Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-03-03

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] DEFENSE MINISTER: THERE WILL BE NO TALKS WITH TERRORISTS

[02] YUGOSLAV AIRLINES OPENS BELGRADE - BANJA LUKA FLIGHTS PROTEST AGAINST ANTI-SERB INCIDENTS IN VUKOVAR

[03] LOWER HOUSE RATIFIES NUMBER OF AGREEMENTS UPPER HOUSE PASSES LAW ON FEDERAL BUDGET

[04] VICE-PREMIER RECEIVES GERMAN AMBASSADOR

[05] DEPUTY SPEAKER OF UPPER HOUSE ON KOSOVO

[06] VICE-PREMIER: SOLUTION TO KOSOVO ISSUE LIES IN DIALOGUE

[07] BELGIUM IN FAVOUR OF RESTORING YUGOSLAVIA'S TRADE PREFERENTIALS

[08] ANOTHER TERRORIST ATTACK IN KOSOVO

[09] POLICE PREVENT ILLEGAL ETHNIC ALBANIAN PROTEST IN KOSOVO

[01] DEFENSE MINISTER: THERE WILL BE NO TALKS WITH TERRORISTS

Tanjug, 1998-03-02

Yugoslav Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic told parliament on Monday that there would be no negotiations with terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija. Bulatovic said prior to the opening of the parliament's spring session that no separate initiative for resolving the problem of Kosovo and Metohija would be raised, adding "it is always there." He said there was always an initiative to bring circumstances in the province back to normal, but emphasized that "there can be no negotiations with terrorists."

[02] YUGOSLAV AIRLINES OPENS BELGRADE - BANJA LUKA FLIGHTS PROTEST AGAINST ANTI-SERB INCIDENTS IN VUKOVAR

Tanjug, 1998-03-02

Yugoslav Airlines (JAT) opened Monday a regular Belgrade - Banja Luka flight service. Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic, Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, ministers and businessmen welcomed Monday morning a Yugoslav delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic which arrived in Banja Luka on the first flight. President Plavsic said the opening of the Banja Luka airport for civil flights would enable officials and businessmen from Srpska and neighbouring and other countries to exchange visits and develop friendly relations. She added she was glad that the airport was opened precisely by a visit of a Yugoslav delegation. Sainovic said that the opening of the Belgrade - Banja Luka line constituted an important step in the development of economic and other ties between Srpska and Yugoslavia. Dodik underlined that the opening of the flight service would contribute to the stabilization of the Srpska economy, leading to a better standard of living of its people and paving the way for the return of refugees. Delegations of the FR of Yugoslavia and Republika Srpska discussed Monday in Banja Luka the future development of bilateral cooperation.

The Joint Council of Serb Municipalities condemned Monday the removal of the Serb flag from several institutions in Eastern Slavonija by the Croatian police, in violation of the constitutional provision on the rights of ethnic communities and national minorities. The Serb flag was removed Sunday from the Workers' Center in Borovo Naselje, which houses all most important Serb institutions, although the Croatian flag was also flying on the building in line with the law, the Council said. The Croatian police also removed Sunday the Serb flag from the premises of the Dunav TV in Vukovar, but had the right to do so as there was no Croatian flag on the building, the Council said. There was, however, no need to confiscate the flag, it added. The Serb flag was also removed from a monument to war veterans where it was placed only as a symbol. Other incidents occurred Sunday in which Serb inhabitants of the Srem-Baranja region were the victims. In the Ceminac village, a Serb refugee Milan Ratic and his family were evicted from a house by the returning Croat owner while the police stood nearby watching. The incident was a violation of the promise made by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman that Serb refugees would not be evicted from Croat houses before they can find other accommodation. The Beli Manastir TV attempted to film the eviction, but its equipment was seized by Croat civilians. Yugoslav Ambassador to Croatian Veljko Knezevic visited Ceminac Sunday to meet Serb refugees, but the Croatian police banned the meeting under the pretext that it had not been notified in advance. An appeal to hold the meeting anyway as similar meetings had been held 40 times before without prior notification was not heeded by the police. These incidents have increased the tension among the Serb population of Eastern Slavonija, and will be the theme of a meeting Tuesday in Zagreb between Serb representatives headed by Vojislav Stanimirovic and Milorad Pupovac with Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa.

[03] LOWER HOUSE RATIFIES NUMBER OF AGREEMENTS UPPER HOUSE PASSES LAW ON FEDERAL BUDGET

Tanjug, 1998-03-02

The Yugoslav parliament's Chamber of Citizens (Lower House) ratified at the first meeting of its spring session on Monday a number of inter-state agreements. The Lower House ratified the country's agreements with Bosnia- Herzegovina, Russia, Italy, Romania and Jordan and endorsed an international agreement on seal rights. The deputies were most interested in the agreement on dual citizenship reached between Yugoslavia and Bosnia- Herzegovina. Commenting on the agreement, Yugoslav Deputy Foreign Minister Radoslav Bulajic said the general framework peace agreement for Bosnia and Bosnia's constitution entitled all citizens of Bosnia to dual citizenship, in keeping with relevant international agreements. Bulajic said the position of Bosnia's Presidency, voiced at a meeting in December, was that all citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina had the right to apply for the Yugoslav citizenship. He said the law on the implementation of the dual citizenship deal was yet to be ratified by the Bosnia's Parliamentary Assembly. He said he hoped this would happen in the near future, saying the agreement would greatly help establish close ties between Yugoslavia and entire Bosnia and in particular the Republika Srpska and would help promote goodneighbourly relations. Nearly all representatives of parliamentary parties backed the agreement.

The Yugoslav parliament's Chamber of Republics (Upper House) Monday evening passed a law on the 1998 federal budget in the amount of 9.693 billion dinars. The Chamber of Citizens (Lower House) adopted the law on the federal budget on Dec. 29, 1997.

[04] VICE-PREMIER RECEIVES GERMAN AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1998-03-02

Deputy Yugoslav Prime Minister Zoran Lilic on Monday received German Ambassador to Yugoslavia Wilfried Gruber at his request, a statement said. The talks covered the promotion of overall, primarily economic, bilateral cooperation, in which both countries are interested. Possible export credits from the Hermes Fund for Yugoslav companies were discussed. In the part of the talks on the situation in Serbia's province of Kosovo and Metohija, both sides expressed concern over the latest developments. Lilic set out the readiness of Serbia and Yugoslavia to establish a dialogue for settling relations in Kosovo and Metohija, which he said certainly could not be raised to a higher level with terrorist actions. He underscored that all means were allowed in the struggle against terrorism, which was being confirmed throughout the world. In keeping with the principles of the sovereignty of Serbia and Yugoslavia, solutions must be sought in order to overcome the present situation, in which every new victim could provoke a large-scale conflict. Should this terrorism continue, the situation could only escalate and lead to conflicts heavier than those in Bosnia. A great responsibility lies with the European Union to recognize this. The solution is in the stabilization of general relations, the recognition of the rights and the state in which Kosovo's Albanians live. Ambassador Gruber said Germany does not support the independence of Kosovo and Metohija and that the struggle against terrorism was a legitimate affair of the Yugoslav government. He appealed that dialogue be opened, the statement said.

[05] DEPUTY SPEAKER OF UPPER HOUSE ON KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1998-03-02

Asked whether the complex situation in Kosovo and Metohija would be put on the Yugoslav parliament's agenda, newly-appointed Deputy Speaker of the Yugoslav Parliament Upper House Gorica Gajevic said this was Serbia's internal affair and that there was no reason why the issue should be put on the federal parliament's agenda. "Serbia will fight against terrorism the way the entire world does meaning that it will take all measures it has at its disposal," she said. She said this was what the entire world did, saying it was the only way to eliminate terrorism. She also said Serbia, like all other states in the world, would take energetic and efficient measures to cope with the problem. Praising Serbian police for their courage and dedication, Gajevic said she was confident that ethnic Albanians in the province would respond in the right way and oppose terrorism because it was primarily detrimental to their interests.

[06] VICE-PREMIER: SOLUTION TO KOSOVO ISSUE LIES IN DIALOGUE

Tanjug, 1998-03-02

Yugoslav Vice-Premier Zoran Lilic said Monday that, as regards terrorism in any part of the world, all measures that a state ruled by law could take were allowed, saying this referred also to Serbia. Lilic told reporters at the Yugoslav parliament that, "I am confident that the solution lies somewhere else and that it primarily depends on ethnic Albanian secessionists." He said the solution did not lie in new conflicts, calling on all ethnic Albanians to condemn terrorism and back a dialogue because he said this was the only solution. Asked whether the Army of Yugoslavia should be engaged in fighting against terrorism in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, Lilic said there was not a single reason why this should be so. "I do not urge escalation of clashes and do not think that is a solution," he said adding that the army would take necessary measures to defend the Yugoslav border in line with its constitutional powers, protecting the constitution and Yugoslavia's security. "A dialogue and a peaceful solution primarily benefit ethnic Albanians. It is our duty to equally protect the rights of Serbs, Montenegrins and loyal ethnic Albanians," he said. He ruled out the possibility of the issue of Kosovo and Metohija being internationalised, saying this directly violated Yugoslavia's and Serbia's sovereignty. He said the issue exclusively Serbia's internal affair.

[07] BELGIUM IN FAVOUR OF RESTORING YUGOSLAVIA'S TRADE PREFERENTIALS

Tanjug, 1998-03-02

Belgium's Vice Premier urged on Monday that Yugoslavia be fully reinstated in international institutions and organisations. Speaking for Serbian state Radio and Television after meeting in Brussels with Yugoslav Minister of Foreign Trade Borislav Vukovic, Vice Premier Philippe Meistadt pledged Belgium's support for the European Union's restoring trade preferentials to Yugoslavia. Vukovic is heading a Yugoslav state and business delegation to a five-day Yugoslav Business Week event in Belgium and Luxembourg, which opened on Monday. During the meeting with Vukovic, Meistadt welcomed the holding of Yugoslav Business Week in Belgium, which should give a new impact to bilateral cooperation in the economy, banking, finance and tourism.

[08] ANOTHER TERRORIST ATTACK IN KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1998-03-02

Another terrorist attack was perpetrated Monday afternoon by an armed gang of ethnic Albanians in the Donji Ratis village in the Decani municipality in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo-Metohija. Three people, Slobodan Prascevic, Igbala Tahiraj and her son, were wounded in the attack. Pensioner Slobodan Prascevic succumbed to injuries sustained, Tanjug learned at the general hospital in Pec. The other two people injured in the attack, Igbala Tahiraj, who sustained severe leg injuries and her son who was lightly injured, were taken care of at a health care centre in Decani. This was the tenth attack by ethnic Albanian terrorists Monday on the homes of Serbs, Montenegrins and ethnic Albanians loyal to Serbia and Yugoslavia in three municipalities of the Pec district.

[09] POLICE PREVENT ILLEGAL ETHNIC ALBANIAN PROTEST IN KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1998-03-02

In a brief and efficient action, the Serbian police Monday prevented Kosovo ethnic Albanians' attempt to hold a protest rally in Pristina, staged by a coordination committee of ethnic Albanian political parties in solidarity with residents of Drenica, the site of incidents that took place at the weekend. Among parties making up the Committee are the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo (DSK) led by Ibrahim Rugova, the Union of students of the (illegal) ethnic Albanian university and the Union of ethnic Albanian independent trade unions. Before the beginning of the rally in Pristina's main street Monday morning, the police warned the protesters that the rally was illegal because it had not been reported beforehand. At that point, protesters pelted the police with stones and the latter responded by using tear gas and water canons to disperse the crowd. The demonstrators were led by president of the ethnic Albanian university teaching staff trade union Zekerija Cana, chief editor of the Koha Ditore daily paper Veton Suroji, DSK Secretary-General Fatmir Sejdiju and head of the Islamic religious community Redzep Boja. The police were forced to intervene also in several other city districts in order to disperse smaller groups of protesters. A large group of protesters moving towards Pristina's Suncani Breg district threw stones at the Student Centre, smashing several windows of a hostel. Law and order was restored in Pristina by 11 a.m. local time. Traffic was normalized and the situation in the entire city is peaceful.

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