Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-05-07

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] US OPPOSES PARALLEL POLL IN KOSOVO

[02] FACILITIES FOR EU MARKET

[03] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER RECEIVES EUROFIMA GENERAL DIRECTOR

[04] YUGOSLAV-MACEDONIAN COMMISSION HOLDS SESSION

[05] REHN ON RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

[06] PRESIDENT BULATOVIC MEETS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR REHN

[07] KONTIC MEETS WITH UN UNDERSECRETARY MILLET

[01] US OPPOSES PARALLEL POLL IN KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1997-05-06

A US diplomat in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was quoted on Tuesday as saying that the United States was against ethnic Albanians holding a parallel parliamentary election in Serbia's Kosovo-Metohija province.

Agence France Presse quotes US Charge d'Affaires Richard Miles as saying the US administration had never supported the idea of a parallel election for a parallel ethnic Albanian parliament that would be outside the institutions of the Yugoslav Republic of Serbia.

Miles was speaking in Kosovo-Metohija's main city of Pristina after meeting with Ibrahim Rugova, leader of the ethnic Albanian Democratic Alliance of Kosovo.

The US Associated Press news agency said that Miles had put Kosovo- Metohija's ethnic Albanians on notice not to hold such an election.

[02] FACILITIES FOR EU MARKET

Tanjug, 1997-05-06

Montenegrin Trade Minister Branko Perovic told Tanjug Tuesday that after the lifting of duties for our goods on the EU market, Montenegro expects its exports to grow.

The restoring of the preferential trade treatment is of exceptional importance for the Montenegrin economy, as the greatest part of its foreign trade in the period from before the introduction of sanctions was carried out with EU countries, and that was the case also last year, in the first place with Italy, Perovic said.

Montenegro expects trade facilities to be reflected best on textile exports, meat and wood, but also on other goods.

According to our estimates, Perovic said, thanks to the normalization of relations with the EU, Montenegro will start reducing its trade deficit and the total volume of trade this year is expected to exceed 500 million dollars, which correspond to the level realized in 1990.

[03] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER RECEIVES EUROFIMA GENERAL DIRECTOR

Tanjug, 1997-05-06

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic received Tuesday Director General of Eurofima, the European company for the financing of railway rolling stock, Heinz Weber, a Government statement said.

Kontic thanked Eurofima for the understanding shown and the aid provided for the Yugoslav railways in the period of the implementation of international sanctions.

He said Yugoslavia was a co-founder of Eurofima which had invested about 2 billion Swiss francs in the development of the Yugoslav railways over the past 50 years, of which 50 percent in Serbia and Montenegro.

Prime Minister Kontic said the shortest railway and road link between central and western Europe, on one side, and the Far East, on the other, was via Yugoslavia, and it was, therefore, impossible to discuss the development of rational transportation in Europe without Yugoslavia's participation.

He said he was convinced that Yugoslavia would participate as an equal in a forthcoming European transportation conference.

Eurofima General Director Weber said he had an opportunity to see for himself the state of the Yugoslav railway rolling stock, and expressed hope that the Eurofima board of managers would at its first coming session approve a credit for the improvement of the Yugoslav railway rolling stock for the coming tourist season.

He said he hoped Eurofima would by the end of the year approve also other credits for the recovery and modernization of the Yugoslav railways, the Government statement said.

[04] YUGOSLAV-MACEDONIAN COMMISSION HOLDS SESSION

Tanjug, 1997-05-06

The joint Yugoslav-Macedonian diplomatic-expert commission for determining and delineating the border will hold its third session in Belgrade on May 6- 8, the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The commission should prepare a draft international agreement on the determination of the state border, which will be signed by the Yugoslav and Macedonian Governments.

The commission meets alternately in Belgrade and Skopje.

[05] REHN ON RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Tanjug, 1997-05-06

Elisabeth Rehn said Tuesday in Podgorica that Montenegro had the best record in the region of the former Yugoslavia as regards the respect of human rights.

At a press conference, Rehn substantiated her statement by comparing the human rights situation in Montenegro with that in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.

Persecution for ethnic reasons continues in Bosnia, where the freedom of movement and the right of refugees to return to their homes have not been ensured, Rehn said. As regards Croatia, Rehn said she was particularly dissatisfied and concerned with the situation of the serbs remaining in Krajina and Western Slavonia, and with the hindering of the return of refugees to those areas.

Rehn expressed appreciation of Montenegro's and Yugoslavia's endeavors for the respect of human rights and freedoms, but noted that western standards had not yet been reached and that efforts must be exerted to this end.

She described the bill on the control of the activities of the State Security Service expected to be passed by the Montenegrin Parliament in mid- May as an encouraging and exemplary step to this effect.

Rehn pointed to the important role of the press and journalists in the democratization process and the promotion of human rights and freedoms, and welcomed the endeavors and results achieved by Yugoslav media in this regard.

[06] PRESIDENT BULATOVIC MEETS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR REHN

Tanjug, 1997-05-06

Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic received Tuesday in Podgorica the UN Special Human Rights Rapporteur Elisabeth Rehn.

The meeting focused on the human rights situation in Montenegro and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in general.

The issue of the exercise and respect of human rights and freedoms is a major problem in countries undergoing transition, Bulatovic said.

As these countries pursue their endeavors for the establishment of the rule of law, the protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms will gradually be ensured, as countries undergoing transition no longer face only the problem of regulating the human rights issue, they also must strive to enforce such regulations, Bulatovic said.

Such problems exist also in Yugoslavia, including Montenegro, and resolving them will be the priority task of the state, Bulatovic said.

Another priority will be ensuring a much higher degree of openness and democratic control of activities of state bodies, the President said.

Endeavors are constantly being made in Montenegro to this end, Bulatovic said, pointing to the special role of the Republican Committee for the Protection of Rights of Minorities and Ethnic Groups, and to the bill on the control of the activities of the State Security Service which is expected to be passed by the Montenegrin Parliament in mid-May.

Bulatovic informed Rehn of the plans for a more efficient protection of rights in economic and social fields, aimed at accelerating privatization and ensuring its quality while preserving social justice and safety of the citizens.

Rehn was also received by Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic.

[07] KONTIC MEETS WITH UN UNDERSECRETARY MILLET

Tanjug, 1997-05-06

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic received Tuesday UN Undersecretary for peace-keeping operations Bernard Millet, who arrived on a visit to Yugoslavia Monday.

The talks, the Yugoslav Secretariat of Information said, pointed to the high degree of cooperation achieved so far and the role and contribution of Yugoslavia for strengthening peace and stability in the region.

Valuing highly the importance of UN peace missions for obtaining and preserving peace in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, Kontic recalled the numerous remarks to official UN reports on human rights in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Pointing out that our country will continue to extend full support to peace- keeping missions for peace and stability in the region, Kontic stressed the need for participation on an equal footing of the Yugoslav side in the realization of peace missions, and in drafting reports on human and minority rights in the FRY.

The biggest contribution to peace and stability in the region, to developing democracy in Yugoslavia, and at the same time to the realization of human rights, would be the return of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the UN, as well as other international institutions and organizations.

Special attention was devoted at the talks to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija (Kosmet). Kontic expressed the readiness of Yugoslavia for talks in realizing the minority rights of ethnic Albanians, at the level of world standards in the field, stressing that the FRY cannot and will not accept the internationalization of the Kosmet problem, because those issues are exclusively an internal affair of Serbia, or Yugoslavia.

In that respect, our country will consistently pursue the policy of peace, equality, goodneighbourliness, regional integrations and cooperation at all levels, the statement said.

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