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Serbia Today 96-03-18
18 March 1996
In This Edition
Two years of national unity
All traces of Serbs are being deleted in Croatia
The Dayton Peace is destroying the multiethnic Sarajevo
CONTENTS
[01] SERBIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVED ELIZABETH RENN
[02] OPEN QUESTIONS ARE TO BE SETTLED THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS AND COOPERATION
[03] ONLY FRY IS FULFILLING ITS DAYTON COMMITMENTS
[04] TWO YEARS OF NATIONAL UNITY
[05] PEACE IN THE BALKANS DEPENDS ON RESPECT AND NON-INTERFERENCE
[06] ALBANIANS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN COOPERATION
[07] ALL TRACES OF SERBS ARE BEING DELETED IN CROATIA
[08] 'SERBS WILL NEVER COME AGAIN"
[09] THE TRUTH ON THE SUFFERANCE OF THE SERBS
[10] THE DAYTON PEACE IS DESTROYING THE MULTIETHNIC SARAJEVO
[11] SARAJEVO LIKE TEHERAN
[12] FAILURE OF THE CONFERENCE ON ARMAMENT OF BOSNIA
[01] SERBIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVED ELIZABETH RENN
During the talks between Serbian President Milosevic and Special
UN Reporter on Human Rights - Ms. Elizabeth Renn, the constant
efforts and impartial stands of the international organizations
- especially to those belonging to the UN system - regarding the
human rights and the settlement of the refugee problems have
been stressed. Underscoring that her talks with President
Milosevic was extremely important, Ms. Renn particularly pointed
out the situation in the Serbian remarking that it is
"devastating". UN representatives met with numerous Serbs that
wanted to stay in Sarajevo, but did not feel safe - said Ms.
Renn, adding that she asked the Sarajevo Government to allow
these people to return if they so wish, and that their property
be protected. (Politika, March 16, )
[02] OPEN QUESTIONS ARE TO BE SETTLED THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS AND COOPERATION
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic received the IFOR Commander
in Bosnia - US NAVY Admiral Leighton Smith, and his assistants.
Admiral Smith informed President Milosevic with the enactment of
the peace plan on Bosnia. It has been remarked that the planned
activities are being implemented successfully, allowing the
strengthening of peace in the entire area where hostilities
previously raged. Both sides indicated that the sides involved
will continue to settle all open questions through negotiations
and cooperation with the peace forces. According to Admiral
Smith, President Milosevic asked that all possibilities to
enhance the safety of the Serbs that decided to stay in their
homes be examined. (Politika, March 16, )
[03] ONLY FRY IS FULFILLING ITS DAYTON COMMITMENTS
A meeting involving the key figures that took part in the Dayton
talks is starting today in Geneva. The venue should be attended
by Serbian President Milosevic, Croatian leader Franjo Tudjman,
and Ejup Ganic representing the Sarajevo Government. Commenting
the sudden meeting in Geneva, Washington officials stressed that
it has not been prompted by a crisis of the peace process in
Bosnia, but that new stimuli are needed. The agenda of the
meeting is yet unknown, although it is expected that the latest
crisis of the federal partners in Bosnia (Moslems and Croats)
will be discussed. As far as FR Yugoslavia is concerned,
attempts to mitigate the criticism against the federal partners
with criticism against Yugoslavia have failed. In fact, all
parties agreed that only Yugoslavia has been fulfilling its
Dayton commitments, and provided proof that it truly endorses
peace in the Balkans. The general impression in Geneva is that
all the relevant international factors have also finally
understood this fact, so that the pressure for the
implementation of the peace agreement is being shifted to those
that have been undermining it right from the start. Even the US
Secretary of State - Mr. Warren Chrisher, who will chair the
Geneva meeting, acknowledged President Milosevic's efforts to
coherently implement the commitments assumed in Dayton.
(Politika, March 17, 1996)
[04] TWO YEARS OF NATIONAL UNITY
Commenting the second anniversary of the national unity
government - Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic stated for
Politika that "This Cabinet has been given the mandate during an
extremely dire period for the Serbian people. We have managed to
find the force and the way to overcome the difficulties, and I
believe that we will similarly fond the strength to quickly
integrate Serbia - i.e. FR Yugoslavia - into the international
community. The preconditions have been secured by the peaceful
policy pursued by our President Slobodan Milosevic." The
Government objectives include preserving the stability of the
prices, the firm rate of the dinar, reduction of public
expenditures, promotion of market economy and exports along with
a high growth rate of the national product. - Mr. Marjanovic
said, also stressing that "The basic task of the Government in
the forthcoming period is to use all available potentials to
increase the living standard of the people." (Politika, March
18, 1996)
[05] PEACE IN THE BALKANS DEPENDS ON RESPECT AND NON-INTERFERENCE
The only road to peace in the Balkans leads through mutual
acknowledgment and cooperation of the regional countries, based
on equality, common interests and non-interference in internal
affairs - remarked Federal Prime Minister Radoje Kontic in an
interview for the Slovenian daily "Vecer". "We expect Slovenia
to practically corroborate its declared interest in developing
relations and cooperation with our country." - said Dr. Kontic.
He also observed: "It is illogical to see Slovenia endorse the
normalization of relations, whilst, at the same time, its
representatives are assuming extreme stands in our regards in
all international forums and institutions. Commenting the
question of succession and division of the property of former
Yugoslavia - constituting the only remaining controversy between
Slovenia and FR Yugoslavia - Dr. Kontic underlined that FRY is
convinced that it has submitted a just proposal - meeting the
criteria and principles adopted by all sides - but that it is
more than willing to discuss counter-proposals provided that
they treat equitably all legitimate interests. (Borba, March 18,
1996)
[06] ALBANIANS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN COOPERATION
Federal Minister for Human and Minority Rights - Ms. Margit
Savovic, stated that the offer of dialogue has long been made to
the representatives of the ethnic Albanians, and that -
lamentably, it has not yet been accepted. In various forums, the
international community clearly defined that the Province of
Kosovo and Metohija is an integral part of Serbia and FR
Yugoslavia, but then it failed this position on many occasions -
invoking unfounded assertions on the massive breach of the
rights of ethnic Albanians - which merely maintained the tension
concerning the province - Ms. Savovic said. She also specified
that the government policy is to institute the dialogue
concerning life issues, education, employment and health-care,
namely all those benefits that the Albanians rejected against
their own interest, provided that they recognize and accept as
their own, the state they are discussing these issues with.
(Borba, March 18, 1996)
[07] ALL TRACES OF SERBS ARE BEING DELETED IN CROATIA
Whilst state authorities are taking steps to fully normalize the
relations between Croatia and Yugoslavia - and between the two
major nations in the region the Serbs and the Croats, a new
campaign to delete all that has had Serbian connotations for
centuries or even vaguely recalls the presence Serbs has been
launched. The latest example of such vandalism has taken place
in the Vrgin Most County (in Kordun) where the Serbs were 90 %
of the population before the Croatian aggression on Krajina. The
Croatian settlers from Bosnia have now renamed Vrgin Most into
Gvozd. Various other localities such as Vorkapic, Crevarska
Strana, Batinova Kosa, Perna, Gornja Cemernica, Donja Cemernica,
Cremusnica will be given new - more Croatian - names. These name
changes clearly reveal the mental attitude and the social
awareness ruling today in Croatia, indicating a community with
the mentality of barbarians eradicating all that does not belong
to their tribe. Changing the names of towns is far from
civilized behavior, especially since this goes against the will
of the original inhabitants that are being denied (illegally as
well) the right to return to their homes. (Politika, March 16,
1996)
[08] 'SERBS WILL NEVER COME AGAIN"
Speaking at a rally held in the Dalmatian town of Benkovac and
celebrating the sixth anniversary of the founding of the HDZ
(Croatian Democartic Community) branch in this locality,
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman promised: "We will also
liberate the Croatian lands along the Danube!", but did not
mention the Serbian refugees from Croatia. However, his party
officials openly and gleefully stressed that the Serbs have gone
and "will never come back." Mr. Drago Krpina, a Croatian
Parliament deputy from Benkovac remarked that the Serbs have
gone where they had originally come from" whilst the Croatian
Attorney General - Mr. Petar Sale added: "Thank God, they're
gone, I hope they'll never come back." (Politika, March 18,
1996)
[09] THE TRUTH ON THE SUFFERANCE OF THE SERBS
The founding assembly of the "Association of the Victims of the
1990-1991 Croatian Regime" has been held yesterday in Vukovar.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Budimir Kosutic of the Federal
Foreign Ministry remarked: "The Serbian is being hurt in two
ways: we are suffering enormous sacrifices and being satanized
at the same time. We must make the international community
realize how much suffering our nation faced, and we must not
allow the to continue finding new expedients to mask our anguish
and hide their errors. It is high time to inform the world about
the enormous number of victims our people had, and about our
fidelity to the predominant characteristic of our nation - not
committing crimes." (Politika, March 18, 1996)
[10] THE DAYTON PEACE IS DESTROYING THE MULTIETHNIC SARAJEVO
The multi-ethnic Sarajevo survived the war, but is seems that it
will not survive the peace - states yesterday's Washington Times
commentary. Quoting western observers in the Balkans, the same
article indicates that united Bosnia probably will not survive
the Dayton peace either. It is not accidental that only Moslems
have stayed in Sarajevo - says the US daily. The Moslem
authorities did nothing to offer any guarantee to the Serbs that
might have stayed in the city, nor did the police take any
actions against the Moslem gangs that have been harassing the
Serbs lately - observes the Washington Times adding that the
continuous close military and intelligence ties with Iran, the
latest events in Sarajevo and the growing tension within the
Moslem-Croatian Federation - confirm that Izetbegovic and his
party are slowly creating a Moslem state within Bosnia, even
though it might be a small one. The policy of a muti-ethnic
Bosnia hardly exists and the country will be divided in three
ethnically homogenous miniature states, which is contrary to the
Dayton Agreement - a document promoting and endorsing a unitary
and multi-ethnic Bosnia - states the Washington daily. (Vecernje
Novosti, March 18, 1996)
[11] SARAJEVO LIKE TEHERAN
Dr. Radovan Karadzic - President of the republic of Srpska
stated that the international community made a serious mistake
in granting most of Sarajevo to the Moslems, because there will
be no room for Christians in that city - be they Serbs or
Croats. Sarajevo will thus become the European Teheran, and be
used as a main base for terrorism against Europe itself - reads
the statement issued by Dr. Karadzic - which indicates that the
Republic of Srpska (RS) and FR Yugoslavia will be the first line
of defense from Islamic terrorism. Mr. Karadzic also remarked
that the RS authorities wanted local Serbs to stay in Sarajevo,
but that their exodus from the Bosnian capital did not undermine
the Dayton peace, since it far more jeopardized by the
controversial relations between the Moslems and Croats in their
non-existent federation. (Vecernje Novosti, March 17, 1996)
[12] FAILURE OF THE CONFERENCE ON ARMAMENT OF BOSNIA
The international conference on the strengthening of the Bosnian
Army failed since most of the countries that took part in the
meeting avoided giving a concrete contribution to the
realization of the military program promoted by Turkey and
America. The Bosnians believed that the have been granted minor
aid - comments the Turkish daily "Jumhuriet" observing that the
"donor conference" turned into a meeting for empty promises.
Except for America and Turkey, none of the 22 participating
countries assumed concrete commitments regarding donations for
the Bosnian army. The biggest surprise for the conference
organizers came from Saudi Arabia, whose representative failed
to show up. Observers remark that the absence is rather based on
political than economic reasons. They are based on rivalry,
because Saudi Arabia, just like Turkey and Iran is trying to
secure a predominant influence in Bosnia. (Ekspres, March 17,
1996)
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