Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-10-20

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] NOVAKOVIC RECEIVES U.N. MISSION

[02] RAPPORTEURS SANS FRONTIERES PROTEST TO ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER DEMAQI

[03] YUGOSLAV JOURNALISTS EMBITTERED BY DISAPPEARANCE OF THEIR COLLEAGUES

[04] APPEAL OF ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS OF SERBIA

[05] FEDERAL INFORMATION SECRETARIAT STATEMENT

[06] SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTRY STATEMENT

[07] KOSOVO-METOHIJA OFFICIAL ON DISAPPEARANCE OF TANJUG'S JOURNALISTS

[08] TWO TANJUG REPORTERS GONE MISSING

[09] RUSSIA LIKELY TO PLAY MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN SOLVING KOSOVO AND METOHIJA CRISIS

[10] DROBNJAK: SERBIAN, YUGOSLAV CITIZENS HAVE HAILED KOSOVO AND METOHIJA ACCORD

[11] SERBIAN DEPUTY PREMIER RECEIVES GERMAN AMBASSADOR

[12] YUGOSLAV ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF: THREAT TO COUNTRY, PEOPLE STILL PRESENT

[13] YUGOSLAV DEPUTY PREMIER RECEIVES UN ENVOY

[01] NOVAKOVIC RECEIVES U.N. MISSION

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

Deputy Federal Foreign Minister Zoran Novakovic received on Monday a U.N. mission, headed by Steffan de Misturo, which is in the Federal Republ ic of Yugoslavia according to a decision of the U.N. Secretary General.

[02] RAPPORTEURS SANS FRONTIERES PROTEST TO ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER DEMAQI

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

Rapporteurs sans Frontieres wrote on Monday to Kosovo-Metohija's ethnic Albanian militant leader Adem Demaqi protesting against the disappearance of two TANJUG reporters in that Province of the Yugoslav Republic of Ser bia.

An official of the Paris-based Rapporteurs sans Frontieres told TANJUG's correspondent in Paris on Monday evening that the letter expressed the c oncern of this independent freedom of the press watchdog body for the fat e of the two Serbian newsmen.

The official said that the letter had been sent to Demaqi, political rep resentative of the ethnic Albanian terrorist organisation calling itself the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA, 1998), because it was feared the newsmen were being held by the KLA.

The letter, signed by the body's Secretary General Robert Menard, said t hat, according to their information, Radosevic and Dobricic disappeared o n Oct. 18 in the area of Magura, 20 km south of Kosovo-Metohija's chief c ity of Pristina.

The letter said that the newsmen had been en route to investigate a repo rt of an attack on Saturday on two Serbian policemen, of which KLA terror ists were suspected.

The letter further said that on Aug. 21, another Serbian reporter, Djuro Slavuj, and his driver Ranko Perinic, went missing while working on a st ory in the Orahovac area. Slavuj and Perinic were last seen on a road lea ding to KLA positions, according to the Rapporteurs sans Frontieres.

[03] YUGOSLAV JOURNALISTS EMBITTERED BY DISAPPEARANCE OF THEIR COLLEAGUES

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

The Yugoslav Journalists' Federation was embittered to receive the news that Tanjug's journalists Nebojsa Radosevic and Vladimir Dobricic had dis appeared on the Pristina-Magura road on Sunday.

A statement, signed by Journalists' Federation President Budo Simonovic, said that another cause for concern was that there was still no informat ion about the fate of journalists Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perinic, who wer e kidnapped two months ago.

At a time when the world is looking at Kosovo and Metohija and when the peacefull and good-intentioned people are hoping that the Kosovo-Metohija crisis will be resolved in a peaceful way, through talks and political m eans, new attacks, murders and woundings of policemen as well as the abdu ction and prevention of journalists from doing their work and reporting about the developments in the region cannot be interpreted in any other w ay but as a confirmation that terrorism and criminal activities of the so - called Kosovo liberation army are still active.

This is a proof that ethnic Albanian separatists do not care about peace or even their own people and that they have taken the agreements on a pe aceful resolution of problems in Kosovo and Metohija between the Yugoslav President and Serbian authorities and international representatives as a signal and their chance to start new terrorist operations without any im pediment.

Believing that the world will finally realise who is who in Kosovo and M etohija and react adequately, the Yugoslav Journalists' Federation expect s that the international community will put pressure on Kosovo Albanian r epresentatives and call for an urgent and unconditional release of Radose vic and Dobricic as well as for shedding light on the fate of Slavuj and Perinic.

[04] APPEAL OF ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS OF SERBIA

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

The Main Board of the Association of Journalists of Serbia called on Mon day on the representatives of the mission of the OSCE for Kosovo and Meto hija, the representatives of the International Red Cross and all humanita rian organizations to help the corresponding bodies in finding the two Ta njug reporters, Nebojsa Radosevic and Vladimir Dobricic, who disappeared on Oct. 18 near Pristina while they were on assignement.

The Association appealed to all these institutions to also help in the s earch for journalists of Radio Pristina Djura Slavuj and Ranko Perinic wh o also disappeared while they were on assignment several months ago.

The Association called on all ethnic Albanian collegues and Albanian-lan guage papers to show their professional solidarity and humanity and help in finding Radosevic and Dobricic.

The Association called on the General Secretary of the International Fed eration of Journalists in Brussels, Eidan White, and the president of the International Committee for the Protection of Journalists in New York, C athy Morton, to come to Belgrade and Pristina as the guests of the Associ ation and learn about the latest attacks on journalists in Kosovo and Me tohija.

[05] FEDERAL INFORMATION SECRETARIAT STATEMENT

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

The Federal Information Secretariat has strongly protested against the c riminal act of kidnapping of two Tanjug reporters, Nebojsa Radosevic and Vladimir Dobricic, on Oct. 18 while they were on assignment.

A statement said that the new disappearance of journalists in Kosovo and Metohija is both a drastic example of the violation of the basic human r ights and the threats to journalism as a profession, and also a blow to t he implementation of the Milosevic-Holbrooke agreement and the Agreement on the OSCE Verification Mission in Kosmet.

Radosevic and Dobricic are members of a large family of newsmen who are trying to report from Kosovo and Metohija about progress in the implement ation of the agreement. Their work is being obstructed by those who do no t care about peace. It is inadmissible that teams of journalists are bein g abducted in Kosovo and Metohija before the very eyes of the internation al community, and that 24 hours afterwards nothing is still known about their fate.

Following this latest attack by the ethnic Albanian terrorists on human dignity and human lives, but also on journalism as a profession, we expec t the international factors, primarily the OSCE, the International Federa tion of Journalists from Brussels, the U.S. Committee for the Protection of Journalists, Helsinki Watch and other human rights organizations, to h elp in finding all the missing reporters but also to strongly denounce th e latest kidnapping in Kosovo and Metohija which is an example of the sen seless terrorism and non-acceptance of peace, agreements and normal life in the province, the statement said.

[06] SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTRY STATEMENT

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

The Serbian Information Ministry has expressed concern over the disappea rence of Tanjug's reporters Nebojsa Radosevic and Vladimir Dobricic, who went missing on the road from Pristina to the village of Magur where they were heading to cover the details of a terrorist attack on a police patr ol.

The Ministry said in a statement that following the agreement with the i nternational community that all problmes in Kosovo and Metohija should be resolved solely through peaceful means, the remains of the scatterred et hnic Albanian terrorist gangs have over the past few days organized and c arried out attacks and provocations in order to prevent the realization o f the agreement.

Disatisfied with such an outcome of the agreement, the ethnic Albanian s eparatists and terrorists zeroed in on Tanjug's journalists with the aim of preventing the truth about their crimes and violation of the reached a greements from reaching the public. Their goal is to supress the truth ab out the situation and events in Kosovo and Metohija, the statement said.

Tanjug's reporters, Radosevic and Dobricic, "armed" only with a pencil a nd a camera, wanted to record the truth and give an objective picture abo ut the terrorist attack on a police partol and to professinally transmit it to the domestic and foriegn public. Two months ago Radio Pristina's jo urnalist and driver, Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic, had the same aims. T hey were all prevented in this since the publication of timely objective information unmasks the role of the ethnic Albanian terrorists and unveil s their separatist goals.

The Serbian Information Ministry said it feared for the fate of the miss ing reporters and added that it expected all professional and humanitaria n organizations at home and abroad, and the representatives of OSCE verif ication mission, to provide the necessary aid in finding the missing jour nalists.

[07] KOSOVO-METOHIJA OFFICIAL ON DISAPPEARANCE OF TANJUG'S JOURNALISTS

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

Commenting on the disappearance of Tanjug's journalists Nebojsa Radosevi c and Vladimir Dobricic, Kosovo-Metohija Provincional Government member i n charge of information Bosko Drobnjak said on Monday that abusing the ab sence of special security forces, who had withdrawn from Kosovo and Metoh ija, the remaining terrorist gangs were still committing crimes. Drobnjak told Tanjug that these frustrated gangs, deprived of leaders, were makin g their last moves by fair means or foul.

World power-wielders can no longer turn a blind eye to these crimes, he said and added that international humanitarian organisations and associat ions of journalists had to be more decisive in condemning terrorist crime s.

Drobnjak wondered whether the intellectuals, humanists and honest and re nowned members of the ethnic Albanian community would do something to sav e their face and the face of a large number of their compatriots.

Drobnjak invited all those who know something to help shed some light on the disappearance of Tanjug's journalists.

[08] TWO TANJUG REPORTERS GONE MISSING

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

Reporters Nebojsa Radosevic and Vladimir Dobricic of the Yugoslav news a gency Tanjug went missing at about noon on Sunday on the road from Pristi na to Magura, where they had been heading to report on the details of Sat urday's terrorist attack on a police patrol. The correspondents left Pris tina shortly before noon in a white Yugo Florida vehicle, plates BG 987-0 90, and headed for Magura, about 20 km southwest in the municipality of L ipljan, passing by Slatina Airport.

Police informed the Tanjug office in Pristina that the reporter and phot ographer had not reached Magura and had not been seen by 23:00 hrs local time Sunday.

Ethnic Albanian terrorists opened fire at a police vehicle in Magura at about 6 p.m. local time on Saturday, wounding two policemen.

[09] RUSSIA LIKELY TO PLAY MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN SOLVING KOSOVO AND METOHIJA CRISIS

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

The delegation of Russia's State Duma that visited Yugoslavia last week will propose that Russia play a more active role in the peaceful resoluti on of the Kosovo and Metohija issue and in efforts for abolishing all ant i- Yugoslav measures, Sergei Baburin, Duma's Deputy Speaker, said on Monda y.

Baburin, who headed the delegation that returned to Moscow on Sunday, sa id at a news conference that the delegation would propose also that Russi a play an active role in the OSCE verification mission to Kosovo and Meto hija, that military and technical cooperation with Yugoslavia be diversif ied, that efforts be made to help abolish anti-Yugoslav measures and to s ecure Yugoslavia's re-admission to the OSCE. He said that, moreover, an i nitiative would be launched for strengthening ties among Russia, Belarus and Yugoslavia, saying the delegation had discussed the issue in Belgrade as instructed by the Duma leadership. Deputies Vladimir Zorin and Alexei Arbatov said the Albanian minority in Serbia's southern Province was dis united, saying Russia and the international community in general should h elp boost credibility of those ethnic Albanian leaders that urged a peace ful solution to the issue.

They said they believed the situation in Kosovo and Metohija had basical ly stabilised and that legitimate authorities had regained control in the Province. This can be said despite the resumption of ethnic Albanian ter rorist attacks, they said adding that the attacks were not launched on a large scale because of which a considerable number of police officers co uld return to their basis.

They all agreed that the deployment of an OSCE mission to the Province w as a most rational and optimal way of securing conditions for the opening of dialogue.

[10] DROBNJAK: SERBIAN, YUGOSLAV CITIZENS HAVE HAILED KOSOVO AND METOHIJA ACCORD

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

Bosko Drobnjak of Kosovo and Metohija's Provisional Executive Council ha s said that all citizens of Serbia and Yugoslavia were greatly relieved b y the signing of an agreement on Serbia's southern Province by Yugoslav P resident Slobodan Milosevic and U.S. Envoy Richard Holbrooke.

Speaking in an interview published on Monday by the Slovak daily Pravda, Drobnjak, who is in charge of information, said the next step to be made at this point was to open dialogue with legitimate representatives of th e Albanian minority.

Drobnjak said Serbia's territorial integrity and sovereignty must be pre served in Kosovo and Metohija, saying the Albanian minority must be grant ed the broadest rights, in line with the international community's highes t standards.

He said ethnic Albanian political leaders had not yet demonstrated willi ngness to open dialogue, saying they insisted on what they called indepen dent Kosovo as the only solution despite the Milosevic-Holbrooke accord a nd the international community's unequivocal position on the issue.

Referring to the recent setting up of the Kosovo and Metohija Council, D robnjak said this body should do everything to stabilise and improve the humanitarian situation in the Province.

We want to secure preconditions for the forming of strong structures on the principles adopted in civilised states after elections to be held in a nine months' time, he said.

The Provisional Government must establish contacts with ethnic Albanians as well, he said adding that something had already been done in this sen se. He said a hundred centres for the distribution of relief aid had been formed.

Drobnjak said the humanitarian situation in the Province was complex, bu t said it was far from a humanitarian disaster.

He said there were practically no refugees in the Province, saying refug ees were only those who had left the country and gone abroad. He said a p art of the population had left their homes and were staying with their fr iends and relatives in neighbouring towns and villages, saying most of th e people had returned home.

Commenting on the pullout of Serbian security forces from Kosovo and Met ohija, Drobnjak said this had been done under extreme pressure on the par t of the international community, saying ethnic Albanian terrorist gangs were now taking advantage of such a state of affairs.

We are practically left at the terrorists' mercy, he said adding that st ate bodies would adapt to new circumstances, he said.

[11] SERBIAN DEPUTY PREMIER RECEIVES GERMAN AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Prof. Milovan Bojic received on Monday the German Ambassador to Yugoslavia Wilfried Gruber at his own request.

Gruber informed Bojic of the last Bundestag session whose agenda include d the situation in Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo-Metohija, and exp lained Germany's views on the accord recently reached by Yugoslav Preside nt Slobodan Milosevic and US Envoy Richard Holbrooke.

Gruber and Bojic also discussed the activities of humanitarian organizat ions in Yugoslavia, especially in Kosovo-Metohija, and the problem of dis placed persons and the means of resolving it.

Gruber was also interested in the fate of the temporarily banned media a nd in the provisions of the new law on information.

Bojic told Gruber that the Serbian Government decree on media responsibi lities in the face of military threats to Yugoslavia was temporary. The g oal of the measure is not to institute press censorship or ban media acti vities, but to prevent spreading defeatism, panic and fear and undermini ng national defense capacity, Bojic said, and underlined that all, includ ing the media, must contribute to the implementation of a wide range of m easures taken by the Government in this situation.

Referring to the new law on information, Bojic said it did not thwart an y freedoms or ban anything but lies. No country condones lies and neither does Yugoslavia, Bojic said.

[12] YUGOSLAV ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF: THREAT TO COUNTRY, PEOPLE STILL PRESENT

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

Yugoslav Army Chief of General Staff General Momcilo Perisic hailed on M onday an agreement on the peaceful resolution of the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija, saying a threat to the people and the country had not been eli minated yet.

Addressing to businessmen and political leaders in Gornji Milanovac, Gen. Perisic said Yugoslavia's and Serbia's enemies were searching for an internal "ally" in order to realise their interests, saying ethnic Albani an separatists were the most suitable ally at this point.

He said NATO member states were not very willing to take part in an atta ck which was not legally based, but said they wanted to show to the entir e world and Russia in particular that they could do whatever they wanted to.

[13] YUGOSLAV DEPUTY PREMIER RECEIVES UN ENVOY

Tanjug, 1998-10-19

Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic received on Monday Staffa n de Mistura, who is visiting Belgrade on behalf of the UN Secretary-Gene ral who had been invited to visit Yugoslavia and gain first-hand knowledg e of the situation in Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo-Metohija.

The accords that have been reached recently regarding the Province have confirmed the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and of th e Republic of Serbia and paved the way for political and humanitarian act ivities which will bring about peace, stability and development, it was n oted during the meeting.

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