Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-03-17

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER EXPECTED IN YUGOSLAVIA TUESDAY

[02] DODIK: GOVERNMENT WILL DO EVERYTHING TO KEEP BRCKO WITHIN RS

[03] RADIO BELGRADE: UNITED STATES SHOWS ITS TRUE COLOURS

[04] RUSSIAN MEDIA ON SITUATION IN KOSMET

[05] CHINA'S DAILY WARNS AGAINST ETHNIC ALBANIAN SEPARATISM IN KOSMET

[06] DROBNJAK: PROPAGANDA MARCH TO DRENICA WAS NOT OBSTRUCTED

[07] MARCH ENDS AFTER A COUPLE OF KILOMETERS

[08] FISCHER SAYS 1989 AUTONOMY SHOULD NOT BE RETURNED TO KOSOVO

[09] KINKEL: DIALOGUE IS THE SOLUTION

[10] HEAD OF YUGOSLAV MISSION TO GENEVA U.N. HEADQUARTERS VISITS SOMMARUGA

[11] REPRESENTATIVES OF KOSOVO ALBANIANS AGAIN FAIL TO SHOW UP FOR TALKS

[12] MARKOVIC: ALL ISSUES CAN BE RESOLVED BY PEACEFUL MEANS

[13] KINKEL HAILS POSTPONEMENT OF FINAL DECISION ON BRCKO'S STATUS

[01] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER EXPECTED IN YUGOSLAVIA TUESDAY

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov will visit Yugoslavia on March 17 and 18 at the invitation of his Yugoslav counterpart Zivadin Jovanovic. The two ministers will discuss bilateral relations and their future development and international issues of mutual concern.

[02] DODIK: GOVERNMENT WILL DO EVERYTHING TO KEEP BRCKO WITHIN RS

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

The Republika Srpska (RS) Government will set up a special team to deal with the Brcko issue on a daily basis to remove any future dilemmas over who should finally receive control over this town, RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik said on Monday. Speaking a day after the arbitrage decision to postpone the solution for Brcko until the end of the year, Dodik told the local radio that the Government team would cooperate equally with the office of the high representative, i.e. the supervisor, and with the local authorities of Brcko. I have heard comments that the Government and I should resign following the arbitrage dicision, but I ask those who demand that, what they have done over the past six years and why they have not strengthened Brcko's position within RS and thus prevented dilemmas over this, Dodik said.

[03] RADIO BELGRADE: UNITED STATES SHOWS ITS TRUE COLOURS

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

The statement of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for the Times of London that 'the United States no longer recognizes the Chapter of the UN Charter relating to respect for the internal sovereignty of states' has revealed for the first time what the United States means by "the new world order" and "Partnership for Peace", says the commentary of Radio Belgrade. "We do not know for sure in how many wars the United States was involved since the end of World War II. What is known, however, is that none of them was a defensive war. A short while ago, the United States almost entered another bloody war * against Iraq. The danger of a new conflict in the Gulf is not over yet, because the United States continues to maintain that it has the right to launch another attack against Iraq, if the Iraqi Government does not fulfil all its obligations related to chemical and biological arms control, including inspection of presidential palaces. However, now that the Iraqi crisis has been partially defused, thanks to the victory of diplomacy, but not of American diplomacy, a mechanism has been set in motion to light the Kosovo fuse", says the commentary. The commentator reminds that "the United States does not recognize and does not support the secession of Kosovo in words, although it persistently avoids to oppose the Albanian leaders in Kosovo. Thus, for example, the self*styled Contact Group for the Balkans, when it recently met in London, only formally condemned terrorism in Kosovo, but their four*point check was addressed only to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia". However, as the commentary notes, "the Albanian separatists and terrorists were asked nothing". Even President Clinton himself engaged in anti*Serb campaign, when he said the other day that 'the Serbian Government inappropriately responded to the legitimate concern of the Kosovo Albanians', the commentary adds. "President Clinton knows full well, however, what actually transpired in the Kosovo village of Donje Prekaze a while ago, but he did not even think of condemning terrorism by the Albanians. How could he do that when his State Department tramples down on the UN Charter, thus enabling the United States to wage wars whenever and wherever it pleases, and what is even worse, not having to account for its actions". Mrs Albright's statement in the Times is related to events in Kosovo. However, it is not only related to Kosovo and Serbia but also to many other regions in the world. True, in this particular case, the United States has sided with Albanian separatism and terrorism, which actually disqualifies it as a mediator and negotiator", the commentary stresses. The commentator draws attention to the fact that on the doorstep of the 21st century, the United States no longer recognizes the Chapter of the UN Charter relating to respect for the internal sovereignty of states, which in actual fact means that "force and state terrorism are the only weapon in the hands of such a mighty power as the United States of America".

"How else to interpret the call on Serbia to withdraw its police forces from Kosovo, that is from its own territory, when at the same time the United States has no intention of pulling its military, naval and air forces out of the Gulf area. Iraq is several thousand kilometres away from the American land and more importantly, Iraq is not and has never been an American territory, while Kosovo has been and continues to be Serbian heartland for centuries", says the commentary. "Serbia and the FRY have said what they had to say about Kosovo. Both Albanian separatists and their outside sponsors are equally aware of it. Serbia has always been in favour of dialogue with the Albanian national minority, but only on the basis of its Constitution. What Serbia is not prepared to do is to discuss whose territory Kosovo is. Accordingly, terrorism must be eradicated in Kosovo in much the same way as this is done in all countries. If the Albanian leaders do not agree to renounce terrorism perpetrated by their fellow Albanians and if they do not, on the other hand, drop the demand for the "Kosovo Republic", it is logical to conclude then that they do not want to, or dare to, do so. "If Western countries spearheaded by the United States recognize the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, which is what they claim to be doing from time to time, why don't they do it then in deeds also, asks the commentator on Radio Belgrade.

[04] RUSSIAN MEDIA ON SITUATION IN KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

Russian media said in their first reports from Kosmet on Monday that representatives of ethnic Albanian parties for the third time failed to appear for talks with a Serbian Government delegation, commenting that it now suited them to prolong with the onset of negotiations so as to draw the west into developments in Kosmet as much as possible. The reports also said that the hints on forming a delegation of the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo did not mean that they would immediately join in the talks. It is most probable that the Albanian side will try to enforce their own rules of the game and try to buy time until the west becomes involved even more actively, the Russian state agency said. A similar commentary was broadcast today on the Prime Channel of state Television, with the assessment that, having in mind the current situation in Kosmet, time will not help either of the sides in that Serbian province.

[05] CHINA'S DAILY WARNS AGAINST ETHNIC ALBANIAN SEPARATISM IN KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

China's daily Renmin Ribao on Monday warned against ethnic Albanian separatism in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, saying Yugoslavia could be hardly expected to make concessions in the resolution of the issue. The paper said the Serbian Government's initiative to open dialogue with ethnic Albanian representatives had marked the beginning of a political process for the resolution of the Kosovo and Metohija issue. The paper said, however, that the ethnic Albanian side had failed to respond positively. The daily said Yugoslavia's stand was that this was an internal affair that should be dealt with by Serbia only, saying this meant that Kosovo and Metohija could only be an autonomous province within Serbia. Renmin Ribao said a plan by some Western powers that the Province be granted the status of republic within Yugoslavia contained a threat of Serbia being federalised and, consequently, detached from Yugoslavia. The daily said that, consequently, Yugoslavia could be hardly expected to make concessions in the resolution of the issue, saying the two sides' talks could only focus on specific issues concerning the normalisation of the educational system in the Province and its economic and cultural development. The daily said ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova's secretary had declined answer when asked by the daily's reporter about the ethnic Albanian leaders' stand on the Serbian Government's invitation to talks that they have invariably failed to attend. The secretary gave him a pamphlet stating that the ethnic Albanian leaders urged the independence of Kosovo and Metohija as the only solution to the issue, the paper said.

[06] DROBNJAK: PROPAGANDA MARCH TO DRENICA WAS NOT OBSTRUCTED

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

Kosovo and Metohija Information Secretary Bosko Drobnjak told Tanjug that no-one prevented on Monday the propaganda march of Albanian women from reaching Drenica, despite the fact that their sole motive was to turn it into a spectacle for the foreign media. Drobnjak recalled that all roads to Drenica were opened ten days ago and that the police was not preventing at all people from going to that region. He added that the local population there was not in need of any aid, and was in no way threatened.

"However, the Albanian women from Pristina did not go directly to Drenica which they said was their destination, but to Kosovo Polje and Gazimestan, in order to provoke a reaction of women and the entire population of Serbian, Montenegrin and other nationalities," Drobnjak said. He explained that the police only dissuaded possible wider incidents, planned in advance by ethnic Albanian separatists.

[07] MARCH ENDS AFTER A COUPLE OF KILOMETERS

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

In the organization of the Forum of Women of the Democartic Alliance of Kosovo (DSK), women of the Albanian national minority started walking on Monday from Pristina to Drenica, but they decided to end the "media walk" after only a couple of kilometers. A couple of thousand of Kosmet Albanian women first gathered in front of the U.S. Information Center in Pristina before they started their walk that was supposed to be 30 kilometers long, each of them carrying one bread and one notebook in sign of solidarity with the women and children of the Drenica region. The women made V-signs whenever a TV crew or photographer appeared and carried several U.S. flags and banners that read Drenica and Drenica we are with you. At the entrance into Kosovo Polje, the police tried to group the women into another lane so as not to block traffic, which they used as a pretext to return to Pristina.

[08] FISCHER SAYS 1989 AUTONOMY SHOULD NOT BE RETURNED TO KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Leni Fischer of Germany said on Monday that it would be wrong to raise the issue of returning former autonomy to Serbia's southern province of Kosovo-Metohija, stressing that such a status was valid in the former Yugoslavia alone.

Germany's DPA news agency carried Fischer's statement to the Berlin-based Deutschland Radio and said that Fischer, who has recently visited Belgrade, had now urged that Kosovo-Metohija be given some form of self-rule. Fischer said that ethnic Albanians, in line with what they account for among the local population, should be included in administrative bodies, police, health care and education systems.

[09] KINKEL: DIALOGUE IS THE SOLUTION

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel said on Monday during a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Nadezda Mihailova in the eastern German town of Dessau that a solution for Kosmet must be sought in dialogue. Kinkel said such a solution would lean toward autonomy, but not secession from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A conflict must be prevented at present with all means available, said Kinkel. Mihailova said it was difficult to implement a clear solution in that region. On behalf of her country, she voiced support to the Contact Group, and pointed out a recent joint statement by five Balkan countries, in which they had urged wider autonomy for Kosmet within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

[10] HEAD OF YUGOSLAV MISSION TO GENEVA U.N. HEADQUARTERS VISITS SOMMARUGA

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

Yugoslav Mission to Geneva U.N. Headquarters head Miroslav Milosevic on Monday visited International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Cornelio Sommaruga and presented him with a letter from Serbian Premier Mirko Marjanovic in connection with the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija, the Yugoslav Mission said. The letter said, among other things, that recent Serbian police actions in Kosovo and Metohija (Kosmet) had been carried out exclusively with the purpose of fighting terrorism which had escalated in the recent months and led to large numbers of casualties among innocent civilians. The victims of increasingly frequent terrorist attacks were not only Serbs and police force members, but even more so, members of the Albanian national minority - just because they demonstrated loyalty to the state in which they live, said the letter. Having in mind that certain media announced different false reports and unfounded criticisms of actions by Serbian state organs, the Serbian Government invited Sommaruga to make up an AD HOC team of neutral and affirmed experts, with equal reprsentation of different countries, who would see the true state of affairs on the spot, in cooperation with experts of the Yugoslav Red Cross. Milosevic said the Serbian Government's initiative had been launched with respect for the experience and renown of the ICRC in the world. He said he expected that the group of experts would soon be formed with Sommaruga's help. The Serbian Government will provide these experts with all the necessary assistance and support in their work. Sommaruga said the Serbian Government's initiative was a positive step toward settling the current situaton in Kosovo and Metohija, and underscored that the ICRC urged objective presentations of events and was against politization which caused unnecessary tensions. The ICRC President said the Organization would carefully consider the proposal to form the AD HOC group and would examine possibiities for joint actions in cooperation with the Serbian Government and the Yugoslav Red Cross, said the Mission statement.

[11] REPRESENTATIVES OF KOSOVO ALBANIANS AGAIN FAIL TO SHOW UP FOR TALKS

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

Representatives of ethnic-Albanians in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija failed to show up for the third time running for talks with a Serbian Government delegation, scheduled to start at 11 a.m. local time on Monday. Representatives of the Turkish, Muslim and Romany national minorities in Kosovo and Metohija responded to the Serbian Government's invitation and showed up for the talks.

The head of the Serbian Government delegation, Deputy Premier Ratko Markovic, had stated on arriving in the Provincial capital that he did not expect ethnic Albanians to come to the talks, although they had asked for them and had had objections concerning the exercise of their human, ethnic and civil rights.

"I expect that ethnic Albanians will come to realize that they are losing the most by failing to show up for the talks," Markovic said. "We are in a position in today's talks to set right the earlier oversight when we failed to invite the other national minorities, since they cannot be divided into large and small ones," Serbian Deputy Premier Markovic stressed, and said that "all national minorities are equal under the Constitution."

[12] MARKOVIC: ALL ISSUES CAN BE RESOLVED BY PEACEFUL MEANS

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

Serbian Deputy Premier and head of the delegation for talks with representatuves of national minorities in Kosovo and Metohija Ratko Markovic said after the talks held with representatives of Kosmet Romanies, Muslims and Turks that, by coming for the third time in Pristina in the last five days, the Government confirmed the gravity and sincerity of its conviction that human, national and civil right matters can be resolved only by peaceful means. He repeated at a press conference the invitation to Albanian representatives, who did not show up today, to come for talks tomorrow at the same place and time. Members of the largest national minority - Albanians, failed to show up at the meeting today, just as at the previous two, and it is most of the members of this minority who refuse to use their rights, paralysing the constitutional position of Kosovo and Metohija as an autonomous province, Markovic said. Markovic said that the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the Albanian side wishes to realize its goal, even though it cannot be realized by peaceful means, and that is the independence of Kosmet and secession from Serbia. The Albanian side will convince us it is against terror and bloodshed when it comes for talks without pre-conditions, and to which they have been invited three times by the Serbian Government, Markovic said.

[13] KINKEL HAILS POSTPONEMENT OF FINAL DECISION ON BRCKO'S STATUS

Tanjug, 1998-03-16

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel welcomed on Monday a decision taken on Sunday on putting off a final decision on Brcko's status. Kinkel said this was a right move, saying he had urged right from the start that a final decision on the town's status be postponed, because it would contribute to headway in the peace process for Bosnia-Herzegovina. He said the postponement would create preconditions for a final resolution of the Brcko issue, saying the two parties were not ready yet to comply with a final decision. He said there were indications that the situation in Bosnia- Herzegovina was improving.

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