Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-07-13

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Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS ATTACK POLICE

[02] CROATIAN REPATRIATION PLAN DOWNPLAYS NUMBER OF SERB REFUGEES

[03] TERRORIST ORGANIZATION "KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY" HAS MANY ACCOMPLICES

[04] UN HUMAN RIGHTS RAPPORTEUR MEETS THE REPRESENTATIVES OF LOCAL SERB AUTHORITIES

[05] PEC DISTRICT PROSECUTOR CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION AGAINST TERRORISTS

[06] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS KILL TWO, WOUND ONE, POLICEMEN

[07] SERBIAN POLICE REGAINS CONTROL OF PEC-GORAZDEVAC ROAD

[08] ETHNIC ALBANIANS TRY TO SMUGGLE ARMS TO YUGOSLAVIA FROM ALBANIA

[09] ETHNIC ALBANIANS LAUNCH 797 TERRORIST ATTACKS OVER PAST SEVEN YEARS

[10] ARMY EXHIBITS ARMS CONFISCATED FROM TERRORISTS

[11] PRIMAKOV, KINKEL: NEW CREATIVE PATHS FOR SOLUTION TO KOSOVO

[12] YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR: CONTACT GROUP IMPOSES SOLUTION ON KOSOVO

[13] YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO GREEK PRESIDENT

[14] GREEK MINISTER VISITS BELGRADE RAILWAYS

[15] SERBIA PRESIDENT MILUTINOVIC RECEIVES GREEK MINISTER MANTELIS

[16] YUGOSLAV, GREEK TRANSPORT MINISTERS DISCUSS PROMOTION OF COOPERATION

[17] YUGOSLAV-GREEK COOPERATION IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS

[18] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER RECEIVES GREEK TRANSPORT MINISTER

[19] CHINESE ARMY DELEGATION RECEIVED BY YUGOSLAV ARMY CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF

[20] DEFENSE MINISTER BULATOVIC RECEIVES CHINESE MILITARY DELEGATION

[21] OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES ANNUAL SESSION

[22] INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY CLAIMS COMMISSION SOON TO OPEN OFFICE IN SERBIA , 1992.

[23] VOJVODINA'S VICE-PREMIER, ROMANIAN M.P. CONFER ON MINORITY RIGHTS

[24] YUGOSLAV-CROATIAN COMMISSION MEETS IN BELGRADE

[25] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIALS MEET AMBASSADORS, MISSION HEADS

[26] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT HOLDS SESSION

[01] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS ATTACK POLICE

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

Ethnic Albanian terrorists attacked a police unit in the village of Dolac near Klina, Serbia's Province of Kosovo and Metohija, at around 10.30 a.m local time on Friday, a Serbian Police Spokesman told a news conference.

Spokesman Vladan Colic said the police unit had repelled the attack inflicting heavy casualties on the terrorists.

[02] CROATIAN REPATRIATION PLAN DOWNPLAYS NUMBER OF SERB REFUGEES

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

In a plan for the return of refugees and displaced persons, Croatia envisages the return of just 24,000 displaced persons, claiming that there are 250,000 of them in Yugoslavia and the Republika Srpska, although nearly 500,000 people fled Croatia. Zagreb thus ignores the fact that more than 150,000 Serbscame to Yugoslavia as early as in 1990 and 1991 and that they were forced to moveout because of pressure and growing nationalism. During the military ope rations in Croatia between 1992 and 1995, especially Croatian military operation s in August 1995, a total of 330,123 Krajina Serbs fled to Yugoslavia and about 50,000 others to the Republika Srpska. According to the plan, there are 233,800 Croat and Muslim refugees and displaced persons in Croatia and another 42,000 Croat refugees abroad. The plan said that Croatia currently had 139,000 "refugees from Bosnia- Herzegovina and Yugoslavia," alleging that several thousand Croats who left Yugoslavia were refugees, like those from Bosnia. The plan also said that Croatia had 94,800 displaced persons, 72,639 of whom were Croats from the Srem-Baranja region and the others from the "liberated areas" of Banija, Kordun, Lika or northern Dalmatia. The plan makes no mention of Serbs, whose number in eastern Slavonia had been about 120,000 and which halved after the end of the UNTAES mandate (about 50,000 fled to Yugoslavia and several thousand to Norway). According to the final balance, Croatia should take care of 227,300 repatriates by the year 2000. It turned out that the plan for the return of refugees, which Croatia was forced to adopt because of Serbs, had very little to say about Serb refugees, because it envisages the return of just 24,000 of them.

[03] TERRORIST ORGANIZATION "KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY" HAS MANY ACCOMPLICES

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

The Contact Group's call for an immediate end to the training and fo reign aid in funds and arms to the ethnic-Albanian terrorists in Kosovo and Met ohija is the first official confirmation from without of the long since known f act, the fact that, apart from being aided by Albania, which serves as a base for their training and arming, the terrorists get a bulk of the funds from sources in Western countries. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Richard Holbrooke, himsel f, recently publicly spoke about this, after which foreign media all of a s udden started reporting about uncovered channels via which money and mercenari es reach the ethnic-Albanian terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija. Another illustrat ion that the ideologues and organizers of the ethnic-Albanian terrorism in Kosovo and Metohija have counted on the condonation of Western countries is the fac t that they have published on the Internet the numbers of the bank accounts in Switzerland, Germany, the U.S., Australia, Norway, Denmark, France, Swede n, Italy, Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands into which money for the terro rist organization "Kosovo Liberation Army" is to be paid. Ethnic- Albanian representatives abroad, headed by Bajram Bukosi, "premier" of the "Kosov o Republic," collect from their compatriots abroad a "war tax," which Alban ia's state-run TV has also started publicly doing as of recently. On a two-ho ur daily programme devoted to Kosovo and Metohija, which it broadcasts via satell ite, Albanian state TV repeatedly calls for aid to the Kosovo and Metohija sep aratists and gives addresses and numbers of bank accounts in the West. Tirana TV has announced that money can be paid into accounts in a credit bank in Bruss els, the national bank in Paris, the Nova Ljubljanska Banka bank in the capital of Slovenia, and banks in Turkey, Denmark and some other countries. The mone y paid into these accounts is mostly of doubtful origin, as ethnic Albanians run drug- smuggling channels in Europe.

Authorities in the respective countries have no doubt been aware of the purpose of these bank accounts and the origin of the money paid into them but have so far "overlooked" these facts.

Bukosi has conceded that he has been running a racket for the past seven years but has denied that the collected money is used to purchase arms, insisting that it is allegedly sent as aid for "organizing life" in Kosov o and Metohija. What is actually involved is best illustrated by the fact that ethnic-Albanian terrorists arrive in Tropoje and other places in Albania where arms are sold full of hard currency with which they buy Kalashnikovs for 300 deutsche marks, heavy machine-guns for 2,000, and pistols for 700-800. I n the meantime, media in a majority of European countries have practically dai ly been reporting arrests of organized groups of drug traffickers, made up of et hnic Albanians.

Serbia state authorities have for a long time been drawing the international community's attention to the presence of mercenaries, most ly Fundamentalists, in the ranks of ethnic-Albanian terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija. However, the first reaction to these warnings, although they ha ve been confirmed by Western diplomats, was that by the Contact Group on Wednesda y. Mercenaries from Afghanistan, Chechnya, Turkey, Pakistan, Bosnia-Herzego vina and Croatia get to Kosovo and Metohija. Reception centres for mercenaries exi st in many West European countries, but the competent authorities of these coun tries have done nothing to prevent these activities, although they energeticall y call for a battle against terrorism, especially Islamic. The consequences of the activities of the terrorist organization "Kosovo Liberation Army" are tr agic. The criminal operations of the terrorists, who no longer hide to be figh ting for a greater Albanian, have taken the lives of scores of innocent civilians, including many ethnic-Albanians, and of members of security forces. The terrorists have abducted many persons and started destroying economic facilities.

[04] UN HUMAN RIGHTS RAPPORTEUR MEETS THE REPRESENTATIVES OF LOCAL SERB AUTHORITIES

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

UN Human Rights Rapporteur, Czech diplomat Jiri Dienstbier, said on Friday in Vukovar, Croatia, that it was imperative to respect the rights of peop le to live where they wish and to recover their property, and to initiate a pr ocess of reconciliation as the only way out of the post-war situation. If the Czech Republic and Croatia are members of the Council of Europe and if they wi sh to join the European Union, they must ensure a higher degree of respect of human rights than other states, Dienstbier said. The international community m ust therefore maintain its presence in the region in order to guarantee the respect of human rights, Dienstbier said after meeting on Friday in Vukovar the representatives of local Serb authorities headed by MP Vojislav Stanimiro vic. The Serb delegation informed Dienstbier that human rights of Serbs were s till being violated in the Eastern Slavonia region which had been under UN Transitional Administration (UNTAES) until last January 15. Serbs are le aving the region and Croats are not returning, Stanimirovic said and noted tha t the main reasons for the exodus of Serbs were the non-abidance by concluded agreements and by the amnesty law by the Croatian authorities and frequen t ethnic incidents. About 400 Serb families left the region in the past two months, Stanimirovic said. During the UNTAES mandate, 55,000 Serbs left Eastern Slavonia to settle in Yugoslavia or other countries, and only 16,000 refugees who had been temporarily accommodated in the region returned to other parts of Cr oatia, Stanimirovic said. Stanimirovic also spoke of the great problems of Serb refugees from Croatian towns and cities who have nowhere to return as Cr oatian authorities have denied them tenancy rights in their former places of res idence. This problem must be resolved speedily as these people must have rights e qual to those of other Croatian citizens, he said. Dienstbier arrived in Croatia on Friday for a five-day visit, after visiting Bosnia where he met represent atives of all three ethnic communities. The situation of ethnic minorities is th e same everywhere, as they all face problems of accommodation and obtaining pers onal documents, he said.

[05] PEC DISTRICT PROSECUTOR CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION AGAINST TERRORISTS

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

The Pec district prosecutor's office has called on the district cour t to launch an investigation against seven ethnic Albanians from the municipal ity of Klina, who are suspected of plotting against the state. The request refe rs to Saban Mehmetaj (53), Mustafa Mehmetaj (53), Ganija Ahmetdjekaj (33), Lua n Ahmetdjekaj (23), Skender Barjaktari (46), Nezir Barjaktari (30) and Arbe n Barjaktari (26), all of the village of Rudica. The Pec district prosec utor also requested an investigation against Ismet Berbati, 28, of Pec, Visar Demir i, 20, of the village of Pozaranje in the municipality of Vitina and Dzavit Gasi , 26, of the village of Krusica in the municipality of Suva Reka, who are suspe cted of the crime of terrorism.

[06] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS KILL TWO, WOUND ONE, POLICEMEN

Tanjug, 1998-07-12

Police officer Ivan Erakovic was killed when ethnic Albanian terrori sts attacked a police station on the Decani-Djakovica road, in Kosovo and Met ohija, early on Sunday, the Pristina-based Media Centre reports.

The terrorists fired from surrounding forests and villages. Police r eturned fire. Police officer Dejan Mihajlovic, 27, was killed at around 6 pm (local time) on Saturday, when terrorists attacked a police station near the vil lage of Streoc, on the Pec-Decani road. Police officer Goran Stojanovic was serio usly injured in the attack. He has been transferred to hospital in Pec. Munic ipal authorities in Pec told the Media Centre that armed ethnic Albanians had been opening fire at police stations on the Pec- Djakovica road on Saturday and Sunday.

[07] SERBIAN POLICE REGAINS CONTROL OF PEC-GORAZDEVAC ROAD

Tanjug, 1998-07-11

Serbian police regained on Saturday the control of the Pec-Gorazdeva c road in Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo-Metohija, representatives of the Pec municipality told the Pristina-based Media Centre.

A police unit undertook on Saturday morning an action to free police officers Srdjan Perovic and Milorad Rajkovic, reported missing following a clash with armed ethnic Albanians in the Lodja village a few days ago.

The unit was attacked by strong ethnic Albanian groups using automa tic weapons and mortars. The police returned fire and dispersed the attackers after two hours of fighting, the same sources said. The two missing police offi cers were not found in Lodja, the sources said. No police officers were wound ed in the Saturday clash, but unconfirmed reports say that there were both dea d and wounded among the armed ethnic Albanians who attacked the police, the Me dia Centre said.

[08] ETHNIC ALBANIANS TRY TO SMUGGLE ARMS TO YUGOSLAVIA FROM ALBANIA

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

Several groups of armed ethnic Albanians last night tried to smuggle arms and ammunition from Albania into Yugoslavia. Two ethnic Albanians were ki lled near Vrbnica, west of Prizren, early this morning, when a group of armed ethnic Albanians tried to smuggle a large quantity of arms from Albania to Yugos lavia. Prizren authorities told the Pristina-based Media Centre that the group had fired at Yugoslav border guards who responded. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was seized. Last night about midnight, a large group of armed ethnic Albanians tried illegally to cross from Albania into Yugoslavia near Goro zup, west of Prizren. Yugoslav border guards opened fire and the armed ethnic Albanians withdrew to the Albanian territory. At about 9.30 p.m. (1930 GMT) on Thursday, about 30 armed ethnic Albanians tried to smuggle large quantit ies of arms and ammunition from Albania into Yugoslavia near the village of Kosa re, northwest of Djakovica. There was a conflict with Yugoslav border guards.

Djakovica authorities told the Media Centre that the conflict had la sted until 8 a.m. on Friday and that several members of the group were killed or wounded. The Media Centre said that the rest of the group had withdrawn t o Albania and then started to shoot at Yugoslav border guards from snipers and thwart the attempts to carry out an investigation into the incident. The group tried to bring arms and ammunition to Yugoslavia on 30 pack animals. Non e of the Yugoslav border guards were hurt in the incidents, Prizren and Djakovica municipal authorities said.

[09] ETHNIC ALBANIANS LAUNCH 797 TERRORIST ATTACKS OVER PAST SEVEN YEARS

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

Serbian Police Spokesman Vladan Colic said on Friday that ethnic Alb anians had launched 797 terrorist attacks in Serbia's Province of Kosovo and Met ohija since 1991. The terrorists launched 663 attacks between early January an d July 9. 1998, Colic told a news conference in Belgrade, saying that Serbian po lice had been the target of 262 attacks, while civilians and various facilities ha d been the target of 401 attacks. Most of the attacks occurred in the areas of D ecani, Srbica, Djakovica and Klina, he said. He said the Serbian police would effectively fight against separatism and terrorism also in the future. Co lic said the condition of police officers who had been wounded and were being trea ted at Belgrade's Military Academy Hospital was stable. Asked to comment on the strength of the ethnic Albanian terrorist organisation that calls itself the "Kosovo Liberation Army", Colic said its numbers were not so great as some foreign and domestic media claimed.

[10] ARMY EXHIBITS ARMS CONFISCATED FROM TERRORISTS

Tanjug, 1998-07-12

The Yugoslav Army exhibited on Sunday some of the weapons and ammuni tion confiscated from Albanian terrorists attempting to smuggle arms into Yugo slavia from neighbouring Albania. Among the exhibited materiel were 15 automati c and 37 semi-automatic rifles, five rocket-launchers, seven 60-mm mortars, th ree 82-mm recoilless guns, four Browning rifles, 46 anti-tank mines, 96 pack ages of TNT explosives, and 204 hand grenades of Chinese make. Captain Zeljko Zir ojevic told reporters that "from July 8-11, Albanian terrorists attempted to cr oss from Albania into Yugoslavia illegally, carrying large quantities of arms, amm unition, mines and other explosives, from the Djaravica and Cafa Prusit watchtower s of the Djakovica garrison, and the Vrbnica watchtower of the Prizren garrison." Security forces and border guards in the aforesaid watchtowers, on which the terr orists opened fire, thwarted every attempt. A large number of terrorists were ki lled, while the others ran, panic-stricken, said Zirojevic, adding that the arm y had suffered no casualties.

[11] PRIMAKOV, KINKEL: NEW CREATIVE PATHS FOR SOLUTION TO KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1998-07-11

The Foreign Ministers of Russia and Germany, Yevgeny Primakov and Kl aus Kinkel respectively, agreed during Saturday's talks on "new creative ways " toward finding a peaceful solution to the problem of Kosovo and Metohija.

Both ministers told a news conference after the meeting that talks f ocused on a peaceful solution to the crisis in Serbia's Province and that such a solution must have absolute priority. Primakov and Kinkel did not reveal any details of the talks, but said it was agreed that Kinkel brief the other members of the Contact Group of the contents of the meeting. Primakov said he wa s very satisfied with the fruitful meeting and Kinkel's view of the situation in Serbia's troubled Province. Kinkel has many solutions and all of them fit into Russia's view of a peaceful solution to the problem, without the use of force, said Primakov. He said the Russian and German stands were very close in that respect. Both sides hailed the positive effect of a recent declaration by the Presidents of Russia and Yugoslavia, Boris Yeltsin and Slobodan Milosevic 2E Serbian security forces are showing restraint, said Primakov. However, h e said, the situation is not developing toward stabilization and that is a cause for worry, he said. Recalling a recent joint mission by Russian and U.S. env oys Nikolai Afanasyevsky and Richard Holbrooke to Yugoslavia, and the latest statements by the Contact Group in Bonn, Primakov said it was all yieldin g fruit. Kinkel described his meeting with Primakov as extremely constructive. He informed Primakov of his meetings with representatives of Kosovo Albanian s, during a recent visit to Albania and Macedonia. Kinkel underlined several times during the press conference that he had clearly told ethnic Albanian representatives that they must give up the idea of secession and especial ly any aspirations to a "greater Albania".

Kinkel added that he had expressed to Primakov his great concern an d feeling that the situation in Kosovo-Metohija was very difficult and that everything must be done to find a political solution.

[12] YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR: CONTACT GROUP IMPOSES SOLUTION ON KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1998-07-12

Yugoslav Ambassador in Bonn Zoran Jeremic said in Sunday's edition o f the "Junge Welt" that the Contact Group was taking the initiative in seeking a way out of the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija and trying to impose its own sol ution. The mere existence of a secret document, following the official statemen t by the Contact Group in Bonn, which abandons the earlier stance for a solution t hrough dialogue, is a signal that a way out of the crisis will be forced from th e outside, through international mediation, said Jeremic. He said the aim of an enforced solution was to extort more concessions out of Serbia and Yugos lavia, in regard to dialogue over Serbia's troubled Province. Asked about Belgr ade's proposals for easing current tensions in the Province, Jeremic said the m ost important stands were constructed into a joint statement made in Moscow b y the Yugoslav and Russian Presidents.

Jeremic conveyed his assurances that there was no danger in Yugosla via to anyone, least of all a threat to peace and stability in the region. Jer emic pointed to consistent untruths in western media regarding Kosovo and Meto hija. Yugoslavia, he said, deserves praise for its willingness for dialogue and restraint before increasingly dangerous provocations by ethnic Albanian terrorists.

[13] YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO GREEK PRESIDENT

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

Yugoslav Ambassador to Greece Dragomir Vucicevic has presented crede ntials to Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos. Vucicevic conveyed Yugoslav Pr esident Slobodan Milosevic's greetings to President Stephanopoulos and belief th at the two countries' close and friendly relations would continue successfully t o develop in future. Receiving the credentials, Stephanopoulos greeted Milosevic and said that a dynamic and comprehensive development of tradi tionally good and friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries was in the long-term interest of our nations as well as a factor of peace, stability , good neighbourly relations and understanding in southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

[14] GREEK MINISTER VISITS BELGRADE RAILWAYS

Tanjug, 1998-07-11

Greek communications minister Anastasios Mantelis visited Belgrade r ailways on Saturday and met with railways director Svetolik Kostadinovic and gene ral director Zivorad Maksimovic. Both sides laid stress to promotion of the traditionally good ties between Yugoslavia and Greece. The two-hour talks were attended by Greek Ambassador in Belgrade Panayotis Vlasopoulos. It was a greed that a priority task would be to set up a joint commission that would wo rk on the realization of the rail and road route, known as Corridor 10. The directors informed the minister and his associates of important projects under way.

[15] SERBIA PRESIDENT MILUTINOVIC RECEIVES GREEK MINISTER MANTELIS

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

Serbia President Milan Milutinovic on Friday received Greek Transpor tation and Communications Minister Anastasios Mantelis, who is visiting Yugoslav ia as guest of the Federal Transportation Ministry. President Milutinovic was informed about cooperation between Yugoslavia and Greece in the area of transport ation and possibilities for the promotion that cooperation, which was assessed as successful. The meeting was also attended by Yugoslav Transportation Min ister Dejan Drobnjakovic.

[16] YUGOSLAV, GREEK TRANSPORT MINISTERS DISCUSS PROMOTION OF COOPERATION

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

Yugoslav Transport Minister Dejan Drobnjakovic and Greek Transport and Communications Minister Anastasios Mantelios discussed on Friday the prom otion of cooperation in the field of transport and in particular railway, road and air links. After the meeting, Drobnjakovic said "We are reviewing a large n umber of issues concerning regional cooperation in the sphere of transport. It is in the interest of both friendly countries to promote cooperation in the fi eld of transport as much as possible," he said. He said joint activities in imp roving the so-called Corridor 10, adopted at a pan-European conference of minis ters in Helsinki, would also be discussed. The corridor, believed to be of major importance, is to link Salzburg and Salonika via Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgr ade and Skopje. One of its branches is to run from Belgrade to Budapest. Manteli os described Friday's talks as crucial because he said they would lead to diversification of cooperation between the two countries, especially as r egards all forms of transport. He said it had been agreed that it was vital to back the world community's move for focusing attention on the Corridor 10 which h e said would bring closer the two friendly countries even more. He said it had b een agreed that procedure at border crossings via which the corridor runs be simplified in the interest of better services for passengers and a speedi er traffic of goods. Drobnjakovic and Mantelios also said permits would be i ssued on the principle of reciprocity for lorries transitting Yugoslavia and G reece. They said it was vital that they meet more often in the future and discus s cooperation in the domain.

[17] YUGOSLAV-GREEK COOPERATION IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Tanjug, 1998-06-10

Yugoslav Minister of Telecommunications Dojcilo Radojevic met on Fri day the Greek Minister of Transport and Communications Anastasios Mantelis to dis cuss bilateral cooperation in telecommunications, the Federal Information Secr etariat said in a statement. Yugoslavia and Greece attach the greatest importanc e to regional cooperation in line with the Crete Declaration, the ministers n oted exchanging views on the development of regional and bilateral cooperatio n in the fields of post and telecommunications.

[18] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER RECEIVES GREEK TRANSPORT MINISTER

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic received on Friday Greek Tra nsport and Communications Minister Anastasios Mantelis who is visiting Yugoslavi a at the invitation by Yugoslav Transport Minister Dejan Drobnjakovic.

A statement issued by the Yugoslav Information Secretariat said the confirmed friendship between Yugoslavia and Greece constituted a good bas is for further promotion of cooperation in the field of transport and communicat ions and, consequently, for the promotion of overall cooperation between the t wo countries.

[19] CHINESE ARMY DELEGATION RECEIVED BY YUGOSLAV ARMY CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

A Chinese Army delegation ended a several-day visit to Yugoslavia on Friday, the Yugoslav Army general staff's press section said. The delegat ion was received earlier in the day by Yugoslav Army Chief of general staff, Gen eral Momcilo Perisic, and his aides. In open and cordial talks, the two armie s' readiness and determination was stressed for making a lasting contributi on to strengthening stability and consolidating peace through all-round inter- army cooperation. General Yuan thanked for the offered hospitality, conveying his army's opposition to the threat of use of force and interference in Yugo slavia's or any other sovereign country's internal affairs. He said this was in li ne with China's state policy.

[20] DEFENSE MINISTER BULATOVIC RECEIVES CHINESE MILITARY DELEGATION

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

Yugoslav Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic on Friday received a deleg ation of the Main Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, headed by General Yuan Shoufang. It was assessed in a lengthy and candid talk t hat cooperation between the two countries is successful in all domains, and t hat a mutual interest and all necessary conditions exist for making it even mor e comprehensive and intensive. Cooperation between the two countries is f ounded on positive international norms, a sincere friendship and relations of m utual understanding and confidence, which makes it so strong, Minister Bulatov ic said. "Our cooperation is a contribution to peace, stability and development i n the world and not just in our two countries," he set out. General Yuan said that the Chinese delegation's several-day visit to Yugoslavia had been extreme ly productive. He said the delegation had been surrounded by friendliness an d had expanded their knowledge of the history and culture of the people of Yugo slavia. The Chinese guest presented his country's position that Yugoslavia must r emain a strong factor of peace, stability and development in the region, and th at all internal problems, including the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, must be re solved by political means. We maintain that Yugoslavia consistently pursues a p olicy of peace and cooperation and that Kosovo and Metohija is an internal affa ir and should be resolved strictly peacefully within the Republic of Serbia. We are against outside interference, especially by force and arms Yuan said. Th e meeting was also attended by Chinese Ambassador to Yugoslavia Pan Zhanlin , the members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army delegation, and closest associates of Yugoslav Defense Minister Bulatovic, the Yugoslav Defense Ministry said.

[21] OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES ANNUAL SESSION

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

The annual session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ended in Copenhagen on Friday, with th e adoption of several advisory documents, Serbian radio and television repo rts.

Assessing the participation of the Yugoslav delegation at the sessi on, president of the Yugoslav Parliament lower house Foreign Affairs Committe e Ljubisa Ristic said Yugoslavia had come willing to cooperate with the bod y and begin a rapprochement with the organization. Unfortunately, said Ristic, the Parliamentary Assembly had staged a scenario unacceptable for Yugoslav. A debate was to take place in which a representative of the illegal governm ent of Kosovo and Metohija would speak. This government represents ethnic Albani an terrorists and separatists, said Ristic. They were to take part in the de bate on equal terms as the Yugoslav delegation, answer questions and make their statements, said Ristic. The Yugoslav delegation refused to take part, maintaining that the Parliamentary Assembly should speak with the delegat ion of the Yugoslav Parliament, and not with people whose nationality and citize nship were unknown. Yugoslavia had requested that its speakers address the ple nary session. Ristic said President Javier Ruperez had replied in a letter tha t there would be no debate on a resolution, and the delegation refused to take pa rt in the scenario. Member of the delegation Milan Bozic told Serbian radio an d television the most important thing was that the parliamentary delegation had appeared in such a meeting, for the first time since 1992. It is importa nt for us to communicate with the world and to send our message, which, because of the Albanian lobby, never reaches the world, said Bozic. "We want to return t o all world organizations and there are no obstacles on our side. Our presence at such meetings shows this and I think it was good that we were here," he said. He said that since its participation at the recent Parliamentary Assembly sessio n in Strasbourg, and then in Copenhagen, Yugoslavia's return to the OSCE was very close. Gennady Seleznyov, the President of the Russian State Duma, and vice president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, expressed regret that there were double standards in Europe. This is a policy of momentary interests that will not be tolerated in Europe for long, he said. Russia resisted pressures to l essen the constructive role of Yugoslavia and Serbia in solving the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and urged the OSCE to return to its original principl es from the 1975 Helsinki founding act, and be a true association of cooperation and understanding.

[22] INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY CLAIMS COMMISSION SOON TO OPEN OFFICE IN SERBIA , 1992.

Tanjug, 1998-07-11

The Sarajevo-based International Commission for property claims by r efugees and displaced persons will soon open its office in Serbia. An agreement on opening the office, which will make it possible for more than 266,000 ref ugees who have fled Bosnia for Serbia to make claims for the restitution of the property they have left, was signed last Wednesday by Serbian Refugee Commissioner Bratislava Morina and the Commission's Executive Director St even Segal.

The commission is to decide on property claims by refugees and disp laced persons from Bosnia-Herzegovina in cases when the property has not been voluntarily given up or has been usurped in other ways following April 1

The commission is also to decide whether a person has been forced i nto selling their property at a much lower price than its real value in which case the selling of property will be declared invalid.

[23] VOJVODINA'S VICE-PREMIER, ROMANIAN M.P. CONFER ON MINORITY RIGHTS

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

Vice-Premier in Serbia's northern Province of Vojvodina Damjan Raden kovic and head of Romania's Parliamentary group for friendship with Yugoslavia Eugen Nicolicea discussed on Friday the strengthening of ethnic Romanians' righ ts in the Province. It was stated that Vojvodina's 26 minorities and ethnic gr oups exercised rights in line with the highest European and international sta ndards. This makes possible the preservation of minority and ethnic culture, reli gion and tradition, it was stated. By cherishing their language and alphabet thro ugh education in their mother tongue and by exercising all other rights, eth nic Romanians strengthen their national identity and contribute to overall cooperation between Yugoslavia and Romania, it was stated.

[24] YUGOSLAV-CROATIAN COMMISSION MEETS IN BELGRADE

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

The Yugoslav-Croatian Commission for the implementation of Article 7 of the Agreement on normalisation of relations between Yugoslavia and Croatia me t in Belgrade on Friday. The meeting was chaired by Yugoslav Assistance Justi ce Minister and head of the Yugoslav delegation Radivoj Rajakovic, while the Croatian delegation was led by head of Croatia's office for succession is sues Bozo Marendic, a statement issued by the Yugoslav Information Secretariat said. The meeting dealt with the repatriation of refugees, expellee s and displaced persons, the statement said. It was stated that the repatriatio n was proceeding well and in line with a protocol on the organised return signe d by the two countries, the statement said. Information was exchanged about the w ork of the Yugoslav property protection bureau and Croatia's central real estat e agency, the statement said. The Croatian delegation submitted a draft agr eement on compensation for destroyed, damaged or stolen property. The commissi on is to meet again in Zagreb in early September, the statement said.

[25] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIALS MEET AMBASSADORS, MISSION HEADS

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

A meeting was held on Friday at the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry with Ambassadors and heads of foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Belgrade.

Yugoslav Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Zlatan Kikic informe d the foreign diplomats in detail of the views and measures of Yugoslav and Ser bian Governments for resolving the pending issues in Serbia's southern Provinc e of Kosovo-Metohija through a direct and unconditional dialogue. This goal c an be realized only on the basis of respect of Serbia's and Yugoslavia's territ orial integrity and sovereignty, of guarantees of equality of all citizens and ethnic communities and of the respect of international standards of human and mi nority rights, the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Ambassado rs and mission heads expressed satisfaction with the meeting and with the polic y of regular briefing sessions with Yugoslav and Serbian Government officials.

[26] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT HOLDS SESSION

Tanjug, 1998-07-10

The Yugoslav Government held a session on Friday chaired by Prime Mi nister Momir Bulatovic, at which it heard a report on the realization of the pro gram of measures for ensuring macro-economic balance and stability, the Federal Information Secretariat said in a statement. The measures have produ ced positive results in general, especially as regards industrial production and price stability, the Government noted and resolved to take additional mea sures to intensify foreign trade, especially exports. The Government adopted a decision on the creation of Yugoslav Radio-Television as a federal public institution entrusted with informing the public of developments in Yugosl avia and the world. The decision also provides for a more rational and functional organization of information activities of Radio-Yugoslavia, Newsreel, International Politics and Yugoslav Review. The new institution will be i n charge of radio, TV, and Internet programs and of editing International Politics and Yugoslav Review in Serbian and other languages.

The Government also defined the platform for pursuing the talks betw een a Yugoslav delegation and the London Club from July 13 to 17 in London. Th e Government approved the draft agreement between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Croatia on resolving the territorial dispu te over the Prevlaka promontory on the border between Croatia and Montenegro. The draft was drawn up by competent federal institutions in collaboration with Mont enegrin Government. The draft was addressed to Croatian authorities and submitted to the UN Security Council.

The draft is in line with Yugoslavia's constructive policy of resolv ing all disputes in a peaceful manner on the basis of the principles of fairness, good neighbourliness and respect of mutual interests of countries, and of the international law on land and maritime border demarcation.

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