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Serbia Today 96-02-23
Serbia Today
23 February 1996
In This Edition
YUGOSLAVIA AND FRANCE TO EXCHANGE AMBASSADORS
SECURITY COUNCIL AGAIN WARNS CROATIA
THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL BLIND IN THE FACE OF MASS CRIMES
CONTENTS
[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND FRANCE TO EXCHANGE AMBASSADORS
[02] SOON CUSTOMS FACILITIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
[03] SECURITY COUNCIL WARNS AGAIN CROATIA
[04] WITHOUT PLANS FOR A TRADE AGREEMENT WITH CROATIA
[05] SERBS PREVENTED FROM RETURNING TO CROATIA
[06] ASSOCIATION OF EXILED SERBS ACCUSES TUDJMAN
[07] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL BLIND IN THE FACE OF MASS CRIMES
[08] COOPERATION WITH IFOR ESTABLISHED AGAIN
[09] VOGOSCA UNDER CONTROL OF MUSLIM-CROAT POLICE
[10] ROME AGREEMENT FAILS IN MOSTAR
[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND FRANCE TO EXCHANGE AMBASSADORS
Governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the
Republic of France have decided to elevate their existing
diplomatic relations to the level of extraordinary and
plenipotentiary ambassadors. To this end, Bogdan Trifunovic was
nominated for the new extraordinary and plenipotentiary
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in France, who
was holding the position until now of the President of the
Federal Constitutional Court. Mr. Gabriel Keller, the present
charge d'affaires of the Embassy of France in the FR of
Yugoslavia was appointed the new extraordinary and
plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of France in the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
While qualifying the last year as the year of revival of
friendship, which did not happen just by chance or for
sentimental reasons, the newly appointed Ambassador Keller
stated for the "Politika" daily the following: "During the last
year we were able to see great efforts and engagement by the
Yugoslav Government and President of Serbia for establishment of
peace". Actually, as a recognition for this very important role
of Yugoslavia in diplomatic break-through, from Dayton to Paris
and Rome, the decision was passed for the diplomatic relations
between Belgrade and Paris to be elevated to the ambassadorial
level, said Keller, adding that France was among the first
countries to decide on this step also because of traditional and
sincere friendship with peoples of Serbia and Montenegro.
(Politika, February 23, 1996)
[02] SOON CUSTOMS FACILITIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia can expect customs facilities
which the European Union is granting to the other former
Yugoslav republics, as soon as it becomes formally recognized.
This was stated yesterday by Ivor Roberts, charge d'affaires of
the British Embassy in Belgrade. Formal recognition of the FR of
Yugoslavia will take place immediately upon mutual recognition
between Belgrade and Skopje, said Roberts in the Institute for
International Politics and Economics of Belgrade, during the
lecture on the situation in former Yugoslavia after Dayton
Agreement. Roberts emphasized the determination of the
international community to implement in full the peace agreement
on Bosnia-Herzegovina and not to allow the war to erupt again.
"Ways and means should be found for the renewal of mutual
economic and political cooperation in former Yugoslavia and with
its closest neighbors", said the British diplomate and
especially underlined that the successful realization of the
Yugoslav program of economic recovery will enable Yugoslavia to
have a free access to the European markets and the international
capital. (Politika, February 23, 1996)
[03] SECURITY COUNCIL WARNS AGAIN CROATIA
Security Council at its yesterday's session, again warned the
Croat authorities in Zagreb because of the violation of human
rights in Krajina, especially regarding the prevention of the
right of Serbian refugees to freely return to their homes, which
was insisted upon by the UN several times over the last months.
Council was having a debate on the report by the UN Secretary
General Boutros Boutros Ghali on the behaviors of Croat
authorities in respect to the human rights of the Serbian
population. In his report Ghali says that the situation in
Krajina is now a bit better than four months ago, but that it is
still terrible.
Both in the report and during the debate it was underlined that
Croat authorities by administrative barriers and by obstruction
are systematically preventing Serbian refugees from returning to
their homes. (Borba, February 23, 1996)
[04] WITHOUT PLANS FOR A TRADE AGREEMENT WITH CROATIA
British state minister in the Foreign Office, Sir Nicholas
Bonsor, stated in Zagreb that European Union for the moment has
no plans of continuing with Croatia negotiations on concluding
trade agreement. These negotiations were set aside in protest of
the European Union over the last summer's offensive of Croatia
on Krajina, recalls Reuters. (Politika, February 23, 1996)
[05] SERBS PREVENTED FROM RETURNING TO CROATIA
Croat Government is very slow in making possible the return of
Serbs to Croatia because there is a lot of bureaucratic
barriers. The stand of the United States is that all the exiled
Serbs are entitled to Croat citizenship, if they should so
desire, as well as to the return to their homes. This was stated
at the press conference in Vukovar by the U.S. Ambassador in
Croatia Peter Galbright, who added that so far 20,000 requests
for repatriation have been submitted. As one of the unnecessary
bureaucratic barriers he mentioned the lack of required
documents, although it is sufficient to check on the census
records from the year 1991 and, as the Ambassador said, see that
if someone was living in Croatia, he should be free to return
there. (Politika, February 23, 1996)
[06] ASSOCIATION OF EXILED SERBS ACCUSES TUDJMAN
Executive board of the Association of Exiled Serbs from Croatia
has called upon the Tribunal in the Hague "to bring before the
face of justice the initiators of evil in these areas, Franjo
Tudjman and his generals". In the communique by this
Association, which is representing interests of those exiled who
are now living in the Banja Luka region, it is said that the
Croat President and his military leaders are responsible for
"slaughters over Serbian people near Korana bridge, at Miljevaca
Plateau, Medacki dzep, Western Slavonia and western parts of the
Republic of Serbian Krajina". The Association has offered to
submit to the Tribunal in the Hague evidence about killings
committed by the Croat authorities from the year 1991.
(Politika, February 23, 1996)
[07] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL BLIND IN THE FACE OF MASS CRIMES
The Hague Tribunal has sufficient evidence for raising
indictments against Croats for crimes committed in Krajina -
from the aggression on Miljevacki Plateau, up to "The Storm"
offensive. There is no excuse for the fact that indictments have
not been raised so far. This is stated in the documentation and
information center of Krajina "Veritas" in Belgrade. The manager
of "Veritas" Savo Strbac says that the judges in the Hague on
two occasions were visiting Knin and have received extensive
documentation about the Croat crimes in Gospic, Miljevacki
Plateau, Ravni Kotari and Medacki dzep. Regardless of the fact
that the number of murdered Serbs in Western Slavonia had not
been as yet established finally, investigators from the Hague
had obtained initial gathered evidence of Croat crimes in this
area, when they have visited by the end of May Knin, says
Strbac, and adds that he is expecting new contacts with the
Hague, in order to submit new and numerous evidence of crimes of
Croats committed over civilian population of Krajina after the
aggression in August last year. (Politika ekspres, February 23,
1996)
[08] COOPERATION WITH IFOR ESTABLISHED AGAIN
Leadership of the Republic of Srpska: Presidency, National
Assembly, Government and Supreme Command of the Armed Forces,
have again established full cooperation with the representatives
of the international community, in accordance with the Dayton
Agreement and results of the Rome meeting. This was the
unanimous decision adopted at the session of the Republic of
Srpska Parliament. State authorities of the Republic of Srpska
have warned that the aim of the Republic of Srpska was to retain
Serbs in Serbian Sarajevo, but that the people who decides by
itself that it must leave must be offered every assistance.
At the same time, random claims that the leadership of the
Republic of Srpska is supporting exodus of people from Serbian
Sarajevo were rejected, and it was requested from the
international community that the two high Serbian officers be
immediately released from prison of the Hague Tribunal.
Responsibility for the exodus of Sarajevo Serbs rests with the
Muslim-Croat Federation, state the deputies because of the
pressure on the international community for Federation to take
over the rule promptly in Serbian Sarajevo. In this way, the
international public is deceived regarding the feeling of safety
of people in Serbian Sarajevo. (Vecernje novosti, February 23,
1996)
[09] VOGOSCA UNDER CONTROL OF MUSLIM-CROAT POLICE
Sarajevo suburb of Vogosca will be the first, from the total of
five municipalities, which according to the Dayton Agreement,
should come under the control of Muslim- Croat Federation as of
March 20, 1996. It was reported that 85 policemen of the
Federation will enter today Vogosca and practically will take
over the control over this part of the city which was until now
under the control of Serbian forces. Their entrance will be
escorted and monitored by 70 international policemen, under the
auspices of the UN. World news agencies are forecasting that
this will be a great test for the international police and at
the same time a warning that the Muslim-Croat Federation may
fail this exam if it is to start with any provocation of Serbs.
It is also warned that Muslim-Croat forces may have a lot of
problems in establishing civilian authority if in their ranks
there should be policemen who have participated in the war
against the Serbian side. According to the reports arriving from
Sarajevo suburbs, among population there is a lot of anxiety and
until now at least 20,000 persons have left five Sarajevo
municipalities. (Borba, February 23, 1996)
[10] ROME AGREEMENT FAILS IN MOSTAR
Municipal authorities of the eastern Muslim part of Mostar,
dissatisfied with the implementation of the Rome agreement and
with the amendments of the arbitration decision of the European
Administrator Hans Koshnik about this city, have submitted a
collective resignation, reports the Muslim Radio Mostar. "The
Rome agreement on Mostar has failed at the very start", says the
commentator. From the agreed freedom of movement throughout the
city there is no sign at all, because checking at control points
is being done just as before the Rome agreement. The same source
claims that in the Croat prisons there are still 11 Muslims who
were arrested two days ago and beaten. Although the Croat side
has given guarantees that barricades and barbed wire will be
removed from the city streets separating western from the
eastern part of Mostar, this was not done. "Croats in Mostar are
making fun of all the world", says the commentator of the Muslim
Radio Mostar. (Vecernje novosti, February 23, 1996)
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