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Serbia Today 96-06-24
Serbia Today
24 June 1996
CONTENTS
[01] BELGIAN-YUGOSLAV ECONOMIC TALKS START TODAY
[02] SPECIAL STATUS IN CROATIA
[03] EVIDENCE AGAINST TUDJMAN AND IZETBEGOVIC
[04] PUBLICATION ON CROATIAN CRIMES ON THE MILJEVAC PLATEAU
[05] SERBS ARE LEAVING SARAJEVO BECAUSE OF HARASSMENT
[06] TOUCHING TESTIMONIES FROM SARAJEVO
[07] BOSNIAN CROATS WANT A "GREATER CROATIA"
[08] SERBS CAN NOT RETURN TO MOSTAR
[09] SERBIAN VILLAGES USED AS TEST-GROUNDS FOR NEW WEAPONS
[10] DOLECEK: THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL WON'T HEAR OUT THE OTHER SIDE
[11] "US AND THE SERBS" - BOOK OF ESSAYS IN FRENCH
[01] BELGIAN-YUGOSLAV ECONOMIC TALKS START TODAY
Upon an invitation of the Belgian Government and the
Foreign Trade Council - encompassing all the major Belgian
foreign-trade companies, a delegation of Yugoslav
businessmen headed by the Federal Minister of Trade - Mr.
Djordje Siradovic will visit Brussels today. Great interest
exists in Belgium today for the renewal of the economic
cooperation and trade with FR Yugoslavia U, illustrated by
the fact that the Foreign Trade Council sent invitations to
several hundred Belgian firms. They are to take part in a
special seminar on the potentials of the Yugoslav economy,
where they will be given first-hand information by Minister
Siradovic and representatives of the Yugoslav industry.
Yugoslav businessmen and officials are expected to clearly
illustrate the potentials, make specific offers and
demands, and to accept the rules of the open European
market. (Borba, June 24, 1996)
[02] SPECIAL STATUS IN CROATIA
The deputies of the Assembly of the Serbian Region of
Eastern Slavonija, Baranja and Western Srem met on Friday
in Dalj. They unanimously approved the declaration on the
settlement of the status of the region. The recognition of
a special status for this region is justified by
historical, geographic, ethnic and political factors. This
is why a special status would be the best solution - reads
the preamble of the Declaration. The document also reminds
that the decisive reason for the EU recognition of Croatia
- in spite of the Badinter Committee position that it does
not meet the requirements for independence, and this was
the US opinion as well - was the Croatian readiness to
respect commitments about the special status of parts of
its territory where the Serbs represented the absolute or
relative majority. Along with the fact that the recognition
of such a status would allow the region to remain a multi-
ethnic, pluri-confessional and multi-cultural community, in
the respect of the highest international standards
regarding human rights and basic freedoms, particular
importance is given to the special status in accordance
with the Erdut Agreement. "In view of all these reasons, we
ask the international community to ensure a special status,
with all the characteristic elements of the regions that
are part of the European regional community", the document
concludes. (Politika, 22.6.)
[03] EVIDENCE AGAINST TUDJMAN AND IZETBEGOVIC
Prof. Dr. Vojin Dabic - Director of the Serbian Congress
Information Center - stated yesterday that the Center
gathered and submitted to the Hague Tribunal investigators
that recently visited Vukovar, sufficient evidence for
indicting Franjo Tudjman and Alija Izetbegovic for crimes
of war. The Center has demonstrated that "the Croatian
President know about the concentration camp in the village
of Marino Selo near Pakrac and about the crimes committed
there", and that "...sufficient evidence has been collected
to indict Izetbegovic for war crimes in the case of
Celebici camp." Speaking about the investigation of the
crimes in Vukovar, Dr. Dabic remarked that in this town
"so many crimes against Serbs have been committed the
Croatian troopers that the Hague Tribunal could deal only
with them in the next ten years". The series of crimes
against Serbs in Vukovar, committed in July and August
1991. by Tomislav Mercep and his troops, and the crimes
that followed in October and November of that same year,
"clearly indicate that they were committed by the Croatian
state and its institutions, and not by individual
psychopaths", Dr. Dabic said. He also underscored that
concrete evidence in this regard has been given to the
Hague Tribunal investigators, and that it suggests that
"Serbs in Vukovar were forced into armed resistance, a fact
that undermines part of the indictment on "Serbian armed
rebellion" raised against Sljivancanin, Mrksic and Radic by
Prosecutor Goldstone". Commenting the case of the Vukovar
hospital, headed by Dr. Vesna Bosanac - Mr. Dabic stressed
that atrocities such as taking blood from the wounded,
liquidation of YNA soldiers taken prisoner and burial of
patients that were still half alive, took place. (Politika,
June 24, 1996)
[04] PUBLICATION ON CROATIAN CRIMES ON THE MILJEVAC PLATEAU
The Krajina "Veritas" Documentation-Information Center,
seated in Belgrade after being exiled from Knin, organized
the promotion of yet another publication providing
authentic and dependable documents about the Croatian war
crimes committed four years ago during the first offensive
on the UN protected areas. The publication about the
victims of the Croatian offensive against the Miljevac
Plateau contains original documents, medical examiner's
minutes and photos of the Serbian victims, thrown later in
bottomless pits. "The bottomless pits are a symbol of the
most monstrous execution. These atrocities have been
committed by the Croats against the Serbs for the second
time in the past 50 years. The helpless prisoners were
tried and sentenced on the spot." - states the introduction
of the publication. The booklet also contains Croatian
records about the exhumation of the of the karstic pit near
the village of Drinovci. Even Croatian medical examiners
from Sibenik stated in these minutes that - contrary to the
international humanitarian law - the bodies of dead Serb
soldiers were thrown into the pit, that many of them were
massacred and some even headless. (Borba, June 22-23, 1996)
[05] SERBS ARE LEAVING SARAJEVO BECAUSE OF HARASSMENT
"More than 70 Serbs, who were harassed and evicted from
their homes, recently left Sarajevo, and many more are
preparing to do likewise." - said UN spokesman Aleksandar
Ivanko at a press conference in Sarajevo. According to AFP,
he underscored that the situation is "tense" in the
Sarajevan quarters that were previously under Serbian
control and have recently been settled by Moslems. Mr.
Ivanko criticized the Moslem authorities for having done
"very little" to improve the situation and invited them to
protect the Serbs in these parts of Sarajevo. The Serbs
accused Moslem-Croatian Federation Police of taking part in
the violence - Mr. Ivanko said. (Borba, June 22, 1996)
[06] TOUCHING TESTIMONIES FROM SARAJEVO
"Pravo" a Prague political daily published photographs of
new Serbian refugees from Sarajevo, the same that six
months ago made the mistake of believing that they need not
abandon the city. The commentary under the photos, entitled
"Farewell to Sarajevo", states that they are leaving their
home town fearing a Moslem aggression. Various radio
station in Prague quoted the statement made by Michael
Steiner - one of the highest international community
officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and firm advocate of
the need to stop the mass-exodus from the zones of the
Sarajevo that the Serbs turned over to the Moslems. Mr.
Steiner recently said that he is ashamed because Serbs have
been maltreated in Sarajevo. Bosnian political leaders
reacted immediately with remarks that Mr. Steiner is
biased, but the High Official for Bosnia - Mr. Karl Bildt
confirmed Steiner's remarks in his regular report.
(Vecernje Novosti, June 23, 1996)
[07] BOSNIAN CROATS WANT A "GREATER CROATIA"
The French Foreign Ministry insists that the battle for
Mostar is a battle for the Dayton concept of Bosnia. The
same source warns that no "Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia" can
exist, because it is contrary to the Dayton agreement and
represents a breach of this document. This is why Croatia
officially asked the international community to "exert
pressure" on Zagreb and on Mr. Tudjman personally to ensure
"the strict respect of all the articles of the peace
agreement". The numerous recent statements made by Bosnian
Croat leaders have caused negative reactions in Paris,
because they are actually doing everything possible to
obstruct the true functioning of the Moslem-Croatian
Federation. French reporters in Mostar affirm that "the
objective of the Bosnian Croats is quite clear - Greater
Croatia" and that this means that the secessionist policy
of the Croats will continue. The French Foreign Ministry
spokesman openly indicated that Zagreb's attitude is
unacceptable, since it is endorsing the stands of the
leaders from Herzeg-Bosnia, even though it is officially
supporting the Dayton Agreement and the creation of the
twin federation. (Politika, June 24, 1996)
[08] SERBS CAN NOT RETURN TO MOSTAR
"Mostar has been definitely split between the Croats and
the Moslems, and the return of 40.000 Serbs that previously
lived there is quite impossible for the time being." - said
Dr. Milorad Muratovic Chairman of the Association for Aid
to the Refugees in FRY after spending several days in
Mostar. "The hatred between the Moslems and the Croats has
caused the complete division of the town. Only several
hundred Serbs live there now, and the mass return of
Serbian refugees is out of the question", said Dr.
Muratovic that visited the town together with a group of
refugees from Mostar with the help of the UNHCR Belgrade
office. The Delegation visited only the Moslem side of the
city and had official talks with representatives of the
Moslem authorities and European Administration. The
Croatian side refused any contact. "The Serbs did not leave
Mostar of their own free will, as the Moslems and Croats
now affirm", said the delegation members during the talks
with the European Administrator Peres Cassada. (Borba, June 24, 1996)
[09] SERBIAN VILLAGES USED AS TEST-GROUNDS FOR NEW WEAPONS
The London weekly Observer affirms that the international
forces deployed in Bosnia on a peace mission are using this
former Yugoslav republic to test their new weaponry.
British forces that are part of IFOR, are using deserted
Serbian villages in the Glamoc zone (now under Croatian
controll), to test the new "Warrior AS-90" armored vehicle
and have target practice with live ammunition including
air-strikes against ground objectives. The same terrain is
used by the French to verify the potentials of their
armored vehicles. Not far from Glamoc, the Americans are
practicing attacks on ground targets with their "Apache"
helicopters. For quite some time now diplomatic and
military circles in London have been indicating suspicions
that NATO forces in Bosnia are also testing some types of
banned weaponry. (Ekspres, June 24, 1996)
[10] DOLECEK: THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL WON'T HEAR OUT THE OTHER SIDE
Prof. Dr. Rajko Dolecek - Chairman of the Czech Friends
of Serbs and Montenegrins Society and professor of the
Medical college in Ostrava, addressed a letter to Mr.
Richard Goldstone - Chief Prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal,
asking him to be impartial and to punish all the culprits
that committed crimes in former Yugoslavia. Professor
Dolecek is the founder of the Society that greatly helped
the refugees in FRY and the Republic of Srpska in the past
several years, and promoted the truth about the real
causes, course and effects of the conflict in former
Yugoslavia. In his letter to Mr. Goldstone, Dr. Dolecek
stresses that the Hague Tribunal is neglecting the basic
rights - it refuses hear out the other side and applies
twin standards to the parties involved. Dr. Dolecek
stresses that the Serbs were a priori treated as war
criminals. This is best confirmed by the fact that compared
tot he Serbs, very few Moslems and Croats have been
indicted and that the indictments completely ignore the
crimes against the Serbs in Vukovar or Eastern and Western
Bosnia. (Politika, 22.6.)
[11] "US AND THE SERBS" - BOOK OF ESSAYS IN FRENCH
"Us and the Serbs" a book of essays in French having the
subtitle "31 Writer Against Hypocrites", recently published
by "L'Age d'Homme" in Lausanne, has been promoted at the
Serbian Writers Society in Belgrade. The book includes
articles by such authors as Jean Detour, Jean-Marie
Dominique, Alexander Zinovyev, Patrick Besson, Vladimir
Wolkow, Nora Beloff, Edward Limonov, Alain Pocard, Daniel
Shiffer and Sarah Friedmann. "Us and the Serbs" is the
latest book of the renown publishing house in its series of
publications dealing with the fate of the Serbs in Bosnia
and Croatia, - remarked Slobodan Rakitic of SWS. The book
of essays contains impressions and historical analyses by
reputable authors of different profession, age and
nationality, "directly opposing the stands of the so-called
involved French intellectuals, who are particularly
responsible for the satanization of the Serbian people",
added Mr. Rakitic. (Borba, June 22-23, 1996)
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