Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-05-27

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] THE SERBIAN PARLIAMENT ELECTS A NEW VICE PRESIDENT

[02] 20 PRISONERS ON HUNGER STRIKE IN LEPOGLAVA

[03] CHINESE MACHINE-BUILDING INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES VISIT BELGRADE

[04] YUGOSLAV AND CHINESE BUSINESS OFFICIALS DISCUSS ECONOMIC COOPERATION

[05] VUCINIC RECEIVES BRITISH DELEGATION

[06] YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL RECEIVES UNICEF OFFICIAL

[07] DEPUTY YUGOSLAV MINISTER DRAGAS RECEIVED UNHCR OFFICIALS

[08] DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE DRAFT LAW ON UNIVERSITIES

[09] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT PASSED THE LAW ON UNIVERSITIES

[10] UNIVERSITY CANNOT BE ABOVE AND OUTSIDE THE LAW

[11] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT ELECTS SUPREME COURT JUDGES

[12] TERRORISTS SHOOT AT THE HEAD OF AN ORTHODOX CONVENT

[13] SERBIAN POLICE UNCOVER BODIES OF A SERBIAN COUPLE

[14] SERBIAN POLICE UNCOVER WEAPONS CACHE IN PRIZREN

[15] TERRORISTS ATTACK MEMBERS OF THE YUGOSLAV ARMY

[16] KOSOVO AND METOHIJA OFFICIALS MEET WITH GERMAN AMBASSADOR

[17] INCREASED ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORIST AGGRESSIVENESS REFLECTS THEIR IMPOTENCE

[18] SERBIAN DEPUTY PREMIER: TALKS WITH KOSOVO ALBANIANS TO RESUME ON FRIDAY

[19] KRAJISNIK: KOSOVO AND METOHIJA IS A QUESTION OF ALL SERBS

[01] THE SERBIAN PARLIAMENT ELECTS A NEW VICE PRESIDENT

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

The Parliament of the Republic of Serbia on Tuesday elected Dragoljub Stamenkovic of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) to the post of the Assembly Vice President.

Stamenkovic was elected in place of Dragan Todorovic who resigned to the post after being elected member of the Republican Government.

[02] 20 PRISONERS ON HUNGER STRIKE IN LEPOGLAVA

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

A group of 20 prisoners of war, mostly Serbs, in Lepoglava penitentiary, Croatia, are on a hunger strike since May 18, to protest verdicts of war criminals and long prison sentences, Documentation Center Veritas said on Tuesday.

Most of them were taken prisoner during and after Croatian army operations Flash and Storm in May and in August 1995 and none of them are on the list of war crimes suspects of the Hague Tribunal.

One of the "war criminals" is Bogdan Banic (born in 1937) who after operation Storm stayed in his village Lepuri, municipality of Benkovac. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for war crimes against the civilian population, or, as the verdict said, "for killing three pigs and four horses whose owners are Croats." The verdict was based on the testimony of the only remaining Serb in the village of Lepuri, even though Banic denied the charges at the trial and other witnesses of Croatian nationality filed no charges.

Another "war criminal", also on a hunger strike, is Mihailo Kulas (born in 1925) from the village of Kukunjevci, municipality of Pakrac, who was arrested on May 10, 1995 and sentenced to 20 years for alleged war crimes against the civilian population. Kulas was charged with shooting Milan Sinjakovic on May 11, 1991 with an army gun, and the verdict is based on the testimony of the wife of the killed, even though Kulas denies he was at the scene of the event and his alibi was confirmed by ten witnesses (in written statements sent to the court).

Nikola Milanko (born in 1925) from the village of Stikada, municipality of Gracac, who as a refugee returned to Croatia, after what he was arrested and sentenced to eight years on the same charges - crimes against the civilian population. He was released from prison once, but was arrested again.

Cedomir Milos (born in 1950) from the village of Vrbnik, municipality of Knin, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted murder of a Croatian policeman. Milos stayed in his village after operation Storm and intended to surrender to the Croatian authorities, but after seeing that Croatain soldiers and policemen killed several old men in the village, he fled. While running away he fell and broke his leg, and accidentally detonated a hand grenade which wounded him heavily and one Croatian policeman slightly.

Zeljko Naglic (born in 1962) from the village of Canak, municipality of Korenica, of Croatian nationality, a former officer of the Yugoslav People's Army, was taken prisoner in March 1993. In December 1993 he refused to be exchanged and was sentenced to 12 years in prison for "war crimes against the civilian (Croatian) population."

The only demand of the hunger strikers in Lepoglava is to be turned over to the War Crimes Tribunal to stand trial in the Hague.

The International Red Cross Committee confirmed that they would be visited on Tuesday by lawyers. Representatives of the Croatian Ministry of Justice have visited them and reminded them that they were exempted from amnesty and that it would be better for their health to stop the hunger strike.

In Croatian prisons there are currently 72 "war criminals", of which around 30 in Lepoglava.

The demand to be turned over to the tribunal in the Hague was sent last summer by all the 72 prisoners, some of whom were charged and some already convicted for committing war crimes or classical crimes. Chief Prosecutor Louise Arbour responded that the tribunal cannot take over their cases "because there is no evidence that they had committed war crimes."

The Croatian Government rejected an offer from the Hague Tribunal for its investigators to look into the evidence against the Serbs suspected of war crimes, and to determine whether there were grounds for criminal proceedings.

[03] CHINESE MACHINE-BUILDING INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES VISIT BELGRADE

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

The first Chinese machine-building and electronic industry delegation to visit Belgrade on Tuesday met with Yugoslav company representatives at the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce and offered different forms of cooperation and concrete projects.

In a previous meeting with Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce President Mihailo Milojevic, head of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce - machine-building association and the International Trade Corporation for Electronics Di Lei stressed the interest of Chinese businessmen in promoting economic cooperation with Yugoslav partners.

Milojevic said that China's big market was open to Yugoslav firms, because the country bought and sold everything, and the annual value of its trade was 300 billion dollars. He said that the two countries had cooperated well in the field of economy for more than a decade and that there were more possibilities for promoting this cooperation in a long run than it seemed according to present results.

Milojevic said that Yugoslavia had products which could be successfully sold on the Chinese market and that Yugoslavia was interested not only in China's goods but also in its technology.

The two sides agreed that the most interested fields of cooperation were the machine building, electronic, chemical and electro-acoustic industries.

Representatives of the city of Jinchang in the Gansu province offered ten cooperation projects in the field of chemical industry, railway and thermo- electric power plant construction, reconstruction of facilities in China and joint production of chemical products. The delegation expressed a wish to get more information about Yugoslavia's offer in this field because of a possible purchase of equipment.

According to the presentation of about a dozen Chinese firms and corporations at the meeting, possibilities for cooperation are emerging in many other fields of the four industrial branches.

During the four-day stay in Yugoslavia, the Chinese delegation will hold many individual business meetings.

[04] YUGOSLAV AND CHINESE BUSINESS OFFICIALS DISCUSS ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

A delegation of the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce conferred on Tuesday with officials of the Chinese Council for promotion of international trade on expanding economic cooperation between Yugoslavia and China in the future.

The delegation, comprising major Yugoslav business organizations such as the NIS Jugopetrol oil company, Beogradska Banka bank, Beobanka bank, Hidrotehnika, Janko Lisjak, Frigo and Lola Korporacija corporation, was received by Deputy Director-General of the Council's international relations department Jang Sinjuan.

The two parties to the talk exchanged information on the economic situation in their respective countries. It was noted that an additional strengthening of bilateral economic relations necessitated joint efforts. The two sides voiced support for major bilateral economic investments and joint implementation of projects. The Yugoslav delegation and its Chinese hosts also agreed to continue exchanging visits with a view of getting better acquainted and to broadening their respective lists of partners.

Taking part in the talk were also Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce Beijing representative Tihomir Tosic and Economic Advisor to the Yugoslav Embassy in Beijing Srdjan Dimic.

[05] VUCINIC RECEIVES BRITISH DELEGATION

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Yugoslav Deputy Finance Minister Dragutin Vucinic received on Tuesday a delegation of accountant experts from Great Britain, who are guests of the Association of accountants and auditors, the Yugoslav Information Secretariat said.

The delegation is headed by Peter Kemp, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Accountancy and Financing Management, whose task is to promote and finance the development of accountancy and auditing in countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Satisfaction was expressed that the visit was made now after Yugoslavia was recently admitted into the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), based in New York, and into the International Committee for Accountancy and Standards in London.

It was assessed that there exists a common interest for more intensive cooperation, which should help promote overall relations of FR Yugoslavia with international organizations and institutions.

The guests from Great Britain assessed positively the degree of liberalization also in other fields of foreign trade relations and stated their readiness to extend concrete aid for promoting and developing accountancy in Yugoslavia.

The delegation of accounting experts from Great Britain will take part in the work of the symposium Accountancy and Auditing in the Service of Management, to be held on Zlatibor, May 28-30, the statement said.

[06] YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL RECEIVES UNICEF OFFICIAL

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

President of a Yugoslav Government Commission for Cooperation with UNICEF Margit Savovic received on Tuesday senior UNICEF official Bertrand Desmoulins, who is in charge of UN programs in the former Yugoslavia. The two officials analyzed the results of cooperation between Yugoslavia and UNICEF and discussed plans for cooperation from 1999 to 2001, said a statement issued by the Information Secretariat.

UNICEF has invested considerable financial help for children in Yugoslavia, and will hopefully do so in the next three-year period, the statement said.

[07] DEPUTY YUGOSLAV MINISTER DRAGAS RECEIVED UNHCR OFFICIALS

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Deputy Yugoslav Labour, Health and Welfare Minister Mirjana Dragas received on Tuesday Nicholas Morris, special envoy of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Sadako Ogata, and UNHCR Belgrade Office Chief Margaret O'Keeffe.

According to a Yugoslav Government statement, they discussed preparing a strategy for finding lasting solutions for refugees in former Yugoslavia. The strategy should be reviewed when the Peace Implementation Council committee meets in early June, and again when the Council's Working Group for Humanitarian Affairs meets later in the same month.

Dragas said that in searching for a lasting settlement for the refugees, Yugoslavia was giving absolute priority to their repatriation, with full respect for all their rights. The lasting settlement, the government insisted, must show consistent respect for all international documents and accords in the field, she said.

The UNHCR and other international relief agencies were expected to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees in the territory of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until a final settlement was found, she added.

Morris, for his part, agreed to bring to the attention of the coming meetings the need for applying the principle of equal rights in the matter of the refugees' return to their homes, wherever they might be coming from.

He stressed he would draw attention to the need for the international community's support for development programmes that would create conditions for the local integration of those refugees that might decide to stay in Yugoslavia, the statement said.

[08] DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE DRAFT LAW ON UNIVERSITIES

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

During the debate on the draft Law on Universities in the National Assembly of Serbia, about three hundred people protested near the Assembly building. Most of the protesters were middle*aged.

Police prevented the demonstrators from getting close to the building for fear of disrupting the normal work of the Assembly and besides, demonstration outside Parliaments is not allowed anywhere in the world.

A smaller group of protesters tried to stage a sit*in on the main road (Srpskih Vladara Street) and to stop the traffic. Police removed them from the pavement. Several protesters provoked and threw stones at the police. However, police exercised restrain and acted professionally, maintaining the normal flow of traffic. They took in three of the rowdiest protesters for questioning. There were no injuries.

Indeed, the National Assembly passed today, by an overwhelming majority of votes, the Law on Universities incorporating all the amendments proposed by the students and their organization.

[09] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT PASSED THE LAW ON UNIVERSITIES

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

The Serbian Parliament passed a Law on higher education late on Tuesday.

The law, which offers a comprehensive formula for regulating all matters concerning University faculties, was passed with 153 votes in favour and 46 against. There were no abstentions, while one MP did not cast his ballot.

The law was described as protecting the autonomy of the universities, promoting the efficacy of the studies and research, and improving the financial position of the universities in this Yugoslav republic.

Among the novelties under this law is that universities will in the future comprise only faculties and no other institutions, and that the statutes of the universities and faculties founded by the government will have to be approved by the government.

Under the law, there will be three categories of students in terms of payment of fees - students whose fees are paid by the state, those who pay part of the fees, and those who pay the fees in full.

The rectors of the universities and the deans of the faculties founded by the state will be appointed by the government, which will also appoint and dismiss the administrative and supervising boards of the universities and faculties.

Deputy rectors and deputy deans will be appointed and dismissed by the rectors and deans, respectively.

Parliament dismissed practically all amendments proposed to the law.

[10] UNIVERSITY CANNOT BE ABOVE AND OUTSIDE THE LAW

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Serbian Deputy Premier Ratko Markovic submitted on Tuesday to Serbian Parliament deputies to adopt a government Bill on the University aimed at introducing order in the field of higher education.

"The new law should fix standards for dissociating University autonomy and teaching from its administration," Markovic said at the Parliament session.

"The University cannot be above and outside the law," Markovic said, adding that the government believed that the proposed legislation "does not infringe on autonomy, but eliminates anarchy."

The Bill provides for the government to appoint the University Chancellor and faculty deans. This was so far done by the University Council composed of professors and teachers. The Bill also provides for a far more strict regime of studying at the University.

The Bill aims at introducing new solutions for new relations which have changed in the meantime, Markovic said, specifying that "past are the times of self-management, secondary school specialized training and self-managed financing of so-called social activities, and we have now a parliamentarian system of power, political parties, and an increasingly market-oriented economy."

"In the new reality there is no place for an anachronistic University which had stopped half-way in its development - between social self-management and the new clearly separated state and social spheres," Markovic said.

Markovic also criticized the interference of political parties in the work of the University.

"Professors often sent students, who came for lectures or exams, into the streets to join their colleagues who were allegedly fighting for their interests, while professors who wanted to work received threatening letters and were accused," Markovic said.

Education Minister Jovo Todorovic, addressing deputies, said that the Bill raised the issue of a more rational network and organization of universities in Serbia, and in the first place bringing down to size cumbrous universities. He said that the trend in the world was to create universities with smaller faculties which are in every respect efficient, rational and flexible. He said that in domestic universities, as a result of a wrong personnel policy, the structure of scientific-teaching personnel was not good, that there were more professors than assistants.

Todorovic said that efficiency of studying at universities was unsatisfactory, with an average number of years being eight years, and that only 12% of students completed their studies on time. In the West the average number of years of studying at universities is five years, and 60% of students complete their studies on time, he said noting that we have the highest density of students in the world, compared to the number of inhabitants. "It is estimated that on every 10,000 inhabitants there are around 140 students, while in developed western countries the number is between 50 and 60," Todorovic said.

[11] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT ELECTS SUPREME COURT JUDGES

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

The Parliament of the Republic of Serbia elected on Tuesday the acting President of the republican Supreme Court Balsa Govedarica to the post of Supreme Court President.

The Assembly elected ten Supreme Court judges, two judges of the Higher Economic Court, and presidents and judges of the economic courts in Belgrade, Valjevo, Zajecar, Kragujevac, Nis, Leskovac, Pancevo, Pristina, Sremska Mitrovica and Sombor.

It elected also judges and presidents of district and municipal courts, and deputy district and municipal public prosecutors.

[12] TERRORISTS SHOOT AT THE HEAD OF AN ORTHODOX CONVENT

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Kalashnikov fire was opened on Tuesday at 10 a.m. on a car in which Mother Anastasia, head of the Devic convent, was riding accompanied by a nun.

The attack occurred in the village of Lausa, near Srbica, Drenica area, Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, the Pristina-based Media Center has learned from Srbica municipal authorities.

No one was wounded in the attack. The car was hit by only one bullet.

Mother Anastasia was on her way to Srbica to request repairs of power cables as her convent has been without power for two days.

[13] SERBIAN POLICE UNCOVER BODIES OF A SERBIAN COUPLE

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Serbian police found bodies of a Serbian couple Julka and Veljko Djurickovic at their house in the town of Decani in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province on Tuesday afternoon, Tanjug learned from police sources in Pec.

The death of the Djurickovic couple caused alarm among Decani's few remaining Serbs and Montenegrins, who have been totally surrounded by armed ethnic Albanian terrorist gangs for two days now. All roads to Pec and Djakovica are closed.

[14] SERBIAN POLICE UNCOVER WEAPONS CACHE IN PRIZREN

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Serbian police on Tuesday uncovered weapons and ammunition stashed away at a house of Nadjif Iljazi, president of an illegal ethnic Albanian independent students' union, in the town of Prizren in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province, the Pristina-based Media Centre reported.

Investigating magistrate of the Prizren District Court Jugoslav Skenderi confirmed to Media Centre that the police uncovered five automatic guns, several hand-held rocket launchers, hand grenades and large quantities of ammunition of Chinese make.

According to the same source, Iljazi is on the run, while three students of an illegal ethnic Albanian teaching college in Prizren, Leonora Morina, Behave Gafuljari and Jehone Krasnici were arrested by the police at Iljazi's house.

According to judge Skenderi, the three claimed to have been members of a clandestine ethnic Albanian organization called the National movement for liberation of Kosovo.

[15] TERRORISTS ATTACK MEMBERS OF THE YUGOSLAV ARMY

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Groups of armed members of the Albanian national minority used automatic weapons and light mortars to launch an attack at 5.30 p.m. on Monday on Yugoslav Army units securing the border with Albania near the Morina watchtower, west of Djakovica, the Pristina Media Centre learned on Tuesday.

The Yugoslav Army returned fire and broke up the armed groups, a statement said.

There were no casualties among the Yugoslav Army ranks, it was said.

The Media Centre said that the attack was carried out by groups of armed ethnic Albanians stationed in the villages located in the border region on the Yugoslav side.

Over the past few days, these groups launched several attacks on Yugoslav Army border units.

[16] KOSOVO AND METOHIJA OFFICIALS MEET WITH GERMAN AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Head of the Kosovo district Veljko Odalovic and Kosovo and Metohija Information Secretary Bosko Drobnjak met on Tuesday with the German Ambassador to Yugoslavia Wilfried Gruber.

Kosovo and Metohija Information Secretariat said in a statement that Gruber had welcomed the start of talks between the state delegation and ethnic Albanian representatives and voiced his concern over the daily terrorist attacks.

Gruber condemned terrorism and supported a state's legitimate right to defend itself from such attacks.

The German Ambassador questioned the number of security organs on the ground and stressed the need to review this issue during the coming talks.

Odalovic said that the talks had started owing to the Serbian Government's initiative and voiced satisfaction with the fact that ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija had accepted the invitation.

Odalovic said that terrorism, which results in victims among the people and security organs, represented a constant threat and danger to the talks and stability in the province and the entire region.

Terrorists aim at creating wider unrest and ethnic cleansing of the territory, Odalovic said and stressed Serbia's legitimate right and obligation to put an adequate end to terrorism and secure stability, peace and order in the region.

A call was reiterated to representatives of ethnic Albanian political parties to clearly and unequivocally condemn terrorism and prove their, currently just verbal commitment to a peaceful resolution of the problem.

[17] INCREASED ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORIST AGGRESSIVENESS REFLECTS THEIR IMPOTENCE

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Serbian Interior Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic said on Tuesday that the increased aggressiveness of ethnic Albanian terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija is an expression of their impotence.

"At a moment when political solutions are being sought and when there are chances that they will be found in keeping with the Serbian Constitution and in the interest of all nations living in our country, ethnic Albanian terrorists have become more aggressive and this is an expression of their powerlessness," Stojiljkovic told journalists in the Serbian Parliament.

He said that such activities are an attempt to "prevent those positive forces in the country and the world who want a solution in keeping with our Constitution and who wish well to all citizens of Kosovo and Metohija."

Stojiljkovic said that the police in Kosmet is taking steps to protect "all citizens, regardless of their nationality, from bandits and criminal attempts by groups of terrorists."

[18] SERBIAN DEPUTY PREMIER: TALKS WITH KOSOVO ALBANIANS TO RESUME ON FRIDAY

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Serbian Deputy Premier Tomislav Nikolic said on Tuesday that he expected talks between a Serbian Government delegation and Kosovo Albanians to resume on Friday.

Speaking to reporters during a recess in the Serbian Parliament's session, Nikolic said that the acceptance of ethnic Albanian political party leaders to confer with representatives of the state they live in was a major progress in the resolution of the Kosovo and Metohija problem.

Commenting on the previous meeting, Nikolic said that there was no progress in the coordination of the two sides' stands and added that the delegations had so far only voiced their views on the future organisation of Serbia and Yugoslavia.

Nikolic said that the Kosovo Albanian delegation had very indirectly condemned terrorism, "but they clearly told us that they could go no further than that, because they would be replaced as delegation members."

Nikolic said that there were groups in Kosovo and Metohija which had broken away from the influence of Ibrahim Rugova, although it would be very important for calming the situation if Rugova and his team dissociated themselves from bandits who attack police, army members and citizens.

Nikolic expressed hope that the future talks would be successful for both sides, meaning that Serbia would preserve its sovereignty and that the Albanian national minority would join the political life within the Constitution and other laws.

"It would be good if they could stop the terrorists, because it would be a certain sign that people can live together in this state," Nikolic said.

[19] KRAJISNIK: KOSOVO AND METOHIJA IS A QUESTION OF ALL SERBS

Tanjug, 1998-05-26

Republika Srpska's member in the Bosnian Presidency Momcilo Krajisnik has said that Kosovo and Metohija was an internal matter of Serbia.

Krajisnik said the dialogue opened with ethnic Albanians should continue, adding that the Albanian national minority in Serbia should have rights according to European standards.

All of us want the problem of Kosovo and Metohija to be resolved in a normal way, and the province to remain a part of Serbia, said Krajisnik and added that ethnic Albanians had no right to humiliate and expel Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija.

Krajisnik's said he fully supported Serbia's and Yugoslavia's policy pertaining to Kosovo and Metohija. "We are ready to struggle for Kosovo just as fervently as we had fought for the Republika Srpska," he said.

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