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Serbia Today 96-04-02
2 April 1996
In This Edition
PARIS NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN FRY AND THE IMF
CROATIA IS OBSTRUCTING THE RETURN OF THE SERBS
THE ROLE OF AUSTRIA IN FINANCING THE MOSLEM GOVERNMENT
CONTENTS
[01] THE ERDUT AGREEMENT SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED
[02] PARIS NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN FRY AND THE IMF
[03] LOAN FOR THE YUGOSLAV RAILROADS
[04] CROATIA IS OBSTRUCTING THE RETURN OF THE SERBS
[05] ROBBERIES AND HARASSMENT OF THE SERBS CONTINUE
[06] MOSLEMS ARE STALLING THE RELEASE OF PRISONERS
[07] THE ROLE OF AUSTRIA IN FINANCING THE MOSLEM GOVERNMENT
[08] DER SPIEGL: ERRONEOUS BALKAN POLICY PURSUED BY BONN
[01] THE ERDUT AGREEMENT SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic met yesterday with Mr.
Jacques Klein - UN administrator for the Srem-Baranja Region and
his associates. President Milosevic and Mr. Klein remarked that
particular attention should be dedicated to the normalization
and improvement of the conditions in the Srem- Baranja Region
which should undoubtedly contribute to the reduction of tension
and the strengthening of mutual trust. It has been remarked that
the success of the peace process greatly depends upon the full
cooperation between the local bodies and the UN Administrator
and his team, ensuring the coherent implementation of the Erdut
Agreement.
Mr. Klein remarked that the talks were very successful and added
that President Milosevic and himself are optimists regarding the
situation in the Region. He also added that the civilian
population need not fear, because they will be given full
protection. Before we go - said the Administrator of the
Srem-Baranja Region - we will create a local government which
will include all representatives of the local population.
(Politika, April 2, 1996)
[02] PARIS NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN FRY AND THE IMF
The first negotiations between the delegation of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia and the International Monetary Fund in
Paris are drawing to an end. Well informed sources revealed that
the two sides displayed readiness to renew the cooperation. The
Yugoslav side believes that its renewed membership in this
important financial institution should be part of its return
into all international organizations as full member. This
position is based on the political-legal continuity of FRY
generated by the forcible disintegration of former Yugoslavia.
The Yugoslav delegation pointed out the need for an adequate
international support for its efforts to stabilize and
revitalize its economy, which would help the elimination of the
dire effects of the blockade that lasted a number of years, and
help the stabilization of the situation in former Yugoslavia.
(Politika, April 2, 1996)
[03] LOAN FOR THE YUGOSLAV RAILROADS
The European Bank for the financing of transport vehicles
(EUROFIMA) granted a specific 10 million Swiss franks loan to
the Yugoslav Railways for the purchase and reconstruction of new
transports vehicles - said Mr. Zivorad Maksimovic - General
Director of the Belgrade RR and YRR Deputy Chairman of the
Board. Last week, Mr. Maksimovic took part in the EUROFIMA
assembly in Basel which authorized the loan. Thus the Yugoslav
Railroads secured important financial support for the technical
renewal and overhaul, stemming from the successful financial
cooperation with EUROFIMA (Politika Ekspres, April 2, 1996)
[04] CROATIA IS OBSTRUCTING THE RETURN OF THE SERBS
The free return of all refugees is one of the cornerstones of
the Dayton Agreement. At the recent meeting of the warring sides
held in Geneva under international community mediation, the
commitment to allow and alleviate the return of all refugees -
regardless of their nationality - has been reaffirmed. Such an
obligation has also been assumed by Croatian President Franjo
Tudjman, but what followed is in complete contrast with the
spirit and the text of the signed agreements. In Croatia - in
the zones of former Krajina, various delegations of the Croatian
parliament delegations consisting of HDZ deputies are touring
the land and assuring the refugees transferred there that the
Serbian homes they have been given will be theirs to keep. They
are telling the Croatian refugees that "the return of the Serbs
to Croatia will never be allowed" and that they should not
worry, because President Tudjman signed the Geneva document on
urgent repatriation of the Serbian refugees only to pacify the
international community, but that this will not be carried out.
Time will show whether the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ)
officials are lying to the Croatian refugees, or is Mr. Tudjman
deceiving the international community, and someone will have to
answer for it. (Politika, April 2, 1996)
[05] ROBBERIES AND HARASSMENT OF THE SERBS CONTINUE
In the zone of Knin (Krajina) the robberies, harassment of the
remaining Serbian population and the systematic destruction of
Serbian houses continue. This is the conclusion of the Croatian
Helsinki Committee (HHO) which is monitoring closely the events
in Krajina after it has been occupied by the Croatian Army.
After the latest tour of the Krajina villages, the HHO reached
the conclusion that the normalization of the situation in this
part of Croatia is being deliberately obstructed and that the
Serbs are still being threatened not to return to their homes.
Numerous incidents such as houses being blown up, direct attacks
on civilians, physical harassment, robberies - committed with
the silent consent and often active support of policemen and
other government officials - reveal the general plan to pressure
the remaining Serbian population to leave their homes. The
Croatian Helsinki Committee invited the Croatian authorities to
apply energetic measures and prevent the destruction of property
and the harassment of the citizens - thus demonstrating "its
determination to endorse a state of law." (Politika, April 2,
1996)
[06] MOSLEMS ARE STALLING THE RELEASE OF PRISONERS
Mr. Hassan Muratovic - Prime Minister of the Moslem Government
in Sarajevo, announced that his government will not release the
remaining prisoners of war before the consent of the Hague
Tribunal. According to Radio Sarajevo, in a letter to Karl
Bildt, Mr. Muratovic specified that there are still 27 prisoners
in the Moslem jails. Seven of them have already been sentenced
and the remaining ones are suspected of crimes of war. In his
letter the Bosnian Moslem Premier reproached Mr. Bildt for his
statements about the obligation of the Moslems side to release
all prisoners are "absolutely incorrect and absurd". The
International peace mediator - Mr. Bildt previously stated that
all sides in Bosnia are obliged to release all prisoners and
threatened that those that fail to do so will suffer financial
consequences. Last month, the EU Ministerial Council also warned
that the conference of donating countries will not take place if
the warring sides in Bosnia fail to release all prisoners. The
Serbian side offered to the Moslems and Croats that all
prisoners be released simultaneously and unconditionally, but no
agreement has been reached in this regard. (Vecernje Novosti,
April 2, 1996)
[07] THE ROLE OF AUSTRIA IN FINANCING THE MOSLEM GOVERNMENT
In the past three years, whilst the war raged in Bosnia, Austria
took actively part in the financing of the Moslem Government in
Sarajevo. With the knowledge of the Austrian government, bank
accounts in Vienna have been used by Arab countries to transfer
funds used to purchase arms for Bosnia, cover the expenses of
the international tours of the Bosnian Moslem politicians and
their propaganda campaigns. These and numerous other facts -
backed by names, photo copies of documents and photographs -
have been revealed by Austrian journalists after they talked in
Istanbul with the principal financier of the Sarajevo government
- Dr. Elfatih Assanein from Sudan. He was contacted by Alija
Izetbegovic with the help of the Zagreb Mufti (Hassan Chengic)
and engaged to collect funds from the Moslem countries for the
Sarajevo government. The agency for aid to the third world,
founded in Vienna by Assenin, was initially a small and obscure
organization involved in promoting the war in Bosnia, but
quickly became a powerful financial institution that transferred
300 million dollars through its bank accounts in the past
several years. The money was used to pay for clothing, travel
expenses, hotel bills and luxury limousines for Alija
Izetbegovic and his associates. Among the various bills the
journalists found a truly curious one - a telephone bill made by
Alija Izetbegovic for 310.630 dollars. The money was brought to
the banks in suitcases, and sent on to Sarajevo the same way,
while some of it went to Croatian banks. The cash was used to
pay off European politicians for their favors. However, most of
the money was used to purchase arms. AK-47 rifles and missiles
were shipped to Bosnia in containers marked as humanitarian aid.
Austrian journalists affirm that the Austrian government was
fully aware of the operation and the secret accounts at all
times. (Vecernje Novosti, April 2, 1996)
[08] DER SPIEGL: ERRONEOUS BALKAN POLICY PURSUED BY BONN
German diplomacy failed completely in the Balkans - remarks
yesterday's Der Spiegl in an ample analysis of the actions of
the past and present German Foreign Minister (Genscher and
Kinkel) in this part of Europe. Germany should have realized
sooner that nothing can be done in the Balkans without the Serbs
and that the biggest Yugoslav nation can not be isolated. Der
Spiegl also remarks that the Foreign Ministry in Bonn has been
without clear ideas ever since 1991 and the recognition of
Slovenia and Croatia. (Borba, April 2, 1996) .
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