Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-07-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND UNHCR SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT

[02] BULAJIC SAYS AGREEMENT WITH UNHCR SHOULD HELP SOLVE REFUGEE ISSUE

[03] SANCTIONS COST YUGOSLAVIA UP TO 100 BILLION DOLLARS, SAYS OFFICIAL

[04] BILDT: TRANSFER OF POWERS IN THE R.S. PERFORMED JUNE 30

[05] RUSSIA OPPOSES ACTION TO ARREST KARADZIC

[06] NEW YORK TIMES: 'KARADZIC CASE' MUST NOT JEOPARDISE PEACE PROCESS

[07] HAGUE-BASED WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL ACCUSES ONLY BOSNIAN SERBS OF RAPE

[08] SLOVENIAN PRESIDENT SAYS EUROPEAN UNION PLAYED BIG ROLE IN BREAKING FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND UNHCR SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT

The signing of the Agreement also represents recognition for UNHCR's activities so far in aiding the Yugoslav Government in providing for the huge number of refugees in this region. The fact that this is one of the first agreements to be signed with such a major U.N. body, represents recognition for Yugoslavia's efforts in the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement and its peaceful policy.

Belgrade UNHCR Office Chief O'Keefe said that the cooperation agreement between Yugoslavia and UNHCR regulates a number of issues which will facilitate this Organization's work in Yugoslavia. 'The Agreement provides possibilities for better solutions for taxes UNHCR had until now been forced to pay for the purchase of humanitarian aid. This will enable the speedier implementation of the program for building facilities for the accomodation of refugees, easier aquiring of visas for our staff and the possible opening of new offices in the territory of Yugoslavia, O'Keefe said.

She said that over the past four years, UNHCR had achieved good cooperation with the Yugoslav Government and the Commessariat for Refugees of Serbia.

[02] BULAJIC SAYS AGREEMENT WITH UNHCR SHOULD HELP SOLVE REFUGEE ISSUE

Bulajic said he hoped the agreement would prompt the world to offer larger financial assistance to solve the refugee issue both in Yugoslavia as well as in Bosnia-Herzegovina, especially the Republika Srpska, because he said it would not be possible to repatriate refugees if conditions were not created for it.

Commenting on Serbs' return to Croatia, Bulajic said he hoped Croatia would improve its laws after strong criticism on the part of the international community because he said there would be no mass return of Serbs to Croatia if Zagreb did not offer strong guarantees for their personal safety and safety of their property.

Referring to elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina scheduled for September 14, Bulajic said refugees would prefer to vote in Yugoslavia although they had the right to go to Bosnia-Herzegovina and vote there. In this connection, he said Yugoslavia had already drafted a proposal on opening a large number of polling stations.

[03] SANCTIONS COST YUGOSLAVIA UP TO 100 BILLION DOLLARS, SAYS OFFICIAL

Assistant Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic told the Belgian Senate Foreign Policy Committee it was necessary that the Dederal Republic of Yugoslavia be returned to international institutions andorganisations, primarily financial ones.

Jovanovic, who is in Brussels on a two-day visit on the invitation of the Belgian Senate, appealed to Belgian politicians to support Yugoslavia's rapprochement with the E.U. He said it was contradictory that Yugoslavia should already have extremely good relations with most E.U. states, while the European Union had taken no true initiative to resume the old ties and possibly sign trade and cooperation agreements. The Belgian senators upheld this request.

They showed interest in Yugoslavia's position on the European Union's initiative for developing cooperation with the countries of former Yugoslavia on a regional basis, with the latter using the infrastructure inherited from the former common state. Jovanovic's reply that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was practically working in this direction and was establishing cooperation with its new neighbours was received very favourably.

Answering questions about Yugoslav regulations in the sphere of foreign economic relations and transformation of the economy on the market principles, Jovanovic said that Yugoslavia had passed regulations adjusted to those in operation in the European Union.

The recent exchange of visits by Belgian and Yugoslav business delegations was described as positive in the debate, and it was said that deals worth 20 million dollars had been signed during last week's visit to Brussels of 30 executives of major Yugoslav firms.

The Belgian senators accepted initiatives for establishing closer ties between the Yugoslav and Belgian Parliaments and for a group of the two countries' legal experts to begin work soon. The group should review all earlier bilateral agreements which had been in operation for years, with a view to renewing most of them and amending others.

Jovanovic answered questions also about the status of minorities and the situation in Serbia's Province of Kosovo-Metohija. He said that Yugoslavia guaranteed equal status and free development in all fields to all its citizens, regardless of nationality, race or creed.

BOSNIA - WITHDRAWAL OF RADOVAN KARADZIC

[04] BILDT: TRANSFER OF POWERS IN THE R.S. PERFORMED JUNE 30

Bildt accepted the possibility of Karadzic's retaining his post as President of the Serb Democratic Party, making a distinction between a state post and a public post. Bildt told an AFP reporter that presiding over a political party is not a state post according to provisions in the Peace Agreement.

Acting R.S. President Biljana Plavsic said at the joint press conference that her meeting with Bildt 'opened the way' for the implementation of the Peace Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina. She pointed out that the misunderstanding was removed over her taking over the duty from Karadzic and that she and her partner at the talk had set up the principles of her future communicating with Bildt.

Bildt, as she said, had agreed that the transfer of powers was in keeping with the R.S. Constitution.

Plavsic, in telling the newsmen that the R.S. had contacted the Tribunal in the Hague, announced that the laws of the R.S. were forbidding that any person accused of war crimes be handed over to some other court. She added that her talk with Bildt covered also other current topics, such as preparations for the elections, the role of information media in Bosnia, and economic assistance to the R.S.

[05] RUSSIA OPPOSES ACTION TO ARREST KARADZIC

Lukov said Moscow had repeatedly warned its partners that the IFOR had not been authorised to conduct operations to this end.

The Hague-based International War Crimes Tribunal position cannot serve as a legal basis for IFOR operations, especially as regards the use of force to arrest someone, he said. He said the situation concerning Karadzic represented only one in a series of issues arising from the Bosnian conflict which he said had been resolved in a number of its aspects.

He said Karadzic had resigned from office and would not participate in Bosnia's elections, but said this had nothing to do with his remaining the leader of one of Bosnian Serbs' major parties.

Moscow takes the view that this cannot be a reason for blocking the Peace Process in the region.

[06] NEW YORK TIMES: 'KARADZIC CASE' MUST NOT JEOPARDISE PEACE PROCESS

The confusion was created by R.S. Vice-President Biljana Plavsic, who said the day after the report on Karadzic's resignation that he would remain President until elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

New York Times said whatever the truth may be, U.S. President Bill Clinton must not allow that the peace process for Bosnia, whose implementation it said was well underway, be jeopardised.

State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns said Tuesday Washington was aware of the fact that Plavsic, who has been appointed acting President, was a hardliner, but said it was willing to cooperate with her within the Peace Process because she had not been indicted by the Hague-based International War Crimes Tribunal.

Consequently, it is highly likely that the Clinton Adminsitration will step up diplomatic activity in the coming days to forestall the deadlocking of the Bosnia peace process. Clinton will insist on the stepping up of diplomatic activity also because of his presidential campaign, especially in the light of the fact that peace in the balkans is a trump card of his campaign as regards the u.s. foreign policy. New York Times said it would be good therefore if Vice-President Al Gore or Secretary of State Warren Christopher left for Belgrade to discuss the matter.

HAGUE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL

[07] HAGUE-BASED WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL ACCUSES ONLY BOSNIAN SERBS OF RAPE

Christine Clearen, Dutch Professor of Criminal Law and member of the U.N. ad hoc Commission investigating human rights violations in the Bosnian war, avered that rape had been systematically practiced in Bosnia-Herzegovina from April to December 1992. Clearen said that the systematic rape had taken specific form and had been practiced with a view to intimidation and 'ethnic cleansing.' It is interesting to note that Professor Clearen has reached her conclusions mostly from observation from Zagreb, Croatia, as she has never set foot in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Moreover, the observation was done three years after the alleged events had taken place. Colin Kaiser of London testified to the destruction of Muslim religious facilities in Bosnia - mosques, to wit. Canadian Captain Patrick Recknner, member of the UNPROFOR, said he had been a Bosnian Serb hostage in their effort to stop NATO raids on Serb targets.

Observers of the hearing could not but notice the careful thematic layout of the proceedings. After a 'historical introduction,' in which experts tried to show the 'roots of the evil,' with the Serbs as the only vilains of all wrong-doing in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the case progressed to rape, demolition of religious facilities and hostage-taking. All this has gone to prove the guilt of only one party to the conflict, as though the other two had never even taken part in the war at all.

TESTEMONIES

[08] SLOVENIAN PRESIDENT SAYS EUROPEAN UNION PLAYED BIG ROLE IN BREAKING FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

After the plebiscite in late 1990, said Kucan, the Slovenian Government was assigned with preparing, in six months' time, a thorough project of gaining independence. Thus he confirmed that Slovenia had not been ready to enter a confederation, as a solution to the Yugoslav crisis, whereas an apparent consent to such an option accounted only for a politicalplay to buy time. He said that the former Yugoslavia had already fallen apart at the time 'some sort of common state' was offered. He feared that 'something like this' was now happening regarding 'the current pressure on elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina.'

Slovenia's involvement in international smuggling, trafficking and re-selling arms in the past few years, as Kucan tried to justify it, was due to the 'need to procure arms to defend Slovenia and to help Croatia and the Bosnian Muslims in fighting the Serbs.' He simultaneously accused both the former and current Governments of Slovenia of having dealt with arms smuggling and of having concealed financial gains on arms deliveries to Croatia, and later, to the Bosnian Muslims.

In overtones of emphatic confusion and appearing as if being at a public hearing, Kucan, in this TV broadcast, indirectly dismissed the possibility of running for another presidential term next year.

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