Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-02-13

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory

From: ddc@nyquist.bellcore.com (D.D. Chukurov)

Yugoslav Daily Survey

13 February 1996

CONTENTS

[A] BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO BELGRADE

[01] YUGOSLAVIA, BULGARIA FAVOUR SPEEDY FURTHERING OF RELATIONS

[02] MILOSEVIC - VIDENOV TALKS

[B] BILDT IN YUGOSLAVIA

[03] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES BILDT

[04] BULATOVIC, BILDT CONCERNED OVER SARAJEVO ARRESTS

[C] PRISONERS IN BOSNIA

[05] MUSLIM AUTHORITIES HOLD 88 SERB PRISONERS

[D] FRENCH PRIME MINISTER' STATEMENT

[06] FRANCE WILL SEND AMBASSADOR TO BELGRADE SOON

[E] YUGOSLAVIA - CROATIA

[07] YUGOSLAV BUREAU CHIEF MEETS WITH CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

[F] ECONOMIC COOPERATION

[08] YUGOSLAVIA, RUSSIA WILL FOUND JOINT OIL COMPANY

[09] REPUBLIC OF KOREA - YUGOSLAVIA

[A] BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO BELGRADE

[01] YUGOSLAVIA, BULGARIA FAVOUR SPEEDY FURTHERING OF RELATIONS

Speaking in Belgrade, Kontic and Videnov said that Yugoslavia and Bulgaria had complementary economies, that they could cooperate in all branches of industry and that their trade could amount to about 500 million dollars. This would represent a basis for a broader multilateral cooperation in the Balkans, which both sides urged.

Bulgaria expressed readiness to make an agreement with Yugoslavia on a free trade zone.

The Yugoslav side stressed the importance of the normalization of relations between the former Yugoslav republics and said that Belgrade was making intensive efforts to this end, that many steps forward had been made, but that there were difficulties with Croatia and the Government in Sarajevo.

The hosts stressed the important role of neighbouring and friendly Bulgaria in the further implementation of the Dayton agreement, praized Bulgaria's objective and unbiased policy during the crisis in the former Yugoslavia and said that other, primarily neighbouring countries should also act like Bulgaria.

Participants in the talks also pointed at the difficulties and incidents that threatened to undermine the peace process, mentioning incidents in Mostar and Sarajevo and the arrest of Bosnian Serb officers by Muslim police. They expressed belief that the remaining two ranking Bosnian Serb officers would be released in addition to four Bosnian Serb troops who had been released on Sunday, since there was no legal basis for their arrest and their names were not on any list of war crimes suspects. The Yugoslav side said that the visits to Belgrade on Sunday and Sarajevo on Monday by U.S. Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke had already yielded some positive results.

The hosts stressed that there could be no revisions of the Dayton agreement, which had to be implemented in the way it had been agreed in Ohio and signed in Paris.

The Prime Ministers reviewed the section of the Dayton agreement dealing with the reconstruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina and other parts of the former Yugoslavia. It was said that donors were making many promises, but that they were slow in fulfilling their obligations and that all international factors should realize that there could be no lasting peace, stability, return of refugees and restoration of trust between local peoples without economic reconstruction and assistance.

Ethnic Bulgarians and other national minorities in Yugoslavia enjoy all rights guaranteed to them under the constitution, it was said. These rights are in accordance with the highest international standards and represent the bond of friendship and cooperation between the two nations, it was said.

[02] MILOSEVIC - VIDENOV TALKS

Milosevic underlined that Yugoslavia and Bulgaria enjoyed good neighbourly relations and successful bilateral cooperation, Serbian President's cabinet said in a statement.

As Balkan countries striving for intensive economic development and participation in all international integration processes, and following with determination a policy of peace and cooperation among states and peoples on the basis of equality, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria must develop friendly and good neighbourly relations.

Large investment projects such as construction of infrastructure and major industrial installations, including the highway linking Nis (southern Serbia) and Dimitrovgrad (on the border between the two countries), power generating installations etc., are especially important, it was noted during the meeting.

There are no pending issues between the two countries. Their national minorities and accross the border contacts of their populations represent positive links strengthening joint interests.

Videnov said after meeting President Milosevic that Yugoslavia was a fundamental factor in resolving the crisis in a peaceful manner. He pointed to Serbian President's personal contribution to this process, adding that Milosevic categorically upholds the promotion of political dialogue among Balkan countries and Balkan integration processes in the context of the overall European integration process.

[B] BILDT IN YUGOSLAVIA

[03] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES BILDT

The importance of the international community's concerted efforts to step up the reconstruction of the war-affected areas was underscored during the talk, the presidential office said.

Milosevic and Bildt stressed that a normalization of the situation, the consolidation of mutual relations and the building of confidence among the parties to the agreement were impossible without reconstruction.

Hope was expressed that the cooperation of the parties with the international community and the necessary coordination of the affairs in which international factors are engaged would produce positive results in the interest of the stabilization of peace and the overall normalization of the political situation in the region, the presidential office said.

[04] BULATOVIC, BILDT CONCERNED OVER SARAJEVO ARRESTS

Both sides said the satisfactory implementation of the military aspects of the peace agreement was not coupled with an appropriate degree of the normalization of the overall mutual relations between the formerly warring sides and the returning of life back to normal.

Bulatovic and Bildt said the normalization of the economic life was a basic prerequisite for the stabilization of the political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Bulatovic called for the lifting of the international sanctions against the Republika Srpska, which he said would be the strongest incentive for the overall implementation of the peace agreement and the affirmation of peace in the region.

[C] PRISONERS IN BOSNIA

[05] MUSLIM AUTHORITIES HOLD 88 SERB PRISONERS

ICRC officials visited the prisoners in a Tuzla prison last week, the Agence France Presse news agency reported and quoted ICRC official Laurent Fellay as saying that the ICRC did not know when they would be released.

He did not wish to say anything about the conditions in which the prisoners lived, AFP said.

[D] FRENCH PRIME MINISTER' STATEMENT

[06] FRANCE WILL SEND AMBASSADOR TO BELGRADE SOON

Juppe was speaking at a press conference following a meeting with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, which was dedicated mostly to issues of Europe's further integration.

Speaking about Germany's and France's relations with Belgrade, Juppe said that France's stands regarding this issue were different from Germany's and that France never interrupted its relations with Yugoslavia.

[E] YUGOSLAVIA - CROATIA

[07] YUGOSLAV BUREAU CHIEF MEETS WITH CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

The Croatian Foreign Ministry said that Yugoslav official Veljko Knezevic had informed Foreign Minister Mate Granic that Belgrade was considering a reply to draft bilateral agreements on individual aspects of normalisation of relations. The subject is expected to be discussed during Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic's visit to Zagreb.

[F] ECONOMIC COOPERATION

[08] YUGOSLAVIA, RUSSIA WILL FOUND JOINT OIL COMPANY

The Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic and Russian Minister of Energy and Fuels Yuriy Shafranik also agreed that the two countries expand their cooperation to cover joint prospecting for oil in Russia, a Government statement said.

Yugoslavia and Russia will work together on oil and gas pipelines so as to secure Yugoslavia's steady supply with fuels from Russia and, at the same time, enable the sale of Russian oil and natural gas in neighbouring and other countries.

The two sides agreed that joint enterprises were the best form of cooperation in the domain of energy.

They decided as soon as possible to found joint companies for the building of new and revitalization of the existing power plants and for the production and sale of coal and electricity.

[09] REPUBLIC OF KOREA - YUGOSLAVIA

A number of initiatives for the further development of economic cooperation between the two countries were raised during the talk, a Government statement said.

The two sides singled out the importance of cooperation in the automobile, chemical, electrical engineering, iron and steel industries and telecommunications and of technical-technological cooperation.