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Serbia Today 96-01-10
Serbia Today
10 January 1996
In This Edition
NUMEROUS CONTROVERSIES AFTER THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
GERMANS ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE OF MOSTAR
TRAMWAY SHELLED IN SARAJEVO
CONTENTS
[01] THE PEACE PLAN IS BEING IMPLEMENTED AS PLANNED
[02] REDUCTION OF MILITARY FORCES OF ALL SIDES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
[03] NUMEROUS CONTROVERSIES AFTER THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
[04] COOPERATION BETWEEN THE YUGOSLAV AND SLOVAK CHAMBERS OF ECONOMY
[05] YUGOSLAVIA ON INTERNET
[06] GERMANS ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE OF MOSTAR
[07] THE GAP GROWS DEEPER
[08] GROWING INTOLERANCE BETWEEN MOSLEMS AND CROATS
[09] TRAMWAY SHELLED IN SARAJEVO
[10] THE MOSLEMS ARE BLOCKING THE EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS
[01] THE PEACE PLAN IS BEING IMPLEMENTED AS PLANNED
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic received Mr. Robert
Galucci - President Clinton's Special Envoy for the
implementation of the peace agreement on Bosnia, who arrived
in Belgrade heading a special State Department delegation.
During the meeting it has been agreed that the commitments
are being realized according to plan and that a positive
attitude has been displayed regarding the cooperation with
IFOR. The importance of the successful settlement of the
issues regarding the freedom safety and the right of free
choice of the people of Sarajevo, which greatly depends on
the impartiality of the peace keeping forces. Both sides
stressed their expectations that the coordinated efforts of
the international factors in realizing the articles of the
peace agreement will allow the diffusion of peace in
territories stricken by the civil war with the consequent
normalization of life. After meeting with President
Milosevic, Mr. Galucci stated that they discussed the future
moves to "stabilize and strengthen peace so that the
reconstruction of Bosnia can be tackled subsequently".
(Politika, January 10, 1996)
[02] REDUCTION OF MILITARY FORCES OF ALL SIDES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic received James Pardue -
Special US Envoy for military stabilization issues, who
arrived in Belgrade with a group of associates. It has been
stressed that the stabilization of peace in the region
requires a reduction of military potentials of all sides in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, which excludes any additional
rearming by any of the sides involved. Consent has been
expressed regarding the need to stimulate all parties to
cooperate in this direction and that international factors
should offer their contribution to peace, especially the
material aid for the urgent economic reconstruction of these
territories. (Politika, January 10, 1996)
[03] NUMEROUS CONTROVERSIES AFTER THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
Yugoslav Deputy Foreign Minister - Mr. Radoslav Bulajic,
stated in an interview for Radio-Yugoslavia that it is in the
interest of FR Yugoslavia to establish normal trade relations
with former Yugoslav republics, which might even precede the
establishment of diplomatic relations and mutual recognition.
"With some of these republics - such as FYRO Macedonia - this
process has been initiated and we hope that we shall reach an
agreement quite soon." - said Mr. Bulajic. "But, as far as
Croatia is concerned, we have numerous controversial issues
which have lamentably come to the surface after the Dayton
Agreement. This is particularly the case of the transition
period for the Srem-Baranja Region, and on the other hand the
problem of Cape Prevlaka, i.e. the triple exchange of
territories in the Dubrovnik zone. All this was agreed upon
in Dayton, but the Croatian side is now invoking different
interpretations, which are in contradiction with what has
been defined in Dayton and Paris." - said Mr. Bulajic. He
also expressed hope that the meeting between Yugoslav Foreign
Minister Milan Milutinovic and his Croatian colleague Mate
Granic - due today in Belgrade, will bring a certain
progress. "We will endorse the normalization of road, rail
and air traffic, and postal communications with Croatia." -
said Mr. Bulajic stressing that the implementation of the
Dayton Agreement gives FR Yugoslavia the right to seriously
raise the question of its re-integration into the
international community. (Politika, January 10, 1996)
[04] COOPERATION BETWEEN THE YUGOSLAV AND SLOVAK CHAMBERS OF ECONOMY
A Yugoslav business delegation - headed by Mr. Mihailo
Milenkovic - Chairman of the Chamber of Economy of Yugoslavia
(PKJ), signed in Bratislava an agreement on cooperation
between PKJ and the Chamber of Trade and Industry of
Slovakia. More than 20 reputable Yugoslav businessmen from
Yugoslavia had business talks with Slovak partners, regarding
cooperation in metallurgy, energy, transports, construction,
chemical and food processing industries. (Borba, January 10,
1996)
[05] YUGOSLAVIA ON INTERNET
Yugoslavia is about to become part of INTERNET, the most
powerful computer network in the world, integrating some 50
million owners and users of computers and about 50.000
smaller networks throughout the world. The "Braca Karic" Co.
signed a contract with the European computer network EUNET
seated in Amsterdam - one of the major branches of INTERNET.
Excellent land and satellite communications have been
ensured, and the principal links in Belgrade, Podgorica, Nis,
Novi Sad and Pristina, allowing world-wide transmission and
exchange of electronic mail. (Vecernje novosti, January 10,
1996)
[06] GERMANS ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE OF MOSTAR
According to German press reports, the visit of Foreign
Minister Kinkel to Sarajevo is clouded by the latest events
in Mostar - raising the temperature even in Bonn. In daily
live TV-links, the experienced German politician Hans
Koschnik, offered embittered and disillusioned "reports".
Immediately before Mr. Kinkel's trip to Sarajevo, Koschnik
dramatically warned the Moslems and Croats in Mostar that
should they continue the clashes that started immediately
after New Year's, he and the European Union he represents
might withdraw the offer to provide financial aid. This time
Mr. Koschnik primarily accused the Croats and said that he
personally will never agree to their demand that the town be
divided. I will not permit the creation of a "Balkan Berlin"
- remarked Mr. Koschnik, and Mr. Kinkel made a similar
statement in Sarajevo - opposing any division of the city. It
is evident that in the latest controversies between Moslems
and Croats, Bonn has been siding with the Moslems. For
example, Mr. Kinkel directly warned that the fate of the
Dayton Agreement can not be jeopardized by the decision of
some Mayor of the Croatian part of Mostar, and that Croatian
President Tudjman is responsible for these issues. (Politika,
January 10, 1996)
[07] THE GAP GROWS DEEPER
The Moslem-Croatian honeymoon in Bosnia is about to end,
warned yesterday the correspondents of French and British
radio, Associated Press and Radio Deutsche Welle. All these
commentaries regarding the situation in Bosnia after the
"introduction of peace" remark that the "...gap is growing
deeper in the Bosnian-Moslem relations". BBC affirms that the
clashes between Moslems and Croats in Bosnia actually hide
the Croatian efforts to "alter the peace agreement".
Associated press indicates that the "Croatian-Moslem
controversy is seriously jeopardizing the peace plan" and
that "NATO is beginning to loose its patience". The French
state radio remarks that after the "poorly staged harmony in
Sarajevo" during the recent meeting between Tudjman and
Izetbegovic, "...it is becoming evident that peace is
starting to look like war". (Borba, January 10, 1996)
[08] GROWING INTOLERANCE BETWEEN MOSLEMS AND CROATS
The tense relations between the Moslems and Croats in Mostar
are directly influencing the situation in central Bosnia,
especially in the villages around the town of Tesanj where
the Croats are under siege for more than two weeks. In the
past month, two Croats have been killed and eight have been
wounded due to Moslem raids in the area. The "Mostar
syndrome" is also visible in the zone of Zepca, where the
Moslems are particularly embittered by the fact that they
suffered heavy losses during the previous clashes with the
Croats. The functioning of the Moslem-Croatian Federation is
now also seriously jeopardized in Vares, Bugojno and Vitez -
Croatian Radio Herzeg-Bosnia reports. The Croatian priest Ivo
Brajevic has been prevented from carrying out religious
services in Vares, which is - according to the same source -
just another of the Moslem provocation in the area that the
Croats can not tolerate any longer. (Borba, January 10, 1996)
[09] TRAMWAY SHELLED IN SARAJEVO
Agencies report that a grenade which hit a tramway in
Sarajevo around 6 p.m. yesterday, killed one and injured 18
persons. The tramway was hit in the so-called "sniper alley",
and the report on the incident has been confirmed by IFOR.
This represents the most serious incident since October 12,
1995, when the truce has been called in Sarajevo. Bosnian
Serbs rejected the possibility that their forces might have
caused the incident, and asked IFOR that an urgent
investigation be carried out. The authorities of the Republic
of Srpska dismissed the accusations that the Serbs fired the
grenade on the Moslem part of Sarajevo - SRNA news agency
reports. A demand has been made that Serbian representatives
be involved in the investigation "...to avoid situations
similar to those that followed the incidents on Markale, and
Vasa Miskin St. - when Serbs were initially accused, and
later investigations denied such allegation." (Vecernje
novosti, January 10, 1996)
[10] THE MOSLEMS ARE BLOCKING THE EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) revealed
in Geneva that the Moslem Army is blocking the release of
some 900 prisoners which was to take place next week. The
ICRC statement indicates that Serbian and Croatian officials
met yesterday in Sarajevo and accepted the ICRC plan, but
that the representative of the Moslem Army "presented new
conditions to be met before the plan is signed". The ICRC
Office in Belgrade also released a communique concerning this
issue, indicating that the plan for the release of prisoners
in Bosnia and Herzegovina grants the Red Cross free access to
all the jails so that every prisoner may freely state where
he would like to go after being released. (Politika, January
10, 1996)
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