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Serbia Today 96-02-02
Serbia Today
2 February 1996
In This Edition
CROATIAN GANGS ARE TERRORIZING THE REMAINING SERBS IN KRAJINA
THE SARAJEVO GOVERNMENT IS BREACHING THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
"PLEASE, INDICT US"
CONTENTS
[01] FIRST PARTICIPATION OF FRY AT AN INTERNATIONAL MEETING
[02] YUGOSLAV ACCOUNTS UNBLOCKED
[03] YUGOSLAV BUSINESSMEN VISITING AUSTRIA
[04] YUGOSLAV RAILWAYS - REPRESENTING THE BALKANS
[05] AID OF THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT
[06] CROATIAN GANGS ARE TERRORIZING THE REMAINING SERBS IN KRAJINA
[07] THE SARAJEVO GOVERNMENT IS BREACHING THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
[08] HORRIBLE CRIMES AGAINST SERBIAN CIVILIANS IN SARAJEVO
[09] MOSLEMS ESCAPED AFTER IFOR INTIMIDATION
[10] "PLEASE, INDICT US"
[01] FIRST PARTICIPATION OF FRY AT AN INTERNATIONAL MEETING
Yesterday, the Federal Government defined the platform to be
used by the Yugoslav delegation at the session of the World
Economic Forum due in Davos (Switzerland) on February 5-6. It
has been observed that after the suspension of the sanctions,
the first presence of a Yugoslav delegation at an eminent
international meeting represents an important contribution to
the peacemaking, diplomatic and economic international
affirmation of Yugoslavia. The World Economic Forum, founded
25 years ago, comprising statesmen, politicians, scholars and
businessmen, and representing an institution for debating
fundamental international politics and economy issues, will
dedicate the last two days of the venue to the peace in
Bosnia. The participation of FR Yugoslavia offers a chance to
reaffirm the adamant support of our country to the
realization of the peace plan for Bosnia and the settlement
of all humanitarian, economic and civilian issues. (Politika,
February 2, 1996)
[02] YUGOSLAV ACCOUNTS UNBLOCKED
The Chinese National Bank, informed Yugoslav businessmen in
Beijing that all Yugoslav accounts in China have been
unblocked and that our companies can in future use their
finances which were previously blocked in accordance with UN
Security Council Sanctions. The same decision re-opens the
banking transactions between the two countries allowing
normal business between Yugoslav and Chinese companies and
banks. The Chinese authorities also informed the Yugoslav
shipping companies whose vessels were anchored in Chinese
ports ever since the sanctions were introduced, that these
ships can leave China. (Politika, February 2, 1996)
[03] YUGOSLAV BUSINESSMEN VISITING AUSTRIA
Mr. Michael Weninger - Charge d'Affaires of the Austrian
Embassy in Belgrade, invited the President of the Yugoslav
Chamber of Economy - Mr. Mihailo Milojevic, to visit the
Austrian Chamber of Economy with a delegation of Yugoslav
businessmen. Mr. Weninger said that cooperation will not be
starting from zero, but rather "from the high level of
economic relations maintained with former Yugoslavia before
the war" and added that Austrian companies are ready to
invest in Yugoslavia. (Borba, February 2, 1996)
[04] YUGOSLAV RAILWAYS - REPRESENTING THE BALKANS
Yugoslav Railways, together with Greek and Romanian state
railways will be representing for the next two years the
group of Balkan railways in the Managing Board of the
International Railway Union (UIC), the most important
institution of the international railway organization. This
is in fact, the conclusion reached at the meeting of the
General Managers of the Balkan railways - held on January
30-31 in Bucharest. Thanking on the trust invested in him,
Dr. Svetolik Kostadinovic - General Director of the Yugoslav
Railways- stressed that YR have a significant personnel
potential and major experience in the operation of
international railway institutions. Mr. Michael Valrav -
General Director of the International Railway Union expressed
satisfaction for the fact that the period of intense
political tension in the Balkans has passed, and that all
sanctions against FR Yugoslavia have been suspended. (Borba,
February 2, 1996)
[05] AID OF THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT
Ms. Leposava Milicevic - Serbian Minister of Public Health
and Ms. Bratislava Morina - Serbian Commissioner for
Refugees, met yesterday with the Charge d'Affaires of the
Spanish Embassy in Belgrade - Mr. Jose Antonio Bordal, and
thanked him for the shipment of humanitarian aid worth
512.000 German marks recently sent by the Spanish Government.
Serbian officials remarked that the Spanish represents an
expression of understanding for our problems, because it
comprises medicines that are not produced in the country or
are too expensive to purchase, but are indispensable for
adequate medical care for the numerous refugees and
expatriates. Stressing that Spain is interested in quickly
normalizing relations with Serbia and Yugoslavia, Mr. Bordal
anticipated the realization of the program for accommodating
refugee children in Spain. (Borba, February 2, 1996)
[06] CROATIAN GANGS ARE TERRORIZING THE REMAINING SERBS IN KRAJINA
Croatian gangs are terrorizing several thousand elderly
Serbian civilians that stayed in Krajina after the offensive
of the Croatian Army last summer. They are killing their
livestock, stealing their firewood and breaking their windows
so that they might freeze to death - Associated Press
reports. About nine thousand Serbs, mostly elderly and sick,
that did not manage to escape last summer are now in mortal
danger. The wave of murders, when at least 230 Serbs have
been found dead with their throats slit last summer and
autumn, has however stopped - remarks AP. The Croatian
authorities refuse to permit UN representatives to dig up the
mass grave where the bodies of at least 750 murdered Serbs
lie. The same agency quotes a confidential report of the
British charity organization OHFAM, which affirms that Croats
are attacking the Serbs literally every day, robbing them
even of the humanitarian aid. "We are greatly concerned for
the fate of the Serbs in Krajina." - said UN spokesman Chris
Gannes in an interview for AP. The same American news agency
concludes that it would be best if Serbs were to return to
Krajina, but that this is unlikely since they distrust Mr.
Tudjman's nationalist government. (Politika, February 2,
1996)
[07] THE SARAJEVO GOVERNMENT IS BREACHING THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
American and other western diplomats report from Bosnia that
the latest moves made by Alija Izetbegovic and the Moslem
Government seriously undermine their publicly declared
devotion to multi-ethnic and multi-cultural democracy, and in
many cases infringe the spirit and the text of the Dayton
Agreement. Since the war broke out in Bosnia, the Moslem
Government in Sarajevo managed to present itself as the sole
supporter of a democratic multi-national society, but after
the signing of the Dayton Agreement it breached such policy
on several occasions - said a western diplomat adding that he
is tired of the empty talk of the Bosnian Government. Several
moves made by Alija Izetbegovic also alarmed Washington. In
fact, his party recently promoted three generals, indicating
clearly that it plans to keep the control of the Army. The
Government still refuses to release all POW's, thus openly
breaching the Dayton Agreement, and also denies the ICRC the
permission to visit the Tuzla Prison where about a hundred
Serbian soldiers are still being kept. Another problem
related to the Sarajevo Government concerns the Islamic "holy
warriors", foreign mercenaries that still have not left
Bosnia, a fact that particularly distresses the American
soldiers. Western diplomats want the Sarajevo Government to
unconditionally adopt the amnesty of all Serbian soldiers,
which might partially calm the tension in the Serbian
quarters of Sarajevo. The Washington Post observes that the
West is discouraged, alarmed and even frightened by the
attitude of the "favored protege". (Politika, February 2,
1996)
[08] HORRIBLE CRIMES AGAINST SERBIAN CIVILIANS IN SARAJEVO
Sarajevo, controlled by the Moslems during the war, was
nothing but a large extermination camp for the Serbs.
Hundreds of persons have been killed, and many are still
listed as missing. These horrors are confirmed by the
indictment raised by the Croatian-Moslem courts against their
own soldiers. A copy of the indictment obtained by "Novosti",
reveals that these soldiers murdered individual civilians,
after arresting them illegally, torturing them and treating
them inhumanely. A gorge called Kazan, on the way to
Bostarici, was the sight of the most monstrous crimes. Many
of the murders committed there had a horrendous fact in
common, the heads of the victims were chopped off, which is
part of the code of "Allah's warriors" demanding that the
enemy be beheaded. The indictment involves 27 individuals,
but according to statements made by Serbs that managed to
escape from Sarajevo, this is only the "first group" of
murders. In fact, the Serbian submitted documented
indictments for several hundred Moslem executioners.
(Vecernje Novosti, February 2, 1996)
[09] MOSLEMS ESCAPED AFTER IFOR INTIMIDATION
The command of the Spanish IFOR contingent, asked NATO planes
to intervene in order to disarm and then disperse Moslem Army
units that forced their way in the demilitarized zone around
Mostar. Members of the Sarajevo Government forces that
arrived in trucks, first refused the invitation of the
Spanish troops to surrender their weapons and withdraw. When
two NATO planes appeared in the sky, the Moslem soldiers fled
leaving behind a significant arsenal. The IFOR Command is now
trying to establish why did the Moslem troops penetrate the
disengagement zone and where did they procure such
sophisticated weaponry now that the withdrawal and the
disarmament of the warring sides in Bosnia is in course.
(Politika, February 2, 1996)
[10] "PLEASE, INDICT US"
"We would be grateful if you could confirm that you have
registered our names on the list of those that asked the
Hague Tribunal to be indicted for defending the rights of the
Serbs in the former Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Bosnia
and Herzegovina, as well as their freely elected leaders that
tried to secure identical rights in defining the future of
their people in former Yugoslavia." This part of the request
submitted to Mr. Richard Goldstone - chief prosecutor of
International Tribunal for Crimes of War in Former Yugoslavia
by the Council of the World Serbian Congress (WSC). The
letter indicates irregularities in the decisions of the
international community and of the Tribunal itself,
concerning the Serbs in Bosnia and Croatia and anticipates
that similar letters will be submitted to the national
parliaments of the countries where the signatories live and
to the organizations advocating and defending human and
minority rights. "We are citizens of west-European countries
and we have not been manipulated by "state media and national
leaders" as Yugoslav citizens allegedly are. "We believe that
we must face a greater responsibility then the local
population which has - as you affirm - been manipulated. We
must also be blamed for passively watching the creation of
the monstrous, ethnically cleansed, fascist state of Croatia,
whose birth has been endorsed by west-European states that
were also the first to accuse Serbia and Montenegro, the only
former Yugoslav republics - along with Macedonia - that
managed to preserve the multi-ethnic structure." The letter
particularly stresses the unique case of the accused Milan
Martic - the Krajina leader whose 250.000 compatriots have
been expatriated or killed, whilst the true culprit -
Croatian President Tudjman is allowed to "continue his
fascist policy". Crimes against Serbs are not treated as
crimes - stress the signatories of the letter. Meanwhile, the
Serbs living in western countries have launched a campaign to
gather signatures of all those that want to ask Judge
Goldstone to indict them on these same counts. (Vecernje
Novosti, February 2, 1996)
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