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Serbia Today 96-04-22
Serbia Today
22 April 1996
In This Edition:
* SUCCESSFUL VENTURE OF THE YUGOSLAV ECONOMY IN BEIJING
* ALBANIA CONTINUES TO INTERFERE IN OUR INTERNAL AFFAIRS
* MUSLIM SECRET PRODUCTION OF MINES
CONTENTS
[01] YUGOSLAVIA AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN THE INTERPARLIAMENTARY UNION
[02] THE RETURN OF AMBASSADORS - A LOGICAL STEP
[03] RECOGNITION TO THE YUGOSLAV DIPLOMACY
[04] ACCUSATIONS WITHOUT PROOF
[05] ALBANIA CONTINUES TO INTERFERE IN OUR INTERNAL AFFAIRS
[06] SUCCESSFUL VENTURE OF THE YUGOSLAV ECONOMY IN BEIJING
[07] GREAT RECOGNITION TO THE LOCAL METEOROLOGY
[08] MUSLIMS SECRETLY PRODUCE MINES
[09] REPRESENTATIVES OF THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL IN BANJA LUKA
[10] MASS GRAVES IN MRKONJIC GRAD - THE LARGEST ONES IN BOSNIA
[11] COLONEL ALEKSA KRSMANOVIC RELEASED
[12] GERMANY 'DISCOVERS' THE PROBLEM OF JASENOVAC
[01] YUGOSLAVIA AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN THE INTERPARLIAMENTARY UNION
At the 95th Conference of the Interparliamentary Union, the world
organization of parliaments, where 116 countries have taken part, delegation
of the Yugoslav group of the IPU of the Federal Assembly, has participated in
the debate on all the issues which were on the agenda. Dr. Milos Radulovic,
president of our national group, delivered a speech in the general debate on
political, economic and social situation and underlined that permanent peace
and stability in the region are not possible without an equitable status of
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which understands an urgent and
unconditional lifting of sanctions and a full reintegration of our country in
all the international organizations and institutions. Vice president of the
Yugoslav IPU group, Goran Percevic, in the Committee for political issues,
international security and disarmament, stated the high achievements which in
this field have been realized in our country. He underlined that the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia is against the abuse of human rights and unprincipled
exploitation of the rights of national minorities as the means of political
pressure on our country. (Borba, April 20-21, 1996)
[02] THE RETURN OF AMBASSADORS - A LOGICAL STEP
Deputy Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Zivadin Jovanovic stated that
the return of ambassadors to Belgrade is a recognition of the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia as the most important factor of the peace process in former SFR
of Yugoslavia. "This is in the interest of further progress of the peace
process, but also in the interest of development of all the forms of bilateral
cooperation, most of all the economic one", said Jovanovic in his interview
for Radio Television Serbia. There is a growing number of countries which is
considering as logical the reintegration of the FR of Yugoslavia in all the
international organizations, said Jovanovic and specified: "Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia is not a country which is expecting the aid from the European
Union, but it is a country with sufficient potentials to be an equitable
partner of the European Union". (Borba, April 21, 1996)
[03] RECOGNITION TO THE YUGOSLAV DIPLOMACY
The official Chinese news agency Hsinhua, on the occasion of a series of
decisions by the western countries to normalize the relations with Belgrade,
is stating that "the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is decisively marching
towards its deserved place in the international community". China, as opposed
to the countries of the West, has not even for one moment lowered the level of
its diplomatic relations with the FR of Yugoslavia and was striving for it to
take its rightful place in the international organizations. In an extensive
analytic article by its Belgrade correspondent, it is said that "by the
arrival of the ambassadors to Belgrade, it is to be expected that some of the
gestures by certain members of the international community who were applying
double standards, will now become the thing of the past". (Borba, April 20-21,
1996)
[04] ACCUSATIONS WITHOUT PROOF
Federal Minister for Human Rights and Rights of National Minorities
Margit Savovic, qualified as positive cooperation of the Government of the FR
of Yugoslavia with the special UN rapporteur for human rights Elizabeth Ren.
However, regarding the objections of the Yugoslav Government to the latest
report by Mrs. Ren, she said that it is necessary to clarify some of her
erroneous statements. Mrs. Ren has failed by even one single argument or fact
to support her claims that in the FR of Yugoslavia there is widely spread
discrimination against some ethnic and religious groups. Thus, for example,
"the statement by Elizabeth Ren that a large number of schools have been
suspended because of the refusal of the Albanian population to accept the
unified educational system, requires also to be said that the unauthorized
changes of the official school curriculum are illegal acts, opposed to the
provisions of the UN, O.S.C.E. and the Council of Europe, and punishable in
every democratic country", points out Margit Savovic. While commenting on the
claim that "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is having a monopoly over the
information media", Savovic replicates that for this statement, not even one
single proof has been given. "In Yugoslavia functioning of the media has its
legal framework. The claim that the foreign financial support to the
information media is prevented is false, because there is only a proposal that
the state should have a precise records of that. Anyhow, such practices exist
also in the West". said Minister Savovic. (Politika ekspres, April 20, 1996)
[05] ALBANIA CONTINUES TO INTERFERE IN OUR INTERNAL AFFAIRS
On the occasion of the address by the Albanian representative at the
52nd session of the UN Commission for Human Rights, charge d'affaires of the
permanent mission of the FR of Yugoslavia at the UN in Geneva, Miroslav
Milosevic, has sent a letter to the President of the Commission, Gilbert
Saboya, warning that this is a continuation of the Albanian policy of
interfering in the internal affairs of Yugoslavia. The letter by the Yugoslav
charge d'affaires was filed as the official document of the session and is
accessible to all the participants of this gathering. The Albanian
representative has reiterated for who knows how many times now, the well known
stands of Tirana on Kosovo and Metohija. This time, however, the Albanians
have even surpassed themselves because stating of the accusations against the
FR of Yugoslavia has so much irritated the chairman of the plenary session ,
that he was forced to take the floor from the Albanian representative. "By
using the attacks on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Albania is trying to
conceal its own practices of systematic discrimination of Serbs, Montenegrins,
Greeks and other nationalities in its own territory", warned Milosevic.
Regarding Kosovo and Metohija, it is not a question of the disrespect for the
legitimate rights of national minorities, but of the boycott of the legal
state institutions of Serbia and Yugoslavia by the Albanian national minority,
manipulated by its separatist leaders, with the aim of creating "the
independent republic of Kosovo", reads the letter by Miroslav Milosevic.
(Vecernje novosti, April 21, 1996)
[06] SUCCESSFUL VENTURE OF THE YUGOSLAV ECONOMY IN BEIJING
Yugoslav economy has successfully presented itself at the international
agricultural and technological fair "Agro-Expo 96" which was adjourned today
in Beijing. Chinese firms, combines and the state organizations have shown
great interest in the Yugoslav products, and especially in modern technology,
new hybrids and equipment which was presented to the hosts by NIS Jugopetrol.
During the Fair, deputy director of Jugopetrol trading department Dragomir
Stefanovic with his associates, had several meetings and a number of business
arrangements were agreed upon. Among the 200 renown world firms from 18
countries, Jugopetrol presented to the Chinese and other foreign partners the
products and offered technology and equipment from "Porecje" from Vucje,
"Srbijanka" from Valjevo, BIP Belgrade, "Fidelinka" from Subotica, PKB Imlek
Belgrade, "Budimka" from Pozega, "Navip" from Belgrade, "Takovo" from Gornji
Milanovac and Maize Research Institute of Zemun Polje. "This Fair was a good
opportunity for the enormous Chinese market to be acquainted with one part of
the Yugoslav agricultural products", said Stefanovic. (Politika, April 21,
1996)
[07] GREAT RECOGNITION TO THE LOCAL METEOROLOGY
Commission for Atmospheric Sciences of the World Meteorological
Organization, nominated the Federal Hydro-Meteorological Institute as the
center of activities for numerical modelling of the atmospheric processes in a
limited area, in our case in Europe with the Mediterranean. Thus, Yugoslavia
has found itself in an elite society of another five countries: China,
Germany, Japan, Norway and the United States, which through their regions are
covering the entire planet in the numerical modelling of the weather. The next
step is establishment of the regional project for the application of the
model, in which we will include Moscow as the world meteorological center, and
Bulgarians with regional telecommunication center, says Slavko Maksimovic,
Director of the Federal Hydro-Meteorological Institute. It is our aim through
this project to grow into an operative center for prognostics in the entire
South-Eastern Europe and the Balkans. (Politika, April 22, 1996)
[08] MUSLIMS SECRETLY PRODUCE MINES
Bosnian Muslims have started a clandestine production of step-on mines,
directly violating the Dayton Peace Agreement, claims today the London "Sunday
Times", quoting the discovery of this by the western intelligence services.
This discovery is coming on the eve of today's Conference in Geneva on
prohibition of production and use of step-on mines which, according to this
newspaper, will throw a great shadow on this meeting. Furthermore, there is
yet another absurd thing discovered: the official Sarajevo is asking, on the
one hand, the assistance of the international community in clearing of the
mine fields, while on the other hand it is secretly producing mines. In the
diplomatic circles it is feared that Muslims are preparing for the new war
clashes, and it is specified that these fears are especially aimed at the
relations between Muslims and Croats and at possible terrorist actions,
underlines the newspaper. In spite of close military and political links, the
relations between the United States and the Muslims government have especially
deteriorated recently because of its ties with Iran and foreign Islamic
mercenaries who are still present in Bosnia. It is pointed out in London that
there are certain changes in the American stand regarding former Yugoslavia.
It is underlined that the American relations have not only deteriorated with
the Bosnian Muslims, but also with the official Croatia. This is indicated
also by the fact that the U.S. Ambassador in Zagreb Peter Galbright, is under
an official investigation in Washington D.C. because of clandestine contacts
with Iran and the participation in arming of the Bosnian Muslims, and because
of "disclosing state secrets of the United States" to the Croat President
Tudjman. (Vecernje novosti, April 22, 1996)
[09] REPRESENTATIVES OF THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL IN BANJA LUKA
Representatives of the authorities and organizations of the Republic of
Serbian Krajina had talks in Banja Luka with the representatives of the
International Tribunal in the Hague on the crimes committed against Serbs in
Gospic, at Maslenica bridge, at Miljevacki Plateau, Medakovica dzep and in
other places in the Republic of Serbian Krajina. Sava Strbac of the
documentary and information center "Veritas" said that representatives of the
RSK were given the guarantees that with these documents and in the judicial
proceedings the same will be done as with the materials "of the opposite
sides". The Hague Tribunal will be no longer be able to justify itself that it
can not obtain witnesses from the Serbian side. "We have submitted to the
Tribunal even in May last year 13 files about the crimes committed in the
territory of the Republic of Srpska and in Western Slavonia, but until now on
their basis not even one indictment was raised", says Strbac. "The Serbian
side is dissatisfied with the work of the Tribunal and its behavior so far
which may become an obstacle to our further cooperation, but we have
nevertheless now obtained assurances that the procedure will be accelerated",
said after the talks Boro Martinovic from the Association of the Exiled Serbs
from the Republic of Serbian Krajina. (Politika, April 21, 1996)
[10] MASS GRAVES IN MRKONJIC GRAD - THE LARGEST ONES IN BOSNIA
The international observers who were present at the exhumation of the
victims from the mass graves in Mrkonjic Grad, confirm that these are the
largest mass graves discovered so far in Bosnia, Reuters reports. Serbs knew
that the area of Mrkonjic Grad was burnt-down and plundered during the
offensive of the Croat forces, but no one was ready to face what has actually
been discovered. The experts have found 181 bodies in the shallow graves.
Croats, who have conquered this town in their offensive of October last, claim
that they have buried some Serbian soldiers, but the autopsy finds, however,
are raising serious doubts as to such claims, states Reuters. From the
exhumated victims, 102 are having serious scull injuries, four are beheaded
and 11 are the bodies of old and middle-aged women. The Hague Tribunal for War
Crimes will examine the documentation submitted to it by the Serbian
authorities, demanding for the proceedings to be instigated on the grounds of
Croat crimes committed in the area of Mrkonjic Grad. (Politika, April 22,
1996)
[11] COLONEL ALEKSA KRSMANOVIC RELEASED
Colonel Aleksa Krsmanovic and another ten members of the Republic of
Srpska Army were released yesterday from the Sarajevo prison, and escorted by
the deputy high representative of the international community for civilian
issues of the Dayton Agreement, Michael Steiner, went to Pale. Krsmanovic has
spent both in Muslim and the Hague prisons, 83 days. The Trial Chamber of the
Hague Tribunal did not raise an indictment against Krsmanovic and has silently
acquitted him of all criminal charges. His defense counsel Igor Pantelic,
stated that there are no more grounds whatsoever for his criminal prosecution
and neither any suspicions that Colonel Krsmanovic has committed the war
crimes. (Politika, April 24, 1996)
[12] GERMANY 'DISCOVERS' THE PROBLEM OF JASENOVAC
The Croat President Tudjman even earlier and because of his totalitarian
manner of rule and an operatic insistence on the pompous style, in the fashion
of South-American dictators, was the target of a number of German liberal
media. But recently, he is appearing more and more often on their pages
because of Jasenovac. The liberal "Frankfurter Rundschau" published an article
by Slavenka Drakulic in which, among others, it is stated that Jasenovac is at
present the only memorial complex in Europe, devoted to the victims of
Fascism, which has been destroyed. Together with unsupported and incredible
claims that the former prison camp was destroyed and plundered by Serbs and
that in it only 80,000 victims have perished (and although the author is
accusing Tudjman for falsehoods, she is also several times repeating this
incredibly low number), in the text it is specified that behind this Tudjman's
idea "on reconciliation of all the victims of the World War Two" and where
else - but in Jasenovac - there is a hidden intention to have the past
forgotten, both the Fascist and the Communist one. The author writes that in
Croatia there was no public debate about Tudjman's idea, but that the
Government of Franjo Tudjman has quietly already rehabilitated the Ustashi
regime of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). (Politika, April 20, 1996)
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