Yugoslav Daily Survey 96-09-19

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

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND CHINA SIGN PROTOCOL ON SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION

[02] YUGOSLAV OFFICIALS RECEIVE GERMANY'S BUNDESTAG DELEGATION

[03] CONDITIONS CREATED FOR LIFTING SANCTIONS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA

[04] YUGOSLAVIA AND BOSNIA TO RENEW ECONOMIC RELATIONS

[05] CHRISTOPHER ANNOUNCES LIFTING OF U.N. SANCTIONS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA

[06] KRAJISNIK: INDEPENDENCE AND COOPERATION WITH ORGANS IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

[07] BILDT MEETS BOSNIAN SERB PARLIAMENT SPEAKER KRAJISNIK

[08] PORTILLO AND RUEHE SPEAK OF IFOR'S BOSNIA MISSION

[09] BRITISH AND GERMAN MINISTERS VISIT IFOR IN BOSNIAN SERB ENTITY

[10] FINAL RESULTS OF BOSNIA PRESIDENCY ELECTIONS

[11] RUSSIAN MONITORS ON BOSNIAN ELECTIONS

[12] EXHUMATION OF OVCARA GRAVE CONTINUES

[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND CHINA SIGN PROTOCOL ON SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION

The document was signed in Belgrade by the Head of the Chinese Committee and the Vice-President of the State Committee for Science and Technology of China, Hui Yongzheng, and the Secretary of the Yugoslav Ministry for Development, Science and the Environment, Miodrag Mitrovic. The Protocol coordinated 32 draft joint projects.

Determined was a list of ten projects for long term cooperation, dominated by projects in the sphere of agriculture, the petrochemical and oil industries and telecommunications, as well as a list of 22 projects which aim to resolve specific scientific and technological problems and introduce sophisticated technology into many fields, including new materials, natural sciences, transport, communications and medicine.

[02] YUGOSLAV OFFICIALS RECEIVE GERMANY'S BUNDESTAG DELEGATION

Both sides expressed interest in promoting bilateral relations and intensifying economic cooperation. A speedy lifting of the outer wall of sanctions against Yugoslavia and its return to world financial bodies would realise the agreed forms of economic cooperation and produce new ones, it was said in the meeting, according to a Government statement. The two sides agreed that, in the meantime, intensive work should be done to prepare cooperation projects for the time when international conditions should be met for their realisation. Meanwhile, it was said, there are prospects for cooperation between small and medium-sized firms, with a partial insurance of investment, a field where German banks have some experience with other states.

Zebic informed the Bundestag Delegation about the economic situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, measures for modernisation and for the liberalisation of economic legislation in order to stimulate foreign cooperation. He spoke also about negotiations with the IMF and the London and Paris Clubs of creditors.

Siradovic informed the Delegation about Yugoslavia's commitment to promote relations with the European Union and gradually work its way into eventually joining the Union. In this respect, he said, Germany is expected to lend 'its support in the process of a full reintegration of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the world economy and international trade,'according to another Government statement. Siradovic said he believed that the existing Agreements regulating bilateral economic cooperation should remain in force until Expert Teams should decide if they should be updated or replaced by new ones.

Both sides said that a greater investment of German capital in Yugoslavia would result in a faster and firmer restoration of bilateral economic relations, the statement said.

The Bundestag Economic Committee Delegation was received also by Bozidar Gazivoda, Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Yugoslavia (Central Bank).

Bundestag Delegation Head Schwandhold especially praised the National Bank of Yugoslavia for managing to keep the National Currency, the Dinar, on a stable course in extremely difficult circumstances.

Hope was expressed that Yugoslavia would soon be returned to world financial bodies, primarily the IMF and the World Bank. This would create conditions for joint ventures, joint industrial projects and for improving bilateral trade, as well as for securing the necessary capital for the Yugoslav economy.

[03] CONDITIONS CREATED FOR LIFTING SANCTIONS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA

Under the Dayton Peace Agreement, the sanctions against Yugoslavia will be definitely and formally lifted ten days after the fair and democratic elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The U.N. Security Council has taken this stand and should now reach a routine decision on a definite lifting of the sanctions.

Sources here expect that the U.N. Security Council should meet to discuss the issue next week, after the expiry of the ten-day deadline after the Bosnian elections.

[04] YUGOSLAVIA AND BOSNIA TO RENEW ECONOMIC RELATIONS

The Delegation was headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and International Communications Seadeta Ceric, the Yugoslav Information Secretariat said in a statement on Wednesday. The statement added that the talks between the two Delegations mark the continued implementation of Agreements reached at the meetings in Belgrade and Sarajevo between Yugoslav Vice-President Nikola Sainovic and Vice-President of the Muslim-Croat Federation Ejup Ganic.

[05] CHRISTOPHER ANNOUNCES LIFTING OF U.N. SANCTIONS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA

Christopher told reporters on Wednesday that now that the polls had ended successfully, the sanctions against Yugoslavia, imposed in late May 1992 and suspended in November 1995, could be lifted.

Christopher said the International Community and the United States had been right to insist on the holding of the elections, despite pressure by certain political circles to postpone them allegedly for the failure to create adequate conditions for them.

He confirmed President Bill Clinton's pledge of the three days ago that Washington would continue efforts to help strengthen the Peace Process for Bosnia-Herzegovina, its reconstruction and its preservation in the form of a multi-ethnic state. In doing so, the United States will focus on providing assistance to Bosnia's newly-elected Common Bodies, he said.

Christopher reiterated that U.S. troops participating in the NATO-led Peace Implementation Force (IFOR) would return home by the end of the year as pledged by Clinton. He did not however rule out the presence of NATO peacekeepers in Bosnia next year but in reduced numbers and with a changed mandate.

[06] KRAJISNIK: INDEPENDENCE AND COOPERATION WITH ORGANS IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

The determination of the Serb people to keep their acquired independence and at the same time cooperate in joint organs in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a wise move, Krajisnik told SRNA Wednesday.

Krajisnik was elected at the elections last Saturday the Serb Member in the three-member Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The other two are Alija Izetbegovic (Muslim) and Kresimir Zubak (Croat).

[07] BILDT MEETS BOSNIAN SERB PARLIAMENT SPEAKER KRAJISNIK

They reviewed ways and means of setting up Common Bodies of Power in Bosnia-Herzegovina and how to make them function.

Bildt told reporters after the meeting that he had congratulated Krajisnik on his election into the Bosnian Presidency. According to Bildt, problems left behind by the Bosnian war need to be dealt with as soon as possible. The sooner work begins on social, economic and refugee problems, the better it will be for all in the Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bildt said.

[08] PORTILLO AND RUEHE SPEAK OF IFOR'S BOSNIA MISSION

Portillo and Germany's Defence Minister Volker Ruehe arrived in Sarajevo on Wednesday to obtain first-hand information about Bosnia's September 14. elections. The Ministers visited their countries' troops serving with the NATO-led Multinational Peace Implementation Force (IFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Portillo said that the first step towards a decision on whether or not to keep NATO in Bosnia might be taken by the Defence Ministers of the NATO states when they met in Norway next week. Consultations will be held also with non-NATO states that have troops with IFOR, Reuters reported from Sarajevo.

Ruehe, for his part, said that IFOR's Mandate was expected to be extended for another year. Reuters quoted Ruehe as saying that Germany wanted its troops to take full part in any future Mission, but was not in a hurry to take command.

[09] BRITISH AND GERMAN MINISTERS VISIT IFOR IN BOSNIAN SERB ENTITY

Portillo and his German counterpart Wolker Ruehe visited British and German troops in the NATO-led Peace Implementation Force (IFOR) logistic bases in Banja Luka, the biggest city in the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska, and Sipovo, in the West.

Portillo said he expected that peace in Bosnia would hold, adding that now that the war was over, common efforts were being made to repatriate the refugees, but this was a slow and painstaking process.

Ruehe, for his part, said he was happy that the elections had been peaceful and orderly.

[10] FINAL RESULTS OF BOSNIA PRESIDENCY ELECTIONS

Alija Izetbegovic won a little less than 730,000 votes, Momcilo Krajisnik a little over 690,000 votes and Kresimir Zubak over 340,000 votes. Frowick explained that on the basis of this, over the next two years Izetbegovic would be the President of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency in which all three National Communities will be equally represented.

Frowick said that the Election Appeals Committee would in the next three days review appeals after which he would make a statement confirming the election results.

Among the opposition parties, the most successful was the candidate of Republika Srpska, Mladen Ivanic, who received a little over 306,000 votes.

In the territory of the Muslim-Croat Federation 1,295 million voters cast their ballots, while in Republika Srpska this figure was 1,023 million voters.

[11] RUSSIAN MONITORS ON BOSNIAN ELECTIONS

Vladimir Zorin, who chairs the Duma Committee on the Affairs of the Nationalities, headed Russia's Parliamentary Delegation that monitored the Bosnian elections last Saturday. Zorin said that the electorate had been free to express their will, and added that there had been some irregularities in the election procedure, but that they had not seriously affected the overall election results. According to the State Duma's Monitors, the biggest difficulty in the elections had been that the Voters' Registers had been based on data for 1991 and there had not been enough time to make the necessary corrections.

Nikolai Ryabov, Chairman of Russia's Central Electoral Commission who also monitored the Bosnian elections, agreed that the elections had been democratic and free. Ryabov told the Nezavisimaya Gazeta of Moscow that the elections had been organised so as to achieved the set objectives. If there had been better coordination and careful planning before the elections, there would have been no need to postpone the Municipal elections, he added.

[12] EXHUMATION OF OVCARA GRAVE CONTINUES

Speaking at a Press Conference at the U.N. Transitional Administration of Eastern Slavonia Headquarters, Williamson said that the exhumation of the Ovcara mass grave, which started on September 1, would last somewhat longer than six weeks as initially planned.

He said that the remains of between 25 and 30 bodies, which had been discovered on a one-metre depth, had not been taken out yet. There are no women or children among the bodies, he said and added that only parts of clothes and shoes could be seen. Williamson said that the removal of the last layer of earth and exhumation of the bodies were expected to take place early next week.

The Croatian side claims and Serbs deny that the bodies of Croats killed at the end of and after the battles in Vukovar in the autumn of 1991 were buried at the locality known as Ovcara.

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