Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-04-23

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] MILUTINOVIC MEETS WITH U.N. ADMINISTRATOR KLEIN

[02] SEVENTEEN DAILIES IN SERBIA

[03] MINISTER MILENTIJEVIC: TREMENDOUS POWER AND RESPONSIBILITY OF INFORMATION SECTOR

[04] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION ARRIVES IN GENEVA

[05] STANKOVIC RECEIVES BRITISH DELEGATION

[06] IVKOVIC OPENS BUILDING TRADE SHOW

[01] MILUTINOVIC MEETS WITH U.N. ADMINISTRATOR KLEIN

Milutinovic and Klein reviewed issues concerning difficulties in communication among parts of the Backa Palanka municipality bordering the territory controlled by the U.N. Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES).

They agreed that all should be done to solve, to mutual benefit, the issues that have arisen and that check*points, at the bridge near Ilok and Western Srem, be placed where they used to be in order to make easier the movement of people living in these parts of the municipality and in particular in the villages of Nestin and Vizic.

Milutinovic and Klein discussed also other outstanding issues concerning the implementation of an agreement reached between Croatian authorities and representatives of Serbs living in the region in mid-November 1995, saying it was vital that the agreement be strictly honoured.

Also attending were Serbian M.P. Mihalj Kertes, Serbian Minister for Relations with Serbs living outside Serbia, Radovan Pankov, and local officials in Backa Palanka and Sid.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-23 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-22

[02] SEVENTEEN DAILIES IN SERBIA

"In any case since 1991 there has been an interest when the current Law on the Media was adopted according to which all physical persons and legal entities can publish their papers, of course in accordance with the Law. The procedure of registering the media has been highly simplified. Whether a media will come to the public does not depend on this Ministry but on financial capabilities of the publisher," said Vukoje Lukic, Secretary of the Ministry of Information.

In other words, the number of papers which have been officially registered and never been published is not small, while the others have been closed down not having been duly taken from the Register. According to some estimates, each enterprise used to have its own local paper. Today only 5 per cent of the economically most viable enterprises print local papers while 95 per cent probably is waiting for better days. In the case of physical persons * founders of the papers, according to Mr. Lukic, about 80 per cent of the registered are not published due to enormous financial expenses connected with this activity.

Even if all the mentioned phantom publications which figure in the Register and not among the readers are excluded, the papers have marked an upward trend. The number of only few dailies in Serbia has raised to 17 out of which 14 are of informative and political contents, two are sports papers and one is dealing with economic issues. Although in the broadest public, the distinction is made between the opposition papers and those close to the ruling circles, the data in the Register of the media indicate something else.

In short, the State appears as a founder of five papers, i.e. of "Borba" (its founder is the Federation), "Jedinstvo" from Pristina (its founder is the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia), "Madjar So" and "Dnevnik" (their founder is the Assembly of the Province), and "Narodne Novine" (its founder is the Assembly of the City of Nis). Three papers, i.e. "Politika", "Ekspres" and "Vecernje Novosti" are now stock companies, i.e. share*holding companies, while the founders of the six daily papers : "Nasa Borba", "Blic", "Demokratija", "Dnevni Telegraf", "Bujku" and "Gradjanin" are private enterprises. The editing policies do not seem to depend on the official founder only. Lukic gives an example of "Madjar So" which is founded by the Assembly of the Province, but the name of this paper in the Hungarian language indicates that this paper has a very critical approach towards the policy of the Government.

Among the existing dailies with different political orientations, reader can freely chose the papers that he can trust. Will the future Law on the Media encourage or limit the ambitions of publishers? Mr. Lukic says that there are new regulations but not the obstacles for those who plan to start a new media. For example, one of the new initiatives is that the owner of a paper, i.e. its founder can be financed from abroad, but he is obliged to inform the Republican Ministry thereof which will make a record of it. This fact is not a secret and the Ministry publishes at least once in a year the information on the financing sources of the media (according to the current draft of the proposed Law).

The deadline for entry into Register is reduced from 15 to 7 days. It has been also envisaged that the papers will be deleted from the Register if its publication has not begun within six months from the registration, or if it does not come out in more than six months. According to the Secretary, this will bring more discipline and ensure greater insight into the real situation, since up to now many registered publishers have done nothing but registration.

There is a new obligation to indicate on each copy of the newspapers, i.e. magazine the circulation which will ensure a more balanced distribution of financial commitments towards the State. While some enterprises overstate their real circulation for commercial reasons, the others sell their papers through colporteurs reporting officially a smaller number of copies than the real one, therefore a more discipline is expected in this field. Mr. Lukic says that the real circulation is considerably smaller compared to the situation of few years ago and that "none has great circulation". The founders make profit also through other deals. Great interest in publishing "your own" papers despite all is based mainly in the wish to exert certain political influence in some circles, big or small, no matter the cost.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-23 ; Politika, 1997-04-09

[03] MINISTER MILENTIJEVIC: TREMENDOUS POWER AND RESPONSIBILITY OF INFORMATION SECTOR

During the final session of the public discussion on the second working version of the new Information Law, attended by many media representatives from the Danube district, Milentijevic said the draft, which is to be submitted to Serbian Government in a few days, should reflect the level of democratization reached in Serbia since 1991, when the present Law on Information came into force and when the multi-party system replaced the single party one.

The new law should be a law of consensus, of collective thinking and reaching agreement on the ways of protecting the freedom of the press and of journalism as a profession, Milentijevic said.

The discussion of both working versions has demonstrated the extent of public interest in this important sector, as entire Serbia has joined in, so that the second version is a result of a general exchange of views, she said.

There has been tremendous pressure to protect the freedom of the press, providing full freedom to journalists but protecting at the same time the citizens from false reporting, mud-slinging and unfounded attacks, Milentijevic said.

She said that an Information Board was not conceived as a super-body, but that the Ministry had to monitor the implementation of the law and that the Board should comprise eminent figures who will be in charge of the monitoring. If the public discussion shows that the Board would not be very useful, it will not have to be created, Milentijevic noted.

The media financed from public income and those financed from other sources should have equal rights and obligations, she said. The power of the information sector is tremendous and its responsibility must be equal to that power, Milentijevic said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-23 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-22

[04] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION ARRIVES IN GENEVA

Ivanisevic will explain Yugoslavia's program for a lasting solution of the problem.

In a statement to 'Tanjug' immediately on his arrival in Geneva, Ivanisevic said that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia favoured resolving the issue during a two-year consolidation period and that repatriation was the best option for a definite solution of the refugee problem in line with international documents and the practice in use in similar situations.

Noting that integration in local communities and settlement in third countries were alternative options, Ivanisevic said priority should be given to ensuring the conditions for safe return, permanent settlement and life in safety and dignity of the repatriates.

The Yugoslav delegation will insist on this, as a lasting solution of the refugee problem depends on ensuring the fundamental principles and conditions for their return.

Referring to integration option, Ivanisevic said that taking into account the present economic situation in Yugoslavia, integration would depend on international financial aid and assistance for development programs. Yugoslavia's relations with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other world financial organizations and institutions must also be regulated to this end, he said.

Keeping in mind that any solution would be a process taking some time, and that Yugoslavia still hosts the largest number of refugees in Europe, the Yugoslav delegation will urge the international community to increase humanitarian aid or at least keep it at the present level in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Yugoslav delegation also comprises Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister Miodrag Vukovic and Serbian and Montenegrin Commissioners for Refugees Bratislava Morina and Djordjije Scepanovic.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-23 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-22

[05] STANKOVIC RECEIVES BRITISH DELEGATION

Stankovic informed guests about comprehensive reforms to be undertaken by Serbia in the coming period, especially in the field of the economy and legislation. He pointed especially to the Bills on Ownership Transformation and on Concessions, expected to be passed in the Serbian Parliament in May this year.

Minister Stankovic spoke about the Yugoslav strategy of development of the power industry by the year 2020, with a vision by the year 2050, with investments planned to total 29 billion dollars, of which 9 billion dollars for the oil industry alone.

Stankovic pointed out that conditions had been created to enhance the interest of foreign partners to invest in the modernization of our economy.

The British delegation was also received by Serbian Minister for Economic and Ownership Transformation Milan Beko, the statement said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-23 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-22

[06] IVKOVIC OPENS BUILDING TRADE SHOW

Ivkovic said there were at the Belgrade Fair this year 412 domestic and foreign exhibitors, 112 more that last year.

Noting that the Serbian Government is introducing changes in the social and economic system, Ivkovic said their goal was to create conditions for raising the standard of living. To that end, he said, the Ownership Transformation Act is expected to contribute greatly.

In a number of large firms, the Government will undertake special measures, and the Ministry of Construction will demand that the building industry be included in that package, so that ownership transformation is carried out as soon as possible and the employees become aware that the capital belongs to them, Minister Ivkovic said.

Ivkovic said that the Ministry of Construction had drafted a Bill on Concessions which should create conditions for investments of domestic and foreign capital. He added that the Bill is expected to be passed by the Serbian Parliament at its next sitting.

Ivkovic assessed that the building industry was a very attractive branch for foreign investments, and that the Ministry of Construction had in the past three years introduced a number of legislative changes in that field.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-23 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-22

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