Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-02-13

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] INTERNATIONAL POLICE REPORTS 27 EVICTIONS OF MUSLIMS IN WEST MOSTAR

[02] STANIMIROVIC: KLEIN WILL ASSESS THE SITUATION CAREFULLY

[03] U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE IN BOSNIA

[04] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER SAYS SPECIAL LAW PUTS AN END TO LOCAL CRISIS

[05] MOSTAR DEPUTY MAJOR: FEDERAL PROCESS IS ONLY A FARCE

[01] INTERNATIONAL POLICE REPORTS 27 EVICTIONS OF MUSLIMS IN WEST MOSTAR

Radio Sarajevo quoted the International Police Force as saying that the 27 cases were confirmed but that there was a total of 50 reports on the expulsion of Muslims from the western part of the city.

Police in western Mostar said that a number of Croat drivers had been maltreated in the Muslim-controlled village of Potoci on the Ploce-Sarajevo road.

The situation in Mostar is still tense, although no large-scale incidents were reported over the night and this morning.

Sarajevo media reported on Wednesday that the telephone lines between the eastern, Muslim-held and western, Croat-held parts of the city had been dead since last night.

Sarajevo press commentators on Wednesday accused Croatian mafia and Croat political strongmen in western Mostar of being responsible for the tragic developments in the city.

The International Police Task Force and the Bosnia Stabilisation Force have stepped up control especially on the line of separation between the two parts of the divided city and they have patrolled Mostar since the Monday clash in which one Muslim was killed and 22 others wounded.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-02-13 ; Tanjug, 1997-02-12

[02] STANIMIROVIC: KLEIN WILL ASSESS THE SITUATION CAREFULLY

Referring to the announcement that elections in Croatia would be held on April 13, Stanimirovic said that Serbs in the region also expected Klein to state his views on the issuing of Croatian identity papers to the Serbs as a pre-condition for exercising their electoral rights.

The convening and organizing of elections in the region is under the exclusive competence of UNTAES and its chief Klein, in line with Article 12 of the Erdut Agreement concluded by representatives of local Serbs and Croatian authorities at the end of 1995, Stanimirovic said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-02-13 ; Tanjug, 1997-02-12

[03] U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE IN BOSNIA

Coen said that an example of the decreased U.S. military presence would be the withdrawal of the 8,500 U.S. troops within SFOR from Bosnia by the middle of next year, as planned.

He said that this does not mean that the international force would no longer be needed in Bosnia. He expressed belief that, on the contrary, the presence of the international community mission would be needed there even after SFOR's current mandate expires in june 1998.

Coen said that the decision whether the international troops would remain in Bosnia, would have to be made by the europeans as Bosnia is their affair. 'Europe will have to bear the burden of the expenses and maintaining of the troops or face the consequences,' Coen said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-02-13 ; Tanjug, 1997-02-13

[04] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER SAYS SPECIAL LAW PUTS AN END TO LOCAL CRISIS

The Special Law, passed by Parliament on Tuesday, finalised preliminary results of November 17 municipal election second round in keeping with the findings of a mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Speaker Dragan Tomic told Belgrade state radio that there was no reason to continue protests in Serbian towns and no reason why Belgraders should not return to work and free the city of problems and difficulties caused by the protesters blocking the traffic.

'This has been more than disturbance of the population, this has been violence of a special kind, a threat to the people who think different, there have been slogans and cries that could intimidate any peaceful person, ' Tomic said. The rallies and protests 'must be called by their true name,' he added.

'They have certainly not been peaceful and democratic demonstrations... but, rather, threatening demonstrations,' Tomic said.

'What kind of democracy is it if those who think different are oppressed and threatened,' which was what the opposition coalition "Zajedno" (Together) leaders had been urging during the days of protest, Tomic said.

He stressed that 'however, two-thirds of the people have not responded to this - to the militant calls to arms, to lynch, to take up the cudgels.'

Tomic refuted claims by the opposition press that the Government had been forced to accept the OSCE mission's findings.

'Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic took the view, with which we all agreed, that the municipal elections are essentially less important than relations that we should have with the international community,' Tomic said.

He added that 'President Milosevic and we opted for this solution because we appreciated the gesture of the international community which, in the form of a mission headed by Spain's former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez, made a constructive report.'

The first two points in the report were extremely important, Tomic said, adding that those were 'that elections in Yugoslavia had been democratic and that they had allowed the people to express their will freely.'

'The acceptance of the findings of the mission, which we ourselves had invited, was absolutely a gesture of goodwill towards the international community, and I believe that this is how the international community sees it,' he added.

He said that sanctions in connection with the latest developments had not been demanded by the West, but 'regrettably, by our people representing the coalition "Zajedno", specifically groups that have travelled abroad.'

'This is unprecedented,' Tomic said.

'You will never find in France, or England, or the United States a true patriot, who truly loves his country, going abroad to seek, for political interests and passions, that his country be placed in chains only because he does not happen to be in power,' he added.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-02-13 ; Tanjug, 1997-02-12

[05] MOSTAR DEPUTY MAJOR: FEDERAL PROCESS IS ONLY A FARCE

Unless the international community's promises of three years ago are fulfilled, the tragedy and division of Mostar will be renewed, Orucevic said.

Orucevic said that he would not take part in talks over Mostar with the Croat side until the two sides implemented all that they failed to implement in the last three years and what they agreed to do in the presence of the international mediators.

Orucevic said that he no longer wanted to take part in the farce called the federal process.

He said that the Muslim side could prove that Croat policemen and politicians, who were involved in everything, are responsible for the Monday clash between Croats and Muslims.

Orucevic said he expected that Croat top officials would admit responsibility and find and punish the culprits.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-02-13 ; Tanjug, 1997-02-13

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