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Serbia Today 96-01-31
Serbia Today
31 January 1996
In This Edition
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION INTENSIFIES
PARIS IS SENDING ITS AMBASSADOR TO BELGRADE
STRANGE IFOR MAPPING
CONTENTS
[01] NO MORE REASON FOR BLOCKING OF CBY FUNDS
[02] DOCUMENTS FOR LARGE-SCALE DEALS
[03] INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION INTENSIFIES
[04] SUDDEN GROWTH OF EXPORT ORDERS
[05] PARIS IS SENDING ITS AMBASSADOR TO BELGRADE
[06] DIPLOMATIC CONFLICT AS A DRAW-BACK
[07] IN SEARCH OF A SOLUTION FOR 2.5 MILLION REFUGEES
[08] COMMISSION IS APPOINTED FOR SUPERVISION OF ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA
[09] A FANTOM STATE
[10] STRANGE IFOR MAPPING
[01] NO MORE REASON FOR BLOCKING OF CBY FUNDS
Federal Prime Minister Dr. Radoje Kontic has sent a letter to
the prime ministers of Great Britain, France, Switzerland and
Denmark and the U.S. Secretary of State in which he is
proposing re-establishment of all forms of cooperation
between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and these
countries. Recalling the high level of cooperation prior to
sanctions imposed against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
Kontic is saying that after suspension of sanctions there is
no reason whatsoever for further blocking of funds of the
Central Bank of Yugoslavia (National Bank of Yugoslavia) with
the banks of these countries. Continued blockade of the
Yugoslav funds would place under a question mark the
equitable treatment of all the sides, which is one of the
basic principles of the peace agreement for former
Yugoslavia. Prime Minister Kontic also recalls that
negotiations are now under way about the global division of
the assets of former Yugoslavia between its former republics,
so that freezing only of the funds of the Central Bank of
Yugoslavia is prejudical to the final solution. In his letter
the Yugoslav Prime Minister is saying that in Yugoslavia
program of economic stabilization and economic reforms is now
taking place, characteristic for the process of
privatization. In similar cases countries are receiving the
necessary financial support of the international community
while Yugoslavia is not being allowed even to use its own
funds. (Politika, January 31, 1996)
[02] DOCUMENTS FOR LARGE-SCALE DEALS
Federal Prime Minister Dr. Radoje Kontic and the Prime
Minister of the Slovak Republic Vladimir Mechiar have signed
yesterday in Belgrade the agreement on trade cooperation,
protection of investments and cooperation in culture,
education and sports, while the deputy foreign ministers of
the two countries have signed a protocol on consultations
between the respective ministries. Underlining the
satisfaction because of the open and constructive talks with
the Slovak delegation, Prime Minister Kontic said that there
are all conditions for a dynamic development of cooperation
in various fields, most of all in the economic and political
ones. Prime Minister Mechiar underlined the importance of the
signed and agreed upon documents and stated that both
governments are expecting that the exchange of goods in the
first phase after lifting of sanctions on Yugoslavia will be
in the value of 400 million DEM, most of all through mutual
extension of the marker of capital, creation of joint
companies and joint ventures. (Borba, January 31, 1996)
[03] INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION INTENSIFIES
Delegation of some 40 businessmen of the Rumanian county and
city of Kluz headed by the secretary general of the Trade and
Industrial Chamber of the county, Jon Dzurdjea, has visited
the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia. Interested in concrete
business deals with the businessmen from Serbia, the
delegation after this meeting in the Chamber, continued talks
with the representatives of Valjevo "Elind", Kragujevac
"Zastava", "Interexport" of Belgrade, Nis Electronic
Industries and the chain of Department Stores "Beograd".
Chamber of Commerce of Serbia was also visited yesterday by
the representatives of the German company MAN. Its vice
president Detlef Romberg and Hans Daksenberger have
underlined that they have come to see what are the possible
forms of cooperation with the Yugoslav companies. Firm MAN
which in its production programs has an entire range of
modern products, is of the opinion that the best and the
fastest way of establishing business together is the
cooperation between German and Yugoslav enterprises.
Charge d'affaires of the Belgian Embassy in Belgrade Jan
Matisen who visited Chamber of Economy of Yugoslavia
yesterday and had talks with its president Dr. Mihailo
Milojevic, announced the visit of the delegation of Belgian
businessmen to Belgrade by the end of February. This will be
only the first step in the revival of once a very successful
economic cooperation between the two countries, said the
Belgian diplomate and recalled that Belgium has a serious
influence in Europe, not only because of its economic
potential but because of the fact that the seat of the
European Union is in Brussels. (Politika, January 31, 1996)
[04] SUDDEN GROWTH OF EXPORT ORDERS
In December and early January business climate was more
favorable, export demand significantly increased, production
capacities are put to better use and there is a greater real
purchasing power of salaries, which is all manifested in an
increased volume of trade. These views resulted from the
latest survey conducted by the Institute for Market Research
in 200 Yugoslav companies. Export demand by mid-January was
increased in 36 percent of surveyed companies, which was not
recorded over the last five years. Demands for exports are so
large that some companies are starting to refuse orders from
local buyers because they are not able to cover all of their
obligations, which is well understandable because of the
precious foreign exchange to be gained by exports, said Dr.
Tomislav Milisavljevic, director of the economic department
of the Institute. Such effects are the first signs of better
economic performances which are taking place after suspension
of sanctions and adoption of Program Two, said Milisavljevic.
(Politika, January 31, 1996)
[05] PARIS IS SENDING ITS AMBASSADOR TO BELGRADE
France has officially announced that it will send to Belgrade
its "plenipotentiary ambassador", in order to renew as soon
as possible global cooperation with the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia. This move is considered necessary in Paris,
because Belgrade had 'a crucial role' in the efforts for
bringing into life of Dayton Agreement in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
President Jacques Chirac was already earlier indicating the
readiness of France fully to renew its cooperation with
Yugoslavia, and Foreign Minister Herve de Charrette at the
recent meeting of the EU heads of diplomacies in Brussels
called upon the governments of all the European Union
countries to do the same. In the seat of the French diplomacy
it is pointed out that certain governments have opposed
immediate normalization of diplomatic relations and renewal
of cooperation with Belgrade, but it is also emphasized that
this resistance has already been overcome, because one can
not go against the truth, i.e. recognition of the
contribution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the
creation and implementation of the Dayton Agreement.
(Politika, January 31, 1996)
[06] DIPLOMATIC CONFLICT AS A DRAW-BACK
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain Carlos Westendorpf is
not hiding his disappointment with the fact that the joint
decision of the 15 in Brussels was not reached on the
recognition of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, writes the
Spanish daily "ABC". The newspaper is writing that the
Spanish minister in Brussels has announced that "Spain
reserves the right to decide for itself on the recognition of
Belgrade". Daily "El Mundo" is writing that at the meeting in
Brussels a real diplomatic conflict has occurred. The United
States and Germany were opposed, while the majority of the EU
countries were in favor of an official recognition of the FR
of Yugoslavia and elevation of the diplomatic relations with
Belgrade to the highest level. (Vecernje novosti, January 31,
1996)
[07] IN SEARCH OF A SOLUTION FOR 2.5 MILLION REFUGEES
In former Yugoslavia after four years of war, there are 2.5
million refugees and all the efforts will be aimed at finding
"a lasting solution for these people", stated Margaret
O'Keef, head of the mission of the UN High Commissariat for
Refugees (UNHCR) in Belgrade. She said that the UNHCR in
cooperation with the Commissariat for Refugees of the
Republic of Serbia and the non-governmental humanitarian
organizations, will help 650,000 refugees who are now in the
FR of Yugoslavia to return to their homes. For an extremely
costly and complex program of this-year's return of refugees,
it will be asked from the donors to give the aid of 60
million US dollars. When asked who what will be the
assistance for return of Serbs to Krajina, O'Keef said that
the UNHCR will uphold the main principles of security and
dignity of those who shall decide to return there. In this
respect, Commissariat for Refugees of Serbia is having a
constructive proposal that people should return there in
groups, for example, village by village, when we believe that
a greater security of refugees will be provided, said the
head of the UNHCR mission. (Politika, January 31, 1996)
[08] COMMISSION IS APPOINTED FOR SUPERVISION OF ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA
In Sarajevo an international commission was appointed
yesterday for supervision over the forthcoming elections in
Bosnia (three foreign and three local representatives). The
task of the commission will be to supervise all aspects of
the electoral process and to determine the rules and
regulations of behavior in the pre-election campaign and
during the elections, stated the chairman of the OSCE Flavio
Cotty. Within the ministerial trio of the OSCE composed of
the heads of diplomacies of Switzerland, Hungary and Denmark,
he visited Sarajevo and had a meeting with the
representatives of all the three governments - Alija
Izetbegovic, Kresimir Zubak and Nikola Koljevic. Cotty
qualified the meeting as a positive one because it made
possible for the representatives of the Republic of Srpska
and the Muslim-Croat federation to meet and have open
discussion about their mutual problems. (Borba, January 31,
1996)
[09] A FANTOM STATE
Decision by the Presidency of the HDZ (Croat Democratic
Community party) of former Bosnia-Herzegovina for the Croat
Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia to be re- named into a Croat
Community of Herzeg-Bosnia is only yet another trick and game
played on the provisions of the Dayton Agreement - according
to the joint opinion of the Muslim media. After Dayton,
Herzeg-Bosnia should have been dissolved, this fantom
para-statal concoction as it is called by the Muslims, but on
the ground there are no signs that it is dissolving. In the
area of Herzeg-Bosnia there is nothing that would remind
either of the former or of the present Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The flag, local currency, school curriculum - they are all
identical with those of the Republic of Croatia. In the areas
under Croat control for Muslims there is no free movement,
some 55,000 Muslims have been exiled and almost all of the
Muslim religious buildings have been destroyed. (Borba,
January 31, 1996)
[10] STRANGE IFOR MAPPING
Frontiers between the Republic of Srpska and the Croat-Muslim
Federation, established in Dayton, the peace implementation
forces IFOR have moved in Herzegovina for 117.8 square
kilometers at the expense of Serbs. This was reported
yesterday in the Command of Herzegovina Corps. It is a
question of the highest quality agricultural land, hydro
electrical power potentials, communication routes and
strategically extremely important highlands around Stolac and
in the area of Nevesinje county. For example, in the county
of Trebinje in the IFOR maps frontiers are moved at the
expense of Serbs for 30 square kilometers, in Nevesinje area
for 54 kilometers. In Popovo Polje field IFOR has taken away
from the Republic of Srpska 15 kilometers of the highest
quality fruit plantations, in the village of Do near Stolac
the frontier was moved so that two houses and the Orthodox
cemetery have entered the Croat-Muslim federation. In the
direction of Konjic, the frontier according to the Dayton
Agreement was running along the Neretva River, but in the
IFOR maps it is moved in such a way that Muslims can use the
hydro potential of this river without an agreement with
Serbs. "It is not a question of the lack of precision, but
about an obvious seizure of territories at the Serbian
expense and the violation of the division accepted and signed
in Dayton by all the warring sides. Therefore, we are
decisively demanding that this injustice be urgently
rectified", reports the Command of the Corps. (Borba, January
31, 1996)
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