Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-06-19

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] MINISTER MILUTINOVIC DUE IN ITALY

[02] BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT MEETS BILDT AND WESTENDORP

[03] PACE OF YUGOSLAVIA'S RETURN TO WORLD MARKET IS VERY GOOD

[04] BILL ON CUSTOMS TARIFFS

[05] YUGOSLAV - IRAQI COMMITTEE ENDS SESSION

[06] YUGOSLAV MINISTER VISITS CANADA

[01] MINISTER MILUTINOVIC DUE IN ITALY

Tanjug, 1997-06-18

Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic will pay a working visit to Italy on June 19 at the invitation of his Italian counterpart Lamberto Dini.

The Milutinovic-Dini talks, which reflect the continuation of regular contacts, are to deal with major issues concerning the two country's relations and the situation in the region.

[02] BOSNIAN SERB PRESIDENT MEETS BILDT AND WESTENDORP

Tanjug, 1997-06-18

Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic said on Wednesday that the forthcoming doners' conference on Bosnia was vital for the economic recovery of Republika Srpska.

Republika Srpska can not miss the conference, said Plavsic after meeting with outgoing High Representative for Bosnia Carl Bildt and his successor, Spanish diplomat Carlos Westendorp.

She thanked Bildt for his efforts to bring peace to Bosnia, and wished him good luck. She welcomed Westendorp, saying she hoped they would cooperate well.

Bildt thanked Plavsic for her cooperation. He said that the work had had its difficult moments and that many questions were outstanding, but added it had been open and constructive.

Bildt laid stress to the importance of the doners' conference for Republika Srpska in regard with its economic and social problems.

Bildt recalled that Republika Srpska had last year received little aid, due to its official policy, he said, and its failure to attend the last doners' conference. He said he hoped that mistake would not be repeated.

Westendorp said he was enthusiastic about his new task, and said he hoped to enhance cooperation between the High Representative and all the authorities in Bosnia in the next few months, as many problems remain to be settled.

He said he was working hard on preparations for the doners' conference, because he believed Republika Srpska really needed help. He said he hoped the Bosnian Serb authorities would assist in solving problems.

Westendorp said he would adhere to the Dayton peace accord, as there was no other idea as to resolving problems in Bosnia.

[03] PACE OF YUGOSLAVIA'S RETURN TO WORLD MARKET IS VERY GOOD

Tanjug, 1997-06-18

Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic said in a Tanjug panel discussion on Wednesday that the pace of Yugoslavia's return to the world market was very good.

Vukovic said, "Total trade with the world amounted to 2.57 billion dollars over the past five months, with imports going up by 25 percent and exports by as much as 39 percent." He said in that period exports amounted to 862 million dollars and imports to 1.70 billion dollars.

He said foreign trade deficit had been reduced from the last year's 54.5 percent to 49.6 percent. This especially refers to trade with member states of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in which case deficit has been reduced from the last year's 69.2 percent to 55.2 percent.

He said that, in the January-May period, Yugoslavia's imports to the OECD member states was 71 percent up on the last year, saying this was the highest increase in imports registered.

"The positive thing is that imports of consumer goods accounted for only 19 percent of the country's total imports, while raw materials accounted for 69 percent and capital equipment for 12 percent," he said.

"After quite a number of years we have managed to achieve imports structure that makes possible the stepping up of production," he said.

Vukovic said this success is even more significant in the light of the fact that the Yugoslav economy was recovering from U.N. sanctions and that the country was following the policy of stabilisation and restructuring of the economy.

Moreover, the fact that an average increase in world trade amounts to about 5 percent as well as that competition on the world market is fierce and that protection mechanisms are being increasingly applied should also be taken into account, he said.

He also said that foreign trade balance could not be improved by reducing imports, saying the country's imports had to go up because it had to import raw materials and semi-manufactures, spare parts and equipment for its industry. The only solution is a more dynamic increase in exports than in imports, he said.

[04] BILL ON CUSTOMS TARIFFS

Tanjug, 1997-06-18

The Yugoslav Government has submitted to Parliament a Bill on customs tariffs, which represents the basic long-term instrument for protecting domestic goods.

The Bill coordinates customs tariffs with changes in the International Convention on the harmonised system of names and coded signs for goods, which has been signed and ratified by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY).

In the proposed customs tariffs, at the demand of the domestic economy, have been incorporated new positions. In determining customs rates the starting point was the principle that customs have to be paid for all imported goods. From import taxes are exempted only products which the FRY has consolidated at the "free" level, in previous negotiations within the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) or are of special importance for the needs of the domestic economy.

For raw materials and semi-finished goods which are not produced in the FRY the proposed import tax is 1 percent, and for those produced in insufficient quantities import taxes, depending on the kind of products, is from 6 to 12 percent.

Under the proposal, for raw materials, semi-finished goods and spare parts produced in the FRY in sufficient quantities, the proposed customs rate is from 13 to 21 percent.

A customs rate of 21-30 percent is proposed for equipment produced in the country. For equipment not produced in the FRY, a lower customs rate is proposed, in the range from 1 to 15 percent.

For consumption goods the Bill on customs tariffs, which is to take effect on August 1 this year, will represent the basis for making concession lists, to be proposed by the FRY when admitted to the World Trade Organisation, the Government said.

[05] YUGOSLAV - IRAQI COMMITTEE ENDS SESSION

Tanjug, 1997-06-18

A session of the Yugoslav-Iraqi Committee ended on Wednesday as Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic and Iraqi Trade Minister Mohammed Mahdi Saleh, who co-chair the Committee, signed a Protocol.

The Committee discussed ways of cooperation within the U.N. Food for Oil programme allowing Iraq to export oil to buy food and medicine, a statement Issued by the Yugoslav Information Secretariat said.

The Committee also discussed ways of cooperation once the U.N. sanctions against Iraq have been lifted.

[06] YUGOSLAV MINISTER VISITS CANADA

Tanjug, 1997-06-18

Yugoslav Minister Zoran Bingulac met on Wednesday at the Canadian Foreign Ministry the Director of the Political Department for southern Europe J. M. Vidricaire, the Yugoslav Information Secretariat said in a statement.

They discussed the promotion of bilateral relations, the prospects for concluding inter-state agreements and the development of economic cooperation, the statement said.

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