Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-07-21

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] TERRORISTS KILL ONE CIVILIAN NEAR PEC

[02] SERBIAN AND RUSSIAN COMPANIES SIGN CONTRACTS WORTH 62 MILLION DOLLARS

[03] TERRORISTS ABDUCT TWO SERBS

[04] BULGARIA FAVOURS A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO KOSOVO AND METOHIJA QUESTION

[05] RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR: WORLD OPPOSES INDEPENDENCE OF KOSMET

[06] SERGEYEV AND RUEHE DISCUSS THE KOSOVO AND METOHIJA ISSUE

[07] YUGOSLAV ARMY DISCOVERS FOREIGN MERCENARIES AMONG TERRORISTS IN KOSOVO

[08] RUSSIA EXPRESSES ALARM OVER THE LATEST CONFLICT IN KOSMET

[09] SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTER ON STEPS TO STOP BIASED REPORTING

[10] OSCE DELEGATION VISITS SERBIAN CULTURE MINISTRY

[11] YUGOSLAV ARMY EXHIBITS CONFISCATED WEAPONS

[12] KOSOVO DISTRICT HEAD MEETS WITH THE ITALIAN AMBASSADOR

[13] VICE PREMIER LILIC RECEIVED THE HEAD OF BELGRADE-BASED U.N. LIAISON OFFICE

[14] HEAD OF THE KOSOVO DISTRICT HOLDS TALKS WITH A UNICEF DELEGATION

[01] TERRORISTS KILL ONE CIVILIAN NEAR PEC

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Ethnic Albanian terrorists killed Rados Krstic (34), on his way to w ork in the local municipal assembly office at about 7 am Monday morning, Tanjug learned from authorities in Klina.

[02] SERBIAN AND RUSSIAN COMPANIES SIGN CONTRACTS WORTH 62 MILLION DOLLARS

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

The Serbian Electric Power Industry (EPS) and Russian Energomashinostroitelyna (EMK) and Technopromexport (TPE) signed in Belgr ade on Monday 62-million- dollar contracts on the delivery of equipment. The con tracts will be realised within a 150-million-dollar commodity credit, which the Russian Government has granted to Yugoslavia.

The contract on the delivery of turbines and generators for thermo-e lectric power plants, signed with Moscow's EMK, is worth 6.9 million dollars. T he 55.1-million-dollar contract with Moscow's TPE refers to the revitalisati on of the 100-MW Kostolac A thermo-electric power plant, which will enable rat ional heating of Pozarevac and Kostolac and the reconstruction of a turbine in the Kosovo A thermo-electric power plant, paving the way for creating a heati ng network in Pristina. EPS General Manager Slobodan Babic said the contrac ts were geared for the recovery of the power industry and for a regular supply of electric power to homes and the industry. Negotiations are underway with the Russian partners on the supply of mining equipment to the value of 7.8 mi llion dollars, also within the framework of Russia's 150 million dollar credit to Yugoslavia, Babic said. Serbian Minister of Energy and Mining Zivota Cos ic said that the contracts would enable EPS to ensure regular power generation an d reactivate the metal processing industry. Russian Ambassador to Yugoslav ia Yuri Kotov said that economic cooperation between Russia and Yugoslavia was go od and that bilateral trade was worth one billion dollars last year, which could be further improved. The new contracts mark the beginning of good cooperati on in the investments field, Kotov said.

[03] TERRORISTS ABDUCT TWO SERBS

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Ethnic Albanian terrorists dressed in army uniforms abducted two Ser bs from the village of Gornje Nerodimlje, the municipality of Urosevac, on Sunday at about 7.30 pm, the Pristina-based Media Centre reports. Veselin Lazic an d Sinisa Lukic were taken to the village of Jezerce, the Suva Reka municipality. J ezerce had been evacuated earlier.

[04] BULGARIA FAVOURS A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO KOSOVO AND METOHIJA QUESTION

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

The Bulgarian National Committee for a peaceful and just solution to the Kosovo and Metohija problem has published a declaration categorically rej ecting war as a solution to the crisis. The Committee, set up at the initiative of the Bulgarian Anti-Fascist Alliance and chaired by academician Azrja Polikaro v, assessed that "war in Kosovo and Metohija would destroy peace in the Balk ans." The declaration, published in Saturday's edition of the Duma newspaper, u rges the Bulgarian Government and people to support efforts for a peaceful solutio n to the conflict in Serbia's troubled province. It demands "unconditional respec t of International Law and the UN Charter." Any "exception from them would be an undermining of the international legal order, paving the way to internati onal violence." The Committee categorically rejects war as a means to solving the problem of Kosovo and Metohija, insisting that the Balkan peoples, who kn ow only too well the horrors of war, should be left to settle their problems alon e, to live in peace and understanding. The solution should be sought within t he framework of existing, internationally recognized borders. Any alteration of the borders could start a process that would jeopardize peace in the peninsul a, the document said. The problem should be resolved without interference from various military structures. It is impermissible that one standard be applied to resolving the problem in Kosovo and Metohija, and another for ethnic prob lems in Turkey, Northern Ireland, Spain etc., the declaration said.

[05] RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR: WORLD OPPOSES INDEPENDENCE OF KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Russian Ambassador in Belgrade Yuri Kotov said on Monday that both t he international community and Russia opposed the independence of Kosovo and Metohija and that only the autonomy of this Serbian province could be dis cussed. Kotov was speaking at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, after the signing of a contracts between the Serbian Electric Power Industry and Russian partne rs on the delivery of equipment for Serbian thermo- and hydro-electric power pl ants. He said that the situation in Kosovo and Metohija was very complex. Koto v said that ethnic Albanian terrorists had tried to cross the border at the week end and that it was very important that diplomatic observers were in Kosovo and M etohija because the entire world would be able to see who was the culprit for th e Kosovo developments. The fact that foreign diplomats are in Kosovo and Metohija is an importan t factor for the stabilisation, Kotov said. Speaking about diplomats' activities, the Ambassador said that work was b eing done on establishing dialogue in Kosovo and Metohija. Although he could not say when the talks would take place, Kotov said that Russian diplomats were d oing all in their power and that they were constantly in touch with Belgrade and e thnic Albanians. We do not have the same influence on ethnic Albanians as our Western partners, Kotov said and added that Western partners now saw more clearly what side was jeopardising peace. Kotov also said that the Yugoslav side want ed to fulfil all its obligations set out in the Moscow statement.

[06] SERGEYEV AND RUEHE DISCUSS THE KOSOVO AND METOHIJA ISSUE

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Russian Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev and his German counterpart Vo lker Ruehe met in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday to discuss the situa tion in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija. Sergeyev and Ruehe ar e to review developments in Kosovo and Metohija in the two-day meeting as well as Russia's participation in the political resolution of the crisis in the p rovince, the Russian Defence Ministry Press Section said. Sergeyev and Ruehe are also to confer on guarantees for stability in Bosnia-Herzegovina and development of relations between Russia and NATO.

Sergeyev discussed the Kosovo and Metohija issue with Ruehe in Bonn last month after which he said Russia would never allow that NATO troops be de ployed in the province. Commenting on his talks with Ruehe in Bonn, Sergeyev sa id he had not given approval for the deployment of NATO troops on the Albanian and Macedonian border with Yugoslavia. He said a decision on an operation by a multinational force could be taken by the U.N. Security Council only and by no other organisation. Only a few days later, Sergeyev was put in a positio n to strongly criticise NATO leaders because of manoeuvres the alliance had he ld along the border with Yugoslavia, openly saying to the Chairman of the U.S. joi nt Chiefs of Staff Henry Shelton that the alliance had behaved dishonourably towards Russia. Explaining that he had not been informed about the NATO manoeuvr es, Sergeyev said it appeared that the alliance was saying one thing and acti ng quite differently. This appears to be one of the main issues on the agenda of the meeting in Sochi, with Ruehe being one of the strongest advocators of NAT O engagement in the Balkans. Russia has repeatedly warned that it will ser iously reconsider its relations with NATO if the alliance launches an action wit hout the Security Council approval.

[07] YUGOSLAV ARMY DISCOVERS FOREIGN MERCENARIES AMONG TERRORISTS IN KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Among the terrorists that clashed with the Yugoslav Army in an attem pt to pass the border on Saturday were foreign mercenaries, the Pristina-based Media Centre has said. Based on documents found on the battle site and casualt ies, military investigating authorities found five ethnic Albanian Macedonian nationals, six Saudi Arabians and one Armenian. Four persons had residen permits in Germany, but judging by their names, appear to be of Arab orig in. These are Islamic warriors - Mujaheddin, who were organized in a separate unit of the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army, known as the 'third group', whic h had been set up in Munich on July 3, from where they were conveyed to the por t of Bari, Italy, and then to the Albanian port of Dursi.

[08] RUSSIA EXPRESSES ALARM OVER THE LATEST CONFLICT IN KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Russia expressed "gravest concern", on Monday, over the latest clash es in Serbia's province Kosovo and Metohija and called for an urgent ceasefire and return of ethnic Albanian separatists to the negotiating table. Escalatio n of armed activities around the town of Orahovac, provoked by Albanian separa tists, as well as attempts by armed troops to cross over from Albania to Yugosla via, have given rise for grave concern, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Vla dmir Rakhmanin said. Regardless of efforts by the international community, th e situation in Kosovo and Metohija is becoming increasingly more strained, said Rakhmanin, laying the blame on the "open provocations of Albanian fighter s."

The Kosovo separatists must cease fire immediately and return to the negotiating table, for examination of the entire complex of problems link ed to the province, Rakhmanin said. The developments indicate that all demands of the Contact Group on cessation of hostilities must be fulfilled urgently, and negotiations resumed, he said.

[09] SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTER ON STEPS TO STOP BIASED REPORTING

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Serbian Information Minister Aleksandar Vucic has said that the Mini stry's strategic approach is to use picture, words, truth and facts to stop fore ign and domestic media falsehood and manipulation in reporting about the situatio n in the country, especially in Kosovo and Metohija. Speaking in an interview to Tanjug, Vucic said that the foreign media reporting was no longer as extreme and biased as it was during the conflicts in the territories of former Yugoslav rep ublics, but that it was still not entirely objective, either. There were more th an 127,000 entries to the Serbian Government's Internet site in the first 12 days of July, Vucic said. The Government and the Ministry invest daily effort s aimed at altering the foreign media picture about our country and at enabling o bjective informing of the world public about the developments in the country, he s aid. Some Western media have unbelievable stories and they try to make things up in keeping with their superiors' orders, but we react to that, Vucic said. "When they could not show ethnic Albanian refugees, since there are none, they taped mountains and told their viewers that 'there, behind those mountains, the re is a huge number of refugees who fled the Serbian regime's terror campaign'. When a day later, we presented the same picture and said that their refugees a re in fact mountains in Kosovo and Metohija, the reporter stopped writing in th is way," Vucic said in illustration of the Ministry's reactions. "These stories a bout jeopardy, is an attempt to copy everything that had happened in the terri tory of the former federal units to what is going on now in Kosovo, have already turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt," Vucic said and added that some countr ies would have to largely change their political as well as media attitude to wards the developments in Kosovo and Metohija.

[10] OSCE DELEGATION VISITS SERBIAN CULTURE MINISTRY

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Serbian Culture Minister Nada Popovic-Perisic received a delegation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), headed by Han s Iorg Eiff, at the Ministry on Monday, a republican Government statement said. The Minister informed the OSCE delegation about the rights of national minori ties in the area of culture and the fact that Serbia, through the Ministry of Cul ture, finances and supports the activities of cultural institutions and individ uals who contribute to the development and representation of culture of all nation al communities in these lands. She pointed out that representatives of the Albanian national minority do not recognize the state in which they live, and ther efore do not adequately use their rights in the area of culture. The republic nevertheless finances the theatre in Pristina, museums and archives which contribute to the presentation and protection of cultural values of ethni c Albanians in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, and also, individually, ethnic Albanian artists who do not want the separatist poli cy to affect their art. All religious and other cultural monuments of this min ority are also under the protection of the state, and in the past two years the reconstruction and protection of cultural monuments in Kosmet has covered also mosques, especially in the town of Prizren, Popovic-Perisic said. Serbi an culture is forever bound to the Myth of Kosovo and Kosovo and Metohija as an area of Serbian statehood. Cultural criteria must be in the essence of any tal ks on autonomy just as much as demographic ones, she said. Dialogue is the onl y way to settle the crisis in Kosmet, she reiterated. Another condition for tal ks is respect for and communication with the culture of the other side, which i s lacking among representatives of the Albanian national minority, Popovic- Perisic said. Thanking the Minister for the reception, Eiff expressed hope on be half of the OSCE mission that cultural values would contribute to the forging of coexistence, respect and understanding between all those who live in Kosm et, the Government statement said.

[11] YUGOSLAV ARMY EXHIBITS CONFISCATED WEAPONS

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

The Yugoslav Army seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition in clashes with terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija over the weekend. Part of the materiel is exhibited in the Kosovski Junaci barracks in Pristina, the pr ovincial capital. Among the exhibited materiel are five 60-mm mortars, 62 mines, 40-mm rocket launchers, 18 heavy machine-guns 7.62-mm (SGMT), 24 boxes of ammun ition, 21 Dektryarev machine-guns 7.62-mm, 32 rounds of bullets for these machi ne guns, 594 hand grenades, two 82-mm recoilless guns, about 100,000 bullets, etc.

[12] KOSOVO DISTRICT HEAD MEETS WITH THE ITALIAN AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Head of the Kosovo district Veljko Odalovic on Monday met with Itali an Ambassador to Yugoslavia Ricardo Sessa, who is visiting Kosovo and Metohi ja. Sessa said that the Italian Government was determined to join humanitaria n assistance deliveries to the population of Kosovo and Metohija. He voiced his Government's concern over the escalation of violence in the region and sa id he sincerely believed that a political solution would soon be found through a dialogue.

The Italian Ambassador said that the international community and hi s country supported solutions within the internationally recognised Yugosla v borders. Odalovic said that terrorism represented a major problem and th reat to all citizens of Kosovo and Metohija. The Serbian state and its citizens a re taking all necessary measures aimed at stabilising the institutions in th e province in the spirit of the Moscow statement signed by Presidents Slobo dan Milosevic of Yugoslavia and Boris Yeltsin of Russia, he said.

[13] VICE PREMIER LILIC RECEIVED THE HEAD OF BELGRADE-BASED U.N. LIAISON OFFICE

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Yugoslav Vice-Premier Zoran Lilic in the capacity of the Chairman of the Government Committee for cooperation with U.N. peace missions on Monday r eceived Ambassador Igor Halevinsky, head of the Belgrade-based U.N. liaison offic e. Lilic thanked Halevinsky who felicitated him on being appointed Chairman of the Committee and wished him every success in his work, stressing that Yugosl avia deemed extremely important cooperation with the United Nations and believ ed it to be in mutual interest and to be successful, the Yugoslav Information Secretariat said. Lilic said he expected Halevinsky, who he said was a c areer diplomat and expert on several subjects, to help promote this cooperation still further. It would be much better if the talks dealt with humanitarian an d economic issues and Yugoslavia's re-admission to the United Nations to wh ich it is objectively entitled, Lilic said adding that, because of the situation in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, Yugoslavia expected th e United Nations and European organisations to offer greater assistance in finding a peaceful solution to the issue. This, however, requires a more objective attitude and more unbiased information, Lilic said regretting that the Re solution 1160 banning Yugoslavia arms imports could not be called an objective U.N. move in the light of daily attempts to infiltrate terrorists and arms to Kosov o and Metohija from Albania.

Terrorist actions of the kind have been drastically intensified over the past two days, he said adding that under all norms of International Law a nd U.N. and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents, such a punitive measure should be taken against Albania if the international c ommunity truly wanted peace in the Balkans. At this point, the Albanian border is a place where smuggling, but not just arms smuggling, infiltration of terrorists and the worst crime possible is being tolerated, he said. Through its consistent policy of peace and great contribution to the Dayton Peace Accords and other agr eements, Yugoslavia has shown that it backs peace, he said adding that the United Nations also backed peace. Serbia's and Yugoslavia's stand is that there is no m ilitary solution to the Kosovo and Metohija issue because such a solution would b e tragic for both Serbs and ethnic Albanians as well as the entire Balkans and Eur ope, he said. All Yugoslavia expects from the United Nations is objectivity, whi ch means that it should try to exert influence on the side that refuses to open di alogue - ethnic Albanian political leaders - and that it should call the Kosovo Liberation Army a terrorist organisation, which it is, he said. Yugoslav ia expects good cooperation with the United Nations in dealing with the issu e of the disputed Prevlaka peninsula to continue, which is vital for Yugoslavia an d its republic of Montenegro, he said. Lilic wished Halevinsky every success i n his work, underlining that he could expect full cooperativeness from the Yugo slav side and himself.

[14] HEAD OF THE KOSOVO DISTRICT HOLDS TALKS WITH A UNICEF DELEGATION

Tanjug, 1998-07-20

Head of the Kosovo district Veljko Odalovic received on Monday a del egation of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), led by special envoy for Yugoslavia Steven Allan. Odalovic informed the delegation, including als o Allan's deputy Steven Johnson and head of the Pristina- based UNICEF offic e Yuki Mokuo, about the situation in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Me tohija. He stressed successful cooperation to date with humanitarian organisation s and UNICEF officials, confirming openness and readiness for further cooperati on. Allan said he expected constructive cooperation with Serbia's state bodie s and institutions to continue. Odalovic urged UNICEF to make a maximum effort and help release persons kidnapped by ethnic Albanian terrorist gangs.

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