Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-10-27

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND E.U. DISCUSS COOPERATION

[02] MONTENEGRO'S DPS AND BULATOVIC COMPLAIN TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

[03] PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO MINISTER MILUTINOVIC NOMINATED FOR SERBIAN PRESIDENT

[04] MINISTER MILENTIJEVIC RECEIVED AMBASSADOR WURT

[05] REHN VISITS KOSOVO

[06] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT PLANS MEASURES TO BOOST INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT

[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND E.U. DISCUSS COOPERATION

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

Ambassador in the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry Zlatan Kikic conferred on Thursday with Ambassador in the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry Hubert Wurth, who is in Belgrade as special envoy of the European Union Presidency.

An exhaustive exchange of views was carried out on the current state of relations and cooperation between Yugoslavia and the E.U. and measures which need to be taken further to promote those relations and cooperation.

[02] MONTENEGRO'S DPS AND BULATOVIC COMPLAIN TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and its presidential candidate Momir Bulatovic lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Montenegro alleging rights violations in Sunday's polls.

They stated that on October 19, the Montenegrin Central Electoral Commission had published that Montenegro had an electorate of 469,543 voters, whereas final results of the presidential run*off revealed 470,490 names in the voters' registers. This clearly shows that names had been added to registers on the day of the polls in nearly all municipalities, which under the law was reason enough for annulling the election, the complaint insisted.

The Electoral Commission should not have reached a decision about the final results of the polls before objections to the work of invigilators and vote- counting commissions had been ruled on, Bulatovic said in the complaint. He added that there had been objections raised in 10 municipalities covering 70% of the electorate.

The complaint further said that the municipal electoral commissions and local administrations had not allowed the plaintiffs timely access to the election documents, so that they could not examine all material by the time this complaint was being lodged.

The DPS and Bulatovic insisted that the Central Electoral Commission had not created all necessary conditions for the voting to be legal and had not provided the necessary safeguards against voters casting more than one ballot.

The extension of voting time past the official closing time at 8 p.m. had also been unlawful, because invigilators had not recorded the number of people who had arrived at their polling stations by the regular closing time, they said. Voting time could have been extended only for voters who had arrived at their polling stations by 8 p.m., so as to permit them to cast their ballots, the complaint said.

It further said that the Montenegrin Constitutional Court had not ruled lawfully on the entry of names into voters' registers, nor had the panel of judges signed the minutes of voting and debate following a regular procedure.

They alleged, too, that certificates of suffrage had been issued unlawfully and occasionally by persons without the necessary authority.

The presence of Interior Ministry officials at the polling stations without invitation in all municipalities was a violation of the law and of the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression of the people, it was said in the complaint.

The complaint filed by the DPS and its presidential candidate Bulatovic went on to list concrete instances of irregularities committed in October 19 presidential run*off.

[03] PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO MINISTER MILUTINOVIC NOMINATED FOR SERBIAN PRESIDENT

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

The Main Board of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) decided unanimously (no votes against and no abstentions) at a session on Thursday, acting on a proposal put forth by President Slobodan Milosevic, that the SPS candidate for Serbian President at the elections on December 7 be Main Board member and Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic.

During the difficult period for our people and state, Milutinovic performed a series of the most responsible offices in Serbia and Yugoslavia, showing a high degree of responsibility for all vital interests of our country and all citizens, said a party statement.

The Main Board established a list of 110 Serbian Parliament deputies who were elected on the joint list "Socialist Party of Serbia-Yugoslav Left-New Democracy-Slobodan Milosevic." The basic criterium for the choice was social and professional renown and authority enjoyed by the deputies in public and in their environments, as well as an equal representation of all territorial parts of the Republic of Serbia.

The Main Board assessed that the winning of a majority vote and the biggest number of seats in the Serbian Parliament by the joint election union was of vital importance for the stability and future of Serbia and Yugoslavia. Having the confidence of citizens at the elections is yet another confirmation that our political programme and political objectives are primarily patriotic, because they guarantee the affirmation of stability, freedom, and development of Serbia and Yugoslavia, said the SPS Main Board statement.

[04] MINISTER MILENTIJEVIC RECEIVED AMBASSADOR WURT

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

Serbian Information Minister Radmila Milentijevic on Thursday received Ambassador in the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry Hubert Wurt, in the capacity of the special envoy of the European Union Presidency, a Serbian Government statement said.

Wurt was accompanied by Netherlands Ambassador Johanes Sizo and member of the Political Directorate of the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry Oliver Baldo.

Milentijevic informed the guests about the situation regarding the media in Serbia, with emphasis on the democratization process which is gradually being realized in this area. She spoke about the expansion of media in the territory of the Republic, the appearance of new private media and changes in the editorial policies of local media following the political changes in the municipal leaderships.

Milentijevic pointed out that it was important to achieve a high level of professionalism in Serbian media at this point. Serbia is faced with a real explosion of media, which means that many young and unprepared people have joined this profession, she said, adding that she hoped the new Law on Media, currently being processed in the Parliament, would help raise the professional level of media.

During the talks, special attention was given to positive changes in the editorial policy of the Serbian Radio Television, which became evident during the latest parliamentary elections in the republic.

Wurt underlined that it was especially important for state media, primarily the Serbian Radio Television, to be equally open to all candidates during the new election campaign. On behalf of the European Union, he welcomed all moves toward democratization in Serbia, pointing out the invaluable role of media in this respect.

[05] REHN VISITS KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

U.N. Human Rights Rapporteur Elisabeth Rehn, and associates, conferred on Thursday with Kosovo district Deputy Chief Veljko Odalovic and Kosovo and Metohija Information Secretary Bosko Drobnjak, said a statement by the Information Secretariat of Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

At the beginning of the talks, Rehn pointed out that once again the purpose of her visit was to become more closely acquainted with the realization of human rights in this Province and the protests by students of the Albanian national minority set for October 29.

Both sides agreed that problems cannot be resolved with violence, but through dialogue which would lead to a compromise. Along these lines, it was heard that the Group 3+3 should find a solution as quickly as possible for the education agreement to be realized. It was also underlined that all problems must be resolved within the institutions of the system and not in the streets.

Speaking about the increasingly frequent terrorist activities by extremist Albanian separatists, a total of 122 attacks in the period from 1991-1997, it was heard this was a direct strike against the integrity and sovereignty of this country and that reactions will be in keeping with the law.

These terrorist attacks mostly burden the efforts to overcome problems and aggravate the situation even further. The international community should condemn them more strongly, and the real condemnation should come from Albanian political leaders.

It was concluded at the end that the only possible future in these lands was coexistence with mutual trust and the settling of problems by peaceful means, the Secretariat statement said.

[06] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT PLANS MEASURES TO BOOST INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT

Tanjug, 1997-10-23

The Yugoslav Government discussed on Thursday a Transportation Ministry proposal of measures and activities aimed at improving and intensifying international road transportation in Yugoslavia.

It instructed to Ministry to prepare the final proposal taking into account the presented views and recommendations.

The Federal Government adopted a Platform for the participation of a Yugoslav delegation in the second session of the Inter*governmental Yugoslav-Slovak Commissison for Trade and Economic Relations to be held in Belgrade October 28-30. It chose Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister and Commission Co-Chairman Borislav Vukovic as head of the Yugoslav delegation.

The Federal Government adopted also the basic principles for talks on the conclusion of an Agreement on scientific and technical cooperation with the Croatian Government. The Government assessed that the establishing of scientific-technical cooperation with Croatia would create conditions for the development of other forms of economic cooperation between the two countries.

Yugoslav Assistant Transportation Minister Dusan Jovanovic will head a Yugoslav delegation to talks with Russia on the conclusion of an Agreement on international transportation of passengers and goods in Moscow in late October.

The Yugoslav Government set the basic principles for the conclusion of an Agreement on mutual stimulation and protection of investments with the South African Government, and also for the participation of a delegation of Yugoslav experts in the World Conference on radio-communication in Geneva in late October.

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory - Previous Article - Next Article