Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-10-28

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR TO FINLAND PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

[02] FRY DELEGATION IS COOPERATIVE

[03] YUGOSLAVIA, LONDON CLUB END NEW YORK ROUND OF TALKS

[04] CYPRIOT MINISTER: YUGOSLAVIA, CYPRUS HAVE TRADITIONAL GOOD RELATIONS

[05] YUGOSLAV ECONOMIC DELEGATION VISITS EGYPT

[06] YUGOSLAV MEDICAL EXPERTS VISIT JORDAN

[07] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE -DANUBE - RIVER OF COOPERATION- CLOSES

[08] REHN VISITS KOSOVO

[09] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT PLANS MEASURES TO BOOST INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT

[10] MONTENEGRO'S DPS AND BULATOVIC COMPLAIN TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

[11] YUGOSLAVIA AND E.U. DISCUSS COOPERATION

[12] MINISTER MILENTIJEVIC RECEIVED AMBASSADOR WURT

[13] PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO MINISTER MILUTINOVIC NOMINATED FOR SERBIAN PRESIDENT

[01] YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR TO FINLAND PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

Tanjug, 1997-10-24

The newly-appointed, extraordinary and plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to Finland Dusan Crnogorcevic on Friday presented his credentials to President Martti Ahtisaari, the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry said. After the official act, President Ahtisaari asked Ambassador Crnogorcevic to stay for a brief and friendly talk. Crnogorcegvic informed Ahtisaari about the current situation in Yugoslavia and the country's basic foreign policy priorities, in which Finland, as a member of the European Union, has an important place. President Ahtisaari underscored that it was necessary speedily to overcome the difficulties in the region and cement the peace process. He expressed Finland's readiness to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with Yugoslavia in all areas, the statement said.

[02] FRY DELEGATION IS COOPERATIVE

Tanjug, 1997-10-26

The Head of the Yugoslav delegation in the Group for Succession, Academician Kosta Mihajlovic, has described as "groundless and unjustified" the recent claims by State Department Deputy Spokesman James Foley, that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is the main obstacle to speeding up the talks on the resolution of the succession issues. Mihajlovic told Tanjug that the Yugoslav delegation acted in keeping with the agreement that all issues should be resolved within the Group and, in this sense, has made numerous suggestions and proposals. Tanjug asked Mihajlovic to comment more precisely Foley's statement made on Sept. 29, 1997 that the U.S. government decisively rejects claims by FRY that it is the sole successor of the former Yugoslavia. In keeping with international common law, the United States believes that all five states are equally the successors of the former Yugoslavia and that the international community joins it in this belief", Foley said.

"This most important part of the statement is brief and this is why the assessments made should be based on reliable information and be precisely defined. Unfortunately, it is not quite so," Mihajlovic said.

"It is true that FRY believes it is realizing the political and legal continuity of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ). Since practice of countries and authoritative interpreters of international law have different stands towards this continuity, this question remains open. The Yugoslav side urges the resolution of this issue in one of the numerous possible pragmatic ways."

Regarding Foley's claims that the Yugoslav side considers itself the sole successor, I must say that this is totally untrue. Never and nowhere has any representative of FRY made this claim. If it is true that FRY, by insisting on the continuity, considers itself the predecessor country, then it would contradict itself by claiming to be the successor country because, it is well known that no-one can inherit oneself. Since FRY does not consider itself the inheritor of SFRJ, thus the possibility for it being the sole inheritor is excluded," Mihajlovic said.

"The Yugoslav delegation has never linked and included in the talks on the division of state property the question of state identity and subjectivity. Moreover, the Yugoslav delegation has said numerous times, and this has been publicized and explained, that the talks on the so-called succession as an economic issue should and must be separated from political and legal questions to facilitate and speed up the succession talks and to bear in mind the interests of all participants in the talks.

On the other hand, the other participants, and now the State Department Deputy Spokesman, are merging all talks and including political and legal issues which is objectively making more difficult and postponing the reaching of an agreement. FRY's insistence on political and legal continuity has no effect on the distribution of state property. If continuity as a political issue is separated from the division of state property and resolved in the adequate quarters, all five interested parties would neither profit nor lose in the division," Mihajlovic set out. Mihajlovic said that "the separation of the political and legal continuity creates a basis for more efficient work in the division of state property. A just division requires that it is both the guiding idea of the talks, but also the basis of the entire agreement.

The principle of a just division, which implies the elimination of the groundless acquisition of wealth, was accepted by all delegations from the very beginning of the talks and it is understandable that it has been included in the latest version of the Sir Arthur Watts' Memorandum.

However, it is surprising that the Yugoslav delegation was the only one to consistently urge that this principle remains in it and serve as a basis for the division. Foley's claims that the Yugoslav side is causing the biggest problems in the talks is groundless and unjustified. Criticized is the only side to come up with a draft agreement on a just basis and which, irrespective of that proposal, expressed readiness to accept all other just proposals. The Yugoslav side was the only one to make concessions and attempts to join the negotiation process although it is aware that this requires unavoidable concessions to reach a mutual agreement. Such conduct failed to stimulate the states which gained independence to enter real negotiations with all the possibilities and obligations thereof - accepted by all sides as the only reasonable and possible way for reaching an agreement.

Asked by Tanjug to comment the dissatisfaction expressed in the State Department statement with the slow progress in the Group for Succession, whether this is justified and if so which he considers are the main obstacles to faster work on the succession, Mihajlovic said:

"There are grounds for this dissatisfaction, but the lump statement that FRY is the main obstacle to stepping up negotiations, shows that Foley is insufficiently informed about the real reasons of this slow progress. From the very start of the work of the Group for Succession, the Yugoslav delegation insisted that the first step and necessary conditions for its more efficient work are the identification of the state property of SFRJ, which is the subject of the division.

This issue is of fundamental importance because SFRJ had the as yet unknown category of social property from which the state property had to be derived. It took four years and the appointment of Sir Arthur Watts as special mediator, for this stand of the Yugoslav delegation to be accepted with understanding. There is no dilemma who obstructed this identification over these four years, thus practically blocking all work. It was the four states which gained independence and which over the past year and a half failed to show readiness for the determining of criteria and the completion of the identification of state property. Instead of cooperating on this major issue, they constantly demand partial concessions form FRY in the expectation that their unjustified demands will be rejected so that they could use this as proof of Yugoslavia's uncooperativeness before the international community.

[03] YUGOSLAVIA, LONDON CLUB END NEW YORK ROUND OF TALKS

Tanjug, 1997-10-24

A Yugoslav Government delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Danko Djunic, has ended in New York the latest round of talks with representatives of the London Club of creditors.

The talks between the Yugoslav Government and the London Club started in May this year, when the two sides agreed that the sum to be repaid by the Yugoslav Government be in keeping with its possibilities. The London Club has had no objections so far to the figures presented by the Yugoslav Government about the state of the national economy and finances.

[04] CYPRIOT MINISTER: YUGOSLAVIA, CYPRUS HAVE TRADITIONAL GOOD RELATIONS

Tanjug, 1997-10-24

Yugoslavia and Cyprus have excellent relations, which stem from common values, beliefs and principles, Cypriot Foreign Minister Yoannis Casoulides has told the latest issue of the Belgrade weekly Medjunarodna Politika. Casoulides said that the two countries had developed close relations for years, which led to friendship, understanding and cooperation, both in bilateral and multilateral level.

We highly appreciate the fact that Yugoslavia has proved to be Cyprus's faithful friend during and after the Turkish invasion, strongly supporting our efforts to change the consequences of the aggression and reach a just solution to the problem, Casoulides said. Yugoslavia and Cyprus created the basis for their relations in the past through the signing of a large number of agreements with the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, which are still in force with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, while various new agreements are being reviewed and a number of important ones are already about to be concluded, he said. The lifting of the sanctions normalised conditions for a new era of cooperation between the two countries, Casoulides said. Speaking about possibilities for the promotion of peace and cooperation in the Balkans and Mediterranean, Casoulides said that peace could be promoted primarily if the sides are bound by international law and agreements and the agreements they sign. The observation of the principle of inviolability of borders and the states' territorial integrity, minority rights, good neighbourly relations and peaceful settlements of conflicts are vitally important for the consolidation of security and stability and promotion of cooperation in the Balkans and the Mediterranean, he said. Casoulides said that Cyprus believed that there should not be unilateral attempts at renegotiating agreements in the Middle East, the Balkans and other unstable regions. In this view, the full and undivided attention should be paid to the implementation of the Dayton/Paris agreement on Bosnia, he said. Casoulides especially urged a speedy reintegration of Yugoslavia in the international community and the consolidation and strengthening of security and stability in this region. He said that a further liberalisation of the Balkan countries' economies represented the second component of stability in the region. Casoulides said that stability in the Balkans could be improved through regional cooperation. In this context he quoted the initiative for pan-Balkan cooperation, a E.U. initiative and the U.S. initiative for cooperation in southeastern Europe.

[05] YUGOSLAV ECONOMIC DELEGATION VISITS EGYPT

Tanjug, 1997-10-24

Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Youssef Amin Wali discussed late Thursday with Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce President Mihajlo Milojevic the promotion of cooperation between the two countries in the domain of agriculture. Minister Wali invited Yugoslav agriculture experts to visit Egypt to discuss concrete projects of cooperation in agriculture and land improvement. Milojevic, who heads a delegation of Yugoslav businessmen on a visit to Egypt, voiced the Yugoslav side's satisfaction with the development of economic cooperation with friendly Egypt and with the readiness of the Egyptian side to send a delegation of experts to Yugoslavia to establish possible areas of cooperation.

[06] YUGOSLAV MEDICAL EXPERTS VISIT JORDAN

Tanjug, 1997-10-26

Jordanian Health Minister Ashraf Kurdi has received an expert group of the Yugoslav Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Policy during their several- day working visit to Jordan. The Yugoslav delegation includes experts in medical rehabilitation and physiotherapy and experts in construction of medical centres. The delegation toured a number of health care institutions in Jordan and several prospective building sites. During Kurdi's recent visit to Yugoslavia, a Yugoslav-Jordanian agreement on medical cooperation has been signed. Kurdi said that Jordan wanted to extensively implement Yugoslav experiences in the domain of health care. The Yugoslav delegation also discussed with its hosts prospects of training Jordanian medical workers in Yugoslavia and treating Jordanian patients in Yugoslav medical institutions.

[07] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE -DANUBE - RIVER OF COOPERATION- CLOSES

Tanjug, 1997-10-26

The international conference "Danube - River of Cooperation" closed in Belgrade Sunday by adopting a joint declaration. The document contains seven recommendations for the continuation of cooperation and a coordinated approach to the development of the region, modernization and development of regional economy, protection, promotion and development of trade on the Danube via the Rhone-Main link for the promotion of economic integration from the Black to the North seas.

Recommended were also more radical economic and social reforms in the eastern part of the region, the creating of a "new program for European revival", direct investment of capital from developed countries in Central and East European countries, and the promotion of cooperation between the communities and cities of the Danube basin region. The two-day conference was attended by experts from Yugoslavia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Greece and other countries.

The meeting discussed joint problems and possibilities for promoting cooperation between the Danube basin countries in the sphere of science, economy, culture and the environment. In economic and ecology issues stressed were the possibilities for promoting regional cooperation between countries in the transition and joint ventures in developed countries.

[08] REHN VISITS KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

U.N. Human Rights Rapporteur Elisabeth Rehn, and associates, conferred on Thursday with Kosovo district Deputy Chief Veljko Odalovic and Kosovo and Metohija Information Secretary Bosko Drobnjak, said a statement by the Information Secretariat of Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

At the beginning of the talks, Rehn pointed out that once again the purpose of her visit was to become more closely acquainted with the realization of human rights in this Province and the protests by students of the Albanian national minority set for October 29.

Both sides agreed that problems cannot be resolved with violence, but through dialogue which would lead to a compromise. Along these lines, it was heard that the Group 3+3 should find a solution as quickly as possible for the education agreement to be realized. It was also underlined that all problems must be resolved within the institutions of the system and not in the streets.

Speaking about the increasingly frequent terrorist activities by extremist Albanian separatists, a total of 122 attacks in the period from 1991-1997, it was heard this was a direct strike against the integrity and sovereignty of this country and that reactions will be in keeping with the law.

These terrorist attacks mostly burden the efforts to overcome problems and aggravate the situation even further. The international community should condemn them more strongly, and the real condemnation should come from Albanian political leaders.

It was concluded at the end that the only possible future in these lands was coexistence with mutual trust and the settling of problems by peaceful means, the Secretariat statement said.

[09] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT PLANS MEASURES TO BOOST INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

The Yugoslav Government discussed on Thursday a Transportation Ministry proposal of measures and activities aimed at improving and intensifying international road transportation in Yugoslavia.

It instructed to Ministry to prepare the final proposal taking into account the presented views and recommendations.

The Federal Government adopted a Platform for the participation of a Yugoslav delegation in the second session of the Inter*governmental Yugoslav-Slovak Commissison for Trade and Economic Relations to be held in Belgrade October 28-30. It chose Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister and Commission Co-Chairman Borislav Vukovic as head of the Yugoslav delegation.

The Federal Government adopted also the basic principles for talks on the conclusion of an Agreement on scientific and technical cooperation with the Croatian Government. The Government assessed that the establishing of scientific-technical cooperation with Croatia would create conditions for the development of other forms of economic cooperation between the two countries.

Yugoslav Assistant Transportation Minister Dusan Jovanovic will head a Yugoslav delegation to talks with Russia on the conclusion of an Agreement on international transportation of passengers and goods in Moscow in late October.

The Yugoslav Government set the basic principles for the conclusion of an Agreement on mutual stimulation and protection of investments with the South African Government, and also for the participation of a delegation of Yugoslav experts in the World Conference on radio-communication in Geneva in late October.

[10] MONTENEGRO'S DPS AND BULATOVIC COMPLAIN TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and its presidential candidate Momir Bulatovic lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Montenegro alleging rights violations in Sunday's polls.

They stated that on October 19, the Montenegrin Central Electoral Commission had published that Montenegro had an electorate of 469,543 voters, whereas final results of the presidential run*off revealed 470,490 names in the voters' registers. This clearly shows that names had been added to registers on the day of the polls in nearly all municipalities, which under the law was reason enough for annulling the election, the complaint insisted.

The Electoral Commission should not have reached a decision about the final results of the polls before objections to the work of invigilators and vote- counting commissions had been ruled on, Bulatovic said in the complaint. He added that there had been objections raised in 10 municipalities covering 70% of the electorate.

The complaint further said that the municipal electoral commissions and local administrations had not allowed the plaintiffs timely access to the election documents, so that they could not examine all material by the time this complaint was being lodged.

The DPS and Bulatovic insisted that the Central Electoral Commission had not created all necessary conditions for the voting to be legal and had not provided the necessary safeguards against voters casting more than one ballot.

The extension of voting time past the official closing time at 8 p.m. had also been unlawful, because invigilators had not recorded the number of people who had arrived at their polling stations by the regular closing time, they said. Voting time could have been extended only for voters who had arrived at their polling stations by 8 p.m., so as to permit them to cast their ballots, the complaint said.

It further said that the Montenegrin Constitutional Court had not ruled lawfully on the entry of names into voters' registers, nor had the panel of judges signed the minutes of voting and debate following a regular procedure.

They alleged, too, that certificates of suffrage had been issued unlawfully and occasionally by persons without the necessary authority.

The presence of Interior Ministry officials at the polling stations without invitation in all municipalities was a violation of the law and of the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression of the people, it was said in the complaint.

The complaint filed by the DPS and its presidential candidate Bulatovic went on to list concrete instances of irregularities committed in October 19 presidential run*off.

[11] YUGOSLAVIA AND E.U. DISCUSS COOPERATION

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

Ambassador in the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry Zlatan Kikic conferred on Thursday with Ambassador in the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry Hubert Wurth, who is in Belgrade as special envoy of the European Union Presidency.

An exhaustive exchange of views was carried out on the current state of relations and cooperation between Yugoslavia and the E.U. and measures which need to be taken further to promote those relations and cooperation.

[12] MINISTER MILENTIJEVIC RECEIVED AMBASSADOR WURT

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

Serbian Information Minister Radmila Milentijevic on Thursday received Ambassador in the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry Hubert Wurt, in the capacity of the special envoy of the European Union Presidency, a Serbian Government statement said.

Wurt was accompanied by Netherlands Ambassador Johanes Sizo and member of the Political Directorate of the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry Oliver Baldo.

Milentijevic informed the guests about the situation regarding the media in Serbia, with emphasis on the democratization process which is gradually being realized in this area. She spoke about the expansion of media in the territory of the Republic, the appearance of new private media and changes in the editorial policies of local media following the political changes in the municipal leaderships.

Milentijevic pointed out that it was important to achieve a high level of professionalism in Serbian media at this point. Serbia is faced with a real explosion of media, which means that many young and unprepared people have joined this profession, she said, adding that she hoped the new Law on Media, currently being processed in the Parliament, would help raise the professional level of media.

During the talks, special attention was given to positive changes in the editorial policy of the Serbian Radio Television, which became evident during the latest parliamentary elections in the republic.

Wurt underlined that it was especially important for state media, primarily the Serbian Radio Television, to be equally open to all candidates during the new election campaign. On behalf of the European Union, he welcomed all moves toward democratization in Serbia, pointing out the invaluable role of media in this respect.

[13] PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO MINISTER MILUTINOVIC NOMINATED FOR SERBIAN PRESIDENT

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

The Main Board of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) decided unanimously (no votes against and no abstentions) at a session on Thursday, acting on a proposal put forth by President Slobodan Milosevic, that the SPS candidate for Serbian President at the elections on December 7 be Main Board member and Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic.

During the difficult period for our people and state, Milutinovic performed a series of the most responsible offices in Serbia and Yugoslavia, showing a high degree of responsibility for all vital interests of our country and all citizens, said a party statement.

The Main Board established a list of 110 Serbian Parliament deputies who were elected on the joint list "Socialist Party of Serbia-Yugoslav Left-New Democracy-Slobodan Milosevic." The basic criterium for the choice was social and professional renown and authority enjoyed by the deputies in public and in their environments, as well as an equal representation of all territorial parts of the Republic of Serbia.

The Main Board assessed that the winning of a majority vote and the biggest number of seats in the Serbian Parliament by the joint election union was of vital importance for the stability and future of Serbia and Yugoslavia. Having the confidence of citizens at the elections is yet another confirmation that our political programme and political objectives are primarily patriotic, because they guarantee the affirmation of stability, freedom, and development of Serbia and Yugoslavia, said the SPS Main Board statement.

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