Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-04-04

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory

From: ddc@nyquist.bellcore.com (D.D. Chukurov)

4 April 1996

CONTENTS

[A] FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA

[01] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER CONFERS WITH U.S. SENATE DELEGATION

[02] RUSSIA TO OPEN CONSULATE IN MONTENEGRO

[B] IFOR

[03] GEN. SHALIKASHVILI: IFOR NOT TO HUNT WAR CRIME SUSPECTS IN BOSNIA

[C] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL

[04] BOSNIAN SERB COLONEL TRANSFERRED FROM THE HAGUE TO SARAJEVO

[D] ON MISSING PERSONS

[05] U.N. EXPERTS FILE ANOTHER BIASED REPORT ON MISSING PERSONS

[A] FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA

[01] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER CONFERS WITH U.S. SENATE DELEGATION

The US delegations is headed by republican Senator Arlene Specter from Pannsylvania.

Milutinovic and the US delegation said that the international force was met with understanding and cooperation of all sides in Bosnia, all of which is reflected in the implementation so far of the peace agreement, especailly its military aspect.

Underscored was the special importance of the preparations for the elections of both entities in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The holding of the elections will contribute to the faster normalization of the situation, the return of refugees, restoration of communication links, especially the protection of citizens and their personal security and that of their property.

It was also said that the speedy economic reconstruction of the entire territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina is important and that it requires faster and more concrete material aid by the international community.

[02] RUSSIA TO OPEN CONSULATE IN MONTENEGRO

Kotov said Russia would make a full contribution to the principles of peace, dialogue, and resolving all conflicts in the Balkans using political means.

Bulatovic and Kotov agreed during the talks that the process of normalization and stabilization of the situation in the Balkans, following the successful realization of the military component of the Bosnia peace accords, was already in the stage where emphasis was on questions of economic renewal, democratization of political life, and opening of prospects for elementary development.

Bulatovic said Yugoslavia's full reintegration into the international community, revival of economic development, and evident improvement in the standard of the population, were the primary concern of Montenegro and Yugoslavia both at home and abroad.

In this respect, Bulatovic pointed out the importance of the greatest possible expansion of cooperation between Yugoslavia and russia.

[B] IFOR

[03] GEN. SHALIKASHVILI: IFOR NOT TO HUNT WAR CRIME SUSPECTS IN BOSNIA

To corroborate his statement he invoked a lesson from Somalia where American troops were hunting for general aidide, later to send bodies of their soldiers back to America where they returned without accomplishing the mission.

He said that this example was still echoing, and added that he had drawn from it the necessary lessons.

It is this categorical statement by gen. Shalikashvili that should definitively cut off the attempts by certain political circles and media here which had wanted to politicize the question of prosecuting war crime suspects in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the question of the work of the Hague international Tribunal for war crimes in the territory of former Yugoslavia, while shunting IFOR to a side track and into additional risks.

[C] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL

[04] BOSNIAN SERB COLONEL TRANSFERRED FROM THE HAGUE TO SARAJEVO

Krsmanovic had spent nearly two months in investigative detention in the Hague, together with Bosnian Serb gen. Djordje Djukic. The transfer operation was organised by the Tribunal's Secretariat which was ordered by the Tribunal's Council on Friday, March 29, to return col. Krsmanovic to Sarajevo by midnight on Wednesday, april 3.

The Tribunal's Council ruled that there are no grounds for prosecuting Krsmanovic for war crimes and that he should be returned to Sarajevo.

Asked why Krsmanovic had not been released when there was no evidence to accuse him, a Tribunal official said that the Tribunal had acted in line with international law and its own rules of procedure.

[D] ON MISSING PERSONS

[05] U.N. EXPERTS FILE ANOTHER BIASED REPORT ON MISSING PERSONS

He added that there are 50 mass graves in Croatia and as many as 300 in Bosnia.

To this 'specific' report about missing Muslims and Croats Novak added that there were gross violations of human rights during and after Croatia's assaults on the west, south and north of Serb Krajina in May and August 1995.

He could not say how many Serbs have gone missing, still less did he concern himself about what happened to them. Instead of submitting evidence, Novak quoted 'information from certain sources' to the effect that a certain number of Croats listed as missing have been transferred to Sremska Mitrovica, Aleksinac and Nis in Serbia, Yugoslavia, to work as slave labour. Asked by Tanjug's correspondent at a news conference if he had actually seen the labour camps where the 'missing' Croats are allegedly interned, Novak replied that he could not see them, because Yugoslav authorities had not allowed him to visit those places.

Novak obviously discounts the relevance of the report of the International Committee of the Red Cross, whose experts have toured those places and officially reported there are no camps with missing Croats there.

He invited the 52nd session to uphold his recommendation to appoint a team of experts to track down missing persons and detect mass graves. He received support only from the representatives of the Bosnian Muslim Sarajevo Government and Croatia, although they very well known that this matter is being investigated by the ICRC.