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Serbia Today 96-08-02
Serbia Today
2 August 1996
CONTENTS
[01] UNTAES MANDATE EXTENDED
[02] TUDJMAN AT THE CROSSROADS
[03] CORNBLOOM IS TRYING TO EASE THE TENSION IN THE FEDERATION
[04] NESKOVIC: KARADZIC AND MLADIC CAN NOT BE EXTRADITED
[05] GERMAN PRESS COMMENTS THE BOSNIAN ELECTIONS
[06] THE MASS GRAVES HOLD THE SECRET
[07] UNTRACEABLE VICTIMS
[08] THE YUGOSLAV BASKETBALL TEAM WILL PLAY IN THE OLYMPIC FINALS
[09] AWARD FOR ALEKSANDAR KLAS
[01] UNTAES MANDATE EXTENDED
The UN Security Council extended for 6 more months (until January 15,
1997) the mandate to 100 military observers involved in the UN mission in
Eastern Slavonija (UNTAES) - reads a statement released by the Council. Thus,
the mandate of the military observers has been harmonized with the mandate of
the entire UNTAES mission. The resolution was passed after the recent report
presented by UN Secretary General Ghali - in which he stressed that the
extension of the mandate of the military observers will enhance the capacity
of UNTAES to ensure a permanent demilitarization and supervise any possible
breaches. Dr. Ghali stressed that UNTAES contributed to the normalization of
the relations between Yugoslavia and Croatia. (Politika, August 2, 1996)
[02] TUDJMAN AT THE CROSSROADS
The Croatian state policy is now with its back to the wall: it has to
show urgently that it no longer supports the para-state creation called
"Herzeg-Bosnia" or face sanctions against Croatia that have been announced.
Therefore, it isn't surprising that President Tudjman had to fly to Washington
immediately, responding to a call made by Mr. Clinton. One of the reasons the
international community insists on the settlement of the problem of Mostar,
has been illustrated by Mr. Bildt's deputy - Mr. Karl Steiner: "If the
European Community were to turn over the administration to the local partner
which has not been properly elected, we could forget about the general
elections in September, because we would be faced with so many Mostars in
Bosnia if any of the sides were not pleased by the elections results." With
its current attitude, the Croatian government has wasted all of its "credits"
with the international community, that finally decided to threaten sanctions.
The fact that the motion for sanctions was made by Germany - the country
without whose help Croatia would not have gained independence - is a
particularly bitter pill for the Croatian public to swallow. The Croatian
leadership finally has to show that it endorses the Dayton Agreement, first of
all by acknowledging the results of the elections in Mostar and the actual
dissolving of the "Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia". This is also the
greatest challenge for Mr. Tudjman because his regime and authority are based
on the support of the people from those parts of Bosnia, whose unconcealed
objective was to annex those Bosnian territories to Croatia.
(Politika, August 2, 1996)
[03] CORNBLOOM IS TRYING TO EASE THE TENSION IN THE FEDERATION
The US mediator - John Cornbloom arrived in Mostar with the task to
reduce the tensions between the local Moslems and Croats and help find a
solution to the crisis generated by the refusal of the Croats to take part in
a joint municipal government. During the war that lasted almost a year, the
town of Mostar has been split between the Moslems and the Croats. In the
process, today's allies - and previously bitter enemies - expelled from the
town and from the left bank of the river Neretva some 40,000 Serbs. The Dayton
Agreement envisages the unification of Mostar, and the EU transitional
administration formed in July 1994 was supposed to help the process. However,
the tension between the Moslems and the Croats grew after the local elections
on June 30th, because the Croats refused to accept the results of the ballot
and take part in the municipal council where they would have 17 seats and the
Moslems 21. (Politika, August 2, 1996)
[04] NESKOVIC: KARADZIC AND MLADIC CAN NOT BE EXTRADITED
Mr. Goran Neskovic - Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of
Srpska - said at a press conference held yesterday upon returning from the
Hague, that Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic can not be extradited to the
Hague Tribunal because there are no legal regulations or legal grounds for
turning them over. Such a regulation could be passed only by the Parliament of
the Bosnian Union formed after the September elections - remarked Mr. Neskovic
and added that he doubts that the Union will in fact adopt such a law "because
Alija Izetbegovic will probably be indicted for war crimes". Mr. Neskovic
reminded that an investigation against Izetbegovic is being carried out by the
Banjaluka judicial authorities. In August, representatives of the Hague
Tribunal will come to Banjaluka to review the documentation and hear the
testimonies about the crimes that the B&H Army troops committed against the
Serbs. (TANJUG, August 2, 1996)
[05] GERMAN PRESS COMMENTS THE BOSNIAN ELECTIONS
Whoever insists on dividing Mostar will be severing the ties with Europe
- remarks the German weekly "Der Zeit" in a harsh commentary concerning the
refusal of the Herzegovina Croats to acknowledge the results of the elections
in Mostar. The article also reminds that the EU Administrator of Mostar - Mr.
Hans Koshnik insists that all financial aid for the reconstruction of Croatia
be stopped unless the elections results are accepted. Explaining why the
Zagreb authorities are refusing to exert pressure on their co-nationals in
Herzegovina, the author of the commentary underscores that Tudjman greatly
relies on his supporters from Herzegovina. "The Herzegovina lobby has been
tightened its net around him, large sums have been given to Tudjman's party by
rich Herzegovina Croats living in exile, and the various figures in Mostar are
far too important for him in view of the prospective Croatian annexation of
Herzegovina", says "Der Zeit". In view of the forthcoming elections in Bosnia
the Munich daily "Zuddeutche Zeitung" published an interview with Harris
Silajdzic formerly a figure very close to Alija Izetbegovic, who now seriously
accused his former chief and his SDA party of being fanatics and terrorists.
The numerous articles on Bosnia that appeared lately in German newspapers the
sins of the Croatian and Moslem side are being analyzed for the first time.
(Borba, August 2, 1996)
[06] THE MASS GRAVES HOLD THE SECRET
The Republic of Srpska State Committee for the exchange or POW's and
missing persons still lists 1,156 RS soldiers and 808 civilians as missing.
Most of them are people that disappeared in the western parts of RS seized by
the Moslem-Croatian Federation forces during their offensive last autumn. Data
regarding persons released from prison, exchanged POWs, those that are still
imprisoned and the dead bodies that have been returned indicate that the truth
is hidden in some of the 4 dozen mass graves that are now in Federation
controlled territory. The largest ones are in the zones of Glamoc, Jajce,
Petrovac and on Mt. Ozren. (Borba, August 2, 1996)
[07] UNTRACEABLE VICTIMS
Exactly a year ago, the artillery attack on the village of Strmica near
Knin, marked the beginning of the aggression of the Croatian Army and Police
on the Republic of Serbian Krajina. The offensive ordered by Mr. Tudjman and
involving more than 200,000 heavily armed troops with artillery and air force
support, and assisted by NATO air strikes directed on Serbian defense lines
and villages, forced the Krajina Serbs into exile. The official report
prepared by the Croatian Government indicates that 911 persons died in
"Operation Storm". On the other hand, the "Veritas" information-documentation
center compiled a list of 1,412 killed or missing. Lamentably this still isn't
the final figure. In some cases of entire families being wiped out so that
there was no one to file a report. In other cases the sole survivors are still
in Croatia and they are afraid to report their family members that were killed
or are missing. The martyrdom of the Serbs in Krajina continues - a year after
"Operation Storm". At the beginning of July 95 year-old Marija Despot was
found dead in the village of Sopot (near the town of Benkovac). She was found
hung on the fence by her neighbors that visited her the evening before. Two
more (unconfirmed) reports have been made of elderly women being hung in the
vicinity of Gracac. (Vecernje Novosti, August 2, 1996)
[08] THE YUGOSLAV BASKETBALL TEAM WILL PLAY IN THE OLYMPIC FINALS
In the match played against Lithuania (early this morning according to
CET) the Yugoslav basketball team triumphed (66:58). With an excellent
performance the Yugoslav players achieved an important victory and secured the
silver medal. In the Olympic basketball finals the Yugoslav team will try to
win the gold against the US dream team III. (Ekspres Politika, August 2, 1996)
[09] AWARD FOR ALEKSANDAR KLAS
The renown Yugoslav cartoonist Aleksandar Klas won the Special Prize at
the 2nd International Competition "Riviera del Garda" held in Italy. The Jury
awarded the prize for excellent graphic expression and high artistic
achievement displayed by Mr. Klas in a set of seven caricatures.
(Politika, August 2, 1996)
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