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Serbia Today 96-09-10
Serbia Today
10 September 1996
CONTENTS
[01] MUST CONTINUE THE SUCCESSFUL COOPERATION WITH ALL SIDES
[02] YUGOSLAVIA AND CROATIA ESTABLISHED DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
[03] SUCCESSFUL TALKS IN WASHINGTON
[04] A HISTORICAL DOCUMENT FOR THE COMMON FUTURE
[05] "IZETBEGOVIC PERSONALLY ORDERED THAT MOSLEMS IN SREBRENICA BE MURDERED"
[06] VIOLENT CLASHES BETWEEN MOSLEMS AND CROATS IN THE ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN
[07] SERBS AT THE STAKE
[08] CROATIA IS PREPARING A LAW ON GENERAL AMNESTY
[01] MUST CONTINUE THE SUCCESSFUL COOPERATION WITH ALL SIDES
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic received yesterday the IFOR
Commander - Admiral Joseph Lopes and his assistants. During a
lengthy and open conversation, about the most important issues in
the implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia, it has been
stressed that the IFOR forces in the current realization of the
peace plan carried out with success all the assignments and
provided a substantial support to the strengthening of the general
safety of the population, as well as the stability in the areas
where hostilities raged before. President Milosevic expressed the
belief that IFOR forces will continue to cooperate with success
with all the parties involved, in the interest for a comprehensive
implementation of the Dayton Agreement.
(Politika, September 10, 1996)
[02] YUGOSLAVIA AND CROATIA ESTABLISHED DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Croatia
exchanged yesterday notes about mutual diplomatic and consular
relations. Thus the representative offices have been raised to the
level of embassies. According to the communiqu issued by the
Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this act is one of the major
articles of the Agreement on the normalization o of relations
between FR Yugoslavia and Croatia, signed on August 23, in
Belgrade. This will contribute to the evolution of cooperation
between the two countries based on equality, mutual interests,
neighborliness, in the interest of peace, stability and better
understanding in the region, reads the statement.
(Politika, September 10, 1996)
[03] SUCCESSFUL TALKS IN WASHINGTON
Federal Minister of Finances - Tomica Raicevic stated upon
returning from a visit to Washington that lasted for several days
that only a small number of issues remain that need to be settled
for the final. consent of the IMF Executive Board of Directors on
the status of our country in this international financial
institution. Mr. Raicevic indicated that the talks he had at the
World Bank and at the State Department and the Treasury were very
successful. He also stressed that the other side acknowledged the
role of our country, and that played by President Milosevic in
particular - in the implementation of the Dayton Agreement and all
actions for the normalization of state-economic relations with
Croatia and Macedonia, renewal of economic ties with Bosnia and in
particular the renewal of the settlement of the problem of public
education in Kosovo and Metohija.
(Borba, September 10, 1996)
[04] A HISTORICAL DOCUMENT FOR THE COMMON FUTURE
Discussing the current issues in education at the beginning of
the school year, The Educational Council of the Main Board of the
Socialist Party of Serbia, endorsed the agreement between Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic and Dr. Ibrahim Rugova on the return
of Albanian children and professors to the public education system.
This document has historical importance for the common future, said
SPS officials. The comprehensive realization of the agreement,
which has a civilization, cultural, scientific, educational and
democratic importance, ensures an equal intellectual, spiritual and
moral growth of the young generation of all nations and ethnic
minorities.
(Politika, September 10, 1996)
[05] "IZETBEGOVIC PERSONALLY ORDERED THAT MOSLEMS IN SREBRENICA BE MURDERED"
With the support of the World Serbian Congress, the Serbian
Writers Guild, the "Fund of Truth" from Belgrade and the Ministry
of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, a group of prominent French
writers and intellectuals are visiting the Republic of Srpska since
September 7. Asked about his view of the Republic of Srpska, the
publicist Paul Marie de la Gors said: "RS is essentially the
expression of the desire of the Serbian people to achieve
independence, but also the result of the balance of power in the
past few years. French media and the French political class poorly
understood the situation in Bosnia. Then the fact came to the
surface and they now have to admit that the Republic of Srpska
exists. The events denied the awesome thesis on the aggression of
the Serbs against the neighboring nations." Explaining the
extremely negative stand of the French media regarding the Serbs,
not only in Bosnia, De la Gors said: "Such a negative stand should
be interpreted through the very powerful position of Germany
regarding Yugoslavia, and in the light of the important position
of the Vatican. The German interest is to newly secure its interest
on the Adriatic Coast, and if one considers the aggressive
propaganda about the Moslems constantly being the victims, the oil
interests of the United States become visible." The renown French
writer and journalist Patrique Besson, who wrote some 40 books
including "Against the Slanderers of Serbia", said the western
reporters tried to depict the republic of Srpska as a nazi-type
state, forgetting the fact that this is a state that attack no one,
and wants to live on its own according to its laws and traditions
in peace with its neighbors. Mr. Besson also said the a strong
movement is being created in France, determined to fight against
the misinformation on Serbs, and is now publishing the newspaper
"Balkan Echo". "Now we have a new information on Srebrenica. A
Moslem that defected from Izetbegovic, stated in Ljubljana
(Slovenia) that Izetbegovic personally ordered that Moslems be
killed in Srebrenica, and to accuse the Serbs afterwards", said Mr.
Besson and added: "At the time I was writing the book "Against the
Slanderers of Serbia" I sensed that a major manipulation was
involved and I was not mistaken."
(Ekspres, September 10, 1996)
[06] VIOLENT CLASHES BETWEEN MOSLEMS AND CROATS IN THE ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN
The battle for votes has turned into the most violent
Moslem-Croatian clashes since peace came to Bosnia. Four days before the
elections the heated elections campaign threatens to escalate into
open battle. Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) supporters
gathered at mass rallies marked by a choreography that reminds the
one used during the break-up of Yugoslavia, invoke the spirit of
the Ustashi-run Independent State of Croatia, while the Moslem
priests at the service of the Democratic Action Party (SDA) openly
advocate the holy war and the Islamization of the country. Prime
Croatian media are full of slogans like "our fathers (Pavelic's
Ustashi) failed to defend the Croatian nation in 1941-1945, but our
generation will not." Another message is that the Croats never
renounced to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Federation President
Kresimir Zubak insists that Croatian municipalities are to be
created throughout Bosnia, even in localities where several dozen
Croats can hardly be found. The Moslems side is retaliating in it
own way. Followers of Alija Izetbegovic, who continues to shock the
public with his wavering on the boycott of the elections, are even
resorting to gangster-like attacks (against the limousine of the
Croatian Ambassador to Bosnia, the building of the Croatian General
Consulate in Bihac). Last weekend, SDA launched a new slogan on the
powerful "Triple A" - "Allah, Alija, Army". It was devised by the
top military. The Moslem leader - Izetbegovic is still
belligerently promising united Bosnia and mentioning Brcko,
threatening to return into the town - or create major problems.
(Ekspres, September 10, 1996)
[07] SERBS AT THE STAKE
Moslems from Srebrenica settled on Mt. Ozren and in Vozuca not
only prevented the return of the bodies of 23 Bosnian Serb
soldiers, discovered in a mass grave a month ago but then destroyed
them with fire and explosives. This has been established by the
representatives of the Serbian and Moslem committees for exchange
of prisoners when they visited Mt. Ozren on Saturday accompanied
by an official from Mr. Karl Bildt's Office. The bodies of the
Serbian soldier, previously prepared for transport have been first
brutally burned and then destroyed with explosives. The return of
the bodies found in the mass grave on Paljenik Hill was supposed
to mark the beginning of the implementation of the agreement signed
last week in Sarajevo by the highest Serbian, Croatian and Moslem
officials in Bosnia. After Vozuca fell into Moslem hands in
September last year, many Serbian soldiers were killed and 200 more
bodies are to be returned from that zone. Justified fears exist
that these bodies have been desecrated like the ones found near
Paljenik.
(Vecernje Novosti, September 10, 1996)
[08] CROATIA IS PREPARING A LAW ON GENERAL AMNESTY
It has been revealed in Zagreb yesterday that Croatia is
preparing a law on general amnesty, which should alleviate the
return of the Serbian refugees. The Speaker of the Lower House of
the Croatian Parliament - Ms. Katica Ivanisevic announced at a
press conference that the law on general amnesty will be urgently
presented before the Parliament during this month. She clarified
that the law would grant pardon to all, except those that committed
crimes of war.
(Politika, September 10, 1996)
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