Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-05-11

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory

From: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAVIA, GERMANY INTEND TO INTENSIFY DIALOGUE, COOPERATION

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia strives for the development of stable relations among states and peoples on the basis of equality, and believes that pending issues can and should be resolved only through political means, the statement says.

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia also provides active and constant support to the normalization of the situation and relations in the Balkans as the best way of stabilizing peace in the region and enabling its peoples to turn to a new phase of economic development and cultural progress, the statement says.

[02] YUGOSLAVIA AIMS TO NORMALISE RELATIONS WITH IMF, SAYS PRIME MINISTER

Kontic said, 'unless we institutionalise relations with the International Monetary Fund and other financial organisations, no free access to the world capital market will be possible, nor dynamising business activity, nor necessary structural changes.'

Kontic said unless Yugoslavia regulated its status in the World Trade Organisation, it would not be able to use the existing preferentials in international trade. Consequently, the competitiveness of its economy will be reduced by at least the value of the preferentials, he said.

He said Yugoslavia had taken certain activities to maintain ties with international financial and trade organisations even while the country had been under the regime of the U.N. sanctions, and said the suspension of the sanctions marked the beginning of dynamisation of this process.

He said Yugoslavia had opened dialogues with the I.M.F., the World Trade Organisation, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Eurofima and others.

Kontic said the Yugoslav Government had set up a commission for coordination of relations with the I.M.F. and other international financial institutions in late October 1995, appointing him the President of the Commission. 'Positions for talks with the I.M.F. and the World Bank have been defined by representatives of the relevant federal bodies, the National Bank of Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce as well as by a large number of experts and scholars,' he said. The Commission's activity has resulted in preparation of a paper titled basis and framework of Yugoslavia's stabilisation and development policy. 'The paper has been reviewed within both the activity of the Federal Government working bodies and regular consultations with the Republican Premiers. The paper has invariably been positively assesed,' he said.

Kontic said the commitments set by the paper had been summed up in a document on general framework for talks with I.M.F. and World Bank officials which the Government adopted on March 22.

Commenting on the course the talks have taken, Kontic said previous experience in talks with Missions of the I.M.F. and other international financial organisations had taught Yugoslav officials that these talks were not simple and were rather lengthy. 'Present circumstances concerning Yugoslavia's position in the world could compound the country's negotiating position,' he said.

He added that he hoped compromises were nevertheless possible and that cooperation with international financial and trade organisation would resume quite soon.

Prime Minister Kontic pointed out that the Federal Government as early as January 7 notified the I.M.F. that it gave its consent to the 36.52 per cent participation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (F.R.Y.) as regards the assets and liabilities of the SFRY (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) in the Fund. 'The Federal Government did not change, nor question, this commitment,' said Kontic and recalled that during the active period of the international community's sanctions against the F.R.Y., the I.M.F. was refusing every cooperation but kept regularly extending the deadline for the succession of membership by six more months. 'The current deadline expires June 14 of this year and, if our relations are not normalized by then, we shall request one more extension,' said Kontic.

Furthermore, said he, the F.R.Y. does not object to any of the economic aspects of membership as specified in a decision made on December 14, 1992, by the Board of the I.M.F. Executive Directors, neither its own, nor that of the former Yugoslav republics, nor the procedural request for regulating the membership. The I.M.F. decision deals with the conditions which should be fulfilled by the former members of the federation and by the F.R.Y. in order to succeed membership in the I.M.F.

'In trying to surmount the outstanding questions related to membership, the Yugoslav delegation at the Paris talks had offered a separation of the questions that regulate membership from the questions of continuity. 'That would presume a separation of the property-legal and economic questions, of which the I.M.F. is formally in charge, from the political-legal questions, of which the U.N. is formally in charge,' Kontic explained.

It was to this end that representatives of the I.M.F. and the World Bank were handed a Yugoslav proposal for the possible regulating of the F.R.Y.'s continued membership in these institutions, said Kontic, pointing out that 'if a compromise solution is wanted, then both sides must show flexibility.'

Kontic underscored as encouraging the news that the I.M.F. Legal Department had communicated on Thursday its view on the F.R.Y.'s proposal about regulating its membership in the I.M.F. and the World Bank. 'This enables the talks on the normalization of relations to resume soon, we hope, in Belgrade.'

Kontic voiced hope that the most unfavourable solution - directing the F.R.Y. into a procedure of again requesting its admission to the I.M.F. membership - would not take place.

Speaking of the process of normalization of relations with the World Trade Organization (WTO), Kontic assessed that this process was exceptionally significant for the domestic economy's return to the world market. He added that the Federal Government was doing all to have this objective materialized as soon as possible. 'The F.R.Y. has missed - to be sure, not by its mistake but because of international sanctions - having its WTO status regulated on the basis of continuity within the GATT. The Federal Government would do its utmost for the talks with WTO representatives to be resumed and relations normalized at the soonest,' Prime Minister Kontic concluded.

[03] YUGOSLAVIA TO INTENSIFY RELATIONS WITH IMF

The coordination of all activities aimed at normalizing relations with International Monetary Fund and other international financial institutions was entrusted to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Jovan Zebic.

Belgrade University Professor Oskar Kovac will be in charge of negotiations with I.M.F., Federal Government Commisssion for Securities President Vuk Ognjanovic will head the negotiating team with the London Club of commercial banks and Deputy Finance Minister Dragutin Vucinic will be in charge of negotiations with the Paris Club of creditor countries.

[04] YUGOSLAV CONSTITUTION GUARANTEES MINORITY RIGHTS

Ayala-Lasso advised Kontic of the activities on the improvement in the protection of human rights in the territory of former Yugoslavia following the end of war conflicts. Ayala-Lasso pledged himself particularly for the settlement of the question of minorities, so that this substantial segment of the exercise of human rights would not turn into a political issue.

Kontic thanked Ayala-Lasso for the United Nations' contribution to resolving the crisis in the area of former Yugoslavia and pointed to the significance of the U.N. future engagement, especially in the domain of human rights.

Ayala-Lasso voiced satisfaction that the F.R.Y. was willing to cooperate with the Tribunal and said he would commit himself to having a permanent Tribunal set up, unlike the Hague Tribunal that had been formed only for war crimes in the territory of former Yugoslavia.

Kontic upheld this initiative and recalled that Yugoslavia had had reserves as to the Hague Tribunal precisely because it had not been instituted to deal with war crimes no matter where or when they have been perpetrated.

[05] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER MEETS FRENCH MP

They welcomed the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two traditionally friendly countries and expressed hope that economic relations would also improve soon.

[06] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION VISITS POLAND

Bozovic, the President of the Lower Chamber of the bicameral Yugoslav Parliament, is heading a Yugoslav multi-party Parliamentary delegation which is on a several days long official visit to Poland.

Yugoslavia is an extremely important factor in the Balkan region and in Europe, and lasting peace cannot be built or preserved without it, Rosati told Bozovic. He pointed out that Poland supported Yugoslavia's strivings for the full implementation of the Dayton Accords.

Rosati said Yugoslavia should be reintegrated into European international organizations and institutions as soon as possible, which he said Poland would actively support.

Bozovic spoke about the very good constant relations between the Parliaments of Poland and Yugoslavia, which he said should always stimulate Government and non-government organs and institutions to cooperate on a larger and more comprehensive scale. He said Yugoslavia was determined that the Dayton Accords must be implemented and that its options were integration in international institutions and economic stability and development.

[07] YUGOSLAV DEFENSE MINISTER AND BULGARIAN GENERAL STAFF CHIEF MEET

The two officials said that all conditions had been secured for strengthening cooperation between Yugoslavia and Bulgaria in the system of defense and civilian protection, as well as in the military and economic, scientific and technical domains.

Tatomirov is heading a military delegation that arrived for an official visit to Yugoslavia on May 8.

[08] BOSNIAN MUSLIMS REJECT PROPOSED ELECTORAL RULES

[09] SADAKO OGATA, R.S. MINISTER DISCUSS REFUGEE PROBLEM

After touring both Bosnian entities - R.S. and Muslim-Croat Federation - to find out the living conditions of refugees, Ogata said that the situation was improving and that people wanted to return to their homes. Many problems remain pending, Ogata said, pointing to the need for more projects for rebuilding houses destroyed by war. Freedom of movement must be ensured in line with the Dayton Accord, Ogata said.

Vladusic requested Ogata's help in dismantling by the end of this year the inadequate accomodation where refugees are sheltered at present in order to find a lasting solution to the problem of their residence.

[10] MAIL SERVICE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN SERB REGION, CROATIA

[11] AYALA-LASSO URGES RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN CROATIA

Ayala-Lasso told a press conference in Zagreb after talks with Croatian leaders and human rights representatives that he had warned the authorities in Zagreb to observe a clear policy in human rights. He asked the authorities to form non-governmental organzations for the protection of human rights, in particular the rights of ethnic minorites, news agencies report.

Disturbing reports have been submitted to Ayala Lasso on human rights violations and a repressive political atmosphere under Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, said Reuters. Serbs living in Krajina have little legal and physical protection from persecution by vengeful Croats. The regions, once populated by a Serb majority now number less than 3,000 Serbs, most of them elders. The Croatian aggression on Krajina put to flight 250,000 Serbs.

The Serbs also face daunting obstacles to obtain jobs, pensions or other documentation needed for their return to their homes in Croatia. Serbs seeking financial aid to rebuild homes destroyed in the four-year war receive repair estimates significantly less that Croat-owned homes with the same amount of damage.

Other problems include loopholes in a new war amnesty bill for Serbs, lack of schools for Serb and Italian children, politically manipulated courts and renewed harassment of the free press, said Reuters.

[12] UNHCR SAYS PLANS FOR REPATRIATION OF REFUGEES CANNOT BE MET

He quoted High Commissioner Sadako Ogata as saying the UNHCR would chose together with the UNTAES the villages in the Serb region of East Slavonija, Baranja and West Srem to which both Croats and Serbs would be able to return. Ogata has called on the international community urgently to consider reconstruction programmes and help people return to their homes.