Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-03-19

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] ETHNIC ALBANIAN BANDITS ROB SERB FAMILY

[02] LE FIGARO CARRIES STORY ON MONASTERY DECANI IN KOSMET

[03] US ENVOY PRAISES ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER, CONDEMNS SERBIAN POLICE

[04] CONTACT GROUP CALLS FOR U.N. RESOLUTION ON YUGOSLAVIA

[05] RUSSIAN DUMA POSTPONES VISIT TO KOSMET

[06] SERBIAN OFFICIAL DENIES ALLEGATIONS ON POLICE INTERVENTION IN KOSOVO

[07] STUDENTS PROTEST AGAINST ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISM

[08] SOLIDARITY WITH ALBANIAN TERRORISTS

[09] TALKS WITH REPRESNETATIVES OF NATIONAL MINORITIES IN KOSMET

[10] FRY PURSUES CONTINUITY OF SFRY IN NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

[11] KONTIC RECEIVES PRIMAKOV

[01] ETHNIC ALBANIAN BANDITS ROB SERB FAMILY

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

A group of uniformed and masked bandits of ethnic Albanian nationality last night broke into the house of Serb Blagoje Jovanovic in the village of Kostrc near Srbica, abused the occupants, and stole a number of valuable items, said a statement by the Information Secretariat of Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija on Wednesday. Police are taking measures to find the perpetrators of this burglary, said the statement.

[02] LE FIGARO CARRIES STORY ON MONASTERY DECANI IN KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

The Paris daily Le Figaro published on Wednesday a lengthy article on the monastry Decani in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, shedding through it some light on the current situation in the Province.

"We have preserved a monastery map from the 15th century which shows that all villages in the area were Serb at the time. Today, there are only 600 Serbs and 55,000 ethnic Albanians in the Decani area. Before World War II, 40 percent of the local population were Serbs and 60 percent ethnic Albanians," Father Sava was quoted by Le Figaro as saying.

Author of the article Renaud Girard described Decani as "the historical heart of the Serbian culture" and "one of the holiest places of the Serbian Orthodox Church, similar in importance to what the Chartres Cathedral or the Vezelay Basilica are to France."

Le Figaro said the Decani monastery was the "last mainstay of the Serb soul" in the area.

[03] US ENVOY PRAISES ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER, CONDEMNS SERBIAN POLICE

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

The Special US Envoy to the Balkans Robert Gelbard said on Wednesday following a meeting with ethnic Albanian leader from Serbia's southern province of Kosovo-Metohija Ibrahim Rugova that the US was very pleased with Rugova and his statement on acceptance of the proposal for political negotiations.

Referring to the attitude of the Yugoslav Government towards the requests made by the Contact Group on March 9, Gelbard said that no progress had been made.

Speaking on behalf of the US Government, Gelbard said that if no serious progress is made, the US intends to advocate the imposition of fresh and serious sanctions, sanctions that would be painful.

Referring to Rugova's promise, Gelbard said that Rugova intended to set up a broad-based advisory group comprising a large number of ethnic Albanian leaders, his advisors. Gelbard said he believed that Rugova would name the group members very shortly, probably next week, and added he believed this was part of Rugova's intentions to demonstrate that he and the other ethnic Albanian leaders from Kosovo were very serious in their endeavors for a political dialogue such as advocated earlier by the US.

Gelbard also complained of so-called pressures on US diplomats and journalists who have been denied visas, and criticized the police for not allowing two of his colleagues to go to Prekaz. He noted that the US had urged for the removal of the special police units from Kosovo but that that had not occurred.

The US is ready to help in the negotiations if requested by the ethnic Albanian side, and is ready take part in the negotiations if both sides wish, he said.

Referring to the agreement on education, Gelbard said that some progress had been made and that the completion of this task would provide good bases for continuing political dialogue.

Announcing the forthcoming meeting of the Contact Group to be chaired by the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on March 25 in Bonn, Gelbard said he could not forecast its results, as this would depend on the results of the talks that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic will have meanwhile with Russian, German and French Foreign Ministers, Primakov, Kinkel and Vedrine.

Asked about the requests for international mediation in Kosovo talks, Gelbard said it was up to the two sides to chose a mediator and added that the US was ready to help and participate if both sides wish. This will probably be resolved in a few days, he added, and noted that Rugova had told him that he would like the US to be involved in the talks.

[04] CONTACT GROUP CALLS FOR U.N. RESOLUTION ON YUGOSLAVIA

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

Despite the fact that a number of U.N. Security Council members have made it clear that the international principle of non-interference in sovereign states' internal affairs must be respected and also that Kosovo-Metohija is an internal issue of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Great Britain proposed a draft resolution on an arms embargo against Yugoslavia at closed-door Security Council consultations on Wednesday. Britain explained that the move was made on behalf of the Contact Group for the Balkans, which announced after its March 9 meeting in London that it would try to have a decision on the arms embargo carried out within the U.N. Security Council.

According to U.N. sources, such a move triggered different responses by Security Council members.

The United States welcomed the move, visibly exerting efforts toward stepping up the discussion on the draft resolution and its speedy adoption. China was of the opinion that the Security Council is not the place where the issue of Kosovo-Metohija should be discussed at all. This was borne out also by Chinese delegation's representative Chen Rangeng, who said after the Council consultations that the Chinese stand had remained unchanged.

A number of other council members also made numerous objections both to reservations about the entire procedure and to some parts of the text of the draft resolution.

It was learned that there were opinions that the resolution should not be passed in haste and that it would be better to wait and study more thoroughly the latest situation in Kosovo-Metohija. However, such opinions were not to the liking of the United States and Great Britain, which has already announced that the resolution could be put to vote over the next few days, even as early as on Thursday.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Bill Richardson told reporters that an expert group within the Contact Group would meet in the afternoon to discuss annexes and proposals made during the council discussion that opened after Great Britain proposed the draft resolution. The draft, worded by Great Britain, i.e. the five countries representing the Contact Group on the Balkans, voiced concern over the situation in Kosovo-Metohija and passing conclusions related to interests of some powers rather than the true state of affairs, emphasized that the authorities are allegedly more to blame for the unrest caused by terrorists of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army.

This terrorist organization is mentioned at one point in the draft and its activities condemned, but its name was not mentioned in that part of the text where ethnic Albanian leaders in Kosovo are urged to condemn terrorism and disassociate themselves from it.

In addition to numerous provisions referring to the need for a political settlement of the situation in Kosovo-Metohija and calls for un unconditional and comprehensive dialogue, offering a Contact Group mediation, the draft voiced support for an enhanced status for Kosovo within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, although it is a known fact that Kosovo-Metohija is within Serbia.

[05] RUSSIAN DUMA POSTPONES VISIT TO KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

The Russian Duma decided to postpone a visit of its delegation to Kosmet, the First Vice-President of the Lower Houses of the Russian Parliament Vladimir Rishkov said on Wednesday. He specified that the postponement of the visit, which was announced for Wednesday, came in response to a call from the Russian Foreign Ministry, whose chief Yevgeny Primakov is currently touring Balkan countries.

The visit of a delegation of the State Duma could take place from March 30 to April 3.

[06] SERBIAN OFFICIAL DENIES ALLEGATIONS ON POLICE INTERVENTION IN KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

Information Secretary of Serbia's southern province of Kosovo-Metohija Bosko Drobnjak denied on Wednesday evening the claims made by the Information Center of the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo that the police had intervened during the demonstrations of ethnic Albanians in Pec in the morning and killed one and wounded several demonstrators.

According to reliable reports, the police did not intervene anywhere on Wednesday and there have been no reports on anyone being injured in Pec. No such cases have been reported to the police, Drobnjak said.

[07] STUDENTS PROTEST AGAINST ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISM

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

Students of the University of Pristina on Wednesday expressed their protest against escalating ethnic Albanian terrorism and separatism with a spontaneous rally. The students rallied at the Faculty of Philology in Pristina at about 2 p.m. local time.

They were addressed by Chancellor Radivoje Papovic of the University of Pristina, who underscored that this University had always been a target of terrorists and separatists, but that the state of Serbia would not allow work there to proceed under other's plans and programmes.

Professor Papovic stressed that the University was open to all those who wished and wanted to work under the Serbian laws and constitution.

The Chancellor urged the students not to be provoked and to return to classrooms and resume classes.

The students, however, continued their protest by walking along Pristina's main street, where they were joined by a considerable number of citizens. The rallied citizens carried Yugoslav and Serbian flags and cried "Serbia- Serbia," "This Is Serbia," "We Will Not Give Kosovo," "Kosovo Is Serbia." The protesters passed by the U.S. Information Centre and returned to downtown Pristina. They stopped outside the police headquarters and paid tribute to policemen killed in attacks by ethnic Albanian terrorists with a minute of silence, and gave their support to state organs in the struggle against ethnic Albanian terrorism.

After this, the citizens broke up peacefully and agreed to continue the protest at 2 p.m. on Thursday.

[08] SOLIDARITY WITH ALBANIAN TERRORISTS

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

Albanians demonstrated on Wednesday in Pristina and other Kosovo and Metohija towns expressing solidarity with Albanian terrorists, Tanjug's correspondents reported.

The protests, organized by the "Coordination Board of Albanian Political Parties", "Union of Students" of the Albanian illegal university and the Albanian trade unions, lasted more than an hour instead of half an hour, as announced in the Albanian press, in anticipation of the arrival of the U.S. envoy Robert Gelbard.

The demonstrators, mainly elementary and high-school pupils and university students, repeated the already seen scenario shouting: "Drenica, we are with you," thus voicing their support to terrorism.

Calls for "Independence" and "Rugova - Kosovo" and numerous Albanian flags clearly showed the protesters' separatist aspirations.

The demonstrators also carried American flags, flags of certain European countries and banners "demanding an intervention by the international community."

After failing to provoke the members of the Interior Ministry into action, the demonstrators first posed for foreign television teams and photographers and then dispersed.

In Pec, the Albanians also demonstrated once again voicing their support for terrorism in Kosovo and Metohija. The demonstrators carried banners in the ethnic Albanian and English languages which said: "Drenica, we are with you", "We will die for Kosovo", "Kosovo - Republic." They chanted support to Ibrahim Rugova and hailed the killed ethnic Albanian terrorist Adem Jasari.

On the outskirts of the town, the protesters shot at the police and stoned them several times.

The police did not intervene.

In Kosovska Mitrovica, several thousand members of the Albanian national minority demonstrated in the main street headed by former officials and leaders, doctors and intellectuals. They carried banners with the usual messages in English and Albanian, a map of a greater Albania, and chanted praises to separatist leaders, Drenica, Rugova and Azem Vlasi.

The protesters stoned state-owned shops and facilities owned by non- Albanians. Several shop windows were broken.

The police did not intervene.

In Prizren, the members of the Albanian minority, acting within the well- known scenario of "peaceful demonstrations", reiterrated their support to ethnic Albanian terrorists from Drenica and Rugova's intention to break away Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia. In evidence were the American, Albanian and Turkish flags, but the former specially irritated the members of the Turkish minority who distanced themselves from Rugova's separatist policy.

The demonstrators persistently tried to provoke a reaction from the police who remained impassive.

Several foreign tv teams extensively covered the protests, but ignored objections by Serb citizens who underscored the destructive effects - a demolished car and shop owned by Serbs.

In Djakovica the separatist ethnic Albanians also demonstrated carrying Albanian and U.S. flags shouting: "We are prepared to die for Kosovo", "Rugova - Liberator", "Rugova - Hero", "Drenica".

The protesters once again unsuccessfully tried to provoke a police action with loud whistles and obscene signs.

[09] TALKS WITH REPRESNETATIVES OF NATIONAL MINORITIES IN KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

Serbian governmental and parliamentary representatives headed by Deputy Premier Ratko Markovic held talks in Pristina on Wednesday with representatives of national minorities, ethnic groups and some citizens of Albanian nationality in Kosovo and Metohija. The leaders of political parties of Kosmet Albanians did not respond to the already fifth invitation for dialogue.

Provincial Information Secretary Bosko Drobnjak said at the end of the talks today that talks will be continued tomorrow at 11:00. The invitation to Kosmet Albanians for dialogue remains open.

Drobnjak added that in the talks today, just as on the previous days, took part representatives of Turks, Muslims and Romanies from Kosmet and that they reached an agreement on further work.

[10] FRY PURSUES CONTINUITY OF SFRY IN NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) pursues the continuity of SFRY in international nongovernmental organizations, the Serbian Ministry of Justice said in a statement on Wednesday. The Secretary General of the International Association for Criminal Law, Helmut Epp, invited the Yugoslav Association for Criminal Law and Criminology to take part in a meeting of directors of national associations for criminal law which will be held in Paris June 5-6.

The Yugoslav delegation, the statement said, will determine in agreement with other participants in the Paris meeting concrete forms of further participation of the Yugoslav Association for Criminal Law and Criminology in the activities of the International Association for Criminal Law.

[11] KONTIC RECEIVES PRIMAKOV

Tanjug, 1998-03-18

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic on Wednesday received Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov, who was on a two-day official visit to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a Federal Government statement said.

In lengthy and open friendly talks, views were exchanged on the development and promotion of comprehensive Yugoslav-Russian bilateral cooperation, in particular in the area of the economy, as well as topical issues concerning building peace, stability and confidence in the region. Within this subject, the sides especially considered concrete issues for a political settlement of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and a normalization of relations with former Yugoslav republics.

It was agreed that Primakov's visit to Yugoslavia presented a continuation of the high-level political dialogue. It provides additional impulse to the promotion of all forms of economic cooperation between the two traditionally friendly countries and stimulates the process of building peace and stability in the region, the statement said.

The sides assessed that the expansion and promotion of economic cooperation should be a priority in the development of Yugoslav-Russian bilateral relations in the coming period.

It was concluded that there were vast unutilized potentials on both sides, and that it was necessary to use the tradition and rich experience of the past, as well as political will, toward the soonest possible promotion of economic relations and reaching the earlier level of this cooperation.

Kontic and Primakov agreed that the Russian Federation had been among the very first countries to renew mutual cooperation with Yugoslavia. The value of commodity trade doubled last year - it stood at close to 800 million dollars, they said.

The high officials said they were confident Yugoslav-Russian economic cooperatin would reach the value of about three billion dollars in the year 2000.

Special importance is also placed on the development of financial-banking cooperation, within which the most important issue is the realization of Russia's state credit to Yugoslavia to the amount of 150 million dollars. Yugoslav companies should use these funds by the end of next year to credit projects and secure Russian equipment in the areas of power, gas economy, mining, and metallurgy.

In order to step up and expand commodity trade between the two countries, it was agreed to intensify negotiations on reaching a Yugoslav-Russian agreement on the liberalization of mutual trade.

Prime Minister Kontic informed the Russian Minister in detail about the stands of the Federal Government on the topical issues in Kosovo and Metohija.

Kontic and Primakov presented almost identical stands on almost all issues regarding the settlement of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, in particular on the internationalization of this problem and the possible imposing of U.N. Security Council sanctions to secure the settlement of an indubitably internal affair of a nation.

Kontic once again voiced the readiness of the Federal Government to cooperate with the international community on all issues, on an equal basis, and in the interests of peace and stability in the region.

The Yugoslav Prime Minister said he was convinced that Serbia and Yugoslavia could resolve the position of national minorities and eliminate the terrorism of ethnic Albanian separatists using political means and in direct dialogue. He pointed out that Yugoslavia and Serbia guarantee human and minority rights to all national minorities according to top international standards established under the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Document, and the Paris Charter, as well as other documents on the protection of national minorities.

Minister Primakov reiterated the Russian stand that Kosovo and Metohija is an integral part of Serbia and the Federal Repulic of Yugoslavia and that it was necessary to implement European standards in the protection of the rights of national minorities in this region as well, as soon as possible and with intense activities.

Kontic upated Primakov on the process of normalization of relations between F.R. Yugoslavia and former Yugoslav republics. In this respect, Kontic explained in detail the current issues on resolving succession, in fact the division of assets and liabilities of the former Yugoslav Federation.

Kontic expressed Yugoslavia's readiness to step up and achieve more serious progress in these talks, especially those on setting the issue of succession on non-economic issues concerning archives, citizenship, pensions, acquired rights, and contracts.

Minister Primakov conveyed to the Prime Minister greetings from Russian Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin, and Kontic said he expected he would have the pleasure to welcome the Prime Minister in Yugoslavia this year.

Deputy Yugoslav Foreign Minister Radoslav Bulajic and Russian Ambassador to Yugoslavia Yuri Kotov also took part in the talks.

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