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Serbia Today 96-09-11Serbia Today Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>Serbia Today11 September 1996CONTENTS
[01] FULL SUPPORT TO THE EFFORTS FOR PEACE AND SUCCESSFUL ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTAt the forthcoming elections in the Republic of Srpska due on September 14, legitimacy should be acquired by those parties and individuals that endorse peace and the democratic development of the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, their economic renewal, openness and European and global integration - said President Milosevic during his encounter with the candidates for the most important offices in RS. President Milosevic received yesterday Mr. Zivko Radisic - presidential candidate in the Republic of Srpska, Dr. Mladen Ivanic - candidate for member of presidency of B&H, Dr. Nedjo Djuric - candidate for vice president of RS, Dr Dragutin Ilic - head of list of candidates for the Parliament of RS, and Dr. Branko Dokic - head of the list of candidates for the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The forthcoming elections will have enormous importance - for the Republic of Srpska and for the entire region. The interests of the republic of Srpska will be best served if after the elections the most important offices are covered by those that will promote unity, and not by those that are in conflict with the entire world, people that will take care of the well-being of the citizens, and not for personal interests. You have our full support for your efforts for peace and successful economic and cultural development - said President Milosevic during the encounter with the candidates for the most important offices in the Republic of Srpska and in the Bosnian confederate bodies. (Politika, September 11, 1996)[02] THE ELECTIONS IN RS WILL CHANGE THE POLITICAL BALANCE OF POWERMs. Gorica Gajevic - Secretary General of the Socialist Party of Serbia, stated in an interview for the "Banjalucke Novine" that she firmly believes that the people of the Republic of Srpska will know how to choose the political forces that are oriented towards peace and that will be capable of solving with success the numerous complex problems that RS faces. "I am convinced that after the democratic election in RS, the political balance of power will shift in favor of those that support peace, progress, renewal and development, namely in favor of the candidates that endorse the overall social-economic development of RS" - stressed Ms. Gajevic. She also reminded that the Yugoslav and Serbian leadership, with the undivided help of all their citizens, offered every possible support to the just struggle of the people of RS, determined to preserve their civil and national rights, and acquire an equal status, and that this kind of support caused the introduction of sanctions - unprecedented in modern history. "I think that most of the people of the Republic of Srpska want peace, and the reconstruction of their homes, schools and factories destroyed in the war, as well as a juridical state, the punishment of criminals and war profiteers, stronger ties with Serbia, Yugoslavia and Europe. The people of the Republic of Srpska know which forces can meet such expectations, or rather, which forces betrayed such hopes." - concluded Ms. Gajevic. (Politika, September 11, 1996)[03] EVERYTHING IS READY FOR THE TRIP TO BOSNIAThe Federal Government Committee for aid to the refugees in exercising their right to vote in B&H, concluded that the voting of the refugees in FRY has been completed successfully. This is corroborated by the positive reports drawn by all international supervisors of the OSCE Mission that monitored the voting and had no objections to the procedure. All the preparations for the transfer of refugee voters to Bosnia and their trip back. According to the demands presented, some 120.000 refugees currently living in FRY decided to go to Bosnia to vote. Most of them will go to the Republic of Srpska, and a smaller percentage will vote in the Moslem-Croatian Federation. To ensure the safe trip to and from Bosnia for such a large number of people, the State Committee coordinated its with all transfer organizers and with the local authorities where the poling stations have been set up. (Borba, September 11, 1996)[04] FRY IS SHOULDERING THE MAJOR LOADAccording to data revealed yesterday in Geneva by the UN Economic Committee for Europe, the biggest load in sheltering refugees is being shouldered by FR Yugoslavia - taking into account all European countries and the entire region of former USSR. Yugoslavia is currently taking care of 650.000 refugees, and in the regions monitored by the UN the next host country is the US with 646.000. The report also indicates that in the past several years FR Yugoslavia was faced by the largest number of new refugees in a very short period of time. The same document particularly stresses that the right of the refugees to return home is one of the most important elements of the Dayton Agreement, but that - lamentably - by mid-summer the UNHCR managed to organize the return of merely 70.000 refugees - this being more than a modest result. (Borba, September 11, 1996)[05] STRENGTHENING COOPERATION AND TRUST WITH FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLICSThe Federal Government decided yesterday to submit to the Federal Parliament the Agreement on the normalization of relations between FRY and Croatia, and the Yugoslav-Macedonian trade agreement. The ratification of these bilateral agreements by the Parliament will reaffirm the determination of FRY to normalize relations and enhance the cooperation and trust with all former Yugoslav republics. It has been remarked that this will also be a major Yugoslav contribution to the advancement of the peace process and the stabilization of the situation in the region. (Borba, September 11, 1996)[06] GREATER TRADE VOLUMESerbian Prime Minister - Mr. Mirko Marjanovic, received yesterday Mr. Yanosh Toth - the newly appointed Ambassador of Hungary to Yugoslavia. During the talks it has been remarked that both countries are greatly interested in further enhancing mutual relations. Prime Minister Marjanovic said that the implementation of the Agreement on economic relations and cooperation signed recently, might quickly raise the trade volume between Yugoslavia and Hungary to some 350 million dollars, which was the level before international sanctions were introduced against our country. Both sides agreed that the ethnic Hungarians living in Serbia and the ethnic Serbs living in Hungary are another link that will strengthen the friendly and comprehensive relations between the two countries. (Politika, September 11, 1996)[07] A DOZEN AGREEMENTS ABOUT TO BE SIGNEDThe Yugoslav-Ukrainian relations are highly dynamic and have a great perspective - said Mr. Genady Udovenko - Foreign Minister of Ukraine - in an interview for the Belgrade magazine "Medjunarodna politika". Such a process is prompted not only by common interests of the two countries, but also by the overall improvement of the situation in former Yugoslavia. He also underscored that Ukraine is interested in developing trade and economic relations, as well as scientific-technical and cultural cooperation, and that a dozen draft agreements are being prepared to cover all these spheres. He particularly stressed the Agreement on partnership and cooperation between FRY and Ukraine, which will define the prospective evolution of relations between the two countries. (Borba, September 11, 1996)[08] GROWTH OF EXPORTS TO DEVELOPED COUNTRIESAt the very beginning of the second semester, industrial production rates have risen, exports have grown, and the rise of prices can be qualified as moderate - states the analysis prepared by the Belgrade Institute of Economic Sciences. Exports have been growing since February, and in July the monthly growth rate was 5.6%. In this sense a positive trend has been observed - exports to developed countries are also growing just like the number of trade contracts signed by our companies. Exports primarily involve wheat, fruit, non-ferrous metals, steel, electric machinery and tools. Ferrous metallurgy has almost recuperated the volume of exports it had in 1991. (Politika, September 11, 1996)[09] JOINT APPROACH OF THE TEXTILE INDUSTRYJUTEF 97 - the business guide of the Yugoslav textile industry, encompasses more than 4.000 various items of business information that might interest domestic and foreign operators in the sector. Two Serbian Ministries - Private Enterprise and Information - gave their full support to the project to gather information on all Yugoslav textile companies and publish the guide, because these activities will promote entrepreneurship in our country. Along with successful negotiations on presentations of Yugoslav textile industry potentials in Moscow - JUTEF is about to conclude agreements on similar presentations in Prague, Salonicco, Bucharest and Sofia. "Our potentials in textiles and ready-mades are quite significant, we have great designers and clothes-makers, but only a coordinate presentation and complete information can improve things - namely revitalize the Yugoslav textile industry." - said JUTEF Director - Mr. Vladimir Mitrovic. (Politika, September 11, 1996)[10] THE PROBLEM OF REFUGEES IS JEOPARDIZING THE ERDUT AGREEMENTDr. Vojislav Stanimirovic - Chairman of the Executive Council of the Serbian Region of Eastern Slavonija, Baranja and Western Srem - stated that one can not expect the Erdut Agreement to be implemented with success until the problem of the return of Serbian and Croatian refugees is solved. Practically only the first three items of the document have been implemented. He said that the fourth one - concerning the return of the refugees has created insurmountable problems, and added: "We insist that along with the return of some 60.000 Croats to this region the return of 500.000 Serbs to Croatia be organized, but the Croatian side is only interest in the return of its own refugees." According to Mr. Stanimirovic, at the elections that will be staged a month before the UNTAES mandate expires, all those that lived in the region before 1991 will vote, but also all the people form other parts of Croatia that now live and have permanent residence there. Furthermore, the Serbian side insists on the creation of the community of Serbian municipalities - allowed for by the Erdut Agreement - whilst the Croats refuse this using the argument that this would breach the current Croatian laws on territorial organization. (Politika, September 11, 1996)[11] THREATS OF THE CROATIAN DEFENSE MINISTERThe very day that diplomatic relations between Yugoslavia and Croatia, Croatian Defense Minister - Mr. Gojko Susak made another threat directed against the Serbs living in the areas involved in the process of peaceful reintegration, but also against the international community which is monitoring and promoting this important process. Speaking about the areas with transitional UN administration, Mr. Susak said: "I state with full responsibility that we will tolerate all that until March next year, to allow the issue to be solved peacefully. Should that fail, another approach will be used, because our President is to visit Vukovar in April. Plans have already been made, and only heavens might prevent it." (Ekspres, September 11, 1996)[12] BULLETIN SUPPLEMENT: "DEFINITE LIFTING OF SANCTIONS IS IMMINENT"Unless something unexpected happens, and if no "obstacles" that are hard to anticipate appear, economic sanctions against Yugoslavia should be definitively lifted on September 24, with the adoption of a new UN Security Council resolution.This is part of the Dayton Agreement, and is also defined by UN SC Resolution No. 1022, adopted on November 22 last year, one day after the signing of the peace document. The resolution approved unanimously by all 15 Security Council members suspended the sanctions against our country, and its text states that the economic embargo against Yugoslavia will be definitively lifted ten days after legitimate and fair elections have been held in Bosnia and Herzegovina - conceived in Dayton as the common state of two separate entities - the Moslem-Croatian Federation and the Republic of Srpska. The elections in Bosnia will take place on Saturday, September 14. In spite of the demands to postpone the elections made by various circles and media both in Bosnia and in western Europe - because allegedly adequate conditions have not yet been created - the elections in Bosnia have been legitimately called according to the Dayton schedule and will take place under the strict control of the international community and an entire army of international monitors. In spite of the logical difficulties that will inevitably accompany the first post-war elections in Bosnia , all that offers certain guarantees that the Saturday elections in the former Yugoslav republic will be carried out without major problems and with necessary legitimacy. As American diplomatic circles stressed, the first confirmation of legitimacy and validity of the elections in Bosnia should be given - right after they are completed - by the US Envoy Robert Frowick - the man in charge of the entire elections process in Bosnia. In fact, he was the official that suggested to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to schedule the elections for September 14th - the deadline set by the Dayton Agreement. After that, a special SC session to adopt a resolution on the definite abolition of sanctions against Yugoslavia, called by the Chairman of the UN Security Council should be a routine procedure. Lately, the representatives of the Bosnian Moslems have tried on several occasions to postpone or block the elections, resorting to extortions directed against the international community. At the same time, the statements made by several international community officials insisted on declaring a priori the elections insufficiently legitimate or honest, to find another excuse to avoid the definite lifting of the sanctions against FR Yugoslavia. On the other hand, other figures tried to create new conditions for the abolition of the economic embargo against our country. The Dayton Document, and the subsequent UN Security Council resolution specify explicitly the conditions and the timing of the abolition of sanctions against Yugoslavia. On the other hand, our country clearly displayed determination to promote a peaceful policy which greatly contributed to the termination of hostilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the end of the civil war. It is high time for the international community to acknowledge the Yugoslav peace efforts, correct the injustice made, and honor its own decisions and principles. (TANJUG, September 11, 1996) Serbia Today Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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