Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-11-16

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAVIA-ISRAEL: WORKING CONSULTATIONS OVER

[02] YUGOSLAV ARMY DENIES ALLEGED SHOOTING AT VERIFIER'S VEHICLE

[03] YUGOSLAVIA SUPPORTS SETTING UP OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

[04] ODALOVIC RECEIVES ITALIAN AMBASSADOR SESSA

[05] YUGOSLAV VICE PREMIER RECEIVES OSCE OFFICIAL

[06] INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST CONDEMN ALBANIAN TERRORISM

[07] YUGOSLAV VICE PREMIER RECEIVES U.S. SENATORS

[08] LILIC RECEIVES AUSTRIAN AMBASSADOR

[09] SAINOVIC RECEIVES O'KEEFFE

[10] SERBIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES US ENVOY

[11] PRESIDENT OF SERBIA: INVITATION FOR CONTINUATION OF DIALOGUE

[01] YUGOSLAVIA-ISRAEL: WORKING CONSULTATIONS OVER

Tanjug, 1998-11-13

Working consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Yugoslavia and I srael ended in Jerusalem on Thursday at the level of political directors. During the consultations, views were exchanged on the further developmen t of bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as the curren t situation in the regions of the Balkans and the Middle East.

[02] YUGOSLAV ARMY DENIES ALLEGED SHOOTING AT VERIFIER'S VEHICLE

Tanjug, 1998-11-15

The Command of the Yugoslav Army Pristina Corps issued on Sunday evening a strong denial of allegations by the Spokesman of the OSCE Verification Mission in Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo-Metohija Duncan Bullivan t that fire was opened from an army armoured vehicle on a vehicle of the US diplomatic observer mission on Sunday on the Pristina-Prizren road in the Province.

The Pristina Corps units did not open fire or carry out any actions anyw here on Sunday, and consequently not in the Suva Reka area where the inci dent occurred according to allegations of the US mission.

The alleged incident was reported by Reuters.

The command issued a statement explaining what happened on the Dulje * S uva Reka road at 2 p.m. on Sunday, that the US team described as an incid ent. The drivers of two army vehicles, a pincgauer and BRDM-2, moving dow nhill on the Dulje * Suva Reka road, slowed down as they passed the Verif ication Mission vehicle moving in the opposite direction.

Several explosions were heard from the army vehicles' exhaust pipes at t hat moment, as usually occurs when such vehicles reduce speed while movin g down a slope, the statement says.

The vehicles moved on as nothing happened, but the US verifiers in an ar moured vehicle obviously misinterpreted the exaust pipe explosions as fir ing, but did not bother to check.

Bullivant gave no details on the alleged incident at a press briefing in Pristina on Sunday evening, and did not say that there was any damage to the vehicle that was allegedly targetted.

The Pristina Corps command proposed to the OSCE Verification Mission to carry out a joint investigation in order to determine what happened.

[03] YUGOSLAVIA SUPPORTS SETTING UP OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

Tanjug, 1998-11-15

Yugoslavia has supported all efforts made so far for the founding of a p ermanent international criminal court, and the adoption of the court's st atute constitutes a significant development in the international legal or der, Yugoslav Justice Minister Zoran Knezevic told Tanjug.

Knezevic assessed that, at the same time, it is a triumph over all those forces in the international community which have had, and still have, mo nopoly in decison-making about forming ad hoc tribunals as temporary bodi es, which made them more political than judicial institutions.

Knezevic considered highly unacceptable and in contradiction with the fa cts the assessment of the Prosecutor and President of the Hague Tribunal about the lack of readiness of FR Yugosloavia to cooperate with that inte rnational institution. The way in which our cooperation is interpreted, p articularly certain statements that were made, devaluate the authority of the Tribunal and confirm our earlier assessments that the Hague Tribunal is more a political than than a judicial institution. Knezevic underlin ed our continued readiness for cooperation with the Hague Tribunal in ful l compliance with the international, but also the national legislature.

Knezevic underline that Kosovo and Metohija is the scene of classic terr orist activity with which Serbia and the FRY are dealing with just as any other sovereign country. Even the international community and the Securi ty Council have confirmed terrorism in Kosovo and Metohija.

That is why compeletly unacceptable is the position of the Prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal that Kosovo and Metohija is the scene of an armed reb ellion, armed conflict or any other qualification which do not even menti on terrorism.

At the same time, constantly suggested is the alleged violence and exces sive use of force by the security forces and the Yugoslav Army, the numbe r of victims among civilians is exagerrated, while the crimes of terroris t bands, both over membres of the security forces and the Yugoslav Army a nd over civilians of the Serbian and other nationalitities, are played d own or not even mentioned.

"We will deal with terrorism by all available means in conformity with o ur national legislature, just as other countries do. The situation in Kos ovo and Metohija is the internal issue of The Republic of Serbia and of t he FRY," Knezevic said.

He said that was also specified under the Milosevic-Holbrooke Agreement. The provisions of that Agreement are very clear and leave no room for va rious interpretations.

He said that point 10 of the Milosevic-Holbrooke Agreement determines, a mong other things, that our country will allow full and unhampered access of foreign experts (including pathologiosts, 1998) who will cooperate wi th state investigators. By such solutions, Knezevic said, we wanted to co nfirm our cooperation with the international community for full informat ion about the situation in the southern Serbian Province. That is in our interest, but no linkage should be established with the place, position a nd jurisdiction of the Hague Tribunal.

Knezevic underlined that it was not true that our country did not issue a visa to Hague Tribunal Prosecutor Louise Arbour, to attend consultation s organized in Belgrade, November 7-8. Visas were issued promptly to her and her associates, Knezevic said.

[04] ODALOVIC RECEIVES ITALIAN AMBASSADOR SESSA

Tanjug, 1998-11-13

Kosovo District head Veljko Odalovic met on Friday in Pristina with Ital ian Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY, 1998) Ricardo Sessa and his associates.

Sessa informed Odalovic about the impending arrival of 200 OSCE verifier s from Italy. Sessa said that government and non-government humanitarian organizations are aiding the Kosmet population and that the threatened p opulation would shortly receive food aid worth 2.5 million DM.

Odalovic stressed that the presence of OSCE verifiers would help determi ne the true facts in the field. He added that the state and its bodies wo uld fully support and contribute to the full normalization of the situati on in Kosovo and Metohija.

Odalovic set out that the Republic of Serbia and FR of Yugoslavia are ma king huge efforts for the full realization of the Agreement reached by Yu goslav President Slobodan Milosevic and U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke.

Odalovic underscored the concern over the constant provocations and atta cks by the terrorists gangs of ethnic Albanian separatists on civilians a nd members of the police and army, and that this is why it is necessary f or the international community to pressure their leaders and clearly deno unce the terrorists.

[05] YUGOSLAV VICE PREMIER RECEIVES OSCE OFFICIAL

Tanjug, 1998-11-13

Yugoslav Vice Premier Nikola Sainovic received on Friday Bo Pelnas, who heads the Liaison Office of the OSCE mission in Belgrade. Two sides discu ssed the situation in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's Kosovo-Metohija Province and creation of conditions for deploying the OSCE's Verification Mission.

The Yugoslav side is committed to a consistent implementation of agreem ents signed, and expects the OSCE mission to do the same, the statement said.

[06] INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST CONDEMN ALBANIAN TERRORISM

Tanjug, 1998-11-13

Yugoslav Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic said on Friday that the intern atiannal community, by condemning terrorism in Kosovo and Metohija, can h elp to calming down the situation in the southern Serbian Province.

Bulatovic, in a statement to Radio Yugoslavia, pointed out that the inte rnational community has been applying for some time a policy of double st andards towards the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

"Nothing new has happened lately, except that a political solution has b een accepted for resolving the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija on what Yugo slavia has been insisting all along," Bulatovic said.

Pavle Bulatovic voiced hope that now that the leading countries of Europ e and the world have understood what is really taking place in Kosovo and Meothija and what the final objective of terrorists is * the creation of a Greater Albania and of a so-called independent republic of Kosovo.

"We are confident that the international community will condemn terroris m in Kosovo and Metohija and thus help to calming down the situation and to eliminating terror and terrorist activities in KosMet," Pavle Bulatovi c said in conclusion.

[07] YUGOSLAV VICE PREMIER RECEIVES U.S. SENATORS

Tanjug, 1998-11-13

Yugoslav Vice Premier Nikola Sainovic received on Friday visiting U.S. s enators Frank Lautenberg and Tom Harkin. The senators showed special inte rest in developments in the Yugoslav Republic of Serbia's Province of Kos ovo-Metohija. The two sides had an open discussion about ways and means o f finding a peaceful and just political settlement of Kosovo-Metohija's p roblems.

The meeting was attended by Chief of the U.S. Mission to the Federal Rep ublic of Yugoslavia Richard Miles, and Director of the Yugoslav Foreign M inistry's Directorate for America Rajko Bogojevic.

[08] LILIC RECEIVES AUSTRIAN AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1998-11-13

Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Lilic received Austrian Ambassador Wolfgang Petritsch, at the later's request.

Ambassador Petritsch, in his capacity of European Union special envoy fo r Kosovo and Metohija, informed in detail Deputy Prime Minister Lilic abo ut the activities of the EU, OSCE and other European institutions, undera ken together with U.N. institutions, in the implementation of their commi tments from the Agreement reached with President Slobodan Milosevic and U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke.

Deputy Prime Minister Lilic underlined that Yugoslav state bodies were f ully complying with the Agreement, and that most of the refugees have ret urned to their homes, and that, accordingly, all those responsible for th e implementation of the Agreement, the entire international community, mu st proceed from the fact that an Agreement observed by only one side can not be successful.

Ambassador Petritsh agreed with the position that the international comm unity and the EU must place pressure on the Albanian side to accept the A greement and get down to negotiations for resolving the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija. A solution can be found only by peaceful means, and in that process there can be no place for extremists, terrorism, abductions, ki llings, armed attacks * the Austrian Ambassador said.

This is a historic chance for Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija to accept the Agreement as a project for reaching lasting peace, for the assertion of national and human rights, integration into the political life of Ser bia and Yugoslavia, Lilic said.

He underlined that, in the long term, only speedy economic recvery and d evelopment can create conditions for joint life in peace and for mutual r espect. It was mutually concluded that for achieving that objective it is indispensable that the EU vigorously prevents any renewed attempt of ter rorist acts by extremist Albanian nationalists, who are taking advantage of the current situation to provoke a new conflict and prevent the implem entation of the Agreement which is in the interest of peace and all peopl e of good will in Kosovo and Metohija.

It is the interest of the international community, and particularly of t he EU, to put en end to the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija swiftly and by peaceful means so that the region and all of Southeastern Europe, instead of a constant spot of conflict, and even war, becomes a partner of the EU in the economic, cultural and every other sense, and its integral part , it was said at the meeting.

Talks also dealt with the vast, still untapped, possibilities for promot ing political and economic relations between Yugoslavia and Austria, the statement said.

[09] SAINOVIC RECEIVES O'KEEFFE

Tanjug, 1998-11-13

Deputy Yugoslav Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic on Friday received UNHCR Yugoslav Mission Chief Margaret O'Keeffe. It was agreed during the talks that all activities aimed at the release of abducted persons are a priori ty task of both state organs and Government and non-government humanitari an organizations.

It was heard that cooperation between this important organization of the United Nations and organs of Yugoslavia and Serbia was very successful.

Sainovic especially underscored that the recent vital improvement of the humanitarian situation was important and could be further promoted throu gh the joint efforts of all those who carry out humanitarian programs, wi th the simultaneous energetic prevention of terrorist activities.

[10] SERBIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES US ENVOY

Tanjug, 1998-11-13

Serbian President Milan Milutinovic received on Friday Ambassador Christ opher Hill, special US envoy for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. They discussed the current situation in Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo- Metohija and the political process underway.

Hill, who has been talking with representatives of ethnic Albanian polit ical parties for several weeks, presented to President Milutinovic a writ ten proposal on ways of reaching an agreement on Kosovo-Metohija, underli ning that the proposal was based on the Accord reached by Yugoslav Presid ent Slobodan Milosevic and US envoy Richard Holbrooke.

President Milutinovic said he and the state delegation in charge of nego tiations with ethnic Albanian representatives would examine the proposal carefully, to determine to what extent it really is in line with the 11 p oints of political principles and of the political framework for resolvin g problems in Kosovo-Metohija endorsed by the Serbian Government last Oc tober 13.

Underlining that all ideas that can help reach a political solution for the Province were welcome, President Milutinovic said that direct talks s hould finally start so that some progress can be made.

Milutinovic and Hill said that the increasingly frequent attacks of terr orist gangs of ethnic Albanian separatists on innocent civilians, police officers and soldiers must be halted with determination. Such terrorist a cts and their tragic consequences constitute a serious threat to dialogu e and to the endeavors for stabilizing the overall situation in the Provi nce, it was noted during the meeting.

[11] PRESIDENT OF SERBIA: INVITATION FOR CONTINUATION OF DIALOGUE

Tanjug, 1998-11-15

President Milan Milutinovic, as it was announced at the meeting on Frida y with Ambassdaor Hill, has sent invitations for the continuation of dial ogue for a political solution of problems in Kosovo and Metohija for Wed nesday, November 18, in Pristina, the Serbian President's Office said on Saturday evening.

President Milutinovic assessed that conditions had been created for a me eting and talks about a political solution to problems in Kosovo and Meto hija.

Sending invitations for the continuation of dialogue, Milutionovic under lined that only by dialogue and political means can be found a solution w hich is in the interest of all citizens and national communities living i n Kosovo and Metohija.

Milutinovic will personnaly preside over the meeting, and has decided to invite to the meeting, as guests, U.S. special envoy Christopher Hill, t he Ambassadors of the Russian Federation and the Republic of China, as we ll as the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria as the representative of the European Union, the statement said.

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