Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-04-08

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] FIRST SERBIAN ROMANY AND SERBIAN PAPER HITS NEWSSTANDS

[02] SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTER MEETS WITH RADIO BELGRADE JOURNALISTS

[03] JORDANIAN MINISTER RECEIVES YUGOSLAV DELEGATION

[04] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT WILL SET UP COUNCIL FOR REFORMS

[05] YUGOSLAV MINISTER RECEIVES ROMANIAN AMBASSADOR

[06] MINISTER SEDLAK: SERBIA WILL SECURE EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL

[07] GERMAN SOCIALISTS MEET WITH SERBIA'S SOCIALIST PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUPING

[08] MONTENEGRIN PREMIER TO VISIT SLOVAKIA

[09] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION DUE IN SEOUL

[10] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT RECEIVES ITALIAN AMBASSADOR TO YUGOSLAVIA

[01] FIRST SERBIAN ROMANY AND SERBIAN PAPER HITS NEWSSTANDS

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-08 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-07

[02] SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTER MEETS WITH RADIO BELGRADE JOURNALISTS

Milentijevic regretted that not all opposition parliamentary parties had taken part in the Panel discussion held in the Serbian Parliament. She said they had missed the opportunity of presenting their 'constructive objections' to entire Serbia, which she said was to their disadvantage as well as the disadvantage of all citizens.

She said the final version of the draft law was to be completed in about two weeks. Once reviewed by the Serbian Government, the draft will be submitted to the Serbian Parliament which is to adopt it by the end of its Spring session, she said.

She also said issues concerning Serbian Radio and Television and the distribution of frequencies were to be regulated by the end of the year, saying as many as 186 radio stations and 72 television stations in Serbia operated at this point without necessary permits.

Asked to comment on Serbian Radio and Television programmes and criticism directed at them, Milentijevic said the criticism was for the largest part groundless. She said that State television should be in the service of the public and in the interest of citizens, and that Serbian Radio and Television was successful in all its aspects.

Asked how the Serbian Information Ministry and the Government could protect journalists from political arbitrariness in towns where the opposition coalition 'Zajedno' had won local polls, Milentijevic said that this was a big problem and that organisations in that line of business should inform the world about the non-democratic attitude of the coalition 'Zajedno'.

She said by treating journalists that way, 'Zajedno' had done itself irreparable harm because such an attitude was contrary to its efforts to present itself as a democratic political organisation in the world.

The responsibility was stressed of both state and opposition media for all public statements they made. The journalists backed the freedom of the press, urging that the principle of professional, timely and integral reporting be adopted and that the profession would soon adopt a code of conduct.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-08 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-07

[03] JORDANIAN MINISTER RECEIVES YUGOSLAV DELEGATION

Kourdi and Velickovic discussed the possibility of the promotion of cooperation in the field of medicine and pharmacy. Both sides attached special attention to medical rehabilitation and its development in Jordan.

Kourdi showed great interest in learning about the Yugoslav medical practice and using the Yugoslav experience in Jordan. They also discussed specialist training of the Jordanian medical staff in Yugoslavia.

The Jordanian Ministry of Health will soon send its experts to Yugoslavia in order to get acquainted with the Yugoslav system and possibilities in this field.

Kourdi accepted Velickovic's invitation to visit Yugoslavia soon.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-08 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-07

[04] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT WILL SET UP COUNCIL FOR REFORMS

Informing the press about the activities the Federal Government will take for the implementation of the program of economic reforms, Djunic set out that the Government's goal was a reform of the country's overall economic system. The Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister ruled out the possibility of 'any partial steps and cosmetic changes,' and stressed that comprehensive reforms would be pursued.

'The process of reforms does not mean the building of a new system, but the further development and improvement of the existing one, with the long-term goal being the creation and sustaining of a transparent institutional framework, one compatible with the European Union and open to market economy,' Djunic told the news conference.

He said one of the short-term goals would be to secure by the end of the year the basic systemic conditions for stepped-up economic development and a 'green light' from international financial institutions.

'The reforms are to shift the focus of activities from the economic policy to the economic system, with a view to introducing greater order and a higher degree of market rules in the country's economy,' the Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister said.

He observed that the monetary policy would not allow any issue of money without coverage, that steps would be taken to narrow the differences between credit and debit rates, and that the autonomy of the National Bank of Yugoslavia would continue to be backed.

Djunic set out that the basic goals in foreign economic relations would be to adjust foreign trade regulations to the requirements of the World Trade Organization, further to liberalize foreign-trade activities, taking care to protect the national economy, and to create conditions for the influx of foreign capital.

The Federal Deputy Prime Minister told the press that the importance the Government attaches to relations with international financial institutions was reflected in the introduction of a separate Ministry, whose activities would be directed to securing Yugoslavia's quick return to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other international financial organizations.

The fiscal policy will put accent on the introduction of the value added tax as of January 1, 1998, a further harmonization of the fiscal system at the Federal level, cuts in public spending, the lowering of the tax base and enlarging of the list of tax payers.

The key element of the development policy will be the defining of a development strategy, based on a market-oriented economy, including for each individual branch of the industry. The Yugoslav Government will back privatization as a key instrument of market transformation, structural adjustment of enterprises, and a partial solution of the problems of internal and external debts. The Government will particularly insist on the development of the financial and labour markets, and a reform and recovery of the banking system.

Djunic said the reforms would be coupled with a social program.

The Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister told the news conference that Yugoslavia would seek foreign technical, logistics and financial assistance and hoped that it would get a positive response since it was resolved to carry out the reforms. Djunic said foreign financial assistance was above all needed for the implementation of the social program, and noted that the issue would be taken up with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank at the first opportunity.

He set out that the Federal Government had set up a Working Group to propose a solution for the issue of the so-called 'old,' blocked foreign- currency savings accounts. Djunic said he, himself, believed that the forthcoming privatization could be an instrument for the resolution of the issue, since he explained foreign-currency deposits had been invested in social capital and could therefore be partly recovered through privatization.

Asked to what extent would Yugoslav reforms reflect the experiences of other countries, the official said Yugoslavia would not invent anything new or original and would especially bear in mind the experiences of former Yugoslav republics, since they used to have the same systemic institutions and, among other things, also the problem of the 'old' foreign-currency savings accounts.

Asked about the high foreign-trade deficit, Djunic underscored that the issue could not be resolved through imports restrictions but only through higher exports, a higher social product, higher earnings from services, and a higher influx of foreign capital.

Answering a question about whether the reforms could succeed without foreign capital, the Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister said the reform process should not be linked strictly to foreign assistance and foreign investments, but noted that foreign financial assistance would greatly facilitate the process.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-08 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-07

[05] YUGOSLAV MINISTER RECEIVES ROMANIAN AMBASSADOR

The two parties discussed economic cooperation, focusing on a recently signed Program on industrial cooperation, in particular the implementation of a contract for the delivery of bauxite to Romania.

Preparations for a Protocol on cooperation in public works and construction will soon begin, and the signing of a Convention on Djerdap, revitalizing and expanding the hydroelectric power plant's capacities.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-08 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-07

[06] MINISTER SEDLAK: SERBIA WILL SECURE EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL

A Serbian Government statement quoted Sedlak as saying that 'throughout the history, Romanies have shared the fate of the Serbian people and been loyal citizens of this state, and deserve a better organised help and support for improving their social position and status.'

Sedlak said the Government was ready to take more active action to solve the basic problems concerning the social organisation, education, information and culture of the Romanies.

He said that no country in the world gave so much attention to the position and rights of the Romanies as Serbia and its parent Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The Romany delegation informed Sedlak about topical questions of their life and work. They stressed the need for an adequate solution of the problem of education of Romany children, as a basic prerequisite for their swifter and more complete social adaptation and integration in modern civilisational processes.

They thanked the Serbian Government and Minister Sedlak for their efforts to regulate the status of the Serbian Radio and Television programmes in the Romany language.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-08 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-07

[07] GERMAN SOCIALISTS MEET WITH SERBIA'S SOCIALIST PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUPING

Welcoming the delegation, Deputy Chief of the SPS grouping Ivica Dacic said the SPS, which he said had some 500,000 members, was the biggest party in Serbia and Yugoslavia. He said that, in coalition with the Yugoslav Left and the New Democracy party, the SPS held the majority seats in the Yugoslav Parliament Lower House.

Dacic said the SPS was a modern leftist party that based its programme on the programme of the Socialist International although it was not its member. 'The programme of the Socialist Party of Serbia gives priority to overall social reforms,' Dacic said stressing that the programme was based on a multi-party system, parliamentary democracy, national equality and market economy.

He said Germany had been Yugoslavia's major economic partner for years, saying last year, trade between the two countries amounted to 1 billion German marks.

Speaking of some states' attitude towards Yugoslavia, Dacic said it was everybody's right to show sympathy for or antipathy to political parties in Yugoslavia but said the fact that this often took the form of interference in the country's internal affairs was impermissible.

'Open support for a party in elections has no bearing on the electorate and therefore big countries in Europe and elsewhere in the world should stop behaving that way,' he said.

He said that, this year, parliamentary and presidential elections would be held in Serbia as well as presidential elections in Yugoslavia. He said no personal decisions had been taken in connection with new Yugoslav President but said all decisions would be in keeping with the interests of Serbia and Montenegro.

Commenting on Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo and Metohija, Dacic said the issue was not that ethnic Albanians were denied their rights and freedoms but that they refused to exercise them. Ethnic Albanian leaders in the Province have separatist goals, he said.

'Talks on the exercising of rights and the scope of rights and freedoms in Kosovo and Metohija are necessary but they should be held in our country with the full respect of the country's territorial integrity and should not be internationalised,' he said adding that this was the reason why SPS officials had refused to attend talks with ethnic Albanian leaders in New York.

Dacic said Kosovo and Metohija was an example of the world community's tendency to apply double standards because it opposed ethnic cleansing in all other parts of the world, disregarding at the same time what was happening in the Province where Serbs, once the majority population there, accounted for about 20% of its population at this point.

Chief of the PDS parliamentary grouping Gregor Gysi said the two parties had maintained the dialogue regardless of differences in their views. He said the PDS held 30 seats in the 670-seat German Parliament and was one of the rare parliamentary groupings that included independent deputies.

The two parties' officials discussed also Yugoslavia's speedy reintegration into world financial organisations and institutions, the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords, and issues concerning the repatriation of refugees and the visa regime between the two countries.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-08 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-07

[08] MONTENEGRIN PREMIER TO VISIT SLOVAKIA

The two Prime Ministers will discuss bilateral cooperation in the economic and other fields, and an Agreement on the founding of a joint company to build a water supply network in the Montenegrin coastal area is expected to be signed during the visit in line with the approval given by the Montenegrin Government.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-08 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-07

[09] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION DUE IN SEOUL

The delegation includes also Miodrag Koprivica, member of the Lower House Foreign Relations Committee, and Yugoslav Parliament Secretary-General Milisav Milenkovic who will take part in the work of the Association of Secretaries-General of Parliaments throughout the world, the Yugoslav Parliament said in a statement.

The several-day conference will deal with the political, economic and social situation in the world, cooperation in ensuring regional and international security and stability, respect of all forms of sovereignty and independence of states, measures for bringing consumer and production structures into accord with the environment, and other international issues, the statement said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-08 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-07

[10] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT RECEIVES ITALIAN AMBASSADOR TO YUGOSLAVIA

Bulatovic and the Italian diplomats discussed the current political situation in the Balkans and in particular Albania, describing the situation in that country as one of deep internal disruption and stressing that its normalisation would not be easy, said a statement issued by the Presidential Office.

They also discussed issues concerning the deployment of a Multinational Force to Albania.

Bulatovic and Bascone praised the development of Yugoslav-Italian relations, saying the scope and dynamics of cooperation between Montenegro and Italy, which were on a steady upturn, reflected the two countries' interest in promoting goodneighbourly relations and all-round cooperation, the statement said.

Bascone and Mistreta met also with Montenegrin Premier Milo Djukanovic. They thanked Djukanovic and the Montenegrin Government for creating conditions for the opening of Italy's Consulate General in Bar and the assistance offered in evacuating the wounded from Albania.

Bascone informed Djukanovic about the work of the Consulate General, stressing that it could already issue visas to businessmen and that it would soon start issuing visas to tourists.

The Consulate General will soon start mediating the promotion of economic, cultural and other cooperation between Montenegro and Italy which is in the mutual interest.

Djukanovic said economic cooperation between Italy and Montenegro had already led to joint production in the sphere of leather and footwear industry, saying prospects existed for cooperation in spheres that were vital for Montenegro like tourism, food production and infrastructure.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-08 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-07

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