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Serbia Today 96-06-03
Serbia Today
3 June 1996
CONTENTS
[01] ELECTIONS FOR PEACE AND RECONSTRUCTION
[02] FOR AN INSTIGATION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
[03] END OF BLOCKADE
[04] RUSSIAN PRESS ABOUT THE VISIT OF YEVGENY PRIMAKOV TO THE SR OF YUGOSLAVIA
[05] FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA SHOULD REMAIN THE HUMANITARIAN PRIORITY
[06] BARANJA TO REMAIN MULTI-ETHNIC
[07] RACISM IN AMNESTY
[08] MORINA: SUCCESSFUL CENSUS OF REFUGEES
[09] FEAR OF TRUTH
[10] DOOR OPEN TO IRAN
[11] ETHNICALLY CLEAN SARAJEVO
[12] BELGRADE-ZAGREB AS OF JUNE 15, 1996
[13] INITIAL STEPS
[14] TRADING IS BLOCKED
[15] TALKS ZEBIC-FROMANN
[16] POISONOUS BOMBS
[17] ON THE PATH TO EUROPE
[01] ELECTIONS FOR PEACE AND RECONSTRUCTION
President of the Republic of Serbia Slobodan Milosevic, yesterday in Geneva, after the meeting of
the signatories of the Dayton Agreement with the U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, said that the
meeting has given an additional impetus to the successful implementation of the Dayton Agreement. While
qualifying the results of the meeting, President Milosevic stressed that "practically, all the key issues of the
further implementation of the Dayton Agreement were discussed...It is beyond any doubt that the most
important issue, which is rightfully attracting the greatest attention and is having the greatest importance for
the positive solution in the war-thorn areas... is the question of the first free and democratic elections both
in the Republic of Srpska and in the Muslim-Croat federation and the election of the authorities of Bosnia-
Herzegovina...". President Milosevic emphasized that the elections will be held on time, as scheduled by the
Dayton Agreement. "This will mean an enormous change, because it will established legitimate bodies, free
and democratically elected and will establish institutions which by their function will make possible a
normal life and turning towards reconstruction of the war-destroyed economy and establishment of normal
mutual links", said Milosevic. (Politika, Politika ekspres, June 3, 1996)
[02] FOR AN INSTIGATION IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
Meeting of the signatories of the Dayton Agreement, devoted to the implementation of the peace
agreement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, with the United States Secretary of State Warren Christopher and
representatives of the Contact Group member-countries, as well as with the chairman of the Organization
for the Security and Cooperation in Europe, Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotty and the IFOR Commander
in Bosnia General George Jowlvan, was adjourned last night in Geneva with a joint statement in which all
of the participants are striving for instigating further consistent implementation of the Agreement reached
November last year in Dayton. (Tanjug, June 3, 1996)
[03] END OF BLOCKADE
Holding of the elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina will also mark the final abolition of economic
sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, were the first reactions of the American reporters
from Geneva. They are underlining that the fate of elections must not be linked with the political fate of the
President of the Republic of Srpska Radovan Karadzic, no matter how much Washington is insisting upon
it. (Novosti, June 3, 1996)
[04] RUSSIAN PRESS ABOUT THE VISIT OF YEVGENY PRIMAKOV TO THE SR OF YUGOSLAVIA
"All the fuss created about Radovan Karadzic is unnecessary and by unwise moves the process of
revival of peace could be disturbed", said on board the place, upon his return from the FR of Yugoslavia
Russian chief of diplomacy Yevgeny Primakov to the reporters who have accompanied him on this visit.
"The introduction again of sanctions could destroy the entire peace operation", quotes the "Commercant
Daily" of June 1, 1996 words of Primakov. According to this newspaper, Primakov called "counter-
productive" the artificial building-up of passions about the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, as well as the
threats by the United States of introducing again sanctions against the FR of Yugoslavia because of not
extraditing Karadzic. (Politika, June 2, 1996)
[05] FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA SHOULD REMAIN THE HUMANITARIAN PRIORITY
International Federation of the Associations of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent is of the view
that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in which there is a large number of refugees, should remain a
humanitarian priority, because the conditions for mass repatriation have not been created yet. This was
stated yesterday for Tanjug by the Under-Secretary of the Federation and the head of the humanitarian
operations in the world catastrophes Margaret Walsthrom. She underlined that "the return of refugees and
reconstruction of Bosnia are very slow, and in view of the fact that in Yugoslavia there are almost 600,000
refugees" giving of aid to this area should be continued. (Politika, June 3, 1996)
[06] BARANJA TO REMAIN MULTI-ETHNIC
Serbian Region of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem is multi-ethnic, multi-national and
multi-confessional and it must remain such, stated yesterday the President of the Executive Council of the
Region, Dr. Vojislav Stanomirovic, in the Radio Kragujevac program "The Seal of Time". He added that
only along these principles and those based on human rights and rights to personal property can the
existence of Serbs be secured in this Region. He also underlined that the latest selective Law on Amnesty in
Croatia has brought anxiety and distrust among the citizens. (Politika ekspres, June 3, 1996)
[07] RACISM IN AMNESTY
Calling upon the Constitution of Croatia and the Dayton Agreement, Serbian People's Party is
demanding from the Constitutional Court to abolish the recently adopted Law on Amnesty of all Serbs who
have participated in the war in Croatia. Namely, the Law on Amnesty is foreseeing abolition only for the
citizens of Serbian nationality who are living in the area of Eastern Slavonia and Baranja. Without the law
on general amnesty there can be no return of exiled Serbs. And Croatia has expelled from its territory
700,000 Serbs, some 130,000 Albanians and some 120,000 Muslims. It was the first one to start with the
ethnic cleansing: it has done this by media propaganda, by killing of innocent Serbs and expulsion of all
Serbs from their jobs.
President of the Serbian People's Party Milan Djukic in his statement for Radio Kragujevac said that if
Croatia should fail to pass the law on general amnesty, then "a third exodus" of Serbs will happen, and they
will completely disappear from these areas.
The ambassadors of the Contact Group have asked from the Croat President Franjo Tudjman to ensure the
return of Serbs and at this request he had answered that he will accept no longer dictates from no one. By
this attitude, Croat President is rejecting the obligations which he had undertaken in Dayton. (Vecernje
novosti, June 2-3, 1996)
[08] MORINA: SUCCESSFUL CENSUS OF REFUGEES
The Commissioner for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia Bratislava Morina stated yesterday that
the census of refugees in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia "was very successful and above expectations".
She said that inclusive of Saturday, some 520,000 refugees were registered. Morina added that the census
was extended till June 9, 1996. (Politika, June 3, 196)
[09] FEAR OF TRUTH
Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, while speaking this weekend at the session of the European Bishops'
Conferences in the Austrian city of Mariacel about "the state and status of Serbian minority and church
buildings of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Croatia", failed to mention the notorious facts
about the tragic balance of the Serbian sufferings and perdition, which are not terminated even one year
after "The Lightening" and "The Storm". He was trying to convince the Catholic dignitaries that "Serbs did
not listen to President Tudjman to remain calmly in their own homes...". However, it is not known whether
the participants of this conference had the information that at least 25 thousand of the Serbian homes and
churches were erased to the ground, about mass liquidation of the aged man, women and children lagging
behind the exiles, about shelling of refugee convoys. (Politika ekspres, June 3, 1996)
[10] DOOR OPEN TO IRAN
The United States Ambassador in Zagreb Peter Galbright admitted to the congressmen that he was
advised from Washington two years ago to say to the Croat representatives that "there are no instructions"
about the Iranian deliveries via Croatia, when the Croats asked whether the United States will oppose this.
"This was supposed to mean that there is no opposition", admitted Galbright, who was defending himself
that "the Iranian armament has helped Bosnia not to be step over by the Serbian separatists". (Tanjug, June
1, 1996)
[11] ETHNICALLY CLEAN SARAJEVO
During the weekend, "The New York Times" published the report by its correspondent from
Sarajevo that Muslim authorities are taking away Serbian and Croat apartments. In this way, writes this
newspaper, this city is being turned into an ethnically pure and predominantly Muslim place. In the article it
is stated that the Muslim authorities, contrary to the Dayton Agreement, have expropriated tens of
thousands of homes of those citizens of Sarajevo who during the time of war or immediately afterwards,
have left the city. (Borba, June 3, 1996)
[12] BELGRADE-ZAGREB AS OF JUNE 15, 1996
Chief of the Bureau of the Republic of Croatia in Belgrade Zvonimir Markovic stated that as of
June 15, 1996 according to the schedule of the Administrator of Eastern Slavonia, Jacques Kleine, the
railway transport between Belgrade and Zagreb will be normalized.
Markovic also strived for a prompt mutual recognition between Croatia and the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia and added that this will be one of the main topics of the talks between Presidents Milosevic and
Tudjman in Geneva. (Politika, June 2, 1996)
[13] INITIAL STEPS
At the Brussels Conference of Women of the Balkans, which was conducted under the slogan
"Give Peace A Chance", initial steps were made towards establishment of mutual dialogue between women
from the states created in the area of former Yugoslavia. Margit Savovic, who was heading the Yugoslav
delegation, stressed that women were the greatest victims and that the Brussels Conference was an excellent
chance for their voice to be heard too. She underlined that the discussion was, with only a few exceptions,
very constructive and that many useful proposals were heard. (Borba, June 1-2, 1996)
[14] TRADING IS BLOCKED
Lord Mayor of the town of Bari, Simon di Cano Abresha, has sent a note to the Prime Minister
Romano Proggi and to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lamberto Dinni, stating that "introduction of
entrance visas in the situation when there is not consulate of Italy in Montenegro, is inevitably blocking the
trade exchange and other activities in the Port of Bari", quotes the article published in the Italian press, the
correspondent of the Montenegrin "Pobjeda" from the capital of the Southern Italian Province of Pulia. The
Lord Mayor is proposing that the implementation of this measure be postponed until the opening of the
Italian Consular offices in Podgorica or Bar. (Politika ekspres, June 1, 1996)
[15] TALKS ZEBIC-FROMANN
Vice President of the Yugoslav Government Jovan Zebic had talks with the official of the Ministry
of Finance of the United States Michael Fromann about the renewal of the Yugoslav-American economic
cooperation and regulating of the status of the FR of Yugoslavia in the international financial organizations.
The joint view was that it is of crucial importance that Yugoslavia be reintegrated in the international
financial organizations, so that it may open channels for inflow of capital, increase its production and start
responding to its obligations. (Politika ekspres, June 1, 1996)
[16] POISONOUS BOMBS
Deputy Defense Minister of the Republic of Srpska for civilian protection Vlado Vukovic, stated
on June 1, 1996 that "after the actions of NATO air force on the Republic of Srpska many negative
occurrences have been noticed on plants, animals and people. He specified that "it is assumed that the
ecological and other changes are appearing as a consequence of a premeditated use of various agents for
mass destruction of flora, fauna and population", but that the scientific analysis will yield precise answers.
(Vecernje novosti, June 2, 1996)
[17] ON THE PATH TO EUROPE
Readiness of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to harmonize its legal system, and most of all its
corporate law with the regulations of the European integration is best confirmed by the fact that such an
initiative in the Yugoslav Government was tabled as early as 1994. Yugoslavia did not decide in favor of
harmonization of its legal system with the legal framework of EU because someone was asking this of her,
as was recently stated by the Yugoslav Prime Minister Dr. Radoje Kontic, but because it is its own
orientation. (Politika ekspres, June 3, 1996)
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