Yugoslav Daily Survey, 96-10-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] SERBIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES UNTAES ADMINISTRATOR

[02] SAVOVIC MEETS REHN

[03] GERMANY AMONG YUGOSLAVIA'S LEADING ECONOMIC PARTNERS

[04] GERMAN BUSINESSMEN WANT TO COOPERATE WITH YUGOSLAV COMPANIES

[05] YUGOSLAV AND MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTERS HOLD TALKS

[06] YUGOSLAV-MACEDONIAN TRADE AGREEMENT TAKES EFFECT

[07] YUGOSLAVIA AND RUSSIA TO STEP UP ECONOMIC COOPERATION

[08] YUGOSLAV-UKRAINIAN AGREEMENT ON AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION

[09] BOSNIAN SERB MINISTER MEETS WITH U.N. REPRESENTATIVE

[10] US TROOPS START PREPARING FOR PULLOUT FROM BOSNIA

[11] BOSNIAN MUSLIM OPPOSITION MPS BOYCOTT LOCAL BODY FOR LACK OF SECURITY

[01] SERBIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES UNTAES ADMINISTRATOR

Talks dealt with current issues and the course of normalization of relations in the Region.

The focus of the talks was on measures and activities taken with a view to creating conditions for the economic revival of the Region which is an important precondition for the freedom and equality of all citizens. Contributing to this are also the International Forces in accordance with last year's Erdut Agreement (between representatives of the authorities in Zagreb and Serbs in the Region), it was assessed at the talks. The Erdut Agreement is being successfully implemented.

[02] SAVOVIC MEETS REHN

At the talks that were open Rehn and Savovic, in charge of human rights and the rights of national minorities in the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, exchanged views about the further implementation of the agreement between Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and dr. Ibrahim Rugova on the return to class of school children of the Albanian national minority, a statement of the Federal Secretariat of Information said. Rehn and Savovic assessed that the agreement concluded on September 1. was primarily in the interest of children, the respect for their rights to education and that politics should be excluded from the agreement. Following talks with Kosovo District Chief Aleksa Jokic in Pristina on Sunday, it was assessed jointly that teaching institutions in Kosovo will look for solutions within plans and programs of the Ministry of Education and the Laws of Serbia.

[03] GERMANY AMONG YUGOSLAVIA'S LEADING ECONOMIC PARTNERS

A Delegation of 60 German businessmen, including representatives of Siemens, Hoechst, Tyssen, Krupp, Bosch-Telekom, ABB and Mercedes-Benz, is visiting Yugoslavia, headed by Assistant Minister of Economy Hans Schilla.

Zebic said the normalization of relations with the European Union was of particular importance to Yugoslavia, and welcomed as very encouraging a statement of E.U. Commissioner for External Relations Van Den Broek on a stepped up renewal of relations with Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav official expressed hope that a decision to that end would soon be taken in Brussels and noted that it would greatly facilitate Yugoslavia's economic cooperation with Germany.

Zebic said Yugoslavia was trying to resume relations with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Paris Club and the London Club. He said it was well on the way of fully normalizing those relations, and the bulk of the issues with the IMF, primarily legal ones, had been regulated. Zebic said Yugoslavia expected of Germany to show understanding and lend full support to its efforts to regulate relations with international organizations and institutions.

The Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister informed the guests about the Yugoslav economy's great need for foreign credits and noted that a part of the Yugoslav capital was still frozen abroad. He called for unimpeded payments transactions between the two countries, bank guarantees and credits, and said it was important to have credits for imports of German equipment insured by the prestigious German Agency Hermes.

'We expect that, with a view to facilitating and stimulating trade, economic and financial relations between the two countries, Germany will show understanding and agree that the existing agreements on economic cooperation remain in force until teams of experts of the two sides determine whether the agreements should be update or new ones signed,' Zebic said.

[04] GERMAN BUSINESSMEN WANT TO COOPERATE WITH YUGOSLAV COMPANIES

Meeting with Serbian Minister Coordinator Dragan Tomic, Schill said he was happy that trade between Yugoslavia and Germany was already increasing at a good rate. He showed an interest in the pace of the privatisation process in Yugoslavia (Federation of Serbia and Montenegro).

A Government statement quoted Tomic as replying that its pace depended on the rate of influx of foreign capital, which Germany could do much to stimulate.

In a separate meeting with Deputy Yugoslav Economy Minister Slobodan Djokovic, the German businessmen said they were prepared to transfer modern technologies to Yugoslav companies so as to help Yugoslavia join the world market as soon as possible. German businessmen are interested in more advanced forms of financing, on the build-business-transfer principle, Schill said.

Speaking at a two-day meeting of German and Yugoslav businessmen in Belgrade, Schill said Germany was willing to restore trade with Yugoslavia to the former level. He said German businessmen were especially interested in cooperation in the sphere of tourism and power industry as well as in joint production, investments and appearance on third markets, but said Yugoslavia should offer a legal framework that would be more acceptable for foreign investors.

[05] YUGOSLAV AND MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTERS HOLD TALKS

Both countries attach great importance to the bilateral cooperation and cooperation with neighbouring countries and are ready to do their utmost to deepen the mutual confidence, the Yugoslav Defense Ministry said.

Ministers Bulatovic and Handziski agreed that the state border between Yugoslavia and Macedonia should be definitively defined as soon as possible on the basis of internationally recognized principles and in the spirit of good-neighbourly relations. The competent military authorities will offer all necessary assistance to a Joint Diplomatic-Expert Commission for demarcation.

The two Ministers agreed that Yugoslavia open a Military Delegation in Skopje and Macedonia one in Belgrade, as the first step in a further promotion of their relations in the domain of defense.

[06] YUGOSLAV-MACEDONIAN TRADE AGREEMENT TAKES EFFECT

Markovic told Tanjug that Yugoslav products would become much more competitive on the Macedonian market through the elimination of tariffs applied up to this point and would consequently contribute to the increase in home production.

Rajko Uncanin, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Assembly, said trade between Yugoslavia and Macedonia could amount to about 400 million U.S. dollars by the end of the year. The Agreement will also help improve production cooperation between the two countries' companies, which is vital for both countries' economic development, he said.

[07] YUGOSLAVIA AND RUSSIA TO STEP UP ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Sainovic told reporters that he had successful talks with Russian Vice-Premier and Minister for Foreign Economic Relations Oleg Davidov. The talks created a basis for a large-scale broadening of cooperation by the end of the year, he said. Moreover, agreement was reached on the further liberalisation of the two countries' economic relations, on partly removing trade and customs barriers and creating conditions for a speedy improvement of bilateral relations, he said. Sainovic said the Inter-Government Committee for Economic Relations was to meet by the end of the year to draft documents on all that had been discussed in Monday's talks.

He said the principles had been determined of how to deal with the debt of the former Soviet Union to Yugoslavia, saying all that had been agreed on in the talks indicated that the two countries were about to step up economic cooperation considerably.

[08] YUGOSLAV-UKRAINIAN AGREEMENT ON AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION

The two Delegations held negotiations on this Agreement in Kiev from October 1-3, said the statement released by the Yugoslav Secretariat of Information. The Agreement will contribute to the promotion of economic-financial relations and the improvement of business conditions for residents of Yugoslavia and Ukraine (natural and legal persons), the statement said.

[09] BOSNIAN SERB MINISTER MEETS WITH U.N. REPRESENTATIVE

There is still time to carry out the obligation under the Dayton Accord to set up Common Bodies of Power in Bosnia-Herzegovina, it was said during the meeting. The Dayton Peace Accord envisages for Common Bodies of Power to be formed in Bosnia-Herzegovina a month after elections.

The Republika Srpska did not send representatives to the Inaugural Session of Bosnia-Herzegovina's House of Representatives at the National Theatre building in Sarajevo on Saturday for security reasons.

[10] US TROOPS START PREPARING FOR PULLOUT FROM BOSNIA

Meanwhile, preparations are nearly completed at a US base in Germany to send 5,000 troops of the First US Infantry Division to Bosnia this week. They will provide logistics support for the pullout of the US Peacekeeping Contingent comprising essentially the Second Armoured Division which was sent to Bosnia last year also from Germany. The Division comprises 13,000 troops whose pullout is expected to start soon.

The logistics support troops will remain in Bosnia until March 1997, together with 2,500 US troops from the present IFOR contingent, it was announced last week.

[11] BOSNIAN MUSLIM OPPOSITION MPS BOYCOTT LOCAL BODY FOR LACK OF SECURITY

According to Croatian Radio, the Union's MPS refused to travel to Bihac for the body's session because the authorities would not guarantee them a minimum of personal safety.

The Union was founded by Fikret Abdic, leader of the now defunct Autonomous Region of West Bosnia. The Union won an absolute majority in Velika Kladusa in Bosnia's September 14 elections, heavily defeating the ruling Muslim Party for Democratic Action. The Union is banned in Velika Kladusa and operates from Zagreb, Croatia.

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