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Serbia Today, 97-04-29Serbia Today Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>Serbia TodayCONTENTS
[01] YOUR MOVE EUYugoslavia has done all it should have to obtain trade alleviation from the European Union and now the EU Council of Ministers convening today should take a stand - said Federal Deputy Premier Danko Djunic. We hope that the decision will be a positive one, because EU trade preferentials are extremely important for us, said Djunic. Before today's Luxembourg meeting of the "fifteen", diplomatic sources in Bonn have revealed that Germany no longer opposes customs alleviation for Yugoslavia. The draft proposal for the so-called preferentials regarding the export of Yugoslav products to EU markets was ready last autumn, but it was obstructed on various occasions, thus greatly complicating our exports.Serbia Today, 1997-04-29 ; Borba, 1997-04-29[02] BULLETIN SUPPLEMENT: THE BACKGROUND OF "ROUND TABLES" ON KOSOVO AND METOHIJA IN NEW YORK AND VIENNARecently two so-called "round tables" have been held abroad, and new similar meetings have been announced to deal with Kosovo and Metohija - the southern Serbian province which seems to be the object of foreign efforts to internationalize the issue - even though it is a purely internal Serbian and Yugoslav question. Both meeting, first in New York and soon after in Vienna, have been sponsored and organized by the Carnegy Foundation - a private US organization. The participants also had the same "profile", declaring themselves as so-called democratic opposition. Representatives of ethnic Albanian separatists boasted that during the meetings with Serbian opposition representatives they openly talked about the secession of Kosovo and Metohija.According to Ms. Sarah Flanders, Coordinator of the "International Action Center" - a New York based organization, all that is happening to Kosovo comes as no surprise. "Kos-Met is newly being activated as a weapon against the Serbs, because the foreign factor simply isn't satisfied with what it managed to achieve in this sense" - Ms. Flanders said. According to her, the foreign factor - namely the US, "is now relying on the help of the Serbian opposition to step up the campaign, and is using not only media by the US private Carnegy Foundation which was created for such purposes." "Clearly, the well-being or the human rights of ethnic Albanians in Kos-Met isn't by any means the US objective in forcing the internationalization of the internal Serbian question", warned Ms. Flanders, adding that the United States, that keeps giving lessons in democracy to everyone, is also the state where human rights are most drastically breached and racist prejudice thrives. "The only purpose of the super-power is economic expansion, domination over small countries in the economic and naturally the military sphere", underlined Ms. Sarah Flanders. In realizing this objective the official circles rely on so-called private organizations - such as the Carnegy Foundation, which are actually backed by multi-national companies which control everything in America. Ms. Flanders also raised the question: "Are the people in Serbia and Yugoslavia aware of the fact that back in 1990, when there was still no war or secession, the American Government passed a special law to block all loans and financial aid to former Yugoslavia?" This law was passed by both Houses of the Congress on November 5th 1990, after it had been approved by the Senate Committee for third countries funding prompted by then US President George Bush. According to New York attorney Alvan Dorfmann, justified fear exists that the present abuse of the question of Kosovo and Metohija, represents only the beginning. Mr. Dorfmann, considered to be a good connoisseur of events in this region, harshly criticized the Carnegy Fund, one of the organizations that "carry out jobs commissioned by the Government". In n attempt to explain why this is being done and what are the objectives of such US policy, Mr. Alvan Dorfmann reminded that, lamentably, for the US politics is merely business. Ms. Dusica Potic, who was the Chairman of the Serbian Unity Congress since 1994, warned about the danger of foreign involvement in the internal affairs of our country. Drawing a parallel between the efforts of the ethnic Albanian minority to carry out the secession of the southern Serbian province and the stands of the Mexican minority in the US, Ms. Dusica Potic said that in case of a similar attempt by the Mexicans or any other ethnic community anywhere in the United States, American authorities would resort to decisive and drastic measures. Serbia Today, 1997-04-29 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-29[03] EXTREME NATIONALISM IN CROATIA A THREAT FOR PEACE IN THE BALKANSExtreme nationalism in Croatia constitutes the greatest threat for peace in the Balkans, states the editorial published yesterday by "The New York Times", thus completing the series of warning articles authored by its corespondent from former Yugoslavia. The same journalist wrote on various occasions that official Zagreb, in spite of western pressure, continues to obstruct the return of ethnic Serbs to Croatia, "discovered" that President Tudjman is sabotaging the creation of the Croatian Moslem Federation in Bosnia because of his unhidden ambition to annex Herzeg-Bosnia to Croatia, described the methods used by Bosnian Croats to exile Moslems from Western Mostar, stressed that the Croatian leadership refuses to cooperate with the Hague Criminal Court. The latest editorial, entitled "Dangerous Croatian Extremism" stresses that the threat in Croatia does not stem from a small neo-Fascist group, like those in other countries, but rather from the leaders of the ruling party that dream of a greater, and ethnically cleansed Croatia. Tudjman's regime renewed some of the symbols and adopted the ideological principles pursued by the previous Croatian state which existed only during World War II as a Nazi puppet state and which allowed the Ustashas to assassinate thousands of Resistance fighters, Serbs, and Jews - stresses the editorial. Reiterating the evaluations offered by its correspondent, The New York Times criticizes the US, Germany and the other European countries for failing to use previous opportunities and pressure Tudjman into giving up his nationalist plans.Serbia Today, 1997-04-29 ; Politika, 1997-04-27[04] INCITING DIFFIDENCECroatian Media report that yesterday the Office of Mr. Karl Bildt - International Community High Representative for the implementation of the peace agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina, strongly criticized the decision of the authorities in the Tuzla-Podrinje County to prohibit the visit to Tuzla of the Orthodox Bishop of Zvornik and Tuzla. Msgr. Vasilije was supposed to serve the Easter Mass on Sunday in Tuzla. County authorities listed this high church prelate as a "persona non grata", accusing him of backing the Bosnian Serbs with his behavior during the civil war in Bosnia. Such an attitude - stresses Mr. Biltd's Office - is contrary to the articles of the peace agreement and is only promoting further inter-ethnic diffidence. The decision of the political leaders of the Tuzla-Podrinje County "represents a new stimulus for division, and not integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina", stresses the statement which also warns that the freedom of movement must bee warranted to all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, unless the Criminal Court at the Hague raised an indictment against them.Serbia Today, 1997-04-29 ; Vecernje Novosti, 1997-04-29[05] GALBRAITH: THE REHABILITATION OF PAVELIC IS UNACCEPTABLEThe US Ambassador to Croatia - Mr. Peter Galbraith, condemned all attempts to rehabilitate Ante Pavelic - the leader of the WW II Nazi satellite - Independent state of Croatia (NDH). "We have fought against him and what he stood for and therefore we will neither forgive nor forget." - said Mr. Galbraith in an interview published in the latest edition of the Split weekly "Feral Tribune". I believe that Jasenovac represents sacred grounds where one of the greatest horrors of World War II took place, said the US Ambassador, and added: "The US Government opposed the idea of changing the Jasenovac monument, turning it into a burial ground of those that supported NDH as well." Mr. Galbraith underscored the rejection of rewritten WW II history, specifying that "Facts concerning that particular period are cruel, because the NDH regime was one of the cruelest in history and that can not be changed."Serbia Today, 1997-04-29 ; Ekspres, 1997-04-29[06] RECORD HARVEST RESULTS OF YUGOSLAV HYBRID CORN IN GREECEOut of the 295 new strains of hybrid corn, created at the Corn Institute in Zemun Polje, the best harvest results have been achieved by the ZP-677 strain grown in Greece. A 1.2 hectare test field near Seresus yielded 21.000 kilograms of corn. Institute Director - Dr. Mile Ivanovic said that 22 strains from various countries have been tested in Greece and the Yugoslav hybrid corn proved to be the best. About fifty other hybrid strains created by the Institute over the past decades have been given international recognition, and they have been introduced on all continents, thanks to their quality, harvest yield and competitive quality. For this years spring sowing, the Institute has exported about five thousand tons of hybrid seeds to a dozen countries. Sufficient quantities of all types of seeds - ranging from early to late vegetation - have been readied to meet the needs of Yugoslav farmers.Serbia Today, 1997-04-29 ; Politika, 1997-04-29[07] EASTER FESTIVITIESEaster liturgies, mass holly communion of the believers and distribution of painted eggs, accompanied by the traditional Easter greeting "Christ Resurrected", marked the Sunday celebration of Easter in the churches and monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) both in the country and abroad. In honor of the Resurrection of our Lord - representing the paramount Christian festivity, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle served solemn mass in the Belgrade Orthodox Cathedral. The traditional Easter epistle to the believers, clergy and monks signed by the Serbian patriarch and all Archbishops of Serbian Orthodox Church has been read in all the Churches and monasteries. "With His Resurrection, our Lord gives hope to all the believers in these dire and bitter times", reads the Epistle, along with the prayer that "all temptations faced by our people be terminated; that our people might be enlighten by the Sun of freedom wherever it lives; that all refugees may return home and continue their life in peace." - but also adds that the Serbian Orthodox Church "sympathizes with all those whose temples have been destroyed."Serbia Today, 1997-04-29 ; Politika, 1997-04-28[08] YUGOSLAV CONSTITUTION DAY CELEBRATEDThe Federal Republic of Yugoslavia celebrated April 27th Constitution Day, when - five years ago - the federation of Serbia and Montenegro was proclaimed. Third Yugoslavia was created after the unilateral secession of four former Yugoslav republics (Slovenia, Croatia Macedonia and Bosnia), and the new state was officially inaugurated on April 27th 1992, during the solemn session of the Federal Parliament, after the adoption of the Constitution of FRY and the Declaration on basic principles and objectives of the federation. Serbia and Montenegro, two ancient and internationally recognized since the Berlin Congress in 1876, after the break-up of the six- member federation, formed a common state, bearing in mind the principle that the right to stay in the common state can't be lesser than the right of the other republics to secede. Its new Constitution defines FR Yugoslavia as a sovereign federal state, founded on the equality of its citizens and republics. The Declaration adopted by the Parliament stresses that FRY continues the state, international juridical and political essence of former Yugoslavia and that it will strictly respect all previously assumed obligations on the international level. The Federation also categorically stated that it has no territorial pretensions towards any of the neighboring countries and that it fully supports the principle of avoiding the use of force in settling all controversies. In the Declaration, FR Yugoslavia also expressed readiness to acknowledge the rights and interests of the seceded republics, specifying that their recognition will follow after the settlement of open questions created by their secession.Serbia Today, 1997-04-29 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-27Serbia Today Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |