Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-11-28

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Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] MARJANOVIC OF SERBIA: TWO-DIGIT GDP GROWTH IN 1998

[02] YUGOSLAVIA, CROATIAN SERBS REVIEW APPLICATION OF ACCORD WITH CROATIA

[03] TWO TERRORIST ATTACKS AGAINST POLICE

[04] WESTENDORP AGAINST INTERNATIONAL PROTECTORATE IN BOSNIA

[05] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT FAVOURS FIXED, REAL EXCHANGE RATE OF DINAR

[06] PROSPECTS FOR DEVELOPING COOPERATION WITH ALGERIA

[07] MINISTER RADOJEVIC LEAVES FOR ISTANBUL

[08] YUGOSLAVIA, RUSSIA DISCUSS PROMOTION OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION

[09] YUGOSLAV CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S MANAGEMENT BOARD ON GOVERNMENT'S GOALS

[10] SUCCESSFUL PREPARATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

[11] YUGOSLAV CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF VISITS ROMANIA

[12] BOSNIAN PROPERTY CLAIMS COMMISSION TO OPEN OFFICES IN SERBIA

[13] BULGARIA WISHES TO DEVELOP COOPERATION WITH YUGOSLAVIA

[14] PRESS CENTRE FOR COVERING SERBIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS OPENS

[15] YUGOSLAVIA PRESENTS BY FAR MORE DOSSIERS ON MISSING PERSONS THAN CROATIA

[16] RUSSIAN MINISTRY ON ELECTIONS IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

[17] INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE STILL NECESSARY

[18] LEGISLATION ABOUT REGULATING TRAFFIC WITH CROATIA

[19] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES DIRECTORS OF COMPANIES

[20] SERBIAN MINISTER RECEIVES CHINESE DELEGATION

[21] AGREEMENT ON BUILDING THREE REFUGEE SETTLEMENTS

[22] MILUTINOVIC SAYS DAYTON ACCORD DOES NOT MENTION HAGUE TRIBUNAL

[23] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION VISITS MOSCOW

[24] GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS WORK OF UNICEF

[25] YUGOSLAV FEDERAL PREMIER MEETS WITH REPUBLICAN PREMIERS

[26] UNICEF SATISFIED WITH PROGRAMS IN YUGOSLAVIA

[27] OSCE OBSERVERS IN BELGRADE

[28] EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS END

[29] YUGOSLAVIA'S DJUNIC: PRIVATISATION TO UNBLOCK HARD-CURRENCY SAVINGS

[30] YUGOSLAVIA, RUSSIA SIGN PROGRAM OF CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC COOP ERATION

[01] MARJANOVIC OF SERBIA: TWO-DIGIT GDP GROWTH IN 1998

Tanjug, 1997-11-26

Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic said in the Serbian town of Obrenovac on Wednesday that the basic goals of the 1998 economic policy were a 10-percent offensive growth of the gross domestic product (GDP), two- digit growth of industrial production, construction and trade, and a further increase of agricultural production and other activities.

"Our key option is to realize the economic growth objectives in conditions of full price and currency stability and with the fullfilment of all social tasks, primarily the due meeting of obligations toward pensioners, health and education employees, child care, and other purposes," Marjanovic said in talks with the socio-political leadership of this municipality.

"Our pubic expenditures this year will amount to about 52 percent, but we managed, even with such social and other expenditures which make up public spending, to preserve the stability of the dinar, prices, the economic and market environment," Marjanovc said.

"Even a glance at the figures on economic dynamics in the past ten years show that the turn from a negative to a positive economic trend coincides with the start of the mandate of the government of natonal unity," he said. "Since that time, Serbia's economy has been recording positive growth rates of production, expenditures and living standard. In these four years, the GDP increased from 1,250 dollars per capita in 1993 to about 1,600 dollars in 1997, according to preliminary estimates," Marjanovic said.

"The inflation rate in 1995 stood at 120 percent, but was halved already in 1996. This year, prices have become completely stable, which is an exceptional result even for much more developed countries," Marjanovic said, pointing out that inflation was a mere 3.1 percent in the first nine months this year.

Marjanovic said the Government had not resorted to interventions and interference in economic decisions in certain companies, although it had played an important role in stimulating production and other economic activities, exports in particular.

"We in the Serbian Government especially care that the transformation of social property proceeds in the legally determined and a public manner. Only such transformation can be quick, just and efficient," he said. "We are aware of the fact that the ownership transformation which we are realizing is the necessary first step in strengthening property and contracts as the basic institutions of the free market system of business operations," he said.

"We can state with full authority that our economy has well entered into restructuring, true, without financial support from abroad, which would certainly speed up that process, but we are confident that we know only too well what to expect on the other shore. We understood this process as a necessary encounter with the economic truth, and we have the knowledge, courage, and organizational abilities for that encounter," Marjanovic underscored.

We wish to take our rightfull place within world economic and political activities, taking care, as patriots, of our national and economic interests, he said.

[02] YUGOSLAVIA, CROATIAN SERBS REVIEW APPLICATION OF ACCORD WITH CROATIA

Tanjug, 1997-11-26

A delegation of the Joint Council of Municipalities of the Serb Region of East Slavonia, Baranya and West Srem held talks at the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of a Yugoslav-Croatian Border Accord.

The Accord, which came into force on Nov. 1, 1997, regulates traffic in the border area between Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, where the Region is wedged in.

A Government statement said it was noted in the meeting that the implementation of the Accord had got off to a good start and was expected to continue in the same way. The obligations undertaken by Yugoslavia and Croatia in order to deal efficaciously with all problems that might appear in the course of the implementation of the Accord, so as to attain the set objectives in full, were pointed out in this context.

The Yugoslav side affirmed its readiness to help implement the letter and spirit of the Accord in the best interests of both countries and their overall bilateral relations.

Full support was given to the Joint Council of Municipalities for creating the best possible conditions in the Region, in order to attain the interests and needs of the Region's people in the spirit of the Accord.

[03] TWO TERRORIST ATTACKS AGAINST POLICE

Tanjug, 1997-11-26

Albanian separatists launched two terrorist attacks on the employees of the District Court in Kosovska Mitrovica and Serbian Interior Ministry members on Tuesday and Wednesday in the region of Srbica, the Serbian Interior Ministry Information Service has said. The automatic gunfire wounded two policemen. The attack caused the police to respond according to the law.

The terrorists have so far not been captured and all measures for their identification and capture are being taken, the statement said.

[04] WESTENDORP AGAINST INTERNATIONAL PROTECTORATE IN BOSNIA

Tanjug, 1997-11-26

The international community's High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Carlos Westendorp denied on Wednesday rumours that the international community would set up a protectorate in the former Yugoslav republic.

Westendorp told the Assembly of Bosnia-Herzegovina House of Representatives that he was against a protectorate because it was not a model which was provided for by the Dayton Agreement. He set out that the Dayton Accords gave sufficient powers to the High Representative to step up the process of the building of the state.

The international community's High Representative stressed that the process of building the state and setting up its joint institutions was very slow.

Westendorp warned that little time was left until Dec. 5, when the Steering Committee of the Peace Implementation Council will meet in Bonn and till when the process is to be stepped up.

The process must be accelerated and the international community is determined to see to it that this is done, according to the High Representative.

Westendorp urged the parliamentarians as promptly as possible to pass key laws, including a law on the Council of Ministers, a law on citizenship, and one on travel documents. He stressed that the laws must be adopted before the Bonn conference so as to have a better atmosphere at the conference.

The High Representative said that Bosnia-Herzegovina's future was in Europe, European institutions, the European Union and he called on the House of Representatives to show that it was part of Europe.

[05] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT FAVOURS FIXED, REAL EXCHANGE RATE OF DINAR

Tanjug, 1997-11-26

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic said on Wednesday that basic goals of Yugoslavia's 1998 economic policy would be to keep stable the exchange rate of the national currency - the dinar - and prices, boost production and export, step up reform primarily in the area of privatization and increase living standards further.

Kontic was speaking at an enlarged session of the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce Board of Managers.

He said the 1998 economic policy was based on "Yugoslav Government's strategic commitment to building an open market economy based on private ownership and with foreign trade in line with of the World Trade Organization (WTO) norms."

He said the Government was also committed to a fixed and real exchange rate of the dinar.

The policy of fixed and real rate of exchange of the dinar has confirmed itself successfully over the past few years but, in this inflation-prone conditions, it could draw very unpleasant consequences for the trust in the national currency, said Kontic. He added that "the fixed exchange rate, if at an adequate level, should also secure a balanced foreign trade position."

Once a lasting stabilization of business conditions has been achieved, fluctuating exchange rate can be considered, he said. He stressed that it is "certain that many of our products are not competitive on the domestic market and, on that grounds, prices of domestic products should be reduced."

As for price stability, authors of the economic policy fear that any plan to raise the prices would stimulate non-productive consumption and whet the appetites for inflation-generated profit and lead to index-linking prices and planned inflation, he said.

He said that a rise in retail prices in 1997 amounted to 8-10 percent, which could be considered as a "major success of the economic policy."

Kontic said that the policy of credit and money supply could yield adequate results only in cooperation with the fiscal policy, the policy of liberalizing import and export and other macroeconomic policies.

He said that the Government would pursue the fiscal policy which would reduce outlays for public spending, reduce costs of production and raise the competitiveness of Yugoslav industry.

For 1998, Kontic announced stepping up of tax system reform, introduction of value added tax (V.A.T.) and synthetic taxation and revision of customs rate and reducing duty on import of raw-materials and semi-manufactures not being produced in Yugoslavia.

Referring to the liberalization of foreign trade, Kontic said that, in 1998, only two percent of export and about 15 percent of import would remain restricted, while export and import would be fully liberalized by the end of the century.

We shall soon abolish the much compromised allotment system and replace it with a more modern quota system that is in use in industrialized countries, he said.

Kontic said that the Government planned a 10-percent growth of the GDP rate in 1998.

If the country's international position deteriorated, the planned GDP rate would be difficult to achieve, but if relations with international financial and trade institutions normalized, this rate would be considerably higher, he explained.

"Without normalization of relations with the WTO, there can be no international trade preferentials" and this is why "the Federal Government's top priority is integration of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia into the international community," Kontic said.

He said that an especially big restriction in the functioning of the economy in 1998 would be the deficit and lack of foreign currency to purchase necessary raw materials and fuel. Therefore, he said, the Government is trying to ensure that more than one half of the domestic product increase be generated from export, which means raising this year's export results by about 30 percent. Despite this, there will remain some payments imbalance, which will necessitate some additional hard currency injections, he said.

Kontic said that the Government had drawn up a programme of measures to curb "grey economy" that is affecting the country's economic system.

He said it was necessary to reduce the percentage of public spending in the domestic product, which could not be achieved through increasing production alone, but also through revising payments from the budget and state funds.

Under the 1998 economic policy, public spending should not exceed 48.5 percent of the GDP, which is slightly less than this year, said Kontic. He added that the further reduction of up to 40 percent was planned over the next years, which is an amount that international institutions recommend to countries in transition.

[06] PROSPECTS FOR DEVELOPING COOPERATION WITH ALGERIA

Tanjug, 1997-11-26

Yugoslav Minister of the Economy Rade Filipovic said on Wednesday that the visit of a Yugoslav state and business delegation to Algeria had been very successful and had paved the way for resuming and expanding bilateral cooperation.

The delegation, which visited Algeria at the invitation of its Minister of physical plan, met Algerian Prime Minister and representatives of eight Ministries, Filipovic told the press on his return.

Algerian Ministers have expressed their gratitude to Yugoslavia for its aid to Algeria's fight for liberation and independence, and their wish to see Yugoslavia resume its rightful place at the world market.

It was agreed during the visit that Yugoslav companies should complete all their projects in Algeria and receive payment, which would pave the way for resuming cooperation, Filipovic said.

Algerian partners have invited Yugoslav companies to take part in the construction of dams, irrigation systems and housing, Filipovic said and noted that 8,000 apartments had been built by Yugoslav companies in Algeria so far.

The Yugoslav delegation comprising the managers of ten companies proposed to Algerian partners cooperation in completing the underground network, equipping the airport building, road construction, supply of medical equipment, services of the Bar port on the Adriatic coast and equipping and overhauling of ships, Filipovic said.

The talks also focused on the avoidance of double taxation, investment protection, cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and banks and establishment of air traffic between the two countries, the Minister said.

[07] MINISTER RADOJEVIC LEAVES FOR ISTANBUL

Tanjug, 1997-11-26

Federal Telecommunications Minister Dojcilo Radojevic left on Wednesday for Istanbul to take part in the second meeting of the post office and telecommunication ministers of the Balkans, the Federal Information Secretariat has said.

The meeting, held on Nov. 27-28, will discuss Balkan cooperation in the sphere of post offics and telecommunications.

The Ministers will also discuss liberalization and privatization in this sphere, computer technologies and the coordination of national laws and their harmonization with EU regulations, the statement said.

[08] YUGOSLAVIA, RUSSIA DISCUSS PROMOTION OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic and Russian Deputy Minister of Economics Andrei Shapovaliants opened talks on Tuesday on hitherto results in econo mic cooperation between the two countries and measures for its promotion. Russia has been and will co ntinue to be one of Yugoslavia's leading economic partners, but both sides assessed that the cooperation t o date falls short of the actual wishes, plans and possibilities. Vukovic and Shapovaliants, as co-chairm en of the inter- governmental Committee for Economic, Trade and Scientific Cooperation, are to establi sh how much has been accomplished of what was agreed during their previous meeting in Moscow i n July this year. The two co-chairmen and associates will devote special attention to adjusting pos itions on the last details of inter-governmental agreements to be signed during the upcoming official v isit to Russia of Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic.

[09] YUGOSLAV CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S MANAGEMENT BOARD ON GOVERNMENT'S GOALS

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

The Yugoslav Government's main economic policy goals in 1998 are the stability of prices and the national currency, the dinar, production and export increase, continuatio n of refoms, especially in the field of ownership transformation, stability of salaries and improvement of the living standards, the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce's Management Board said on Tuesday. There is much tal k about transformation, but it should not refer only to the transformation of ownership, but also to the structural and organisational transformation, Manojlo Babic said. Deputy Committee President, Director -General of the Montenegrin Public Maritime Property Rajko Mihovic, said that in the case of foreign investments in the domestic economy, we had to make a realistic assessment by ourselves and added tha t the state also had to make some guarantees in order to reduce the risk and stimulate the interest of the foreign investor. Mihovic said that foreign investors should be offered the best conditions on the munic ipal and republican levels and that one should also think about setting up specialised agencies which would d o administrative work for the foreign investors more speedily and efficiently. The quota policy, which has changed many times during the year, has hampered the work of the economy, it was heard and said tha t business conditions had to be improved.

[10] SUCCESSFUL PREPARATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

The Republican Election Committee met on Tuesday with the Chairmen o f the election committees in the territory of Serbia. Discussed were the immediate tasks in the imp lementation of the elections for Serbian President, to be held on Dec. 7. The meeting focused on the comp osition of the election bodies which will carry out the elections, and on the printing of the election m aterials. It was said that the legally determined activities of the election bodies are successfully being reali zed which should enable the success of the elections in Serbia.

[11] YUGOSLAV CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF VISITS ROMANIA

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

Yugoslav Chief of General Staff General Momcilo Perisic paid a one-d ay working visit to the Romanian army, said a statement released by the General Staff on Tuesday. The Romanian delegation was headed by Secretary of State and head of the Joint General Staff Gene ral Constantin Degeratu.

The two delegations met in Temisoara to examine relations and cooper ation between the two armies. They were agreed in assessing military and political movements in the region, inter-army cooperation and possibilities for promoting it. At the end of the talks , the two Generals signed a Plan of Cooperation for 1998. The Plan envisages exchanging information and curre nt military and political events in the region, questions pertaining to the competences of the two General Staffs, and military economic and scientific-technical cooperation.

[12] BOSNIAN PROPERTY CLAIMS COMMISSION TO OPEN OFFICES IN SERBIA

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

Serbian Commissioner for Refugees Bratislava Morina on Tuesday recei ved a delegation of the Commission for the property claims of Sarajevo refugees and displaced per sons to review possibilities for the opening of the Commission's offices in Serbia. A Commissioner's stat ement quoted Morina as saying to Stefan Obrenovic and Goran Ceric, members of the Commission set up und er the Dayton Agreement, that Serbia had nearly 300,000 refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina who were interested in realising the right to the property they had to abandon. Both sides said that the registrati on of property was a priority and that it should be carried out as soon as possible. The information, tech nological and operational issues relevant for the work of the Commission's Serbian offices would be coordi nated in the next period. The Commission for property claims opened its offices in Sarajevo, Mostar, Lu kavica and Banja Luka last year and in Brcko, Podgorica and Herceg Novi this summer.

[13] BULGARIA WISHES TO DEVELOP COOPERATION WITH YUGOSLAVIA

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

Bulgaria sincerely hopes that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia wil l reintegrate European institutions, which would contribute to the development of bilateral coop eration to the benefit of both peoples, the new Bulgarian Ambassador to Belgrade Isailo Trifonov said. T rifonov told the press that the Foreign Trade Ministers of the two countries would meet at the Yugoslav-B ulgarian border on December 17 as part of the endeavors for the promotion of bilateral trade. The id ea of holding the meeting stems from the talks held by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and Bulgaria n Prime Minister Ivan Kostov during the Crete Summit, Trifonov said at a press conference at the Bulga rian Embassy in Belgrade. Yugoslavia and Bulgaria used to have normal tr ade ties before the outbreak of the crisis in the former Yugoslavia, Trifonov said. This cooperation was considerably reduc ed due to the war in the former Yugoslavia and to the anti-Yugoslav sanctions, but has gradually improved following the lifting of the sanctions, he said. In 1996, bilateral trade exchange reached 300 mi llion dollars, figure registered before the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, Trifonov said. Refer ring to the Bulgarian minority in Yugoslavia, Trifonov said he was happy to see minority rights guaranteed by Yugoslav Constitution and laws in the same manner as in the most democratic countries in Europe. Tr ifonov however said that Bulgarian minority students should have more classes in Bulgarian languag e in schools and that bi-lingual education should be organized wherever needed. He also advocated more new s about Bulgaria in the Bulgarian-language programs of Yugoslav media. Answering a question on t he principal problems in the Balkans, Trifonov said the greatest problem had been resolved as there ar e no longer any wars in the region. All Balkan countries wish to join European institutions and have the opportunity now for the first time in their history to resolve bilateral or multilateral problems without fo reign interference, Trifonov said. Their endeavors to this end culminated in the summit conference of South-East E uropean countries in Crete, the Ambassador added.

Bulgaria wishes to develop good and sincere relations with all its n eighbors and believes that regional integration can be achieved through joint infrastructure project s, Trifonov said. Referring to the various initiatives for cooperation in the Balkans, Trifonov said their e ssential goal was to achieve self-reliance with financial aid from developed countries.

[14] PRESS CENTRE FOR COVERING SERBIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS OPENS

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

The Serbian Information Ministry and the Serbian Parliament Secretar iat's Information Service have announced the opening on Tuesday of a Press Centre which will cover the S erbian presidential elections. The Press Centre was set up in order to secure conditions for a successfu l work of domestic and foreign reporters. The centre will organise news conferences of official bodies i n charge of the elections, primarily the Republican Electoral Commission, Supervising Commission and other st ate organs, and the unofficial and final election results will also be announced there. Domestic and fo reign reporters will enjoy equal treatment when getting all written documents and official information abo ut the election procedure and activities. The press centre will try to secure information about the ac tvities of all seven presidential candidates, in cooperation with their electoral headquarters. Reporters w ill be able to use the Tanjug and Reuters news services as well as the Internet computer network. The Serbi an Statistics Bureau will have its computer at the centre. The press centre will be open between 9 a.m 2E (0800 GMT) and 5 p.m. every day until December 2, after which it will have even longer working hours if necessary.

[15] YUGOSLAVIA PRESENTS BY FAR MORE DOSSIERS ON MISSING PERSONS THAN CROATIA

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

The Yugoslav side has presented to the Croatian Government Commissio n for POWs and Missing Persons by far more dossiers than it has received from the other side, an d has decided against handing over any more for the time being, Chairman of the Yugoslav Government Com mmission for Humanitarian Issues and Missing Persons Maksim Korac told Tanjug on Tuesday.

The two state Commissions met last in Belgrade on Nov. 11 and 12 und er the Protocol on Cooperation of April 17, 1996. The Protocol envisages that the two si des exchange all avalaible information about the POWs, arrested, killed and missing persons on the t erritory of the former Yugoslavia, information about the identification of the killed, and dossiers on the k illed. The Croatian side lags in the presentation of dossiers and has not yet provided answers to our key requ ests concerning the missing pilots of the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and the 54 JNA soldiers and reservists whose names are on the so-called list of the living, Korac said. "Under heavy pressur e from the public and parents of the missing pilots, we have insisted that their cases be finally solved. And, since the Croatian Commission can do it, as is clear from the data we have insisted on at our meetings, th e Yugoslav Commission had no other choice but to discontinue the handing over of dossiers for Vukovar residents killed in 1991," Korac specified. Korac said the Yugoslav side had also insisted at all the hitherto 15 meetings of experts and 10 meetings of Commission members that the Croatian side hand over th e remains of the "Bjelovar Group" and of the JNA soldiers killed on Croatian territory for whom the Yugoslav Commission had supplied precise figures about the place and date of death. The Yugoslav side als o seeks answers to the fate of 21 Vukovar residents of Serb nationality who were arrested in 1991 before war operations started, Korac set out. He underscored that the Yugoslav side had special requests rega rding problems in connection with persons killed in Krajina during the Croatian Army's Storm and Light ing operations in 1995. The Yugoslav Commission has so far presented to the Croatian Commission 700 o f the 1,105 dossiers on persons killed in Vukovar in 1991 and as many death certificates for pers ons killed in Vukovar that same year. However, the Croatian Commission has so far presented to the Yugos lav side only 247 of the 965 dossiers it has for persons killed in the Storm operation (788 persons) a nd the Lighting operation (168). Korac said that, with the help of th e Veritas documentation centre, the Yugoslav side had drawn up and presented to the Croatian side a list with the names of another 11 3 identified persons whom the Croatian side had not included on its list. He stressed that that confir med that 911 persons had been killed in the Storm operation, which he said the Croatian Government had concede d in its report to the U.N. Security Council in February 1996 but had later denied and reduced the nu mber to 788. Korac said that the Yugoslav Commission, Veristas and parents had established that eight persons of those whose names were on the Croatian list of missing in the Storm and Lighting operations were alive and living as refugees in Yugoslavia. He said the recent Belgrade meeting had produced some res ults. The Yugoslav Commission provided the Croatian side with information about the possible places of burial for 30 persons listed as missing by the Croatian side, while the Croatian presented to t he Yugoslav Commission 30 dossiers for persons killed in the Lighting and Storm operations. Korac said the Croatian side had also supplied information about nine persons the Yugoslav side had tried to tr ace through the International Committee of the Red Cross and who were living as free citizens in Croati a.

[16] RUSSIAN MINISTRY ON ELECTIONS IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the early parliame ntary elections in Republika Srpska (RS) are a significant step towards the resolution of the constitu tional and political crisis through democratic means towards the development of the peace process. "We consid er as very important that the elections have succeeded and been conducted in a peaceful atmosphere, wit hout any serious incidents," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Valeri Nyestrerushikin told a press conference 2E He set out that Russia now expected all sides, parties and coalitions in RS to show wisdom and respo nsibility in assessing the results of the voting and in the formation of a new parliament.

[17] INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE STILL NECESSARY

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

The presence of the international community remains necessary in Eas tern Slavonija, Baranja and Western Srem both with the aim of resolving the obligations stemming from the Erdut Agreement and other documents, but also for the permanent stabilization of the region and th e surrouding areas, the Joint Council of Communes (ZVO) and the Independent Democratic Serb Party have said in a report. The Report on the results of the peace process in the region was composed by ZVO and the Independent Democratic Serb Party, the ZVO Information Service in Vukovar said on Tue sday.

The statement said that the Report was made on the basis of a detail ed analysis of the Erdut Agreement, the Security Council Resolution 1037, 1079 I 1120, the Preside ntial Announcement of the Security Council from Oct. 9, 1997 and a Letter by the Croat Government f rom Jan. 13, 1997. The statement said that the Report, apart from expressing satisfaction with t he positive actions of the peace process, contains 13 points stating the unfulfilled obligations. The Report said that the unresolved issues are linked with the Croatian Government's obligations regarding the fulfi llment of conditions for the return of all displaced persons and warns about the discrimination of the expell ed and refugee Serbs regarding the reconstruction of their homes, social security, right to managment jo bs and the denial of the right to return to the Region. The Report underscored that the elementary human r ights and basic freedoms are not respected in the Region, as provided by the Erdut Agreement and the p ositive Croatian laws. It also pointed out the inadequate application of the Law on Amnesty, right to pe nsions, the issuing of personal documents, social security problems, the lack of good will in Croatian in stitutions to remove irregularities in the judicial system, administration and public services.

Special parts of the Report focus on the process of taking over comp anies after which many employees were let off, the unresolved status of the Joint Council of Com unes, and the unresolved status of the commune which, within its authority, was set up by UNTAES. The pa rt of the Report on inter- ethnic relations said that these relations have still not reached the levels whi ch guarrantee a peaceful and safe life. Such a situation is affected by media attacks on ethnic groups and the deteriorated overall security situation. This stems from the continual departure from the Region which has negative effects on the return of those who were exhiled. The Report was sent late last week to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, UNTAES transitional administrator William Walker, the Ambassadors of the five standing Security Council members, the Ambassadors of the Contact Group countries, the Council of E urope, OSCE, the EU and the Croatian Government. The Report by the Serb leaders about the results of the peace process in the region was positively assessed, it was learned, by the U.N. transitional author ities and will be included in the debate of the U.N. Security Council.

[18] LEGISLATION ABOUT REGULATING TRAFFIC WITH CROATIA

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

The Yugoslav Government referred on Tuesday to the Yugoslav Parliame nt bills about ratifying the Agreement between FR Yugoslavia and the Republic of Croatia on border zon e traffic, regulating border railway traffic and international road transport of passengers, and the A greement on providing legal aid in civil and penal suits. The agreements were signed in Belgrade on Septemb er 15 this year by Yugoslav and Croatian Foreign Ministers Milan Milutinovic and Mate Granic. The Ag reement on border traffic between Yugoslavia and Croatia creates preconditions for establishing a m ore open Yugoslav*Croiatian border, especially in the border zone, and for establishing links and a f ree flow of people and goods in the area. The goal of agreement ratification is to make possible for the pop ulation in the border zone of Yugoslavia and Croatia to enter and leave our country without a visa.

The Agreement on border railway traffic regulates the traffic of pas sengers, cargo, goods, express and postal parcels on border railroads Sid*Tovarnik and Bogojevo*Erdut. T raffic on border railroads will be established after the creation of technical conditions for traffic and af ter an agreement is reached between the railway adminisrations of the two states about special conditions of traffic.

The Agreement will take effect when Yugoslavia and Croatia inform ea ch other that the process of ratification had been carried out in accordance with the national legi slation, and be implemented provisionally as of the date of signature. The Agreement between Yugosla via and Croatia on international road transport of passengers and goods represents a basis for establishin g road traffic and conditions for the unimpeded movement of passengeres and goods, as well as easier traffi c in the border zone. The Agreement regulates international road transport of passengeres and goods between the two countries, transit and transport for and from third countries, on the basis of recip rocity, in the spirit of mutual cooperation and use. Traffic will be conducted over border crossings for international road traffic between Yugoslavia and Croatia as determined by a special agreement of the two si des.

The Agreement will take effect 30 days after the signatory parties i nform each other that conditions had been fulfilled as provided for by the national legislations, and wil l be applied provisionally as of the date of signature. The Agreement on legal aid in civil and penal suits i s intended to provide efficient realization and protection of the rights and interests of physical and le gal persons of one state on the territory of another state, what is in the interest of Yugoslavia and of Croatia. The Agreement will be implemented provisionally as of November 1 this year, and take effect 30 days after receiving information about its ratification.

[19] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES DIRECTORS OF COMPANIES

Tanjug, 1997-11-25

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received on Tuesday the direct ros of the companies who accompanied him on his visit to the People's Republic of China recently. Their joint task is joint work in the realization of new big possibilities offered to the Yugoslav economy for the successful presentation and full affirmation on the huge Chinese market. The meeting, which was also attended by Federal Prime Minister Radoje Kontic and Vice Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, focused o n the results and relalization of the agreements on cooperation between the Yugoslav and Chinese business p artners, and activities which should be extended for the realization of the signed agreements and the f urther expansion of the Yugoslav presence on the Chinese market. The direct Yugoslav airlines JAT return f light from Belgrade to Peking will be opened on Dec. 18, 1997. Underscored were a number of measures w hich should follow the increased presence of the Yugoslav economy in China, especially in the ma jor centres - Shanghai, Peking, Tiencin and others. Yugoslavia expects to open its general consulate in S hanghai soon.

[20] SERBIAN MINISTER RECEIVES CHINESE DELEGATION

Tanjug, 1997-11-24

Serbian Science and Technology Minister and academician Dusan Kanazir received in Belgrade on Monday a Chinese scientific delegation, headed by Henan Province's Assembly Vice President Hu Tingye. The Serbian Government said in a statement that both sides had voiced interest in establishing and promoting scientific and technological cooperation, for which conditions had significantly improved after Yugoslavia and China signed a relevant protocol. The statement said that the Chinese delegation's visits to and talks at institutes and scientific institutions would be an opporunity to establish more concrete forms for scientific and technological cooperation, especially in agriculture and food production. Serbian Assistant Science and Technology Minister Ratko Uzunovic and Deputy Director of the Serbian Institute for International Scientific, Educational, Cultural and Technological Cooperation Dragoslav Zdravkovic also participated in the meeting, the statement said.

[21] AGREEMENT ON BUILDING THREE REFUGEE SETTLEMENTS

Tanjug, 1997-11-24

Serbian Comissioner for Refugees Bratislava Morina and the head of the Belgrade Office of the UNHCR, Margaret O'Keeffe, signed on Monday an Agreement on the construction of three permanent refugee settlements in the territory of Vojvodina. In the district of Backa Topola (village Backi Sokolac), Odzaci and Nova Crnja (village Radojevo), UNHCR will finance the building of 58 apartments for the same number of refugee families. The Commessariat is the coordinator of the entire project within which it has secured the land, and the communes the primary and secondary infrastructure, farming land and jobs for one family member. The building of all three settlements is scheduled for Spring and the first tenants are expected to move in by the Fall of 1998.

O'Keefe expressed satisfaction over the cooperation with the Commessariat and added that she hoped that such projects would continue in the future to enable as many as possible refugees to integrate into the local environment, find accomodation and work, thus securing a future for their families. Morina underscored the years-long good cooperation with the UNHCR Office and asked O'Keefe to convey to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata gratitude for her understanding for the serious humanitarian situation of the refugees in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The project calls for the construction in Backi Sokolac of 22 apartments, of which 18 for farmers and four for families whose one member will have a job. In Odzaci built will be 20 apartments, eight for farming families and 12 for those employed in offices, while in Radojevo built will be 16 houses solely for farming families.

[22] MILUTINOVIC SAYS DAYTON ACCORD DOES NOT MENTION HAGUE TRIBUNAL

Tanjug, 1997-11-24

Federal Foreign Minister and the Left Bloc candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections in Serbia Milan Milutinovic said on Monday that the Dayton Accord does not mention The Hague. He refuted allegations that Yugoslavia had pledged cooperation with The Hague War Crimes Tribunal.

There have been attempts to distort the Dayton Accord. The Accord merely states that the signatories and guarantors would cooperate in pursuing suspects of war crimes and crimes against humanity, said Milutinovic said in an interview to Politika television.

Serbian citizens suspected of war crimes should not be extradited to The Hague, Milutinovic said. He said the demands had been made subsequently as a form of pressure on Yugoslavia by some countries. Any attempt to revise the Accord or its annexes would lead to destabilizing the Dayton process, said Milutinovic. Milutinovic renounced statements by some opposition parties that Yugoslavia did not need to be within the United Nations, stressing that Yugoslavia cared very much to be part of the world organization, of which it is a founder. He recalled that Serbia was also a founder of the UN predecessor, the League of Nations. "The world expects us to win and be a part of the international community. We must be a part of this world, but not as its subordinates," said Milutinovic.

[23] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION VISITS MOSCOW

Tanjug, 1997-11-24

A Yugoslav delegation headed by Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic arrived in Moscow on Monday for talks on the results of bilateral economic cooperation and the prospects for its further development. Vukovic and Russian First Deputy Minister of the Economy Andrei Shapovalyants are co- chairmen of the Yugoslav-Russian Inter-Governmental Committee for trade, economic and scientific cooperation. They are expected to discuss on Tuesday the progress of implementing the agreements they had reached during their last meeting held in July in Moscow. The talks will also focus on inter-state agreements and other documents that have been drawn up and are expected to be signed during the forthcoming official visit of Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic to Russia.

[24] GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS WORK OF UNICEF

Tanjug, 1997-11-24

The Yugoslav Government and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) have been cooperating actively in the implementation of a three-year program since 1996, President of the Yugoslav Commission for cooperation with UNICEF Margit Savovic said today. Savovic opened a meeting devoted to the medium-term analysis of the implementation of UNICEF's program in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. UNICEF Regional Director John Donohue said that UNICEF was taking an active part in extending aid to children in FRY since November 1991. As of 1993 the Organization concentrated on lending support and financing developement projects in health care, protection of children and women, alimentation, education and psycho-social protection. UNICEF special representative for the former Yugoslavia Thomas Mc Dermott said that the Convention on child rights was used as the basis for a general framework for working out an operational program. The program's guidelines were objectives till the year 2000, adopted by UNICEF executive council, on the basis of an agreement at the world summit for children, he said. Presenting the results of UNICEF's program Children in Exceptionally Difficult Conditions, prof. Mila Kapor-Stanulovic explained that nine preventive, intervention projects were currently implemented. Their implementation has helped stabilize the child and social protection system and increase the national capacity for helping children in crisis, she added. UNICEF has in the past two years initiated many activities in the field of alimentation which have been very useful. The activities involved in the first place keeping permanent records of child growth and development and support to already existing activities for the promotion of breast-feeding, said prof. Draga Plecas, who presented the alimentation program.

[25] YUGOSLAV FEDERAL PREMIER MEETS WITH REPUBLICAN PREMIERS

Tanjug, 1997-11-24

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic met in Belgrade on Monday with the Premiers of the Yugoslav republics of Serbia and Montenegro, Mirko Marjanovic and Milo Djukanovic, to discuss economic policy for 1998. Special stress in the talk, which was attended also by Vice Premiers Zoran Lilic of Yugoslavia, Nikola Sainovic and Danko Djunic of Serbia and Vojin Djukanovic of Montenegro, was laid on public spending, a Government statement said. Governor of the National Bank of Yugoslavia (Central Bank) Dusan Vlatkovic, President of the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce Mihailo Milojevic, and competent federal and republican ministers also attended. They supported the proposed concept of policy for 1998, which is based on creating an open, efficacious, competitive and market-oriented economy, stabilisational in character, strongly export-oriented and based on further economic reforms. The Federal Government based its concept on clear and important targets, such as raising the domestic product and accelerating production and export. This pressupposes stable prices and a stable national currency, the dinar, as well as an acceleration of the economic reform process, especially privatisation. In order to attain these targets, certain prerequisites must be met - strengthening of the institutions of the legal state, and a significant inflow of foreign capital through privatisation, concessions and foreign investment, the statement said. The most important condition for attaining this is certainly for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to be reintegrated as quickly as possible in the international community, which means normalising relations with world financial and commercial bodies. The planned 10-percent increase of the domestic product and the other targets can be achieved if public spending, which must be financed only from real sources, is reduced or at least kept at the level of 1997, the statement said.

[26] UNICEF SATISFIED WITH PROGRAMS IN YUGOSLAVIA

Tanjug, 1997-11-24

Federal Minister for Development, Science and the Environment Jagos Zelenovic received on Monday a delegation of UNICEF headed by the Director for countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics, John Donohue. Discussed was the realization of the program "Children in Exeptionally Difficult Conditions" which is being realized in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the period 1996-98, the Federal Secretariat for Information has announced. Donohue expressed satisfaction with the realization of the UNICEF program in Yugoslavia and underscored the cooperativeness of the Federal Government and other institutions which UNICEF has contacted. Expressing gratitude for the activities carried out so far, Zelenovic said he believed that UNICEF would in the future turn more towards development programs in order to overcome as soon as possible the effects of the war in the neighboring countries and the sanctions on the most sensitive categories - women and children.

The talks were attended by the Chairman of the Federal Government Commission for cooperation with UNICEF, Margit Savovic, and UNICEF Belgrade Office head Boris Tolstopyatov.

[27] OSCE OBSERVERS IN BELGRADE

Tanjug, 1997-11-21

The OSCE will send at the repeated presidential elections in Serbia, on December 7, only 60 observers, as no serious problems had been detected at the September pres idential and legislative elections, Tanjug has learnt from OSCE Belgrade sources. OSCE has decid ed it was not necessary that observers control once again the voting process at polling stations and t he entire election procedure, but only some parts of it. At the repeated presidential elections OSCE will n ot send a classical observer mission, but only a team of experts for overseeing the election administr ation.

OSCE experts will, among other things, oversee whether some suggesti ons and recommendations had been adopted for improving the election procedure from the observer m ission's report following the September elections. The report had pointed to certain deficiencies at th e parliamentary and presidential elections in Serbia, which were detected only in the pre- election process 2E The observer mission will be headed by an OSCE representative from Great Britain, Anthony Welch, who p erformed the same duty and the past presidential and legislative elections in Serbia.

It has been learnt from OSCE sources that the first group of observe rs headed by Welch has already arrived in Belgrade, while others are expected to arrive in the n ext few days.

[28] EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS END

Tanjug, 1997-11-23

Two-day early parliamentary elections in the Republika Srpska ended on Sunday as polling stations closed at 4 p.m. local time. Taking part in the elections for 83 Republi ka Srpska parliament seats were 28 political parties, three coalitions and 18 independent candidates. Offic ials of both the OSCE and the R.S. electoral commission said no incidents had been registered in the electio ns.

[29] YUGOSLAVIA'S DJUNIC: PRIVATISATION TO UNBLOCK HARD-CURRENCY SAVINGS

Tanjug, 1997-11-21

Yugoslavia's Vice Premier said on Friday that a sale of social and s tate property would lay the groundwork for repaying the people's blocked hard- currency savings which, with interest, were estimated at 7.5 billion Deutschmarks. Vice Premier Danko Djunic was speaking at a news conference, presenting a Bill on the repayment of the blocked hard-currency deposits, drafted on Thursday.

"The repayment of the savings will be the duty of the Government, as guarantor of the deposits, as well as of the state, the Yugoslav republics of Serbia and Montenegro, the National Bank of Yugoslavia (Central Bank) and the commercial banks," Djunic said. He said that the necessary funds would be raised by selling state and socially-owned property, as well as from t he fiscal incomes of the federal state and the republics, and the incomes of the commercial banks and the Central Bank.

The bill regulates the repayment of hard-currency deposits made with the Central Bank by Oct. 14, 1988. Also, it refers to deposits made with the authorised banks which i n turn deposited the savings with the Central Bank by March 18, 1995, but have since started bankruptcy pro ceedings and cannot service their obligations. Hard-currency deposits made after March 18, 1995 are not guaranteed by the state, but by the competent banks. "However much we might wish to the contrary, we d o not believe that the hard-currency savings can be repaid in less than 12 years, because of our economic situation," Djunic said. The commercial banks would remain in debt to their clients, and the savin gs would be turned into time deposits tied for a period of 12 years, at an annual interest rate of 2 p ercent. All hard currencies would be converted into D-marks, he explained. Under the bill, the repayment sho uld begin on July 1, 1998.

[30] YUGOSLAVIA, RUSSIA SIGN PROGRAM OF CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC COOP ERATION

Tanjug, 1997-11-21

An inter-governmental program of Yugoslav-Russian cooperation in cul ture, education and science was signed on Friday. The document is the first concrete program of direc t cooperation between Yugoslavia and Russia in the three domains since the international sanctions against Yugoslavia were suspended. The program will enable the implementatio n of the signed inter- state agreement on cultural-educational cooperation. The program envisages exchanges of sch olarships, students, professors, exhibitions, and guest tours, among other forms of cooperation.

The Yugoslav delegation met on Friday with director of the Russian G overnmental Centre for international scientific and cultural cooperation Valentin Teryeshkov. Th e two sides pointed up the existence of wide possibilities for the diversification of cooperation between the two friendly countries in culture, education and science.

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