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Serbia Today 96-03-25
25 March 1996
In This Edition
MILUTINOVIC: YUGOSLAVIA HAS FULFILLED ALL DAYTON OBLIGATIONS
GHALI ACCUSES MUSLIM GOVERNMENT
REN STRONGLY CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT IN CROATIA
CONTENTS
[01] MILUTINOVIC: YUGOSLAVIA HAS FULFILLED ALL DAYTON OBLIGATIONS
[02] DISSATISFACTION OF FRANCE WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE PROCESS
[03] AGAINST ADDITIONAL INTERPRETATIONS
[04] GHALI ACCUSES THE MUSLIM GOVERNMENT
[05] FIRST INDICTMENTS FOR CRIMES AGAINST SERBS
[06] THE SERB IS NOT A WAR CRIMINAL
[07] REN STRONGLY CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT IN CROATIA
[08] CROATIA BLOCKS THE RETURN OF SERBS
[09] PROTEST OF SURVIVING PRISON CAMPS INMATES
[10] FALSE ACCUSATIONS BY THE SWEDISH PRESS
[01] MILUTINOVIC: YUGOSLAVIA HAS FULFILLED ALL DAYTON OBLIGATIONS
After the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Contact Group
member- countries, with participation of the foreign ministers
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia and the
government in Sarajevo, held on Saturday in Moscow, chief of the
Yugoslav diplomacy Milan Milutinovic stated that everyone is
expecting a strong impulse to the implementation of the peace
process in Bosnia-Herzegovina. "Peace, stability, comprehensive
development and good neighborly relations in the region are the
strategic targets of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Guided
by this, Yugoslavia has fulfilled all of its obligations from
Dayton and is continuing with active efforts in the direction of
their full implementation", said the Yugoslav foreign minister.
One of the most important conditions for bringing into life of
the peace agreement and for the normalization of the overall
relations in Bosnia-Herzegovina is a prompt organization of the
elections, on which its future will greatly depend, said
Milutinovic. Reconstruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and of the
other parts of former Yugoslavia, is also an important condition
for establishing a stable peace. "It is beyond understanding
that funds are available for import of arms and that funds are
lacking for development", underlined Milutinovic. Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia is making efforts aimed at normalization
of the relations with former Yugoslav republics, and a gradual
significant progress is being made. Bearing in mind its
consistent and peaceful policy in all phases of reaching and
realization of the peace agreement, Yugoslavia is expecting a
clear and very concrete support to its policy, underlined the
Yugoslav Minister of Foreign Affairs. (Politika, March 24, 1996)
[02] DISSATISFACTION OF FRANCE WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE PROCESS
France has warned again, after the meeting two days ago in
Moscow, that the peace process in Bosnia-Herzegovina is on a
dead-end street because instead of the peace process, what is
now seen is a process of ethnic separation and division of
Bosnia, reported the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the
communique, as very dangerous and risky is qualified the crisis
of the dual federation which is called by the Paris commentators
"a heel of Achilles" of the Dayton Agreement. There are strong
remarks sent most of all to Zagreb, demanding that Franjo
Tudjman secures the respect of all the provisions of the Peace
Agreement. It is stated in Paris that the peace process in
Bosnia is threatened by three main dangers: a fundamental crisis
of the Croat-Muslim Federation, the determination of the United
States to arm the Muslim army and the announcement by President
Clinton that he will withdraw American troops from Bosnia before
the end of this year regardless of the situation at hand.
(Politika, March 25, 1996)
[03] AGAINST ADDITIONAL INTERPRETATIONS
In the information on the Moscow meeting of the Contact Group
and of the signatories of the Dayton Agreement, Ukraine media
are underlining the importance of strict implementation of the
Dayton Agreement. This was also pointed out by the chief of the
Ukraine diplomacy Genady Udovenko in his talk with the Yugoslav
Ambassador in the Ukraine Gojko Dapcevic. Ukraine is
energetically opposed to any additional interpretations and
conditions in the implementation of the peace documents signed
in Dayton, said Udovenko. He also paid tribute to Serbia and the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for, as he said, a great role in
conceiving and practical realization of the provisions of the
Dayton Peace Agreement. (Politika, March 25, 1996)
[04] GHALI ACCUSES THE MUSLIM GOVERNMENT
The UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali has accused the
Muslim Government in Sarajevo because it did not undertake
anything in order to protect Serbian population in the Sarajevo
suburbs and offer them guarantees to remain and live there. In
his report which Ghali has prepared for the Security Council,
accusations are stated of the Muslim Government which by its
passive role has helped the exodus of Serbs from Sarajevo. Not
only have they failed to undertake any measures in order to
offer safety to Serbs, but the Muslim authorities did not even
protect them from bestialities of the Muslim gangs which have
started harassment there during the time of transition of
Serbian suburbs to the control of the Muslim-Croat Federation.
As proof of these statements Ghali is quoting the behavior of
television of the ruling Muslim party SDA which in these days
was broadcasting Islamic and nationalistic programs instead of
promoting a religious and ethnic tolerance, which was the point
of departure of the Dayton Peace Agreement when it expressed
itself in favor of a wholesome and multi-ethnic Bosnia.
(Vecernje novosti, March 24, 1996)
[05] FIRST INDICTMENTS FOR CRIMES AGAINST SERBS
International Tribunal in The Hague has raised indictments
against three Muslims and one Croat from Bosnia for crimes
committed against Serbs. Zejnil Delalic, Hazim Delic and Esad
Landjo, as well as a Croat Zdravko Mucic are the first accused
of the Hague Tribunal for crimes against Serbs. The Tribunal has
also raised an indictment against a Serb Goran Lajic recently
arrested in Germany. All the five accused are charge with grave
violation of the war law and laws of warfare from the Geneva
Convention, as well as for crimes committed against humanity.
From the total of 59 accused,47 are Serbs, eighth are Croats and
only four are Muslims. (Politika, March 23, 1996)
[06] THE SERB IS NOT A WAR CRIMINAL
The newspaper "Vesti" from Frankfurt, a very widely read daily
newspaper published in the Serbian language among the Yugoslavs
in diaspora, is publishing today an article in which many
witnesses are claiming that the 28 year old Serbs Goran Lajic
from Banja Luka, is arrested by mistake and that he is not the
person to whom the Tribunal in the Hague is ascribing crimes
committed in the prison camp of Keraterm. In the article
witnesses for the defense of Lajic's innocence are both Muslims
and Croats who have shared the fate of refugees in Germany
together with his family. All those who know him are claiming
that a grave mistake has been made by the German authorities and
that an innocent man has been arrested. According to these
testimonies, Lajic was, for a brief time at the beginning of
war, among the ranks of the regular military police of the
Republic of Srpska Army, but was performing his duties in Nova
Topola and Laktasi, and was never in his life in Prijedor, for
which he is accused by the Hague Tribunal. (Politika ekspres,
March 25, 1996)
[07] REN STRONGLY CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT IN CROATIA
In her second report which is to be submitted next month, the
special UN envoy for human rights in former Yugoslavia Elizabeth
Ren is strongly criticizing authorities in Croatia for
everything that has happened and that is happening in Krajina,
because of intolerance towards Serbs who have remained in this
former Yugoslav republic and because of many other forms of
violation of human rights. Ren is stating that killing of Serbs
who have remained in Krajina "is decreased" and plunder of their
homes and property. She is quoting the UN data that 5,000
Serbian houses have been destroyed, while the Croat authorities
are claiming that only 757 houses were destroyed. Croat
authorities are also severely reprimanded for blocking the
return of Serbian refugees and especially for forcible eviction
of Serbs from their apartments in Croatia. In the latest report
Ren is stating that an outstanding progress has been made in
cooperation with the Republic of Srpska. In the part pertaining
to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, special envoy is
especially thanking Yugoslav authorities for their cooperation.
(Politika, March 23, 1996)
[08] CROATIA BLOCKS THE RETURN OF SERBS
President of the Croat Helsinki Board for Human Rights Ivan
Zvonimir Cicak has stated that Croatia is blocking the return of
exiled Serbs and that it is doing this systematically and by all
means. "The exiled Serbs are Croat citizens, and they are saying
here that the return will be denied to them, except
individually", said Cicak in his interview for the Rijeka "Novi
list". The world is insisting that Serbs should return because
in the case of contrary, the results of ethnic cleansing would
be legalized, warned Cicak and added that during the last year
the most brutal violations of human rights have taken place,
starting with the Western Slavonia and up to Krajina. According
to Cicak, "Croat authorities are not only showing disrespect for
the highest standards of human rights, but their political
platform is the disrespect and violation of human rights".
(Politika, March 24, 1996)
[09] PROTEST OF SURVIVING PRISON CAMPS INMATES
Section of prison camp inmates from World War Two and the League
of Veterans of Yugoslavia have sent an appeal to the United
Nations and other international organizations, demanding
recognition of the largest prison camp in the Balkans, the third
in rank according to the number of victims in occupied Europe,
and the first according to bestialities committed there - the
prison camp Jasenovac, to be proclaimed the historical monument
of interest for mankind. The protest gathering of the section of
inmates and veterans was organized because of the reply by the
UNESCO, refusing the proposal of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia to proclaim Jasenovac killing grounds the memorial
under the protection of the UN, with the explanation that the
Jasenovac prison camp complex is located in Croatia. Refusing to
accept this explanation, veterans have underlined that from
700,000 killed Serbs, Jews and Gypsies in Jasenovac, between 300
and 400 thousand was killed in the village of Gradina which is
now located in the territory of the Republic of Srpska. The
efforts of Tudjman's government to reconcile now in Jasenovac
executioners with their victims and such an attitude of UNESCO
towards Jasenovac are the stand not adequate for the civilized
world, said Dr. Ilija Vukovic, Secretary of the Federal Board of
the League of Veterans. (Politika, March 23, 1996)
[10] FALSE ACCUSATIONS BY THE SWEDISH PRESS
Swedish press is continuing to satanize Serbs, accusing them of
desecrating the Memorial Museum of Jasenovac, where the Ustashi
during World War Two have killed 700,000 Serbs, Gypsies and
Jews. The correspondent of the newspaper "Swenska Dagbladet"
Richard Schwartz writes that the windows of the museum were
broken, the book of visitors destroyed and that in the
exhibition halls displaying exhibits there are empty food cans
and bullet shells. He is not mentioning, however, that the
museum Jasenovac was seized by Croats in May last years, during
their aggression on the Republic of Serbian Krajina. Serbian
side has warned the international community that Croat soldiers
are desecrating the memorial complex, but all was in vain, and
now the Swedish press is completely reversing the truth.
(Politika ekspres, March 25, 1996)
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