Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-03-14

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT VOICES CONCERN AT DEVELOPMENTS IN ALBANIA

[02] ASSEMBLY OFFICIAL BOGDANOVIC ON YUGOSLAVIA-SRPSKA AGREEMENT

[03] BULATOVIC CONFERS WITH KRAJISNIK

[04] YUGOSLAVIA'S PRIMARY INTEREST IN RETURN OF REFUGEES

[05] MONTENEGRIN PREMIER SAYS PEOPLE VOTED TO STAY IN YUGOSLAVIA

[06] SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTER PLEDGES COMPLETE MEDIA FREEDOM

[07] SERBIAN PREMIER RECEIVES SLOVAKIAN AMBASSADOR TO YUGOSLAVIA

[08] MONTENEGRO'S CONCERNS RISE ABOUT CRISIS IN ALBANIA

[09] YUGOSLAVIA'S BORDER WITH ALBANIA CLOSED INDEFINITELY

[01] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT VOICES CONCERN AT DEVELOPMENTS IN ALBANIA

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia urges a peaceful political resolution of the crisis in Albania, the statement said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-03-14 ; Tanjug, 1997-03-13

[02] ASSEMBLY OFFICIAL BOGDANOVIC ON YUGOSLAVIA-SRPSKA AGREEMENT

Asked why some opposition parties criticized the Agreement, Bogdanovic said 'it is indicative that the Agreement bothers thos every same people who did not do very much to help the Serb people defend themselves from attacks by the Muslim-Croat Army.'

'The Agreement envisages links in many areas, including the economy, culture, education. This means that it is a document which enables and secures absolutely united activities in the territories of Republika Srpska and Yugoslavia,' he said.

'It seems that the only aim of the opposition is to deny and attack anything that is proposed by the ruling party, even that which is of vital interest, of national interest to the Serb people,' Bogdanovic said.

'The Serbian authorities supported Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina,' Bogdanovic said. 'They took in refugees and the wounded, sent aid in medicines and food. The biggest struggle in Dayton was for the Serb people in Bosnia to get their republic, Republika Srpska, so that they could set up their own assembly, executive organs, authorities,' he said.

'The current attacks on the ruling party are malicious and totally unfounded,' he said.

Bogdanovic told the Radio that everything should be done now for the refugees to return to their homes and be safe there, as agreed in Dayton.

He said he expected 'Yugoslavia and Croatia to hold talks at Government level on the status of Serbs in Baranja and Western Srem, but also on the possibilities for the return of Serb refugees to the Knin Krajina region.'

'These are our interests, this is our national issue, this is what we have urged all these years during the war since the 1990s,' Bogdanovic concluded.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-03-14 ; Tanjug, 1997-03-13

[03] BULATOVIC CONFERS WITH KRAJISNIK

President Bulatovic told reporters after the meeting that he and Krajisnik had agreed on the great importance of the signed Agreement and the need for a series of measures to be taken for its further concretization and improvement. Bulatovic said he hoped the document would be ratified by the Republika Srpska Assembly, bodies of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Union, and the Yugoslav Parliament.

'We believe that the document, which initiates special parallel ties, will be accepted by the international public and will contribute to cooperation and the stabilization of the situation in the region, which will bring many fold benefits to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Republika Srpska,' Bulatovic said. He told the press that Government and Parliamentary delegations of Montenegro and Republika Srpska would meet soon.

Momcilo Krajisnik said he hoped the Agreement would be ratified by the Republika Srpska and Yugoslav legislatures as soon as possible, and specified that the RS Assembly was to do so on Saturday.

'We are the ones who have to carry out the will of the people, to have at least the people unite if this is not possible for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Republika Srpska,' Krajisnik said.

He said Muslims and Croats had some objections to the Agreement because they viewed it as being aimed against them. 'The Agreement is not aimed against the Federation, and it has been concluded and realized in keeping with the Dayton Agreement,' Kajisnik told the press.

He said Republika Srpska and Yugoslavia must open themselves to other former Yugoslav republics, because 'we do not want to be isolated.' 'We only want to act autonomously,' Krajisnik said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-03-14 ; Tanjug, 1997-03-13

[04] YUGOSLAVIA'S PRIMARY INTEREST IN RETURN OF REFUGEES

'Yugoslavia has accepted the regional approach in seeking permanent solutions for refugees and our interest is above all the return of refugees, ' said Radovanovic.

The meeting, scheduled to take place in Geneva next Wednesday, will discuss permanent solutions for about 2.5 million refugees from the former Yugoslavia.

Radovanovic said Yugoslavia, which cares for about 700,000 refugees, would first call for the return of refugees, then, for departure to third, wealthy, countries - for those who have now hereto return, and finally, for integration in local environments. 'We believe that humanitarian aid must evolve on the same level, until the realization of a program for the integration of refugees begins,' said Radovanovic.

Yugoslavia will insist that the UNHCR, which under the Dayton Accord assumes the leading role in repatriation, be more agile and active in the return of Serbs to Croatia, conducive to which is an agreement normalizing relations between Yugoslavia and Croatia.

As regards repatriation to Bosnia, said Radovanovic, Yugoslavia believes that financial investments into the reconstruction of Republika Srpska are prerequisites for repatriation. Radovanovic stressed that Republika Srpska had to receive aid for reconstruction on an equal basis with the Muslim- Croat Federation, so as to enable a mass return of refugees.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-03-14 ; Tanjug, 1997-03-13

[05] MONTENEGRIN PREMIER SAYS PEOPLE VOTED TO STAY IN YUGOSLAVIA

Djukanovic said that the main purpose of the visit was to maintain dialogue with U.S. political circles and inform them about the political and economic reforms being carried out in the Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro.

Major strides had been taken in the area of political democratisation, he said, adding that Montenegro would continue in the future to devote special attention to the promotion of human rights and the freedom of the press.

He said that the Montenegrin Government considered the United States' decision to release Montenegrin ships held in its ports as an encouraging sign that the United States respects the Montenegrin Government policy. The ships were impounded when the United Nations clamped sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in mid-1992.

Djukanovic then went on to answer U.S. reporters' questions, mostly about relations between Montenegro and the other Yugoslav republic, Serbia, with the reporter for the Voice of America asking directly if Montenegro planned to secede. Djukanovic said in reply that Montenegro had been against dismantling former Yugoslavia in the first place, explaining that, at the outset of the crisis, some republics had expressed a wish to go independent. He added that the people of Montenegro had voted in a 1992 referendum to stay in Yugoslavia with the other republics that might wish to do the same.

Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina had not wanted to stay in Yugoslavia and had meanwhile set up their own sovereign states, Djukanovic said. Serbia and Montenegro remained in their common state, adopting a Constitution that provides for full equality for each federal unit, he added.

Asked if this was how it would remain, Djukanovic gave the qualified reply that Montenegro had taken seriously its equality in the Yugoslav Federation and had a clearly defined development strategy which called for serious political and economic reforms. He said that Montenegro was determined to achieve its goals and would try to do so within the Yugoslav Federation. He explained that, unless the Federation proved restrictive or offered too narrow room to move, Montenegro saw no reason to seek any other form of state organisation.

But he added that, if its vital national interests and equality were threatened and it could not achieve its development strategy in the Federation, and if Yugoslavia did not begin serious democratic reforms, the Constitution entitled Montenegro to independence.

Asked if he had asked that Montenegro be allowed to join the IMF and the World Bank alone, without Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Djukanovic said that Montenegro was aware of factors of limitation in this field. He again stressed that Montenegro was part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and moreover that part of the Federation which was instituting serious economic reforms. This was why Montenegro was an interesting partner for the IMF, he said, adding that he had told officials of the world financial bodies that the current policy often acted as a slowing-down factor in the implementation of reforms in Montenegro.

He said that his talks with IMF and World Bank officials had been informative in character, but served at the same time to lay down the groundwork for future cooperation.

Djukanovic found it rather hard at Thursday's news conference to explain to U.S. reporters what kind of freedom of the press is being practiced in Montenegro if it is stifling the private Antena M television station.

He was asked to explain, too, a wave of trials of opposition activists, while at the same time the Government boasted of being a champion of democratic change. He admitted that U.S. officials had asked the same thing, and said he would look into the matter of prosecution of individual opposition activists when he returned home.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-03-14 ; Tanjug, 1997-03-13

[06] SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTER PLEDGES COMPLETE MEDIA FREEDOM

Milentijevic said that the Bill, prepared by her Ministry, had three main elements: deregulation, the setting up of boards in the republics, and anti- monopoly provisions. She explained that this was designed to defend and protect the 'extremely important field of information against monopolisation'.

The Bill provided for complete deregulation as an important norm of journalistic responsibility, and for the journalists' associations to prepare a code of conduct which should stress their full freedom in writing as well as their responsibilities, Milentijevic said.

She stressed that the project was meant to involve the citizens, journalists and their associations in a public debate and then incorporate their suggestions in the final version of the Law on Public Information.

She said she was sure that the 'final version of the Law on Public Information will be the sum-total of our collective thinking, thoughts, knowledge and wisdom.'

The third panel session was held in response to a motion tabled by the Parliamentary Club of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). It was attended by deputies of the New Democracy (ND) Party, The Serbian Nikola Pasic Radical Party, The Democratic Association of Vojvodina Hungarians and Serbian Government officials.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-03-14 ; Tanjug, 1997-03-13

[07] SERBIAN PREMIER RECEIVES SLOVAKIAN AMBASSADOR TO YUGOSLAVIA

Marjanovic described as useful an initiative by the Serbian and Slovakian Chambers of Commerce to organise a visit by Slovakian businessmen to Serbia shortly so that they could close deals with partners in Serbia.

The talks dealt also with Slovakia's experience in the processes of privatisation that has been successfully carried out in this country.

Marjanovic and Mojzita said cooperation in the sphere of culture, science and education was also very good. They stressed that the Slovak minority in Yugoslavia had always been a bridge to understanding and cooperation between the two countries.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-03-14 ; Tanjug, 1997-03-13

[08] MONTENEGRO'S CONCERNS RISE ABOUT CRISIS IN ALBANIA

The officials expressed deep concern for the development of events in Albania. It appears the situation is growing out of the control of Albanian authorities and threatens to ignite civil war, Bulatovic said, and added that this set demands on Yugoslavia, as a neighbouring country, to take whatever measures were required in such situations.

The two parties laid stress to a recent Agreement on Special Relations between Yugoslavia and Republika Srpska, as incentive to cooperation and conducive to overall stability in the region.

Relations between Yugoslavia and Russia were assessed as positive. Both sides showed interest in intensifying relations and expanding cooperation in all fields. In that context, the opening soon of a Russian consulate in Montenegro would be conducive to this, it was agreed in the talks.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-03-14 ; Tanjug, 1997-03-13

[09] YUGOSLAVIA'S BORDER WITH ALBANIA CLOSED INDEFINITELY

A statement issued by the Presidential Office quoted the Council as saying the Army of Yugoslavia and the Interior Ministry had full control over the state border and were taking measures that were to guarantee the country's security.

The Council decided to close the border with Albania indefinitely and to put on alert Yugoslav Army troops deployed to the area.

In addition to Council members Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and his Montenegrin counterpart Momir Bulatovic, the meeting was attended also by Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic, Defence Minister Pavle Bulatovic, Yugoslav Army Chief of General Staff Gen. Momcilo Perisic and the Council's Secretary Maj.Gen. Slavoljub Susic, the statement said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-03-14 ; Tanjug, 1997-03-13

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