Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-09-25

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Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] BOGDANOVIC MEETS WITH UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS

[02] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER MEETS WITH ITALIAN SENATE OFFICIAL

[03] MINISTER MILENTIJEVIC RECEIVES ISRAELI AMBASSADOR SASSON

[04] SERBIAN MINISTER RECEIVES SLOVAK OFFICIAL

[05] WELCH CONGRATULATES SERBIAN OFFICIALS ON ELECTIONS ORGANIZATION

[06] PRIMAKOV, ALBRIGHT DISCUSS BOSNIA

[07] FOREIGN SUPREVISORS: ELECTIONS REGULAR AND WELL-ORGANIZED

[08] YUGOSLAV MINISTER SAYS DEVALUATION OF DINAR OUT OF THE QUESTION

[09] U.S. PAPER SAYS OSCE SUPPRESSED REPORT ON CROATIA

[10] U.N. ADMINISTRATOR WALKER SAYS CROATIA MUST MEET ALL ITS OBLIGATIONS

[11] OSCE SPOKESMAN SAYS SERBIAN ELECTIONS PEACEFUL, ORDERLY

[12] OSCE OBSERVER WELCH PLEASED WITH SERBIAN ELECTION PROCESS

[13] MILOSEVIC SAYS ELECTIONS VITAL FOR SERBIA'S FUTURE

[14] SERBIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION REPORTS MASSIVE ELECTION TURNOUT

[15] KINKEL, MILUTINOVIC TO MEET IN NEW YORK SOON

[16] LONDON CLUB URGES RESUMPTION OF TALKS WITH YUGOSLAVIA

[17] INDIAN BUSINESSMEN INTERESTED FOR COOPERATION

[18] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT, GREEK CONSORTIUM SIGN ACCORD ON JOINT VENTURE

[19] EUROFIMA GRANTS LOAN OF 10 MILLION SWISS FRANCS TO YUGOSLAV RAILWAYS

[20] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL MEETS RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATION

[21] PARLIAMENTARY, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN SERBIA SUNDAY

[01] BOGDANOVIC MEETS WITH UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS

Tanjug, 1997-09-22

The Deputy Speaker of the Yugoslav Parliament's Chamber of Republics, Radmilo Bogdanovic, met on Monday with a delegation of parliamentarians from the Ukraine who monitored Sunday's parliamentary and presidential elections in Serbia.

Ivan Alexiyevich Yankovoy and Volodimir Yulevich Pehota positively assessed the election precedure and expressed satisfaction that the elections were conducted in a calm, fair and democratic atmosphere. They said it had been a good experiance to be a supervisor at the republican and presidential elections, because elections are also being prepared in the Ukraine.

After visiting polling stations in Belgrade and Novi Sad, Yankovoy and Pehota said that the cooperation and mutual respect between the representatives of different parties within the election committees are an example how political life should be organized.

Undescored was also the need for stepping up parliamentary cooperation and the developpment of economic, cultural and sports ties between the two countries.

[02] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER MEETS WITH ITALIAN SENATE OFFICIAL

Tanjug, 1997-09-22

Serbian Parliament Speaker and Serbian Acting President Dragan Tomic has met with head of the Italian Senate's Foreign Affairs Commission Gian Giacomo Migone.

In a long and open discussion, the two sides conferred about the Yugoslav- Italian relations, paying special attention to a further promotion of cooperation between the Italian and Serbian Parliaments, the Serbian Parliament said in a statement. It was said that the two countries' relations were good and that both sides were interested in comprehensive cooperation on all levels.

Migone said that Yugoslavia and Serbia had an important role in the stability of the region and that Italy threrefore urged Yugoslavia's speedy return to all international institutions and closer cooperation with the European Union.

Italian Ambassador to Yugoslavia Ricardo Sessa also participated in the talks, the statement said.

[03] MINISTER MILENTIJEVIC RECEIVES ISRAELI AMBASSADOR SASSON

Tanjug, 1997-09-22

Serbian Information Minister Radmila Milentijevic received here on Monday Israeli Ambassador to Yugoslavia David Sasson. Milentijevic expressed satisfaction at the renewed diplomatic relations between Israel and Yugoslavia. She said she was certain their reestablishment would contribute to the development of all forms of cooperation and to strengthening ties between the nations of the two countries. Milentijevic informed Sasson about the situation regarding media in Serbia and the role of media in the election campaign, said a Republican Government statement.

Ambassador Sasson expressed the wish personally to contribute to the development of cooperation between the two countries, which he said had a common fate in many aspects. He pointed out that Israel not only planned to develop trade with Yugoslavia and Serbia, but also wanted to pass on its experience acquired during a period which is similar to the one through which the Yugoslav economy is passing today.

Speaking about the current sitution among media in Serbia, Sasson underscored that it was today quite different than eight months ago. Media reports are significantly more balanced, and professionalism of Serbian reporters is becoming more evident, Ambassador Sasson concluded.

[04] SERBIAN MINISTER RECEIVES SLOVAK OFFICIAL

Tanjug, 1997-09-22

Serbian Family Care Minister Bratislava Morina on Monday received head of the Slovak Parliament's Commmittee for welfare and health care issues Anton Naroda. The Serbian government said in a statement that Morina had informed Naroda about the Serbian Ministry's programme regarding the social care of children, family legal protection, family planning and population policy.

In the year of reforms, the Serbian Government is striving to promote the protection of the family and children and alleviate the problems resulting from the disintegration of the country, war in the neighbourhood, refugees and sanctions, Morina said. She said that there could be no spiritual and material restoration of the society without an altered attitude towards the family and children, whose protection is based on the convention of the rights of the child and modern scientific achievements.

The Family Care Ministry is open to cooperation with other countries and international orghanisations, Morina said and added that the Ministry cooperated succesfully with UNICEF and the Save the Children Fund.

Naroda said that Slovakia had similar problems as a result of the division of the state, change of the system and transformation to the market economy. The Slovak government is transforming the social and health care services, paying special attention to the protection of the young people, upgrading of the students' standard of living and speedier resolution of the young people's housing problems through the crediting of the building of flats.

Morina and Naroda agreed that it was necessary to establish a more complete cooperation between the Serbian and Slovak ministries in charge of the position of the family, children and young people, the statement said.

[05] WELCH CONGRATULATES SERBIAN OFFICIALS ON ELECTIONS ORGANIZATION

Tanjug, 1997-09-22

Head of the OSCE observer mission for Serbian presidential and parliamentary elections Anthony Welch told Serbian TV Monday evening that all officials in charge of the nearly 10,000 polling stations should be congratulated. All officials at the polling stations had done their best on Sunday, working hard all day, and should be congratulated for a job well done, he said.

Asked about the next task of the OSCE mission, Welch said it was waiting to receive full reports prior to analysing the vote counting procedure and to drawing up its report and recommendations.

The election process is still underway, and a final report cannot be issued before its completion. Recommendations will be made on improving the electoral law and other aspects of the election process as part of the constructive approach of the OSCE mission, he said.

Welch expressed hope that the OSCE mission's report would be helpful to Serbia in the future.

[06] PRIMAKOV, ALBRIGHT DISCUSS BOSNIA

Tanjug, 1997-09-22

Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met in New York oN Sunday to review a number of bilateral and international issues, including the situation in Bosnia.

Special attention was devoted, Itar-TASS reported, to preparations for the upcoming first session of the Russian-NATO joint standing committee at the ministerial level, which will focus on the situation in Bosnia. The agenda was decided two weeks ago at a council meeting in Brussels, held at the ambassadorial level.

Russian Ambassador to Brussels Vitaly Churkin sharply criticized, at the meeting, the North Atlantic Alliance for not coordinating sufficiently its actions in Bosnia with Russia.

Primakov, and NATO Foreign Ministers, who are all in New York taking part in the 52nd session of the UN General Assembly, will also take part in the first session of the Russian-NATO standing committee.

[07] FOREIGN SUPREVISORS: ELECTIONS REGULAR AND WELL-ORGANIZED

Tanjug, 1997-09-22

International supervisors from the Russian Federation, the Byelorus and Armenia said Monday that Sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections in Serbia were conducted very well with the respect of election laws.

Nikolai Maksimovich, from the Russian Federation, told a press conference at the Republican Election Committee's press centre, that the elections were well-organized and that there were no violations of the election procedure at the several polling stations he visited yesterday in Belgrade and its vicinity. He said he believed that the final reports by the supervisors would confirm the preliminary assessments that the elections were regular and fair.

Ana Abet, from the Byelarus Senate, also underscored that the good organization of the elections had enabled their conducting in a democratic and calm way. She said that the democratic election laws had also secured the regularity of the elections and that all this had prevented any kind of rigging of the results. According to Abet, the atmosphere of peace and stability was prevalent.

Akopa Akopyan from Armenia, who is a member of a parliamentary delegation from this country, said that based on his visits to certain polling stations, the elections were regular. "I can say with full responsibility that everything was in keeping with the law," he said. Akopyan said that he did not notice any pressure being excerted on the voters and added that a "correct, friendly and working atmosphere" prevailed at the polling stations. "These were free, regular and well-organized elections," he said.

[08] YUGOSLAV MINISTER SAYS DEVALUATION OF DINAR OUT OF THE QUESTION

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

Yugoslav Internal Trade Minister Milorad Miskovic told the Novi Sad weekly Nedeljni Dnevnik that there was no reason to change the exchange rate of the national currency, the dinar. Miskovic said that an increase of money supply in July and August had its real sources in the hard currency inflow from the sale of Serbian Telecom.

"The budget and expenditure will be financed only from real sources. This policy has been pursued throughout the year and will continue. The printing of money should not be expected by the end of the year. On the contrary, a bigger foreign currency inflow, bigger foreign investments are expected, which will create possibilities for increasing the money supply, but in order to follow the production," Miskovic said.

Asked whether the planned 10-percent inflation rate would be achieved by the end of the year, Miskovic said that "we had deflation in August" and that he believed that there was no objective reason for the recurrence of inflation.

"We expect that the production and offer will increase and that the citizens' standard of living would be proportional to the increase of offer. This means that we will have a stable market and reduced inflation. In some sectors, primarily in agriculture and food processing industry, we can expect a further reduction of prices in view of good harvest," Miskovic said.

[09] U.S. PAPER SAYS OSCE SUPPRESSED REPORT ON CROATIA

Tanjug, 1997-09-20

The Croatian Government is undermining the Dayton Accord and the OSCE and international monitors in Bosnia are well aware of this, according to a U.S. newspaper on Saturday. The New York Times is referring to a classified report which an OSCE mission member wrote some months ago, and adds that the document has never seen the light of day. The report, which allegedly condemns the Croatian Government, reached the offices of the New York Times through anonymous channels, through persons who want the public to know the truth, the daily says.

The report gives concrete facts and evidence to show that the Bosnian Croat state of Herceg-Bosna is practically a part of Croatia, a state of affairs which is completely at odds with the Dayton Peace Accord for Bosnia- Herzegovina.

The Croatian Government directly finances the Bosnian Croat Army with 30 million dollars a month, and Zagreb arms the Bosnian Croats with weapons obtained from other countries, organising a whole chain of illegal arms trade, it is claimed in the report.

Organised crime which has its roots in Zagreb has diversified to dealing drugs, trafficking in stolen cars and marketeering, and is using the proceeds to arm the Bosnian Croats, the secret OSCE report claims. Speaking about close ties between Herceg-Bosna and Croatia, the report adds that Zagreb has assumed administrative, financial, logistic and strategic authority over the Herceg-Bosnia army, which is under the direct command of the Croatian Defence Ministry.

According to the report, all this goes to show that Croatia considers the Dayton accord a dead letter that has little to do with reality.

Views presented in the report were little to the liking of OSCE officials, who promptly branded it as too sensitive, and decided to repudiate it, according to the New York Times.

The newspaper quotes OSCE official David Fowley as saying that the document in no way belongs to the OSCE.

It is a fact, however, that the report was written by an OSCE mission member stationed in the divided city of Mostar in the Muslim-Croat Federation, whose contract with the OSCE expired in May.

In order to avoid any further unpleasantness, the former OSCE member in Bosnia-Herzegovina would not furnish the New York Times with any further information.

The 70-page report is doubtless objective, a European diplomat has told the New York Times. The diplomat is quoted by the newspaper as saying that conclusions put forth in the report absolutely correspond to the views and knowledge of the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the behaviour of Croatia.

[10] U.N. ADMINISTRATOR WALKER SAYS CROATIA MUST MEET ALL ITS OBLIGATIONS

Tanjug, 1997-09-20

U.N. Administrator for Eastern Slavonia William Walker said here on Saturday that he expected the Croatian Government to fulfil all obligations it had assumed under relevant international documents.

Commenting on a Presidential statement issued by the U.N. Security Council late Thursday, Walker said he agreed with that cited in the statement, saying the Croatian Government should act in keeping with it, specificially in keeping with Paragraph Three of the Statement. He said he could understand Croatian officials' negative response to the statement, reminding Croatia that there was still enough time to take concrete measures.

In the statement, the Security Council called on Croatia to meet its obligations and take immediate measures to make it easier for Serbs to return home.

Refusing to comment on his next report to the U.N. Secretary-General, Walker said much of what he was going to put in it depended on events that were to take place in the next few days.

He said he hoped that the Croatian Government's announcements were directed at dealing with all that had not been dealt with so far, adding that things would become much clearer to him after his meeting with the Croatian Prime Minister in Zagreb on Tuesday.

[11] OSCE SPOKESMAN SAYS SERBIAN ELECTIONS PEACEFUL, ORDERLY

Tanjug, 1997-09-21

A Spokesman for the OSCE in Belgrade said on Sunday that the current presidential and parliamentary elections in Serbia were proceeding peacefully and in an orderly fashion. Spokesman Melissa Fleming told TANJUG that only a few minor incidents had been reported, and that everything was normal and going well on the whole.

Fleming said she could not comment in any great detail on the course of the elections until the polling stations closed at 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) and until the monitors had sent in their reports.

Elections in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia are being monitored by 345 foreign observers, 203 of them OSCE observers, as well as parliamentarians from 22 countries.

OSCE monitors are expected to give a news conference on Monday, and to submit their final report, substantiated with facts, some weeks later.

[12] OSCE OBSERVER WELCH PLEASED WITH SERBIAN ELECTION PROCESS

Tanjug, 1997-09-21

The Chief of the observer mission of the OSCE to Serbia's elections said in Belgrade on Sunday he was pleased with the way the elections were proceeding. After touring polling stations 9 and 61 in New Belgrade, OSCE Mission Chief Anthony Welch told Belgrade's BK Television reporter that local electoral commission officers knew their duty and the election law.

Welch, who had wanted to see at first hand the voting process, the turnout, the electoral commission invigilators at work and problems, if there were any, said that the polling station he had toured were very well organised.

He had learned from electoral commission members that the voting was proceeding in good order, that the turnout was satisfactory and that there were no problems.

Asked by the reporter if he thought this was democracy in action, Welch said that things were moving in the right direction at the particular polling stations he had visited.

On his tour of New Belgrade polling stations, Welch was accompanied by OSCE spokesman Melissa Fleming.

[13] MILOSEVIC SAYS ELECTIONS VITAL FOR SERBIA'S FUTURE

Tanjug, 1997-09-21

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic told reporters after voting in Serbia's parliamentary and presidential elections early on Sunday that "these elections are crucial to the future of Serbia." Milosevic said what "Serbia needs is to preserve its stability, continue the process of economic recovery and economic development and, which is doubtless very important, remain true to the course of reforms." "I hope and expect these elections to confirm this," he said.

Milosevic was accompanied by his wife Mira and son Marko.

[14] SERBIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION REPORTS MASSIVE ELECTION TURNOUT

Tanjug, 1997-09-21

The Serbian Central Electoral Commission said late on Sunday that Serbia's parliamentary and presidential elections held earlier in the day had been successful and that most people had exercised their right to vote. Commission Secretary Nebojsa Rodic told domestic and foreign reporters in the Serbian Parliament that the Commission could not yet give specific information about the number of people who had voted in the polls, but could say that the turnout had been massive.

Rodic said that information obtained through day-long contacts with the 29 constituencies in this Yugoslav republic showed that the polls had been fair and held in a climate of tolerance, and that no particular complaints had been reported about the procedure.

He went on to say that the closing of the polling stations at 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) had ended the process of direct and secret ballotting for the election of deputies to the Serbian Parliament and of a new Serbian President. He said that these had been the fourth multi-party parliamentary elections and third presidential elections held in Serbia since 1990.

The fact that there had been individual complaints showed the seriousness with which all political subjects had approached the polls and the efforts of the competent bodies to ensure that they should be carried out in strict accordance with the law, he said.

This fact clearly shows that all contenders in the elections were accorded equal treatment, according to Rodic.

He said that all polling stations were in the process of counting ballots.

The returns would be entered in the minutes of the proceedings, which would, for the first time, be made out in six identical copies, he said. One of the copies would go to the relevant local electoral commission, another would be posted on the bill-board outside the polling station, and the rest would go to the political parties and independent candidates with the largest number of votes, he added.

He said that the Serbian Central Electoral Commission was currently holding an enlarged session to review the results of the polls.

[15] KINKEL, MILUTINOVIC TO MEET IN NEW YORK SOON

Tanjug, 1997-09-20

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel will meet with his Yugoslav opposite Milan Milutinovic in New York next week, the German Foreign Ministry said Saturday. A statement issued by the Ministry said the meeting would take place during a session of the U.N. General Assembly and that Kinkel would meet also with the U.S., Russian and Chinese Foreign Ministers.

[16] LONDON CLUB URGES RESUMPTION OF TALKS WITH YUGOSLAVIA

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

London Club Chairman Robert Gueng has invited Yugoslavia to resume talks with the Club in New York in mid-October, following Yugoslav Vice-Premier Danko Djunic and Minister Nebojsa Maljkovic's talks with the Club in Belgrade in late August. A statement issued by the Yugoslav Information Secretariat quoted Gueng as saying in a letter which he sent on behalf of the International Coordination Committee that considerable headway had been made in the Belgrade talks in reviewing the Yugoslav economy's ability to pay debts to its creditors in the coming years.

Gueng, chairman of the Chase Bank, expressed confidence that this would make possible to reach a financial agreement to the mutual satisfaction. He also said he hoped that the New York talks would be yet another step towards creating an acceptable framework for the restructuring of Yugoslavia's debt to the London Club.

The statement also said the resumption of talks with commercial banks in London in June 1997 reflected the Yugoslav Government's readiness to contribute to a speedier implementation of reforms, specifically in the sphere of finance and in improving the status of banks and companies, through the reorganisation and restructuring of its obligations stemming from loans in line with real possibilities of its economy, the statement said.

Government and National Bank of Yugoslavia experts and consultants from Belgrade's Economic Institute have therefore undertaken thorough preparations for the New York talks, the statement said.

[17] INDIAN BUSINESSMEN INTERESTED FOR COOPERATION

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce President Mihailo Milojevic talked here today with Indian businessmen about the promotion of all forms of bilateral cooperation and the creation of conditions for increasing trade.

Milojevic pointed to the long-standing friendship between the two countries, assessing that the visit of representatives of 15 Indian firms from almost all fields should help promote cooperation and the conclusion of arrangements with firms, mutually interested in establishing business links.

Head of the Indian business delegation Dirubai Kapadia, who is president of one of the Indian companies interested in imports of iron and steel, oil industry equipment and mineral fertilizers, said that the visit was "a sign of great interest for promoting cooperation which will culminate in the economic prosperity of the two countries."

[18] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT, GREEK CONSORTIUM SIGN ACCORD ON JOINT VENTURE

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

The Serbian Government and a Greek consortium signed an accord in Belgrade on Friday setting up a joint venture that should provide foreign investment for completing an international highway through this Yugoslav Republic. The Yugo-Hellas Road Company will glean the necessary financing for the building of the remaining sections of highway E75 from the southern Serbian town of Nis to the Macedonian border.

On the Serbian side, the Accord was signed by the Construction Ministry, and on the side of the Greek Construction Consortium, by Paskalis Paskalidis and Leonidas Bobolas.

The signing ceremony was attended by Greek Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Panayotis Vlasopoulos, a Government statement said.

[19] EUROFIMA GRANTS LOAN OF 10 MILLION SWISS FRANCS TO YUGOSLAV RAILWAYS

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

The European Company for the Financing of Railway Rolling Stock (EUROFIMA) aprroved on Friday a loan of 10 million Swiss francs to Yugoslav Railways, a statement issued by the Belgrade transport company press section said. The loan is to be used for the modernisation of the railway network in Yugoslavia, the statement said.

[20] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL MEETS RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATION

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

Yugoslav Upper House Deputy Speaker Radmilo Bogdanovic met on Friday with a Russian delegation headed by State Duma National Defense Commission official Nikolai Maksimovich Bezborodov. The officials stressed the traditionally friendly relations between Serbia and Yugoslavia and Russia and the intensive bilateral parliamentary cooperation. Bogdanovic informed the Russian delegation of the efforts Yugoslavia was making to ease the consequences of the war waged in former Yugoslavia and of the international sanctions. Speaking of privatization, Bogdanovic said the process should be intensified so as to be conducive to more successful implementation of economic and social reforms that are under way.

The Russian delegation includes commission member for security Gennady Ivanovich Raikov, members of the Commission for labor and social issues Vladimir Fyodorovich Grigoriev and members of the deputy groups for cooperation with former Yugoslav republics Nina Adreyevna Zatsepina.

[21] PARLIAMENTARY, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN SERBIA SUNDAY

Tanjug, 1997-09-20

The Serbian parliamentary and presidential elections will be held on Sunday.

The 9,827 polling stations will open at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and close at 8 p.m. Voters will elect 250 MPs and Serbian president. A total of 344 lists with the names of 2,533 candidates for parliamentary elections, were submitted in Serbia's 29 constituencies.

There are 17 presidential candidates.

The elections will be monitored by electoral commissions and electorate boards as well as monitors sent by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

A total of 455 journalists, 250 of them from Yugoslav and 196 others from 95 foreign media, were accredited to report from the elections. Germany has the largest number (34) of accredited reporters and it is followed by the United States (30) and Great Britain (22).

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