Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-08-20

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT EXTENDS FELICITATIONS TO HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT

[02] YUGOSLAV TRADE MINISTER VISITS IRAQ

[03] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENTARY OFFICIAL RECEIVES IRAQI CHARGE D'AFFAIRES

[04] ACCORD ON ROAD TRAFFIC IS INITIALLED

[05] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORIST LEADER IS KILLED

[06] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS ARE EXPELLED FROM ZOCISTE

[07] ETHNIC ALBANIANS WRITE TO PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC CONDEMNING TERRORISM

[08] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS AND PARTIES BLOCK THE RETURN OF DISPLACED PERSONS

[09] PRIZREN DISTRICT OFFICIAL: DISPLACED PERSONS CAN RETURN HOME

[10] TERRORISTS ATTACK THE VILLAGE OF KOS

[11] ODALOVIC CALLS ON ETHNIC ALBANIAN REFUGEES TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMES

[12] GOVERNMENT COORDINATOR FOR KOSMET MEETS WITH EU COMMISSIONER

[13] SERBIAN DEPUTY PM: PRIMARY TASK OF THE SERBIAN GOVERNMENT IS TO SAFEGUARD KOSMET

[14] SERBIAN POLICEMAN IS KILLED IN A TERRORIST ATTACK

[01] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT EXTENDS FELICITATIONS TO HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has sent a telegram of felicitatio ns and best wishes to his Hungarian counterpart Arpad Goencz on the occas ion of Hungary's National Holiday.

In his telegram, President Milosevic said he was convinced that a develo pment of good-neighbourly relations and a comprehensive bilateral coopera tion contributed to the progress of the two countries and also to the str engthening of peace and stability in Europe.

[02] YUGOSLAV TRADE MINISTER VISITS IRAQ

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic, heading a state and bu siness delegation, has arrived on a three-day working and friendly visit to Iraq.

Vukovic, who also chairs the Yugoslav side of a Mixed Committee, conferr ed with Iraqi Trade Minister Muhammad Mehdi Saleh, the Chairman of the Ir aqi side of the committee.

The two officials discussed topical issues pertaining to bilateral econo mic cooperation, especially in the context of the participation of the Yu goslav economy in the implementation of the "oil for food" program. The t alk focused also on prospects for continuing cooperation after the liftin g of sanctions against Iraq.

On the first day of his visit, Vukovic was received by Iraqi Vice-Presid ent Taha Yassin Ramadan. During a friendly and cordial talk, Ramadan reca lled that Iraq and Yugoslavia had traditionally friendly relations for ma ny years. He also voiced his country's interest in promoting economic rel ations with Yugoslavia, which had deteriorated due to well-known reasons.

Vukovic, for his part, expressed Yugoslavia's identical interest and str essed the need for stepping-up overall bilateral economic cooperation.

At the meeting, Vukovic also communicated Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic's written message for Iraqi President and Prime Minister Saddam Hussein.

[03] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENTARY OFFICIAL RECEIVES IRAQI CHARGE D'AFFAIRES

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Assembly of Yugoslavi a Chamber of Citizens Ljubisa Ristic on Wednesday received the Charge d'A ffaires of the Iraqi Embassy in Belgrade Mohammed Taha Hamdi.

The Iraqi Charge d'Affaires delivered a letter from the Chairman of the Iraqi National Assembly Sa'adoun Hammadi for President of the Yugoslav Pa rliament's Chamber of Republics Srdja Bozovic.

The Yugoslav parliamentary official and the Charge d'Affaires of the Ira qi Embassy in Belgrade discussed in particular the current situation in I raq and that country's relations with the United Nations.

They set out that the annual value of the bilateral trade had stood at 7 00 million dollars before the imposition of economic sanctions against th e two countries.

The two sides expressed readiness for the renewal of mutual economic coo peration, an incentive to which is to be provided by the current visit to Iraq of Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic.

[04] ACCORD ON ROAD TRAFFIC IS INITIALLED

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

An accord on road traffic between FR Yugoslavia and the Russian Federati on was initialled Wednesday at the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce in Belgra de.

In a meeting with Russian Federation Minister of Traffic Yevgeny Kazance v, who is on a several-day visit to Belgrade, and Yugoslav Deputy Ministe r of Traffic Dusan Jovanovic, Yugoslav freight forwarders described the a ccord as a step towards improving conditions of transport between the two countries. They pointed to the need for state accords which would regula te all other forms of traffic.

Kazancev said that the accord on road traffic was expected to be signed in October, during his planned visit to Belgrade. He further pointed to h is country's readiness to regulate also conditions for fluvial-naval and air traffic between Yugoslavia and the Russian Federation.

It was agreed that the formation of a special working group for traffic within the Yugoslav-Russian State Committee for trade, economic and scien tific technical cooperation would help resolve problems in the field.

It was agreed that a group of Yugoslav traffic experts would soon visits Moscow.

[05] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORIST LEADER IS KILLED

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

Commander of ethnic Albanian terrorist "headquarters" in the village of Zur, west of Prizren, Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, and one of terrorist leaders in the Metohija region Remzi Demaj, was kill ed in a terrorist attack on a police patrol in the night of August 15 nea r Prizren, police sources in Pristina told Tanjug on Wednesday.

The terrorists fired from a car on the police patrol, which returned fir e. Demaj was killed in the ensuing fight. The terrorists took his body aw ay and buried him secretly in the village of Ljubicevo, south of Prizren, instead of in his birthplace of Zur.

Police investigation demonstrated that the burial was done in secret in order to conceal his death from other terrorists, as this would have spre ad additional confusion among their ranks.

Remzi Demaj was one of the closest collaborators of Adem Demaci, whom th e self-styled Liberation Army of Kosovo recently appointed its political representative. Demaj was sentenced three times for enemy activities and had served a prison sentence together with Demaci.

[06] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS ARE EXPELLED FROM ZOCISTE

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

The remaining members of ethnic Albanian terrorist groups hiding in the woods between Orahovac and Suva Reka, Serbia's southern province of Kosov o and Metohija, carried out a synchronized attack on Wednesday morning on Velika Hoca, south of Orahovac, police sources in Pristina told Tanjug.

The police repelled the attack and pushed the terrorists back into the w oods. Terrorists have also fled from the Serb village of Zociste which th ey have been occupying for over one month.

Terrorists of the self-styled Liberation Army of Kosovo have abducted 59 Serbs from Zociste and nearby villages, while other inhabitants fled to Velika Hoca. Some of the abducted have been liberated, but the fate of ot hers remains unknown.

The expulsion of ethnic Albanian terrorists from Zociste, site of the ol d Serb monastery Sveti Vraci, has paved the way for the return of displac ed inhabitants. The police is pursuing the remaining terrorists who have fled towards the villages of Retimlje and Opterusa.

[07] ETHNIC ALBANIANS WRITE TO PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC CONDEMNING TERRORISM

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

A group of nearly 80 ethnic Albanians from the Prizren district in Kosov o and Metohija sent a letter to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on Wednesday, voicing indignation at the actions of ethnic-Albanian terroris ts.

"Life in Kosmet used to be very good and fine, as no one made us do anyt hing. Whoever wanted to work did so. Simply, everyone found some kind of work in a situation difficult for all of us. The law enforcing authoritie s regularly performed their duties," the group of ethnic Albanians pointe d out in the letter. They said that some ethnic-Albanian political leade rs "lost their senses and decided to launch a war, without thinking of th e consequences for which they alone are to blame."

"Albania does not know what it is doing by turning into a state of terro rism," the group of Kosmet ethnic Albanians underscored.

"It is disgraceful to spread lies about everything having been razed," t he group said and set out that no house, no barn or other facility had be en damaged unless ethnic-Albanian terrorists had undertaken operations or killed someone.

"There is no force which can sever Kosmet from the Republic of Serbia an d the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia," the group of ethnic Albanians und erscored in the letter to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

[08] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS AND PARTIES BLOCK THE RETURN OF DISPLACED PERSONS

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

After the collapse of their drive to seize part of Kosovo and Metohija's territory by terrorism and draw the attention of the world public and th e sympathies of the western media, ethnic Albanian terrorists and politi cal leaders are now playing on another card * on the card of alleged huma nitarian disaster in this province of the Yugoslav republic of Serbia.

Retreating before the Serbian police and abandoning their strongholds, t he terrorists have taken with them civilians as a human shield, whom they are now holding in their forest hideouts, preventing them to respond to the government's assurances of safety and call to return to their homes.

Ethnic Albanian political parties, too, are taking a similar course in t heir effort to justify their non-appearance for the resumption of talks w ith the government. The most influential of them, the Democratic League o f Kosovo (DSK, 1998) of Ibrahim Rugova, on Wednesday appealed to Kosovo a nd Metohija's displaced ethnic Albanians through the Albanian-language "B ujku" newspaper not to return to their homes.

Repeating much-worn phrases about "a humanitarian disaster", "deception" and "trickery" and seeking to convince the displaced persons that they w ould be "victimised" if they returned, the DSK is trying to hoodwink the world public and improve its political rating on the suffering on the peo ple.

In case ethnic Albanian civilians did return to their homes, for which t he Serbian Government has created most of the necessary conditions, inclu ding providing building materials to repair their damaged houses, Rugova and others like him would lose the excuse of the problem of displaced eth nic Albanians for the non-resumption of talks with the government.

Also, the scattered terrorist gangs could no longer use civilians as hum an shields, and would lose logistic support, too, in the form of relief a gencies' aid which they have been taking away from the people for their o wn use.

The ethnic Albanian terrorists and political parties fighting for some p hantom independence of Kosovo and Metohija are losing ground, which is be st seen from the mass return of civilians to localities abandoned because of terrorist operations.

Most of the ethnic Albanian population has returned to Orahovac, Klina a nd the surrounding villages, Ada near Obilic, Suva Reka, Stimlje and othe r localities, and the process looks set to continue and strengthen.

[09] PRIZREN DISTRICT OFFICIAL: DISPLACED PERSONS CAN RETURN HOME

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

Serbian authorities have ensured the conditions for the return of displa ced persons to Orahovac, Suva Reka, Malisevo and other villages and towns in the Prizren district of Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Meto hija, and guarantee personal and property safety to all citizens, head of the Prizren district Branislava Furjanovic told representatives of the d iplomatic mission for Kosovo and Metohija.

Many ethnic Albanians have already returned to their homes in the Orahov ac and Suva Reka municipalities.

Furjanovic pointed to the problem of Serbs and members of other ethnic g roups abducted by ethnic Albanian terrorists, underlining that there were women and children among the abducted and urging international humanitar ian organizations to mediate their release.

The diplomatic representatives said they were encouraged by the measures taken by the state to normalize life in the Prizren district.

[10] TERRORISTS ATTACK THE VILLAGE OF KOS

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

Large groups of ethnic-Albanian terrorists staged a third attack in five days on the village of Kos in the Istok municipality in Kosovo and Metoh ija on Tuesday, Istok municipal authorities said on Wednesday.

The attack was launched somewhat after 8 p.m. local time and lasted unti l dawn Wednesday.

Serbian homes and the village defence were under heavy fire from small a rms. Aided by the police and inhabitants of the nearby village of Drenovc ic, the villagers drove the terrorists back into the Ozrima forests from which they practically daily stage attacks on Serbs in villages in the Is tok and Klina municipalities.

Kos villagers sustained no casualties, whereas no information is availab le about whether the ethnic-Albanian terrorists had any.

[11] ODALOVIC CALLS ON ETHNIC ALBANIAN REFUGEES TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMES

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

Head of the Kosovo district Veljko Odalovic called on Wednesday upon all Albanians from Kosovo and Metohija, forced by terrorist activities to le ave, to return to their homes, pointing out that the state of Serbia guar anteed security to all those who have not violated the law.

The invitation is open to all. Those whose houses were damaged as a resu lt of terrorist actions will receive aid from the state of Serbia to repa ir them, also humanitarian aid, and aid to replenish livestock herds, Oda lovic told Tanjug and Politika.

Odalovic said that a huge problem for the return of temporarily displace d persons were terrorists, who force a part of the refugees to stay in th e woods. He said that the authorities have on several occasions asked int ernational humanitarian organizations for help, so that terrorists let th ose people return to their homes.

"Humanitarian aid which we distribute through the Red Cross to the peopl e, and the aid they receive from international humanitarian organizations , is taken away from them by terrorists for their own use," Odalovic said 2E Evidence of that was found following the raising of blockades, when t he police found in bunkers foodstuffs and other articles distributed as humanitarian aid to ethnic Albanian civilians.

When domestic and foreign journalists visited Junik, besides seized arms , they could see in terrorist bases boxes containing humanitarian aid of the Red Cross.

[12] GOVERNMENT COORDINATOR FOR KOSMET MEETS WITH EU COMMISSIONER

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

The European Union's Commissioner for humanitarian affairs Emma Bonino o n Wednesday visited the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province and inspected the humanitarian situation there. Bonino met with government coordinator in Kosovo and Metohija Andreja Milosavljevic to d iscuss the humanitarian situation, according to a statement from the prov ince's Information Secretariat.

The first encouraging results in the return of displaced persons and dif ficulties preventing speedier progress in this area were pointed out on t he occasion, the Secretariat said.

The statement quoted Bonino as saying that in order for relief aid to be effective, the population must return to their homes, otherwise the aid would be insufficient, especially with the approach of winter.

Milosavljevic briefed Bonino on the government's efforts for the return of temporarily displaced persons and confidence building, saying that ope rations of the terrorist organisation calling itself the Liberation Army of Kosovo (LAK, 1998) were the chief obstacle to their faster return.

He spoke especially about the problem of missing persons, which he said was a serious obstacle to confidence building, and urged the internation al community to greater efforts to settle this problem.

He said he was optimistic that the overall situation would soon improve substantially and that displaced persons would return to their homes, the statement said.

Bonino told a news conference in Pristina that the humanitarian situatio n in Kosovo and Metohija could not be improved without first finding a po litical solution to the province's problem. She added that all hostilitie s must cease if a humanitarian catastrophe were to be avoided with the co ming of winter.

Earlier in the day, Bonino had met with ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim R ugova and toured some localities in Kosovo and Metohija. She had also had a close encounter with LAK members, who practically prevented her visiti ng the village of Cirez near Malisevo, according to reporters in Pristina 2E Terrorists stopped Bonino and her escort, including an Associated Pre ss Television crew, on the way to Cirez, telling her she could only go fu rther on alone. She refused to go alone and turned back without paying th e planned visit to Cirez.

Bonino did not speak about the incident at the press conference in Prist ina.

[13] SERBIAN DEPUTY PM: PRIMARY TASK OF THE SERBIAN GOVERNMENT IS TO SAFEGUARD KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

Serbian Deputy Premier Vojislav Seselj has said that it is the primary t ask of the Serbian Government of National Unity to safeguard the southern province of Kosovo and Metohija and resolve economic problems. "Terroris m has been defeated in Kosovo and Metohija, but it has to be totally elim inated," Seselj stressed on local TV 5 station in Nis on Tuesday evening.

He said that some foreign powers would not abandon their plans to take K osovo and Metohija away from Serbia and reduce the size of Serbia by as m uch as possible. "We will oppose external interference. We must keep Koso vo and Metohija and withstand pressures," Seselj underscored.

He said that political representatives of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija were not responding to the Serbian Government's repeated offers for a dialogue on all outstanding issues without any pre-set conditions. Seselj said that the Serbian Government representatives were ready immed iately to start the talks. He rejected the possibility of any foreign pa rticipation in talks between the Serbian Government and ethnic-Albanian p olitical representatives, especially of "mentors" of ethnic-Albanian lead er Ibrahim Rugova.

Seselj pointed out that the situation in Serbia's southern province prev ented the Serbian Government from dealing more efficaciously with economi c problems, but said that significant results had nevertheless been achie ved in the economic domain.

[14] SERBIAN POLICEMAN IS KILLED IN A TERRORIST ATTACK

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

A Serbian policeman was killed in an ethnic Albanian terrorist attack on a police patrol in the village of Cerovik near the town of Klina in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province on Wednesday m orning, the Serbian Interior Ministry office in Pristina confirmed.

The officer, Miroslav Klasnja (35, 1998), of Belgrade was killed when hi s patrol was ambushed on the road running through Cerovik and linking the villages of Cabic and Kijevo. The terrorists, hidden in roadside houses, used automatic guns and portable rocket launchers.

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