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Serbia Today 96-02-06
6 February 1996
In This Edition
NEIGHBORS WITHOUT PROBLEMS
PROTESTS AGAINST TUDJMAN'S INITIATIVE
CONTENTS
[01] ATTEMPTS TO REVISE THE PEACE AGREEMENT GOES AGAINST PEACE
[02] PRIME MINISTER KONTIC MET WITH SADAKO OGATA
[03] NEIGHBORS WITHOUT PROBLEMS
[04] "DAYS OF THE YUGOSLAV CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES" IN THESSALONIKE
[05] A SLOW AND DIFFICULT RETURN
[06] PROTESTS AGAINST TUDJMAN'S INITIATIVE
[07] NATO CONFIRMED THE ARREST OF BSA GENERAL
[08] PROBLEMS WITH THE MOSLEMS
[09] IMPRESSIONS FROM PRIJEPOLJE
[01] ATTEMPTS TO REVISE THE PEACE AGREEMENT GOES AGAINST PEACE
Federal Prime Minister - Dr. Radoje Kontic, taking part
in the work of the World Economic Forum conference
"Peace on the Balkans" organized in Davos (Switzerland)
stated at a press conference that the question of peace
in the Balkans is important not only for the Balkan
nations but for the entire international community. "I
firmly endorse the motto of the Forum - namely that a
quick economic development and the promotion of
enterpreneuship favor the peace process, but this is
only one of the conditions for peace." - said Dr. Kontic
adding that these trends should be combined with the
lifting of the sanctions against FR Yugoslavia and the
Republic of Srpska, the coherent implementation of the
peace agreements for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the
Srem-Baranja Region, and the normalization of the
relations between the former Yugoslav republics. Any
attempt to revise the peace agreements, goes against
peace itself - the Yugoslav Prime Minister said. In
order to allow Yugoslavia to become a factor of peace
and stability in the Balkans, it has to be fully
re-integrated into the international community. The
delays and hesitation of the international organizations
and financial institutions in renewing the cooperation
with Yugoslavia suggest that political motives are
involved - remarked the Yugoslav Premier. (Politika,
February 6, 1996)
[02] PRIME MINISTER KONTIC MET WITH SADAKO OGATA
Discussing the humanitarian problems in former
Yugoslavia with the UN High Commissioner for peace - Ms.
Sadako Ogata, Federal Premier Radoje Kontic stressed the
importance of the aid to Yugoslavia provided by
international humanitarian organizations. The two sides
agreed that the overall Dayton Agreement must be
coherently implemented especially its parts concerning
the refugees. Mr. Kontic underscored that the refugees
should be given the freedom to decide on their return
and that their personal safety and the security of their
property must be warranted. He endorsed the three-phase
plan for the repatriation of refugees to Bosnia -
proposed by Ms. Ogata, but remarked that the second
phase might not be realized because a certain percentage
of refugees simply can not return where they once lived
for a number of reasons. Mr. Kontic proposed that a
census of the refugees be organized in Yugoslavia
because the UNHCR has a list of 330.000 persons, while
Yugoslav data provide a figure of 690.000 persons.
(Politika, February 6, 1996)
[03] NEIGHBORS WITHOUT PROBLEMS
The Spokesman of the Romanian Foreign Ministry - Mr.
Traian Kebeleu informed the foreign reporters that
President Ion Iliescu will soon visit Belgrade. He also
added that an agreement on bilateral cooperation and
neighborly relations will be signed during the visit.
The Romanian official thus confirmed that the two
countries have no unsolved problems and rejected the
allegations that Bucharest is moving away from Belgrade
and the Romania can not independently decide when to
normalize the relations with FR Yugoslavia. "In our
relations with Yugoslavia we are not guided by the
positions of others, but only in the respect of the
interests of our two countries." - Mr. Kelebeu stressed.
(Borba, February 6, 1996)
[04] "DAYS OF THE YUGOSLAV CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES" IN THESSALONIKE
The three day venue called "Days Of The Yugoslav
Construction Companies", starting tomorrow in
Thessalonike, practically represents the first
presentation of the Yugoslav building industry abroad
since the suspension of the sanctions, and the first
step in the conquest of the neighboring markets. The
manifestation will be inaugurated by the respective
ministers from Serbia and Greece. Some 60 construction,
design and construction material firms will introduce
themselves to the Greek partners through presentation
panels, and expert papers regarding the most challenging
construction feats achieved by Serbian construction
companies. It is expected that the venue will be
attended by some 150 representatives of construction and
financial firms from Greece, which will inform the
Yugoslav side about the possibilities of business
cooperation in construction works in Greece and joint
presence on third markets. (Politika, February 6, 1996)
[05] A SLOW AND DIFFICULT RETURN
The return of the refugees from FR Yugoslavia will be
slow and difficult, so that most of them will spend
another year in Yugoslavia - stated yesterday Mr. Jean
Aiub - head of the delegation of the Federation of the
Red Cross and Red Crescent in Belgrade. The Federation
will try to keep its present programs alive: public
kitchens, primary health care, personal hygiene
packages, social-psychological support. The Federation
delegation is on a 25 day tour of the former Yugoslav
republics, and will visit Belgrade today. "The purpose
of our visit is to witness directly the problems and the
difficulties faced by the Yugoslav Red Cross. We expect
that after our visit, the Federation will ask for an
increase of the funds for refugee care destined to
Yugoslavia." - said Mr. Aiub. (Borba, February 6, 1996)
[06] PROTESTS AGAINST TUDJMAN'S INITIATIVE
President Tudjman's New Year's speech, in which he
suggested that the Jasenovac Memorial grounds "...should
be transformed into a memorial for Croatian victims of
war" greatly disturbed the democratic and anti-fascist
circles, especially because this is not the first time
that such "plans" have been advanced by Croatian high
officials. These intentions particularly embittered the
Jews and the Serbs in Croatia, since they were the prime
victims of the ill-famed Ustashi extermination camp -
created to biologically exterminate two entire nations
that lived in the Nazi puppet state called Independent
State of Croatia (NDH). In an open letter to President
Tudjman, published yesterday by the Split opposition
magazine "Feral Tribune", Mr. Slavko Goldstein (a
reputable public figure, publicist and publisher),
reminded that reacting to previous similar
announcements, the Coordination of the Jewish
Communities in Croatia already diffused an open letter
warning that such a transformation of the Jasenovac
Memorial would hide the historical truth about the
Ustashi genocide. Tudjman never answered the previous
letter, and now Mr. Goldstein warned him: "Should such
plans really be brought into life, I will sue You
personally as the promoter and instigator of desecration
of monuments and burial grounds." The bones of the
murderers from Jasenovac can not lie alongside with the
remains of their victims - says Mr. Goldstein. "I will
not allow you to do it" and "I am inviting you to
abandon such morbid plans to dig up bones, rename
cemeteries and redraw history" - cautions Mr. Goldstein
in his letter.
Twenty professors and doctors from various German cities
addressed an appeal to the German and global public to
sign a petition against Mr. Tudjman's plans to "equate
assassins and victims" in Jasenovac. "Imagine what the
reaction of the German public would be if Chancellor
Kohl were to ask that the Auschwitz guards be buried
alongside their victims." - stated the initiators of the
German petition against Tudjman's plans. (Politika,
Vecernje Novosti, February 6, 1996)
[07] NATO CONFIRMED THE ARREST OF BSA GENERAL
The NATO spokesman in Sarajevo confirmed today that the
Moslems arrested a general of the Bosnian Serb Army
(VRS) and six other men as "suspects or witnesses"
regarding war crimes. Reuters news agency reports that
the spokesperson specified that the IFOR ground troops
Commander - Gen. Michael Walker has been informed about
it by Bakhir Alispashic - representative of the Moslem
Government in Sarajevo. According to the NATO dispatch
the arrested group includes General Djordje Djukic and
Col. Aleksa Krsmanovic. The BSA Command revealed that
Gen. Djukic and Col. Krsmanovic have been captured
unarmed on their way to a meeting with IFOR officers in
Ilidza. The BSA Command qualifies this incident as a
drastic infringement of the Dayton Agreement and
demanded the arrested group be immediately released.
(TANJUG, February 6, 1996)
[08] PROBLEMS WITH THE MOSLEMS
The tour of former Yugoslavia made by US Secretary of
State Christopher revealed that the implementation of
the Dayton Agreement in the civilian sphere is lagging
behind the military realization of the plan, as well as
that the Clinton Administration is determined to pursue
the stabilization of the peace in the Balkans and the
realization of the Agreement on Bosnia - remarks The New
York Times in its yesterday's edition. Commenting the
concrete achievements of Mr. Christopher's Balkan tour,
the American media primarily stress the same thing that
the Administration has been insisting on lately - the
greatest problems are being created by the Moslem side.
Mr. Christopher categorically asked Alija Izetbegovic to
stop postponing the release of the remaining war
prisoners (their actual number is still unknown) and to
expel the remaining Mujahedins from the country (at
least 200 and possibly even 400). As far as the talks
that the Secretary of State had in Belgrade are
concerned, the American press anticipates the
possibility of a gradual enhancement of bilateral
relations between the US and FR Yugoslavia, which were
well developed before the war. (Ekspres Politika,
February 6, 1996)
[09] IMPRESSIONS FROM PRIJEPOLJE
"I have seen no infringements of human rights in
Prijepolje, which only confirms my impressions in the
past 16 months that I have spent in Yugoslavia. The way
different nations live her is truly excellent and can
serve as an example". - said Mr Carlos Ferrer Charge
d'Affaires of the Mexican Embassy in Belgrade during his
visit to the Prijepolje Country.
As guests of the Serbian Ministry of Information, some
three dozen diplomats and foreign and domestic reporters
visited Prijepolje (Raska district) last weekend.
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