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Serbia Today 96-03-19
19 March 1996
In This Edition
MILOSEVIC: CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR A NORMAL LIFE OF ALL PEOPLE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
TALKS BETWEEN HUNGARIAN AND YUGOSLAV BUSINESSMEN
NO ONE IS PROTECTING THE SERBS
CONTENTS
[01] MILOSEVIC: CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR A NORMAL LIFE OF ALL PEOPLE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
[02] PROBLEMS REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE AGREEMENT ON BOSNIA SHOULD BE OVERCOME
[03] TALKS BETWEEN HUNGARIAN AND YUGOSLAV BUSINESSMEN
[04] BOSNIA MIGHT BE DIVIDED
[05] SARAJEVO - THE BEGINNING OF THE END
[06] NO ONE IS PROTECTING THE SERBS
[07] HANDKE IS CRITICIZING AUSTRIA
[01] MILOSEVIC: CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR A NORMAL LIFE OF ALL PEOPLE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
After the meeting in Geneva which dealt with the implementation
of the Dayton agreement, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic
made the following statement for TANJUG news agency: "The
objective of this meeting was to allow the signatories of the
Dayton Agreement to exchange opinions and reach an accord on the
steps that are to be taken and thus accelerate the
implementation of the peace agreement and strengthen all its
various aspects. In this sense, the three sides in Bosnia have
agreed to finally release all prisoners, representing a major
step in reducing the tensions. Secondly, I believe that the most
important issue regarding the normalization of relations both in
the Republic of Srpska and the Moslem-Croatian Federation - the
elections - should be treated almost identically by all sides.
In fact, all sides agreed that the preparations for the
elections and the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina should be
accelerated, since this is the only right way to generate the
atmosphere for the functioning of normal state institutions and
the creation of normal living conditions for the people."
President Milosevic also stressed that the good news for the
people of the Republic of Srpska is that it has been agreed that
air traffic be introduced between Belgrade and Banjaluka and
Belgrade and Sarajevo, which will further help the mutual
contacts. "Generally, the meeting with all sides involved, and
the representatives of US and other Contact Group member
countries, can be judged positively." - concluded President
Milosevic. (TANJUG, March 19, 1996)
[02] PROBLEMS REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE AGREEMENT ON BOSNIA SHOULD BE OVERCOME
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic met yesterday with US
Secretary of State Chrisher in the American Mission in
Geneva, and discussed with him various issues concerning the
Dayton peace agreement. It has been remarked that the military
part of the agreement has been fulfilled almost completely,
whilst the major delays are visible in the political sphere,
where additional efforts must be made to ensure the elections in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. The two sides also agreed that
Yugoslavia gave a major contribution to the stabilization of the
situation in the crisis region, and that FRY is currently the
only side that fulfilled all its obligations defined by the
Dayton document. During the meeting hope has been expressed that
the cooperation on the implementation of the peace agreement
will be continued and that similar commitments will be required
from all the international community factors and from the IFOR
forces. Bilateral issues and perspectives for enhancing the
cooperation between Yugoslavia and the US were particularly
discussed. (Politika, March 19, 1996)
[03] TALKS BETWEEN HUNGARIAN AND YUGOSLAV BUSINESSMEN
A two day meeting between Yugoslav and Hungarian businessmen
from the chemical and metal sector started yesterday in
Belgrade. At the meeting, organized by the ministries of
industry of Serbia and Hungary, new business partners will be
able to establish contacts, and old cooperation in these sectors
renewed, since it has a long tradition. It has been stressed
that business cooperation with Hungary was never interrupted -
even during the sanctions - and some 11.000 Yugoslav companies
are present on the Hungarian market in various forms of business
activities. Serbian Minister for Industry - Mr. Oskar Fodor,
stressed that Hungary is one of the rare countries that did not
introduce visas for Yugoslav citizens, thus allowing our
businessmen to establish numerous contacts with partners in the
neighboring country. "Since both countries suffered major losses
due to the sanctions against Yugoslavia, forces should now be
joined to overcome these drawbacks." - said Mr. Fodor.
(Politika, March 19, 1996)
[04] BOSNIA MIGHT BE DIVIDED
Mr. Kresimir Zubak - President of the Moslem-Croatian Federation
stated that it is possible that the current situation in Bosnia
might be solved by dividing the country. In an interview for
"Slobodna Dalmacija" (a Split daily) Mr. Zubak elaborated on the
thesis that "Bosnia has already been divided by the Washington
agreement" and that the relations in Bosnia might have the same
fate. He stressed that there will be no re-integration of Bosnia
"...the way Mr. Haris Silajdzic hopes, because this will be
rejected both by the Serbian and the Croatian people, and Mr.
Izetbegovic's plans are even less acceptable." Mr. Zubak
specified that the Moslems want a national state with Serbs and
Croats as minorities, and added that Bosnia and Herzegovina
might become a federal-confederate type state, i.e., a community
of three sovereign nations. (Politika,March 19, 1996)
[05] SARAJEVO - THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Violent controversies between the ruling parties (Croatian and
Moslem) in the "B&H Federation" clearly indicate that
coexistence with "the others" is unacceptable for either side.
It seems that the crisis in the canton of Sarajevo will the
beginning of the end for Bosnia - states the Slovenian daily
"Delo". Reminding that major concessions have been given in
Mostar to the Croats, and that they are now asking for things in
Sarajevo that they would not give the Moslems in Mostar, the
Lubljana newspaper indicates that the question of a just
division of Bosnia reappears. Sarajevo might well mark the
beginning of the end of Bosnia - remarks the "Delo" article.
(Vecernje Novosti, March 19, 1996)
[06] NO ONE IS PROTECTING THE SERBS
Chaos and desolation reigning in the past several days in the
Serbian quarters of Sarajevo clearly illustrate how painful and
how ineffective is the implementation of the Dayton peace plan.
The American media reporting on the dramatic situation faced by
the remaining Serbs in these parts of Sarajevo, stress that the
shortcomings in implementing the peace agreement should be
primarily attributed to the international community that did
practically nothing to protect the Sarajevan Serbs from the
raging Moslem gangs that are harassing, robbing and plundering.
The "New York Times" commentator remarks that the concept of
unitary Bosnia, used as a basis for the Dayton Agreement, exists
only on paper and that Alija Izetbegovic does not want a
multi-ethnic Bosnia. (Politika Ekspres, March 19, 1996)
[07] HANDKE IS CRITICIZING AUSTRIA
In an interview published by the Vienna weekly "Der Profile",
the Austrian writer Peter Handke newly criticized the role his
country played in the Yugoslav crisis. Commenting the hasty
recognition Vienna granted to the secessionist republics of
Slovenia and Croatia, Mr. Handke strongly criticized the former
Democratic Christian Foreign Minister - Alois Mock, but also
reproached the Social-Democrat Prime Minister Franz Vranicky for
not standing up against the "malicious activities" of the former
head of the Austrian diplomacy. Mr. Handke was interviewed after
the first public reading of his essay "Justice for Serbia" which
caused stormy reactions in Germany, and provoked similar
reactions and debates in Austria. (Borba, March 19, 1996)
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