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Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-04-05Yugoslav Daily Survey DirectoryFrom: ddc@nyquist.bellcore.com (D.D. Chukurov)5 April 1996CONTENTS[A] FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA[01] YUGOSLAVIA, CROATIA SET TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS[02] YUGOSLAVIA AND IMF TO ENGAGE IN NEW ROUND OF TALKS[03] YUGOSLAV, DPR KOREAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS HOLD TALKS[B] YUGOSLAVIA - ECONOMY[04] YUGOSLAV MINISTER SAYS ANTI-YUGOSLAV SANCTIONS DEVASTATED ECONOMY[05] YUGOSLAVIA SHOULD OPEN DOOR TO FOREIGN INVESTORS[C] REPUBLKA SRPSKA[06] 181 BODIES OF SERBS EXHUMED FROM MASS GRAVES AT MRKONJIC GRAD[D] FROM DOMESTIC PRESS[07] FRENCH JOURNALIST WHO DISCLOSED TRUTH ON MARKALE WINS HIS CASE[A] FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA[01] YUGOSLAVIA, CROATIA SET TO NORMALIZE RELATIONSBelgrade, April 4 (Tanjug) - The Yugoslav Government on Thursday noted that both Yugoslavia and Croatia are prepared to make a headway in mutual cooperation and speed up the normalization of their relations.The Government, at its session chaired by Prime Minister Radoje Kontic, adopted a report on talks between Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic and Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic in Zagreb on March 11. It was also assessed that the Yugoslav Foreign Minister's visit to Zagreb contributed to the further reaffirmation of Yugoslavia's role as a constructive and key factor in implementing the peace process. The Government assigned the relevant departments with taking the necessary activities for implementing the agreements.[02] YUGOSLAVIA AND IMF TO ENGAGE IN NEW ROUND OF TALKSBelgrade, April 4 (Tanjug) - National Bank of Yugoslavia Governer Dragoslav Avramovic said on Thursday that the legal formulation regarding the continuity of yugoslavia's membership in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) remained unresolved during the recent talks in Paris. Avramovic told a press conference in Belgrade that this issue remained open after the closure of the talks with IMF and the World Bank on Tuesday.The Yugoslav Government offered that a delegation of IMF and the World Bank comes to Belgrade next week for a new round of talks on this issue, Avramovic said. [03] YUGOSLAV, DPR KOREAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS HOLD TALKSPeking, April 4 (Tanjug) - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea strongly upholds the restoration of Yugoslavia's legal rights and its return to its rightful place in the world community and organisations, a DPR Korean Parliamentary official said on Thursday. Chairman of the DPR of Korea's Supreme People's Assembly Yang Hyung Sop was speaking with Speaker of the Yugoslav Parliament Chamber of Citizens Radomar Bozovic.The two sides expressed an interest in deepening friendship, understanding and cooperation between the two countries in all fields. They also showed a wish to expand inter-parliamentary cooperation, and said that a good way to do this would be through meeting more often and setting up friendship societies that should maintain permanent contact and exchanges of views. A chance for the two parliaments' joint action will be provided by the upcoming session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Istanbul, they said. Bozovic informed his hosts about the situation in former Yugoslavia and the efforts being made to effect a peaceful settlement and implement the Dayton peace accord. The Yugoslav Parliamentary delegation has been received also by Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Kim Jong Nam. The two countries' political relations are very good, which opens scope for developing economic cooperation, which should be established as soon as possible, it was stressed during the meeting. [B] YUGOSLAVIA - ECONOMY[04] YUGOSLAV MINISTER SAYS ANTI-YUGOSLAV SANCTIONS DEVASTATED ECONOMYCuprija, April 4 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Minister without portfolio Margit Savovic said Thursday that three and a half years of international sanctions against Yugoslavia had brought 3,5 million Yugoslavs, or 35% of the population, to the brink of poverty. Speaking at a meeting of physicians and associates of the UNICEF in Yugoslavia, Savovic said that the sanctions had crippled the national economy and the social policy.She said that 400,000 households, with 800,000 children, were living on a subsistence level, and that about 570,000 others were barely above this level. In addition, added Savovic, there are 240,000 refugee children in Yugoslavia from war zones in former Yugoslavia. She said that the mortality rate among the children had risen dramatically, especially in the one-to-five age group, and that Yugoslavia had had an average of 12,000 babies less every year since the imposition of the sanctions in 1992. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia increased its exports by 97% compared to the same period last year, it was said here on Thursday at the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce. A session of the Trade, Tourism and Foreign Economic Cooperation Board said that the suspension of sanctions against Yugoslavia has resulted in easier foreign trade, but that the full normalization of relations can be expected only after they are definitely lifted. The session said that the United States, France, Austria and Germany are still applying strict measures towards Yugoslav foreign trade firms and that regarding the property of Yugoslav companies abroad, the most difficult situation is in the United States. It was said that in 1995, foreign trade rose by 24% compared to 1994, but that this has not had any significant impact on the rise of production in the country. In the first months of 1996, there was a shift in the structure of imported goods, so that the previously dominant consumer goods have been replaced by raw and semi-manufactures. The shortage of goods for export, however, is one of the causes of the low trade with the world. [05] YUGOSLAVIA SHOULD OPEN DOOR TO FOREIGN INVESTORSBelgrade, April 4 (Tanjug) - President of the Yugoslav Chamber of the Economy Mihajlo Milojevic said Thursday Yugoslavia had to furnish all possibilities of attracting foreign capital investments. Milojevic explained that Yugoslavia, having experienced three and a half years of comprehensive and mandatory sanctions, has no possibilities for self-financing.Under Yugoslav regulations which are adjusted with competitive countries, all forms of ownership are equal, Milojevic stressed and added that a long list of projects are offered to foreign investors. [C] REPUBLKA SRPSKA[06] 181 BODIES OF SERBS EXHUMED FROM MASS GRAVES AT MRKONJIC GRADBanjaluka, Apr 4 (Tanjug) - At Mrkonjic Grad in the west of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 181 bodies of Serb civilians were exhumed from two mass graves in the town's Orthodox cemetery on Thursday. This has ended the exhumation of Serb victims killed during and after the large Muslim-Croat offensive in the autumn of 1995 against the western parts of the Republika Srpska.A team of experts, headed by professor Zoran Stankovic were continuing identification of the victims, most of them found without any documents. Stankovic said that ausies showed that most of the victims were killed when struck with blunt objects in the heads. Military Prosecutor Srboljub Jovicinac stated that 26 more localities were being investigated in the Mrkonjic Grad area, where mass graves are most likely to be found. Some of the localities are not yet accessible because of thick snow covers. On Tuesday, the Republika Srpska authorities reminded UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Elisabeth Rehn that nothing has been learned as yet about the fate of 2,000 Serbs missing in the Muslim-Croat offensive against the Republika Srpska last autumn. [D] FROM DOMESTIC PRESS[07] FRENCH JOURNALIST WHO DISCLOSED TRUTH ON MARKALE WINS HIS CASEBelgrade, April 4 (Tanjug) - A French journalist who claimed two years ago that Muslims were responsible for the incident at Markale market in Sarajevo has won his case in Paris and thus proved the truthfulness of his report, the Belgrade daily Politika said on Thursday.It has been proved at court that Bernard Volker had not acted dishonestly, unprofessionally and irresponsibly by publishing a report which claimed quite the opposite from all media. Volker reported on French TV Channel TF1 that the Muslim army had fired on its own people to provoke a western intervention against Bosnian Serbs. The Association Le TV Carton Jaune had reacted by accusing him of broadcasting unchecked reports. The court has ruled that the Association had cast a shadow on Volker's honour and professional competence inflicting on him damage which required compensation. The Belgrade daily said that the Paris daily Le Monde published a few days ago a letter by Volker, who won his case in December last year. In his letter, he said that his colleagues from Le Monde were among those who had accused him of being professionally irresponsible and asked him to disclose who had given him an unpublished UNPROFOR report on the Markale incident. Volker recalled that confidentiality and protection of sources was one of the essential principles of journalism. My lawyer has proved at court that my report was founded, serious and true, Volker said. In his letter, Volker recalled that the truthfulnees of his reports had been further corroborated by French President Francois Mitterrand's statement in a book entitled L'Annee des Adieux (The Year of Parting). Several days ago, Boutros-Ghali told me that he was convinced that the Markale incident was a Muslim provocation, Mitterrand told journalist Laure Adler, the author of the book. Although UNPROFOR's report on the incident at Markale market was submitted to UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali he did not publish it because of 'high political interests' which is confirmed by the book on Francois Mitterrand, Politika said. . |