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Serbia Today 96-03-06
6 March 1996
In This Edition
UN OFFICIALS' REPORT DENIED
ON THE VERGE OF WAR
NEW CRIMES DISCOVERED
CONTENTS
[01] AGREEMENT ON FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN FRY AND BELORUSSIA
[02] SINCERE AND CLOSE RELATIONS BETWEEN BELGRADE AND BUCHAREST
[03] BUSINESSMEN FROM NORTHERN ITALY VISITING YUGOSLAVIA
[04] UN OFFICIALS' REPORT DENIED
[05] SERBS HAVE LEFT, THE MOSLEMS ARE SETTLING IN
[06] ON THE VERGE OF WAR
[07] THE ENTITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA HAS BEEN CONFIRMED
[08] EUROPE CONCERNED FOR THE TRAINING IN IRAN
[09] NEW CRIMES DISCOVERED
[01] AGREEMENT ON FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN FRY AND BELORUSSIA
At the session held yesterday, the Federal Government endorsed the
text of the Agreement on Friendship between the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia and the Republic of Belorussia, stressing the great
importance of the document in view of the coming visit of Yugoslav
President Zoran Lilic to Belorussia, due on March 6-9. The two
countries decided to sign the agreement "...bearing in mind the
raditionally friendly relations between the two nations and their
historical, cultural and spiritual closeness, and determined to
jointly act in promoting a free and democratic Europe in the respect
of democratic principles and the respect of the human rights."
Commenting the imminent President Lilic's visit to Belorussia in an
interview for "RTV BK Telcom", Belorussian President - Mr. Aleksandar
Lukashenko, stated: "You can fully rely on our country and on our
support." Mr. Lukashenko also remarked that this is confirmed by the
fact that Belorussia did not support the sanctions against FR
Yugoslavia and did not join the policy of the international community
"defined by the powerful". "There was no coherent policy or standing
of the international community" - Mr. Lukashenko said and added "We
cooperated with you then, and will do so in future as well."
(Politika, March 6, 1996)
[02] SINCERE AND CLOSE RELATIONS BETWEEN BELGRADE AND BUCHAREST
The Yugoslav Parliament delegation currently visiting Romania
and headed by Speaker of the Federal Chamber of Citizens - Dr.
Radoman Bozovic, has been received by Romanian President - Mr.
Jon Iliescu. The Romanian head of the state remarked that the
visit is taking place in a moment when important steps are being
taken in our region, and added that "...the Romanian people
suffered together with the Yugoslavs and viewed the event in the
neighboring region as a part of their own tragedy." President
Iliescu and the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Malescanu -
with whom the Yugoslav Parliamentarians have also met - stressed
that Bucharest endorses the sincere and constructive peace
efforts by President Milosevic and his team, and added that the
Romanians will do all they can to promote the idea of the
reintegration of FRY into the international community structure.
Dr. Bozovic underscored that Major importance is being given in
Belgrade to the imminent visit by President Iliescu, when a
Yugoslav-Romanian bilateral agreement will be signed. (Politika,
March 6, 1996)
[03] BUSINESSMEN FROM NORTHERN ITALY VISITING YUGOSLAVIA
Some 50 businessmen from northern Italy - headed by Mr. Adalberto
Danagio - Chairman of the Chamber of Economy of Trieste - met
yesterday at the Serbian Chamber of Economy with the most renown
Serbian businessmen. The delegation will precede to Kragujevac and
Novi Sad, thus confirming the good will to renew the cooperation with
the Serbian firms. Mr. Vlajko Stojiljkovic - Chairman of the Serbian
Chamber of Economy reminded that the economic relations with Italy
once were very intense - not only in the sphere of trade but in more
sophisticated forms as well. What we need now is the capital to
launch the production cycle , and therefore it is imperative that we
be urgently admitted to the global financial organizations - remarked
Mr. Stojiljkovic. Mr. Danagio illustrated his trust in the Serbian
economy by stating that even ten months ago - while the sanctions were
still effective - he visited Serbia and managed to find the way to
allow the presence of Serbian firms at the international fair held
last July in Trieste. He reminded that the Bar-Bari shipping line can
now be used for the transport of goods, and that another ferry line is
to be inaugurated. He also offered to the Serbian exporters of metal
and ore to use the free trade zone facilities in the Port of Trieste.
(Politika, March 6, 1996)
[04] UN OFFICIALS' REPORT DENIED
Two days ago Reuters news agency quoted the statement made by
Aleksandar Ivanko - spokesman of the international police forces
that "...in the past several weeks , international police forces
have registered 160 cases of eviction of non-Serbs from their
homes and apartments in Banjaluka." The day after he withdrew
this statement and added that these cases took place a long time
ago. Mr. Vladimir Curko - Head of the UNHCR Office in Banjaluka
also denied reports on Moslems and Croats being harassed by the
Serbs, and remarked that "...the situation is now stable even
normal." Regardless whether the first statement has been made
intentionally or inadvertently, an official acting as the
spokesman of the international police forces deployed in the
Balkans to ensure peace, diffused a false information about
Serbs molesting Moslems and Croats and thus jeopardized the
ethnic relations and contributed to ulterior global satanization
of the Serbs. This is particularly aggravated by the fact that
Mr. Ivanko's statement has been circulated by Reuters, whilst
Mr. Curko's denial - even though he has a far better view of the
situation since he is present in Banjaluka - has been reported
by BETA news agency alone. Thus, all those that are unable to
use BETA's information services will continue to believe that
all the "peace makers" in Bosnia want peace, that Reuters is
infallible and that the Serbs in Banjaluka are evil and vicious.
(Politika, March 6, 1996)
[05] SERBS HAVE LEFT, THE MOSLEMS ARE SETTLING IN
The United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
indicates that some 15.000-18.000 thousand Serbs will stay in
the five Sarajevo quarters which are to pass under Moslem
authority on March 19. UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmon also
remarked that 6.500 Moslems will settle in Vogosca with the help
of UNHCR. According to the UN official these people used to live
in Vogosca before the war and are now returning home after three
years. The UNHCR will allocate 2.5 million USD as immediate aid
for the return of these displaced Moslems. Mr. Redmon did not
provide an answer to the reporter's question when will any aid
be allocated for the 60.000 new Serbian refugees from the
Sarajevan suburbs. (Ekspres, March 6, 1996)
[06] ON THE VERGE OF WAR
Mr. Kresimir Zubak - leader of the Bosnian Croats stated that he fears
that the Croat-Moslem conflict might break out again unless the two
ethnic communities manage to settle their differences - Reuters
reports. Quoting the Split daily "Slobodna Dalmacija" which published
the speech Mr. Zubak recently addressed to the Bosnian intellectuals
in Sarajevo, the British agency specifies that the President of the
Moslem-Croatian Federation remarked that in some parts of the country
the two ethnic communities are on the verge of war. Mr. Zubak
indicated that the Moslems are responsible for the problems faced by
the Federation, and accused them of trying to dominate in the
political life even in those territories where the Croats constitute a
significant percentage of the population. The Moslems accepted the
Federation not as a model for future coexistence, but merely as an
expedient to impose their will to the minority nations in the common
state - Mr. Zubak said. (Vecernje Novosti, March 6, 1996)
[07] THE ENTITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA HAS BEEN CONFIRMED
After meeting with Mr. Rajko Kasagic - Prime Minister of the
Republic of Srpska - who is taking part in an international
round table on human rights in Bosnia, the Austrian Foreign
Minister - Mr. Wolfgang Shissel anticipated that his country
will establish relations with the Republic of Srpska. After the
signing of the Dayton Agreement, the Republic of Srpska has
undoubtedly become an entity - Mr. Shissel said and added that
Austria will now communicate with RS. Mr. Shissel is the first
member of the Austrian Government to have met in the past three
years with a high representative of the Bosnian Serb political
leadership. (Borba, March 6, 1996)
[08] EUROPE CONCERNED FOR THE TRAINING IN IRAN
The revelation made by The New York Times - about the training
of Bosnian Moslem soldiers in Iran, caused major concern in
international organization in charge of the implementation of
the peace plan for Bosnia - state the media in Brussels today.
The military expertise that the soldiers might acquire in
Teheran is not the main issue, but rather the Islamic
indoctrination - remarks the Belgian daily "La Libre Belgique".
The Paris "Le Figaro" affirms that the Bosnian soldiers have
been trained not only for commando operations, but even more so
as fanatic promoters of Islamist ideology - which is directly in
contrast with the Dayton Agreement. (Politika, March 6, 1996)
[09] NEW CRIMES DISCOVERED
Investigators working for the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO)
- headed by Mr. Zvonimir Cicak, discovered and made public in
the "Novi List" (Rijeka) another massacre of Serbian civilians
committed last August by Croatian Army troops. According to the
findings, the Croatian Army entered without fighting the village
of Komic (near Korenica) with two tanks and two armoured
vehicles, because only a dozen of the 190 inhabitants stayed in
the village. Seven have been killed (mostly elderly civilians)
and then the entire village has been set on fire. Some of the
unfortunate victims - like the paralyzed Maria Brkac (aged 75)
were burned alive in their home. HHO investigators also
discovered another mass grave in the zone of Banija where they
found 79 wooden crosses numbered from 100 to 179. According to
witnesses, the grave, which can not be accessed by civilians by
order of the Croatian Army, contains the bodies of the Serbs
massacred during the "Operation Storm" carried out by Croatian
forces. Based on evidence gathered by HHO, the Committee
Executive Director - Mr. Petar Mrkalj indicated that in former
Serbian Krayina there are at least 5000 graves containing the
remains of identified and unidentified Serbian victims.
(Politika, March 6, 1996)
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