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Serbia Today 96-02-22
Serbia Today
22 February 1996
In This Edition
ISRAELIS WANT COOPERATION
THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL LOSES REPUTATION
SECRET MUSLIM PLANS FOR ATTACK ON IFOR
CONTENTS
[01] GOVERNOR AVRAMOVIC WRITES TO THE IMF AND THE WORLD BANK
[02] ISRAELIS WANT COOPERATION
[03] REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA HAS COMPLIED WITH ALL MILITARY OBLIGATIONS
[04] POORLY MOUNTED CASE
[05] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL LOOSES REPUTATION
[06] TESTIMONIES OF TORTURE IN MUSLIM PRISONS
[07] SECRET MUSLIM PLANS FOR ATTACK ON IFOR
[08] BOSNIAN CROATS ARREST NINE IRANIANS
[09] DONORS HAVE COMPLETELY FAILED
[10] TANKERS SHOULD NOT BE PURCHASED FROM CROATIA
[11] NEIGHBORS WITHOUT ANY AGREEMENT
[01] GOVERNOR AVRAMOVIC WRITES TO THE IMF AND THE WORLD BANK
Governor of the National (Central) Bank of Yugoslavia Dragoslav
Avramovic wrote a letter to the Director General of the
International Monetary Fond Michael Camdesy with the request to
open talks about the status of Yugoslavia in the Fond. In the
letter it is underlined that the recently achieved comprehensive
agreement on peace in former Yugoslavia and suspension of the UN
sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are making
it possible for our country to start planning reconstruction of
its economy, which in turn is creating conditions for
normalization of the relations between FR of Yugoslavia and the
IMF. Governor Avramovic points out that in the past period
Yugoslav economy has suffered an enormous inflation and that it
had succeeded in overcoming it, on the basis of the program
based on its own financial resources. "In the current efforts to
achieve stabilization, adjustments and liberalization and in the
preparations for democratization of the ownership rights,
including privatization and structural reforms, we are of
opinion that we can benefit from the assistance, experience and
advise of the international financial institutions" reads the
letter of Governor Avramovic. The same letter was submitted to
the President of the World Bank James Wolfenson and the other
international financial institutions and their officials.
(Politika, February 22, 1996)
[02] ISRAELIS WANT COOPERATION
During the visit to Israel, at the invitation of the Israeli
Minister of Agriculture, delegation of Serbia headed by the
Minister of Agriculture, Water Management of Forestry Ivko
Djonovic, had meetings with several representatives of the
Israeli companies from the field of agriculture and primary
agricultural production and processing. Talks were focused on
all forms of cooperation, said Djonovic and emphasized that
Israeli businessmen are interested as soon as possible, without
waiting for the final lifting of sanctions against Yugoslavia,
to establish contacts with corresponding companies in our
country, to contract deals of mutual interest, to initiate
construction of joint factories and have joint ventures on the
third markets. (Borba, February 22, 1996)
[03] REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA HAS COMPLIED WITH ALL MILITARY OBLIGATIONS
Commander of the international forces for the implementation of
peace in Bosnia (IFOR), Admiral Leighton Smit, stated last night
that the Republic of Srpska has complied with military
obligations deriving from the Dayton Peace Agreement for Bosnia,
new agencies report. "This statement is the basis for the UN
Security Council decision on sanctions against the Republic of
Srpska", reads the report of the IFOR in Sarajevo. Security
Council has imposed sanctions against the Republic of Srpska in
September 1994 when the Bosnian Serbs have refused the
international peace plan. (Tanjug, February 22, 1996)
[04] POORLY MOUNTED CASE
The arrest of high officers of the Republic of Srpska Army,
General Djukic and Colonel Krsmanovic and their transfer to the
prison in the Hague, is the case of a political nature and not a
judicial case, stated the defense attorney of General Djordje
Djukic, Belgrade defense attorney Toma Fila. After the meeting
with his defendant and members of the Tribunal, and after having
received requested documents of the arrest, Fila stated that it
is a poorly done job, without any legal grounds. At the request
to be told the precise status of Djukic, Fila was informed that
the general is not arrested, but only detained in confinement,
as a possible suspect and an eventual witness, and that the
detention will take 40 days at the most. If until March 17, 1996
no evidence should be found against him, Djukic will be returned
to the Sarajevo authorities, because allegedly, over there "a
legal criminal prosecution against him has been started". Fila
warned that in the legal practice there is no institution of the
investigation prison longer than 30 days. When Fila asked what
Djukic could be charged with, the answer was that it is expected
from General Djukic to say what he knows about the crimes for
which Mladic and Karadzic are indicted. At the further question
as to whether Djukic and Krmanovic have earlier been on the list
of suspects of the Tribunal, the answer was appalling: "No, they
were not because we did not know that they will be arrested".
(Borba, February 22, 1996)
[05] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL LOOSES REPUTATION
A renown Dutch professor of the international law from Limburg,
Theo van Bowen, voiced strong criticism of the International
Tribunal for War Crimes Committed in Former Yugoslavia. The
professor was the first secretary of the Tribunal during its
founding, but he had resigned. His opinion of the improprieties
in the work of the Tribunal and the dangers with which it is
faced were published by the distinguished Dutch newspaper "NRC
Handesblad", and the occasion was the arrest and extradition of
the two suspected Serbian officers Djukic and Krsmanovic.
Extradition of the two suspects to the Hague has no legal
grounds whatsoever, states van Bowen, quoting the example of the
arrest of one Muslim last year, who was held by the Dutch
authorities at the request of the Tribunal, and when the
Tribunal decided that there is no evidence of war crimes, he was
released. "This time judges were manipulated and I think that it
is a question of a political problem", says the professor and
warns: "No matter whose idea all this is, there is a great
danger for the Tribunal to become an extended arm of America and
its interests". (Vecernje novosti, February 22, 1996)
[06] TESTIMONIES OF TORTURE IN MUSLIM PRISONS
A group of Serbs who were tortured in Muslim prisons in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, has started yesterday giving testimonies in
the Rumanian city of Timisoara to the judges of the Hague
Tribunal about the suffered torture. Among the witnesses, who
have themselves selected Timisoara because they feel safe there,
mostly are the people above the age of 55. They are saying that
they have suffered torture about which it is difficult even to
speak, let alone endure it. Rumanian Radio is reporting of the
testimonies but is not specifying how large this group of
Serbian witnesses is. They are only saying that they are Serbian
prisoners who have come forward to testify for the Hague
Tribunal about the crimes committed over Serbian people in
Bosnia. (Politika, February 22, 1996)
[07] SECRET MUSLIM PLANS FOR ATTACK ON IFOR
Greek soldiers with the IFOR forces in Bosnia are faced with
many problems, and the greatest threats are coming from the
Muslim side. This is stated in the report of the Greek
intelligence service, reported last night by the TV station
"Anthena". The view that Muslims are the greatest threat to the
IFOR forces is also supported by both the Greek and the American
intelligence services. Both services are of the view that there
is a danger that Muslims may attack Greek soldiers from the IFOR
and that the incidents will be so played as to have Serbs
accused for it. The aim of such actions is to cause an
intervention by the IFOR, reads the report of the Greek
intelligence service. (Politika, February 22, 1996)
[08] BOSNIAN CROATS ARREST NINE IRANIANS
Bosnian Croat police has arrested nine Iranian citizens
suspected of having come to Bosnia with the aim to promote
Islamic revolution, reports the Radio of Bosnian Croats. The
Iranians arrested near the city of Jajce are claiming that they
are staying in Bosnia in order to organize humanitarian
concerts. The police has found with them propaganda material and
technical equipment which is used for intelligence purposes. The
spokesman of the State Department Nicholas Berns announced that
these Iranians were deported from Sarajevo to Iran, but also
added that the United States are concerned because it is
believed that in Bosnia there are still between 200 and 300
Islamic volunteers. "Our capacity to continue with equipping and
training is jeopardized for as long as we are not absolutely
sure that there are no more foreign soldiers in Bosnia",
underlined Berns. (Politika, February 22, 1996)
[09] DONORS HAVE COMPLETELY FAILED
Donor countries and international institutions did not fulfill
their promises to provide an urgent civilian revival of Bosnia,
which may have a crucial influence on lasting achievement and
preservation of peace. This is stated in the circles of the
European Union. Reuters states that at the December
international conference in Brussels the donors have promised an
aid in the amount of 559 million US dollars, but so far only
European Commission in Brussels has made available a part of the
promised funds - 62.5 million US dollars, while not even a cent
has arrived from other sources. (Borba, February 22, 1996)
[10] TANKERS SHOULD NOT BE PURCHASED FROM CROATIA
Moscow newspaper "Pravda" has called upon Russian ship-owners to
abstain from the scheduled purchase of tankers in Croatia and in
this way, preserving the national dignity, to show that they are
condemning the policy of 'a burnt-down country', terror and
national hatred in Krajina, and Serbian areas in Bosnia. It is a
question of a credit line of 225 million US dollars, which the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, together with
the banks of the West and Far East, has approved to the Russian
private company "Novosip" from Novorusiysk for purchase of 11
tankers from Croatia. The conditions of this financial program
are such that Russians must purchase all of these tankers in
Croatia, writes the newspaper and asks why European Bank wants
to break even its obligations towards Zagreb over the back of
Moscow. The newspaper is warning of the danger for the young
Russian business "to completely depart from the Russian foreign
policy and public opinion". Shipyards in Rijeka, Split and Pula
are obtaining enormous amount of dollars, while Black Sea
navigators ("grandsons of those who half a century ago were
saving Yugoslavia from the Ustashi and their Hitlerian
sponsors") must work to repay this credit for years to come. The
author of the text is asking managers of "Novosip" do they still
do not know that Croat soldiers were committing "the most
savage, sadistic terror which has not been witnessed for
decades". (Vecernje novosti, February 22, 1996)
[11] NEIGHBORS WITHOUT ANY AGREEMENT
How 'friendly' were the talks between the until yesterday
Yugoslav republics, and now 'independent and young democracies',
Slovenia and Croatia, is best illustrated by the statement made
by Dr. Zarko Domljan, head of the Parliamentary committee for
inter-state relations of the Republic of Croatia. "We are still
not thinking by a forcible action to solve the question of
frontiers with Slovenia. But if need be, it will be sufficient
to send 20 special fighters to Saint Gera". The disputable Saint
Gera is a strategically important point on the in-land part of
the Slovenian-Croat border, which Slovenians have seized in the
year 1991. Although according to the cadastre entries this
position belongs to Croatia, Slovenians do not have any
intention of withdrawing, just as the Croats have no intention
of sharing the Bay of Piran with Slovenians. The unresolved
frontier issues are a great stumbling block in the
Slovenian-Croat relations, and because of this even after four
years of independence the two neighbors have not yet signed even
one significant intergovernmental agreement. The statement by
Domljan was received in Slovenia with bitterness, as an open
threat with arms. Furthermore, in Croatia there is ever pending
problem of the Croat depositors to whom Ljubljanska Banka is
indebted for as much as 930 million DEM, which is one sixth of
the Slovenian state budget. Slovenia responds by claiming the
unresolved property and ownership rights of Slovenian legal and
physical entities in Croatia. (Vecernje novosti, February 22,
1996)
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