Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-01-05

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT CALLS EUROPEAN UNION'S ATTITUDE DISCRIMINATORY

[02] KOSOVO DISTRICT CHIEF SAYS SERBIAN LAWS ARE IMPLEMENTED, RESPECTED

[03] YUGOSLAV MINISTER: GREAT SPACE FOR COOPERATION WITH ISRAEL

[04] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL ON DEVELOPMENTS IN KOSOVO

[05] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL: FURTHER CONSOLIDATION OF YUGOSLAVIA'S INTERNATIONAL POSITION

[06] YUGOSLAV-IRANIAN WORKING GROUP HOLDS SESSION

[01] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT CALLS EUROPEAN UNION'S ATTITUDE DISCRIMINATORY

Tanjug, 1998-12-31

The Yugoslav Government reviewed on Wednesday a report on the E.U. Council's decision not providing for the extension of trade preferentials in 1998. In a session chaired by Prime Minister Radoje Kontic, the Government discussed the further normalisation of overall relations with the European Union. The Government said the E.U. Council's decision was a step away from the promotion of relations between the European Union and Yugoslavia, saying the promotion of relations was in the mutual interest as well as in the interest of the peace process in the region. The Government said the decision was the result of the European Union's discriminatory attitude towards Yugoslavia and its double-standard policy in international relations. The Government said the decision would have a negative bearing on economic reforms that are being implemented and the transition of the country's economy as well as on boosting cooperation in southeastern Europe. It voiced its readiness to promote relations with European Union on a permanent basis and in the mutual interest. The Government called on the E.U. Council to review and annul its decision, saying it was in the interest of the further development of their relations.

[02] KOSOVO DISTRICT CHIEF SAYS SERBIAN LAWS ARE IMPLEMENTED, RESPECTED

Tanjug, 1998-12-31

Kosovo District Chief Veljko Odalovic has stated that despite threats and pressure by ethnic Albanian separatists the Serbian laws are implemented and to a large extent respected. Speaking in an interview published on Wednesday by the Novi Sad daily Dnevnik, Odalovic said that, in addition to Pristina, the Kosovo district included nine other municipalities - Kosovo Polje, Obilic, Lipljan, Urosevac, Kacanik, Podujevo, Novo Brdo, Glogovac and Stimlje. He said the district had a population of more than 700,000. Odalovic said Serbia was open to all that wanted to work there and that wanted to respect and accept it. He said that, despite the obstruction on the part of ethnic Albanian separatist leaders, the Kosovo district was doing its duty, saying Serbia treated all loyal citizens equally. Odalovic said the world, which he said kept imposing requests on Serbia, should condemn ethnic Albanian terrorism and the separatist leaders.

[03] YUGOSLAV MINISTER: GREAT SPACE FOR COOPERATION WITH ISRAEL

Tanjug, 1998-01-04

Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic told the Serbian Radio Television (RTS) on Saturday that there was a great space for economic cooperation between Yugoslavia and Israel. Vukovic has recently returned from a visit to Israel where he had numerous contacts with local businessmen and politicians. He also met Parliament members of Israel's Labour Party and the Left Bloc.

There is an interest in economic cooperation and also in joint appearance on the third markets not only in the sector of trade but extending also to a possibility of joint production in the areas of high techologies and construction, Vukovic said. Potentials are there, as well as a goodwill on the part of a large number of Israeli politicians and businessmen to cooperate with Yugoslavia, he said. Vukovic also said that, during the visit to Israel, the Yugoslav delegation toured the Yad Vashem Memorial Centre dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. On that occasion, the delegation presented Centre officials with a documentary film on Jewish gold seized by fascists in the territory of the former Yugoslavia during World War II. We have recently come in possession of these documents. It is very important to Israel to identify those who had been killed under the gravest circumstances. Yugoslavia will exert every effort to make available to Israel all data in its possession.

[04] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL ON DEVELOPMENTS IN KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1998-12-31

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Gennady Tarasov issued a statement on Wednesday, calling for restraint, reason and the avoidance of violence in settling the situation in Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo and Metohija. The statement said that Russia unconditionally supported the preservation of Yugoslavia's territorial integrity with the realistic ensuring of the right of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

The statement voiced concern and said that Russia consistently urged the establishing of a dialogue between Serbian authorities and representatives of Kosovo Albanians as well as the political resolution of problems which had been accumulating in the province for decades.

[05] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL: FURTHER CONSOLIDATION OF YUGOSLAVIA'S INTERNATIONAL POSITION

Tanjug, 1998-01-02

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's official visit to China and his talks with Chinese President Jiang Zemin were the most important foreign policy events for Yugoslavia in 1997, Political Director at the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry Ambassador Dragomir Vucicevic has said. In an interview with Belgrade's Radio Beograd Programme One, Vucicevic said that the talks between Milosevic and Jiang opened roads to comprehensive cooperation and raised bilateral cooperation to an even higher level. Vucicevic said that 1997 was the year of a further consolidation of Yugoslavia's international position and an even more prominent recognition of its role as a factor of peace and stability in the Balkan region. He said Yugoslavia continued the process of speedy normalization of relations with a large number of countries, which opened the way for restoring and upgrading overall cooperation, especially in the area of economy. He also said that Yugoslavia concluded a series of new bilateral agreements with many countries, mostly European, and reinforced many of them reached earlier. Vucicevic stressed that in 1997, Yugoslavia directed its efforts towards preserving and strengthening the Bosnia peace process and upgrading relations with all its neighbours. As a country signatory to the Dayton Peace Accords, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has made with its activities a major contribution to the implementation of this treaty, he said.

He added that all factors had a lasting commitment to press on with their activities in 1998 and be more consistent in their engagement to preserve and strengthen the peace process in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Vucicevic said that Yugoslavia will continue its active cooperation to achieve this goal, becuase this is in the vital interest of all its peoples and in keeping with its principled foreign policy.

Yugoslavia's lasting commitment to pursuing the policy of good-neighbourly relations yielded significant results in 1997, especially in relations with Croatia and Macedonia, he said, adding that Yugoslavia maintained regular contacts and dialogue with all its neighbours. In this context, Vucicevic singled out the importance of the first Summit of heads of state or Government of the countries of southeastern Europe, held on the Greek island of Crete in early November 1997. He described the summit as a unique political event in the history of the Balkans. The summit in Crete was held at the Greek initiative and with Yugoslavia's comprehensive cooperation. It is natural, as the upgrading of regional cooperation is on the list of priorities of the Yugoslav foreign policy, said Vucicevic. The Crete summit is especially important also because of bilateral meetings and talks, he said and singled out President Milosevic's meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano, which opened prospects for a gradual normalization of the Yugoslav-Albanian relations. Vucicevic said that President Milosevic's participation at the summit and his personal contribution to its success as well as his separate talks with all leaders of southeastern European countries had contributed to Yugoslavia's further affirmation in the region as a factor of peace, stability and good-neighbourly relations. Vucicevic warned that the country had lately witnessed certain countries' efforts to discuss the so-called issue of Kosovo-Metohija at some international meetings. He said he had termed the matter in this way, because it was being given inadequate importance and character coupled with attempts at making it an international issue, which had been the case at a recent Bosnia Peace Implementation Conference in Bonn. He recalled that a Yugoslav delegation had walked out of the conference in protest. The Yugoslav delegation has done so for principled reasons and in line with Yugoslavia's national interests, Vucicevic said. He underscored that Kosovo-Metohija is Serbia's and Yugoslavia's internal affair and is, as such, outside the jurisdiction of the Bosnia Peace Implementation Council or any other international forum. Yugoslavia guarantees equal rights to all its citizens, regardless of their religion, nationality or political orientation and, therefore, it does not need any lessons or help from the outside to settle its internal affairs, Vucicevic warned. He said that in 1998, Yugoslavia's particular interest will be to restore its position in international organizations and institutions.

He qualified as untenable certain countries' efforts to enforce the so- called outer wall of sanctions, outside all documents of the United Nations and the U.N. Security Council, using this name to set political conditions, some of them being a direct interference in Yugoslavia's internal affairs.

Vucicevic recalled that a growing number of countries realized the absurdity of keeping the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia outside the U.N., the OSCE, the International Monetary Fund and other international organizations, some of which were co-founded by Yugoslavia. He said a further suspension of Yugoslavia's membership rights not only violated these organizations' principles of universality, but also diminished their efficiency. Vucicevic said he was convinced that 1998 will mark a turning point in this respect and that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia will be fully reintegrated into the international community. There is no justified reason to delay this or to expect from Yugosolavia to carry out certain obligations without being able to exercise its membership rights, he said.

[06] YUGOSLAV-IRANIAN WORKING GROUP HOLDS SESSION

Tanjug, 1998-12-31

A Working Group for the Yugoslav-Iranian finance and banking issues held a session in Belgrade on December 24-30, the Yugoslav Finance Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The session was held within an agreement reached at the 10th session of the Yugoslav-Iranian mixed Commission for economic, trade and scientific cooperation. The Working Group was headed by Yugoslav Assistant Finance Minister Mileva Radovic and Director General of the Iranian Economic Affairs and Finance Ministry's Department for economic relations with foreign countries Mohammed Bigdeli. The Group was to review the two countries' debtor and creditor relations and proposals for cooperation in the light of taking some measures and activities which should facilitate this cooperation. The Iranian delegation held talks with representatives of Yugoslav companies, commercial banks, the Yugoslav National Bank, the Association of Yugoslav Banks and the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce. The talks which the Iranian delegation held at the Association of Yugoslav PTT companies and the Association of Yugoslav Railways also focused on these issues. During the Iranian delegation's visit to Belgrade, talks were also held on an Agreement on double taxation. The text of the Agreement was fully coordinated and initialled. The Yugoslav side submitted written observations to the Iranian draft Agreement on mutual investment stimulation and protection. Both sides expressed readiness for a speedy start of talks on the conclusion of the agreements, the date of which would be agreed on through diplomatic contacts. The Iranian delegation was received by the Yugoslav Finance Minister, the Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister and the Serbian Transport Minister. During these talks, the Iranian delegation reiterated its readiness to resume cooperation in all fields without any reservations on the basis of the recognition of Yugoslavia's continuity. A memorandum on understanding was signed at the end of the session, the statement said.

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