Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-12-08

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Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVED THE NEWLY APPOINTED BELGIUM AMBASSADOR

[02] YUGOSLAV ARMY DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF RECEIVED THE UNPREDEP COMMANDER

[03] PREMIER KONTIC: YUGOSLAVIA AND RUSSIA WANT TO INTENSIFY ECONOMIC

[04] DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER BULAJIC SAYS VISIT TO RUSSIA WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE

[05] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION MEMBERS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE VISIT TO RUSSIA

[06] THE YUGOSLAV-AUSTRIAN BUSINESS CONFERENCE ENDS

[07] GERMAN AND FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTERS VISIT SARAJEVO

[08] KRAJISNIK: CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN CREATED FOR ENDORSEMENT OF LAWS

[09] YUGOSLAV DEFENSE MINISTER ANNOUNCES VISIT OF HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART

[10] BOSNIA'S COUNCIL OF MINISTERS MET IN LUKAVICA

[11] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVED THE NEWLY APPOINTED GHANIAN AMBASSADOR

[12] HEAD OF U.S. MISSION TO YUGOSLAVIA VISITS PRISTINA

[13] UPPER HOUSE PRESIDENT Y.STROYEV IS TO VISIT YUGOSLAVIA NEXT YEAR

[14] SOFT BORDERS WITH UNTAES WILL BE IN FORCE AS OF DECEMBER 10

[15] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER TOMIC HAS BEEN RE*ELECTED

[16] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT VERIFIES MANDATES FOR NEW MEMBERS

[17] YUGOSLAVIA FULLY IMPLEMENTS FLORENCE AGREEMENT

[18] YUGOSLAV * RUSSIAN TALKS END IN MOSCOW

[19] FRY AND AUSTRIA PROMOTE COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURE

[20] YUGOSLAV AND RUSSIAN FIRMS CLOSE DEALS

[21] KRAJISNIK MEETS WITH NEWLY-APPOINTED SFOR COMMANDER

[22] YUGOSLAV MINISTER: ALGERIA INTERESTED IN RESTORING COOPERATION

[01] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVED THE NEWLY APPOINTED BELGIUM AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received on Thursday Belgium's newly- appointed Ambassador in Belgrade Joris Couvreur who presented his credentials to him.

Couvreur said it was both in Belgium's and Yugoslavia's interest to promote relations still further. He said the two countries had a constructive political dialogue within which readiness had been manifested to boost economic cooperation for which great possibilities existed.

Milosevic said Yugoslavia was committed to the policy of full openness, the respect of the principle of equality of states and nations and of their independence as well as to building confidence.

He also said Yugoslavia was working on the promotion of all-round cooperation with Belgium, which he said was part of the country's effort to take part in modern integration processes, especially in Europe, on the footing of equality.

Milosevic wished the Belgian Ambassador to contribute to the processes in question.

[02] YUGOSLAV ARMY DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF RECEIVED THE UNPREDEP COMMANDER

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

Yugoslav Army Deputy Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Dragoljub Ojdanic and his aides received on Thursday the commander of the U.N. Preventive Deployment Force for Macedonia (UNPREDEP), Brig. Gen. Bent Soneman.

Lt. Gen. Ojdanic and Brig. Gen. Soneman discussed the situation on the Yugoslav-Macedonian border focusing on events that had occurred since their meeting on August 28, said a statement released by the Yugoslav Army Press Section. They agreed that cooperation between the Yugoslav Army and UNPREDEP was good and that the situation on the border was stable.

Brig. Gen. Soneman informed Lt. Gen. Ojdanic about a draft in respect of the UNPREDEP mandate which is to be adopted by the U.N. Security Council in the next few days, the statement said.

[03] PREMIER KONTIC: YUGOSLAVIA AND RUSSIA WANT TO INTENSIFY ECONOMIC

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic said upon his return to Belgrade from Russia on Thursday that his Moscow talks had brought to light a general wish for intensifying economic and overall bilateral cooperation.

Speaking to reporters on his return, he said that the visit had been highly successful and that all questions broached by the Yugoslav side had met with full understanding on the part of the Russian partners in talks.

"Their meeting of our demands and our interests was limited only by objective Russian interests," he said, expressing his thanks to Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin for constructive talks and for the invitation to visit the Russian Federation.

Summing up the results of the visit, Kontic said that a Memorandum had been signed on liberalising bilateral trade, which reflected the two countries' political commitment to set up a free trade zone in the foreseeable future. "The Yugoslav side expressed a wish for this to be done by the end of the century, and suggested setting up task forces of experts to lay down the groundwork for implementing the first phase of the Memorandum, i.e., for liberalising mutual trade.

"This would consist in reducing tariffs or even fully abolishing them for certain Yugoslav commodities," he explained.

He stressed that the Russian side had accepted the Yugoslav suggestion, and so the implementation of the Memorandum could well begin next year.

He further said that great attention had been devoted to promoting cooperation in finance and banking, and a 150-million-dollar inter-state credit had been arranged to this end. The credit was basically intended to finance the marketing of Russian power industry, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy and mining industry equipment in Yugoslavia, he specified. This, he added, should help revive the Yugoslav economy now that the international community's anti-Yugoslav sanctions had been lifted.

Kontic went on to say that liberalisation of passenger travel had also been discussed, recalling that already no visas were required for diplomatic and business trips between the two countries. But, he added, Yugoslavia had launched an initiative for abolishing visas completely, to reflect the high level of development of bilateral relations, and to give a powerful impact to economic cooperation, primarily in tourism and agriculture.

Special attention was devoted also to more advanced long-term forms of cooperation, he said, adding that the Russian side had agreed to the Yugoslav request that long-term business arrangements should be made in the energy sector as well as other sectors. This should guarantee a sure supply of natural gas and crude oil to the Yugoslav market, he explained.

He went on to say that the Yugoslav side had also proposed building infrastructural facilities that should ensure Yugoslavia's rational supply with fuel, specifically crude oil. In this context it was proposed to build an oil pipeline from Budapest, Hungary, to Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, to transport Russian oil for Yugoslav needs, and on to the Mediterranean, he said.

He stressed that an Agreement had also been signed on cooperation in education and culture over the next three years, and listed a range of other agreements discussed, some of them negotiated, during the visit.

He said that, if the agreements were implemented, and he saw no reason why they should not be, then this year's volume of bilateral trade could be expected to be doubled or even tripled by the end of the century, to reach between 2.5 and 3.5 billion dollars.

In respect of international topics, special attention had been devoted to the implementation of the Dayton Accord, Kontic said. He specified that the two sides agreed that only a consistent implementation of the accord could guarantee lasting peace and stability in the region.

He said that the Yugoslav side had taken the opportunity to draw Russia's attention, as a member of the Contact Group, to the dangers and risks inherent in the implementation of the Dayton Accord. These concerned especially the matter of refugees and displaced persons and their repatriation, and the unequal treatment accorded to the (Bosnian Serb) Republika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the matter of economic recovery, he said.

He added it had been agreed that the FR of Yugoslavia and Russia should, in the coming period, coordinate their approach in respect of providing assistance to Republika Srpska for the purpose of economic recovery.

Kontic further stressed that the Russian side had expressed unreserved support for Yugoslavia's reincorporation in the international community.

"Not only did they promise openly to support our request for an unconditional return to the international community, they said also they would launch special initiatives for normalising Yugoslavia's relations with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation," he stressed.

[04] DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER BULAJIC SAYS VISIT TO RUSSIA WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

The visit paid to Russia by the Yugoslav government delegation has been very successful and productive, Yugoslav Deputy Foreign Minister Radoslav Bulajic said on Thursday.

"I am extremely pleased with the visit and think that it will impart and impulse and greatly contribute to the promotion of our cooperation, especially economic," Bulajic told journalists at the close of the two-day visit.

When the issue of Yugoslavia's return to the United Nations system comes up in the Security Council and the General Assembly, many countries will, with Russia's yes, also vote in favour, Bulajic set out.

Deputy Foreign Minister Bulajic said that the maintaining of the so-called outer wall of sanctions against Yugoslavia primarily depended on the United States and set out that the "Russian Federation has highly developed relations with and influence on the USA" and "can through that influence achieve moderation of the American position and relinquishing of some political conditions relating to our internal affairs," Bulajic told the press.

"We fulfil all the conditions that we can meet without affecting our own national interests," the Yugoslav diplomat underlined.

"We will try to continue being cooperative and more flexible, but we must not act against our own national interests," Bulajic reiterated.

He said that the success of the Yugoslav-Russian talks could partly be due to the fact that, alongside of the traditional friendship and closeness of the peoples of Yugoslavia and Russia, the two sides had displayed pragmatism possibly for the first time.

"It seems to me that the set goal of raising the level of mutual trade to 2.5-3 billion dollars over the next two years seems to me quite attainable with such an approach," Yugoslav Deputy Foreign Minister Bulajic stressed in conclusion.

[05] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION MEMBERS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE VISIT TO RUSSIA

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic said on Thursday that the value of Yugoslav- Russian trade could reach between 2 and 2.5 billion US dollars in the year 2000.

Vukovic, who was on a Yugoslav government delegation to talks with top Russian ministers that ended on Thursday, said that the projected value of bilateral trade by the end of the century could be reached only if the two sides raised their mutual trade by approximately 50 percent over each of the following three years. He said that such a high increase in trade was feasible provided that Yugoslavia reached an adequate production growth, especially in industrial output, and boosted revenues in the service sector by the above period.

"We have a certain trade deficit with Russia, but this problem could be successfully solved through an implementation of the above objectives," said Vukovic.

"Our objective is first to reduce the current trade deficit with Russia and then minimize, i.e. eliminate it," he said.

He said that export of Yugoslav products to the Russian market should be increased through counter-deliveries for oil imported from Russia and drawing of state tied credit to Yugoslav companies.

Metal-processing companies and those from the energy sector should benefit the most from the drawing of the tied credit not only in 1998, but also during 1999 and the year 2000, Vukovic said.

There are excellent chances for placing Yugoslav consumer goods on the Russian market, he said and added that a lot could be achieved in that domain also by setting up joint venture companies and through their joint appearance on the domestic and third markets.

Vukovic said that Yugoslav food-processing companies, textile and footwear factories have good chances of exporting to the Russian market. He said that these industries had also accounted earlier for Yugoslav export to the former Soviet and Russian markets.

He said that chances were good for return to those markets, but that competition was tougher than before.

He said that business deals concluded between Russian companies and the Subotica-based Sever company and the Backa Palanka-based Sintelon company set very good examples of production cooperation and operation of joint venture companies. Thanks to contracts, which have just been concluded with Russian partners, these companies will strike major export deals with chances of increase in the foreseeable future, Vukovic said.

Yugoslav Finance Minister Bozidar Gazivoda said that the tied credit agreement will significantly stimulate the Yugoslav economy, especially industries that had export potentials but were currently in a difficult position.

Gazivoda said that the talks with Russian partners would continue and added that he expected other, even more favourable arrangements. "It is very important that the agreements signed with Russian partners imply not only restoration of trust in both our state and our economy, but also, at the same time, a great test for future deals," he said.

Yugoslav Minister of Agriculture Nedeljko Sipovac gave a very positive opinion of the tied credit and other arrangements with Russia.

Sipovac said that a meeting with his Russian counterpart was an opportunity to solve some problems that hampered further expansion of bilateral cooperation. He said a mixed Working Group of agricultural experts was due to meet as early as in January to focus on Yugoslav needs that should restore its position on the Russian market.

"Before the sanctions, Yugoslavia had been present on the Russian Federation market for several decades and it is important to both sides to strengthen these positions again as soon as possible," Sipovac said.

He said that, within the liberalization of trade, it had been agreed also to make an inventory of both Yugoslav and Russian needs or a list of what both markets, respectively, needed.

"We have told our hosts that we have had very bountiful crops and that we are ready to deliver to their market various agricultural produce," Sipovac said. He stressed that these and all other agriculture-related issues would be constantly on the agenda of the Yugoslav-Russian Mixed Commission for agriculture.

[06] THE YUGOSLAV-AUSTRIAN BUSINESS CONFERENCE ENDS

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

A Yugoslav-Austrian business conference, where both sides confirmed that it was necessary to work together on the promotion of cooperation in order to reach the former value of trade of half a billion dollars, ended in Vienna on Thursday.

Forty Yugoslav and 70 Austrian businessmen from mostly small and medium- sized companies participated in the conference, hosted by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.

Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce President Mihajlo Milojevic, who headed the Yugoslav delegation, met with Austrian Transport Minister Kaspar Einem, Deputy Economy Minister in charge of foreign trade policy and European integration Jozeph Mayer, Head of the Austrian Chambers of Agriculture Rudolf Scwarzbock, Austrian Chamber of Commerce representatives, industrialists and managers of a large number of Austrian firms, including Siemens Austria and Roboter System AG.

During the talks, support was given to a further strengthening of ties between the two countries' companies and it was said that within its possibilities, Austria, as the future E.U. President, would help the Yugoslav economy integrate in the European processes.

[07] GERMAN AND FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTERS VISIT SARAJEVO

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

German and French Foreign Ministers Klaus Kinkel and Hubert Vedrin arrived in Sarajevo on Thursday and met with Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency members Alija Izetbegovic, Momcilo Krajisnik and Kresimir Zubak.

Kinkel and Vedrin first held separate talks and then a joint meeting with members of the Presidency.

The talks were said to have been aimed at making preparations for an International Conference on Bosnia to be held in Bonn on December 9-10, which is expected to give a strong impetus to the implementation of the Dayton Accords.

[08] KRAJISNIK: CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN CREATED FOR ENDORSEMENT OF LAWS

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

A major rapprochement was reached at a session of the three-man Presidency of Bosnia- Herzegovina held in Sarajevo's Muslim section on Thursday evening, which created conditions for passing of a package of laws on passports, citizenship and the Council of Ministers, Office of Republika Srpska member of the Bosnian Presidency Momcilo Krajisnik said in a statement.

Krajisnik met on Thursday with Foreign Ministers Klaus Kinkel of Germany and Hubert Vedrine of France and discussed with them results achieved so far in the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords and activities in the coming period, including issues relating to the Conference in Bonn, said the statement.

Krajisnik stressed the importance of a balanced approach in donating of international aid. He also said that there were attempts at revising the Dayton treaty.

Kinkel and Vedrine voiced their countries' joint commitment to a full implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords, the statement said.

[09] YUGOSLAV DEFENSE MINISTER ANNOUNCES VISIT OF HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

Yugoslav Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic said on Thursday following talks between Yugoslav and Russian government delegations that an Agreement on bilateral military and technical cooperation was the basis of successful cooperation between the Yugoslav and Russian armies and Defense Ministries.

Bulatovic said that Yugoslavia was signing similar arrangements with all countries with which it had friendly relations, such as Russia.

Speaking about the agreement with Russia which has just been signed, Bulatovic said that Russian arms dominated the structure of Yugoslav Army armament. It is necessary to maintain these weapons and, depending on our financial abilities and needs, purchase new, more up-to-date ones, he said.

Asked by reporters if there were plans for Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev's visit to Yugoslavia, Bulatovic said that Sergeyev had been sent a written invitation earlier, which was now endorsed in person. "I expect Minister Sergeyev to visit Yugoslavia next year," Bulatovic said.

[10] BOSNIA'S COUNCIL OF MINISTERS MET IN LUKAVICA

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

Bosnia's Council of Ministers reviewed in a meeting in Lukavica on Thursday documents that are to be adopted at the Ministerial Conference of the Peace Implementation Council in Bonn, Germany, on December 8-9.

Hans Schumacher, deputy of the High Representative for Bosnia, informed the Council of Ministers about the conclusions reached at the meeting of the five-nation 'Contact-Group' in Paris on Wednesday, stressing that the international community was determined to fully implement the Dayton Peace Accords.

Council Co-Chairman from Republika Srpska Boro Bosic said he had presented the Republika Srpska's position on the documents.

Co-Chairman from the Moslem-Croat Federation Haris Silajdzic criticised the said documents, saying they gave the two entities broader rights than to Bosnia-Herzegovina. He said this was a step back from a meeting of the Peace Implementation Council held in Sintra, Portugal, in June and the Conference in London held a year ago.

[11] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVED THE NEWLY APPOINTED GHANIAN AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received on Thursday the newly appointed Ghanian Ambassador in Belgrade Joao Gonsalves Baeta, who presented his credentials.

Ghanian Ambassador Baeta transmitted to President Milosevic greetings and best regards from Ghanian President Jerry Rawlings, and pointed out the long standing and firm friendship between the two countries, which goes back to the days when Ghana was gaining independence.

Ambassador Baeta underlined the wish of his Government and people to further successfully develop cooperation with Yugoslavia. He said that Ghana was especially interested in intensifying economic ties with Yugoslavia on the basis of the potentials of the two economies as well as the rich and positive experiences gained in relations between partners in the two countries.

President Milosevic, for his part, stressed that the two countries were bound by strong friendship, mutual understanding, and commitment to a policy of peace and the development of equality-based relations among states and peoples in the world.

President Milosevic said that Yugoslavia was greatly interested in renewing successful economic cooperation with Ghana, based on mutual possibilities and interests of economic partners in the two countries, whose deals over a long number of years he noted had affirmed them on the international market.

President Milosevic singled out the facilities built by Yugoslav companies in Ghana.

President Milosevic asked Ambassador Baeta to convey to President Rawlings best wishes for the well-being of the people of Ghana and Ghana's further progress, and wished the Ghanian Ambassador success in the performance of his responsible duties.

[12] HEAD OF U.S. MISSION TO YUGOSLAVIA VISITS PRISTINA

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

Head of the U.S. mission in Belgrade Richard Miles and his aides met on Thursday with Deputy Head of the Kosovo District Veljko Odalovic and Provincial Information Secretary Bosko Drobnjak.

The talks dealt with terrorist attacks which have become increasingly frequent in the areas of Glogovac, Srbica, Podujevo, Decani and Stimlje and have caused great concern among all ethnic groups living in Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo and Metohija, said a statement issued by the Provincial Information Secretariat.

The statement said state officials and ethnic Albanians loyal to Serbia were targets of these attacks, saying this was a way of exerting pressure on Serbs and Montenegrins to leave the Province with the intention of making it ethnically pure.

The statement said both sides had condemned terrorism agreeing that ethnic Albanian leaders must in a more unequivocal way identify and condemn ever- more present terrorism which it said was a major threat to peace both in and outside the Province.

The statement said the two sides had also agreed that terrorist attacks posed an obstacle to a political dialogue which was a must and the only way of solving problems in Kosovo and Metohija.

The statement also said December's elections for the illegal Republic of Kosovo made more difficult a dialogue starting from the position, recognised by the international community, that Kosovo and Metohija was an integral part of Serbia and Yugoslavia. Ethnic Albanian leaders must be aware of this if they really want to hold talks on the issue and solve it peacefully, the statement said.

[13] UPPER HOUSE PRESIDENT Y.STROYEV IS TO VISIT YUGOSLAVIA NEXT YEAR

Tanjug, 1997-12-04

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic conferred on Thursday with Russian Parliament's Upper House President Yegor Stroyev on a large number of issues of importance for relations between the two countries.

After the meeting, Kontic said he had conveyed to Stroyev an invitation of the Federal Assembly to visit Yugoslavia next year. The invitation was accepted with great pleasure and this will essentially contribute to the promotion of cooperation between the two countries, Kontic said.

Kontic said he had asked Stroyev to help toward the soonest possible ratification of inter*state agreements that have been signed and those which will soon be signed.

After the talks with Kontic, Stroyev told Yugoslav and Russian reporters that parliaments in principle have a big role in forming of a legislative basis for cooperation with other states.

Stroyev said the two sides had conferred on the manner of functioning of the federation as a form of state organization, as well as experience in the work of the Upper Houses of Parliament in Russia and Yugoslavia.

Many are surprised that there are no political parties in the Upper House of the Russian Parliament, he said. During the talks with Kontic, much was said about the expansion of cooperation between different regions in the Russian Federation and the FR of Yugoslavia.

Stroyev emphasized as the most important thing his personal feeling that it was a visit of close friends, Slavs.

[14] SOFT BORDERS WITH UNTAES WILL BE IN FORCE AS OF DECEMBER 10

Tanjug, 1997-12-03

"Soft" borders will be in force as of December 10 in the territory o f Eastern Slavonija, Baranya and West Srem on both sides of the border, while a special insurance fee will be introduced for Yugoslav vehicles, Spokeswoman for the UN office in Belgrade Susan Manuel told a n ews conference on Wednesday. According to Croatian press, Croatian authorities will charge insurance fee for Yugoslav vehicles entering the region and this will probably be the case also on t he other side of the border, but this is under the jurisdiction of the FR of Yugoslavia and Croatia, respective ly, said Manuel.

She said that there was an agreement with Croatian authorities to is sue small border passes to all people living in the region, which virtually applied to Serbs whose i dentity cards were issued in Beli Manastir regardless of their place of residence. Manuel said that Yugosl avia had offered to issue "long-term" visas to students who lived in the Croatian part of the regio n and attended schools or universities in Yugoslavia. She also said that, regrettably, Yugoslav re porters would have to have visas, including small border passes to be able to enter the Croatian part of th e region.

[15] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER TOMIC HAS BEEN RE*ELECTED

Tanjug, 1997-12-03

Serbian Parliament Speaker Dragan Tomic was re-elected to the office at the Parliament's constituent session on Wednesday. A hundred and ninety-three deputies vot ed for Tomic, four were against and 49 abstained from the vote. Tomic, the only nominee for the post, was proposed by the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). Commenting on Tomic's nomination, SPS of ficial Gorica Gajevic said Tomic was a man of integrity and an experienced and authoritative person that c ooperated with all Party Clubs securing thus Parliament's successful activity. Tomic, 62, is a technolo gy engineer and director of the Jugopetrol public enterprise. As a candidate of the joint SPS - Yugoslav Left (JUL) - New Democracy (ND) ticket, Tomic was elected M.P. in September's parliament elections. Add ressing the Parliament, Tomic thanked for its confidence in him pledging to do all he could to ensure t olerance in Parliament and to boost Serbia's democratic development. He also said his moves would be motivate d by Serbia's well-being. The newly elected Serbian Parliament also elected three Deputy Speakers and a Secretary. The Deputy Speakers are Dragan Todorovic of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), Vojisla v Mihajlovic of the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), and Vladimir Stambuk of the Yugoslav Left (JUL). Jozef Kasa of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians informed the Parliament that his party would not put up a candidate for the fourth Deputy Speaker, and that it wanted as soon as possible to open a dialogue with the left parties and the Radicals. "If these conditions are met soon, we will give a candidate for a Deputy Speaker," Kasa said without explaining what the conditions were.

The new Parliament Secretary is Belgrade lawyer Predrag Trajkovic, w ho was elected as candidate of New Democracy (ND).

[16] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT VERIFIES MANDATES FOR NEW MEMBERS

Tanjug, 1997-12-03

The Serbian Parliament, on Wednesday, verified mandates for new memb ers elected in regular parliamentary elections held in September. The strongest in the Parliame nt is the Left coalition which comprises the Socialist Party of Serbia, Yugoslav Left and New Democracy, holding a total of 110 seats. Following is the Serbian Radical Party wi th 82 seats, and the Serbian Renewal Movement with 45 seats. The Vojvodina coalition and the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) have four deputies each, the Lista za Sandzak coalition three deputies, and the Democratic Alterna tive and Democratic Coalition Presevo-Bujanovac one deputy each.

[17] YUGOSLAVIA FULLY IMPLEMENTS FLORENCE AGREEMENT

Tanjug, 1997-12-03

Yugoslavia has in full and on time met all obligations it has assume d under the Agreement on sub-regional arms control, signed in Florence on June 14, 1996 as a follo w-up to the Dayton Agreement, Assistant Chief of the Army of Yugoslavia General Staff, Gen. Radoslav Ma rtinovic said on Wednesday. Gen. Martinovic told foreign military attaches at a regular briefing that the presented assessment had more than once been confirmed by officials of the OSCE and inspections of the signatories to the agreement - Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Muslim-Croat Federation, and Republika S rpska. He stressed that Yugoslavia had fully met its arms reduction and inspection obligations wi th a symbolic technical and financial assistance from several countries. The signatories of the Flor ence Agreement have assumed the obligation to reduce the number of tanks, armoured personnel carriers, ar tillery pieces, combat aircraft, and assault helicopters. The Army of Yugoslavia official said that the arms reduction was carried out as part of the current transformation and reorganization of the Army of Yugoslavi a on the adopted M-21 model. He underlined that the cuts had "not lessened the combat capability of th e Army of Yugoslavia" which he said "remains a factor of peace and a guarantor of the defense of the sov ereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia." Gen. Martinovic said that Yugosl avia had in practice demonstrated a high degree of cooperativeness with the international community and tha t it was open to cooperation and active engagement in the consolidation of peace among states and peoples.

Gen. Martinovic informed foreign military attaches about the transformation of the Army of Yugosla via and basic activities in the development of a defense system for the coming period.

[18] YUGOSLAV * RUSSIAN TALKS END IN MOSCOW

Tanjug, 1997-12-03

Talks between Prime Minister Radoje Kontic of Yugoslavia and Viktor Chernomyrdin of Russia ended on Wednesday with the signing of a number of documents on the furth er development of cooperation between the two countries. The two Prime Ministers signed an Agreement on a Russian state credit to Yugoslavia, and their ministers a Memorandum on the liberalizat ion of trade between the two countries, an Agreement on military-technical cooperation, and a Program of cooperation in culture, education and science for the 1998-2000 period. After the meeting, which lasted twice longer than planned, Prime Minister Kontic told the press that special attention had been devoted to the promotion of Yugoslav-Russian trade and economic relations and cooperation.

"The accords we have reached and the agreements we have signed guara ntee that our relations will be intensified in the coming period and brought to their previous le vel," Kontic said.

"We have devoted the greatest attention to bilateral relations," the Yugoslav Prime Minister told journalists, and set out that the reached accords guaranteed the furtheri ng of the bilateral economic cooperation. "I wish especially to single out as a result of the talks t he Agreement on the liberalization of trade, whose ultimate goal is the creation of a free trade zone in a fore seeable future," Kontic said.

He pointed out the importance of the reached accords on the promotio n of financial-banking cooperation and the so-called higher forms of cooperation, including long -term production cooperation.

The Yugoslav Prime Minister told the press that an accord had also b een reached on the founding of mixed enterprises and on joint ventures.

"We have devoted great attention also to international topics," Prim e Minister Kontic emphasised and said that the focus was on the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agr eement, i.e. on the peace process in the territory of the former Yugoslavia.

"We have agreed that a consistent implementation of the Dayton Agree ment is a condition of stability in the Balkans," the Yugoslav Prime Minister specified.

"We drew the attention of Russia, as a member of the Contact Group, to some risks involved in the implementation of the Dayton Agreement, in which context we singled o ut the issue of refugees and displaced persons and the unequal treatment of the two entities in Bosnia-Herzegovina," Kontic stressed. "We are especially pleased that Prime Minister Chernomyrdin has pledged t hat the Russian side will continue to take an active stance on Yugoslavia's return to the internati onal community," Kontic emphasised. "We have established that there is no longer any reason to k eep Yugoslavia outside international political, financial and trade organizations and that its r eturn to the international community is the safest guarantee of peace in the territory of the former Yugoslavi a," the Yugoslav Prime Minister said.

"I am very pleased with the results of this visit, which has fulfill ed all our expectations," Kontic said and underlined that this was greatly thanks to Russian Prime Minister Che rnomyrdin. Prime Minister Chernomyrdin, for his part, said that the first visit to Russia of a Prim e Minister of the FR of Yugoslavia would impart a new impulse to the development of bilateral relations.

He promised that Russia would do everything for Yugoslavia to return to international political, economic and financial organizations as soon as possible. The Russian Pr ime Minister, himself, underlined that all possibilities existed for Russian-Yugoslav trade and economic re lations again to reach the high level they had recorded prior to the outbreak of the Balkan crisis. Asked by do mestic journalists what would Russia do about the steady arming of the Muslim-Croat Federation in Bosni a- Herzegovina, Chernomyrdin replied that Russia's position in the Balkans "has been, is and will be t o have peace in the region."

He set out that it was Russia's view that peace troops should remain in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, and said that it was a great mistake to think that to arm som eone means to consolidate peace. Chernomyrdin specified that such an approach entailed serious consequence s.

The Russian Prime Minister said relations between his country and Yu goslavia had deep historical roots. Chernomyrdin replied affirmatively when asked by Yugoslav journal ists whether Russia would help Yugoslavia's return to the United Nations and other international organiz ations. We want Yugoslavia to participate in the work of the United Nations and are actively working fo r this to take place as soon as possible, Chernomyrdin said and noted that his country had employed all i ts possibilities to that end. Prime Minister Chernomyrdin said that Russian-Yugoslav relations had been put t o a test in many concrete situations and that bilateral relations had always been on an upturn.

Asked to give details about the Agreement on military-technical coop eration, Yugoslav Prime Minister Kontic said that Yugoslavia wanted to purchase the latest in arm ament from Russia and to secure the overhauling of the earlier purchased Russian armament. Kontic also m et on Wednesday afternoon with President of the Lower House of the Russian Parliament Gennady Selyeznov, with whom he discussed issues of interest to the two countries. The Yugoslav Prime Minister is to confer on Thursday morning with President of the Russian Parliament's Upper House Yegor Stroyev.

[19] FRY AND AUSTRIA PROMOTE COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURE

Tanjug, 1997-12-03

Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce President Mihailo Milojevic, heading th e Yugoslav delegation to Vienna, talked on Wednesday with Austrian Chamber of Agriculture Presiden t Rudolf Schwartzboeck. Talks dealt with the promotion of cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture, especially in stock-breeding, production of sugar and yeast. Schwartzboeck said there were significant possibilities for cooperation and that FR Yugoslavia was an important business partner. He also pointed to the possibility of cooperation in the field of production and transfer of equipment used in forestry.

The President of the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture said that the g eographic proximity of the two countries was an important pre-condition for the strengthening of coopera tion. He pointed out that representatives of Austrian agriculture were interested not only to sell but also to invest in the Yugoslav market. He pointed to successful cooperation in importing Yugoslav agricu ltural products, in the first place berry-like fruit, and to the need for creating conditions for still more efficient cooperation.

Milojevic met on Wednesday also with the management of the Austrian Association of Industrialists and talked about the promotion of cooperation in the field of the industr y and the need for creating conditions for greater employment of Yugoslav industrial capacities.

Milojevic, presenting the Yugoslav economy, said it was market-orien ted and pointed to readiness for cooperation in conformity with world criteria. He also said that in Y ugoslavia there was sufficient political stability, order and work for efficient cooperation with the world, addin g that the interests of foreign investors were protected. The Secretary General of the Association of Austrian Ind ustrialists, Lorenz Fritz, said that the visit was not the beginning but the continuation of decades-long indu strial cooperation of the two countries. Fritz assessed that Austrian economy was interested in informa tion about the process of privatization in Yugoslavia. Vice-President of the Austrian Association of Industrialists Hellmut Longin, in charge of international cooperation, said that 95% of the Austrian indust ry were members of the Association, on a voluntary basis. He pointed to the readiness of the Aus trian Association of Industrialists to inform its members about Yugoslav firms and the business interests of Yugoslavia in order to establish even better business links between the enterprises of the two countries.

[20] YUGOSLAV AND RUSSIAN FIRMS CLOSE DEALS

Tanjug, 1997-12-03

Yugoslav companies Sever of Subotica and Sintelon of Backa Palanka s igned with Russian partners on Wednesday export deals worth about 50 million German marks. T he deals and a number of other contracts were signed in a meeting between the two countries' busin essmen at Russia's Chamber of Commerce. A group of 40 leading Yugoslav businessmen arrived in Mosco w late on Tuesday as part of a delegation led by Prime Minister Radoje Kontic. The delegation inclu des also government officials. The meeting dealt with cooperation in the sphere of chemical and pharmace utical industries, building and machine-building industries, agriculture and investment projects. The Yu goslav side stressed that Yugoslavia wanted to import more oil and gas and that it welcomed efforts to this end at the state level. Yugoslav and Russian businessmen also agreed to set up co- production in t he sphere of power industry equipment. Both sides expressed dissatisfaction with the current volu me of trade which they said was far below the desired level considering the two countries' possibilities and needs. Trade amounted to 2.328 billion dollars in 1990 and this year it is expected to reach only about 700 million dollars, with Yugoslavia scoring deficit in trade with Russia.

Trade between the two countries is expected to at least double in 19 98 as against this year, according to the two countries' businessmen. Yugoslav and Russian mi nisters and businessmen held also a series of separate meetings. Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister and co-chairman of the Inter- State Committee for trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, Bori slav Vukovic, held extensive talks with the Committee's co-chairman Andrei Shapovalyants. He also met with Minister in charge of foreign trade ties Mikhail Fradkov. Yugoslav Minister of Agriculture Nedeljko Si povac met with Russian Vice-Premier and Minister of Agriculture Viktor Hlistun. Sipovac and Hlis tun discussed problems encountered in cooperation in the domain.

[21] KRAJISNIK MEETS WITH NEWLY-APPOINTED SFOR COMMANDER

Tanjug, 1997-12-03

Republika Srpska member in Bosnia's three-man Presidency Momcilo Kra jisnik received on Wednesday the newly-appointed Stabilisation Force (SFOR) commander, Gener al Dick Pike.

Afterwards Krajisnik told reporters that the talks had been open whi ch he said was a guarantee of good cooperation in the coming period. He said he hoped that all problems would be solved the way they had been solved in contacts with other SFOR commanders. Krajisnik said h e was grateful to the multinational force which had restored peace to these lands, saying a dis agreement with SFOR had only arisen after they had seized Serb Television transmitters. He said he had asked Gen. Pike to do all he could to ensure SFOR withdrawal from the transmitters and their handing o ver to the R.S. Government. He said they had agreed this was an outstanding issue which should be dea lt with immediately. Describing the talks as useful, Gen. Pike voiced hope that they would contribute to better cooperation in the coming period.

[22] YUGOSLAV MINISTER: ALGERIA INTERESTED IN RESTORING COOPERATION

Tanjug, 1997-12-03

Yugoslav Economy Minister Rade Filipovic said on Wednesday that Alge ria was very interested in restoring and enhancing cooperation with Yugoslavia and that their tra de might soon exceed the formerly annual 500 million dollars. "Algeria has voiced readiness to entrust ou r builders right away, without bidding, with the construction of a dam with the capacity of about one mi llion cubic metres of water and complete infrastructure, which will supply the city of Algiers with water ," said Filipovic, who had headed a Yugoslav state and business delegation to a three-day visit to Algeria in late November.

Yugoslav builders have also been offered to build 20,000 to 30,000 o ut of 800,000 flats which will be built in Algiers and other towns over the next three years, Filipovic told Tanjug.

"The hosts have especially shown good will aimed at resolving all qu estions outstanding regarding our claims," he said. Algeria has hard currency reserves worth more than seven billion dollars and it earns an annual 13 billion dollars through the export of oil and natural gas, s o that payments should not be a problem, Filipovic said. Algerian authorities have decided to invest 13 billion dollars earned through the export of oil and gas in the improvement of the living standards, i.e. th e building of flats, since they face the problem of a high birth rate and need to resolve housing problems, F ilipovic said. The Minister said that the Algerian side had voiced interest in entrusting Yugoslav partner s with the equipping of a new airport building, resumption of works on the subway and construction of part of the East-West highway. Filipovic said that he would contact renowned Yugoslav construction compa nies, such as Energoprojekt, Hidrogradnja and Ivan Milutinovic, regarding these projects. "Algerian p artners have proposed cooperation in the production of mini tractors and motocultivators, which was accepte d by our company DMB and we expect to receive an invitation from Algeria for the realisation of this project," the Minister said. The Yugoslav side was also offered to improve its technology and production i n two or three cement works, since Algeria has high capacities in the production of cement and good ma rl, but a low exploitation rate. "I hope that the Algerian delegation will arrive in Yugoslavia by the end of the year and that we will contract concrete jobs then," Filipovic said.

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