroying Serbia in Belgrade, those who are killing here Serbs and loyal Albanians are guided by the same foreign hand,' the Mayor of Pristina said. He added that 'their join goal is the dismembering of Serbia.'

The rally ended by a demand to the European and world community to condemn and exert their influence to put a stop to terrorist attacks in Kosmet, as well as by a message that local Serbs and Montegerins will not move from their anscestral lands, but that they wish to live in peace with others who recognize Serbia as their state.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-20 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-19

[09] SPECIAL U.N. RAPPORTEUR SATISFIED WITH YUGOSLAVIA'S ATTITUDE TO REFUGEES

Rehn told a press conference that, based on what she had personally seen and learned in talks with those in authority, she was satisfied with the status of refugees in Yugoslavia.

'I am very dissatisfied and disappointed with the conduct of the Croatian authorities who failed to do enough to enable the return of Serbs, primarily to Krajina, as I stated in a number of my reports,' Rehn said.

Rehn underscored her dissatisfaction with the situation in Eastern Slavonia and said that this region, despite her trust in the Provisional U.N. Administrator General Jacques Klein, should not remain unmonitored.

Speaking about the situation in Serbia's southern Kosovo and Metohija (Kosmet) province, Rehn condemned the latest violence and terrorist acts aimed at Pristina University Chancellor prof. Dr Radovoje Papovic.

The Chancellor and his driver were seriously injured last Thursday when a car-bomb exploded at the moment when their car was passing by.

Commenting the decision of some western Governments to return ethnic Albanians to Kosmet, Rehn expressed concern because these people have no secure conditions for normal life and work. She called on these countries to show more understanding for this problem.

Rehn underscored that 'no kind of violence can be allowed because the interest of the citizens is of primary importance.' she condemned all kinds of violence and mentioned 'cases of harassment of Albanian nationals during arrest' and 'the killing of Serb policemen.'

Asked by the press to comment her talks with Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic, Rehn said that discussed was the situation in Kosmet and the recent elections.

Rehn categorically denied that Milutinovic had told her that the opposition Zajedno Coalition was paying the Belgrade students to take part in demonstrations, as a Zajedno leader said on Saturday.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-01-20 ; Tanjug, 1997-01-19

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