Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-04-10

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] MINISTER VUKOVIC RECEIVES ROMANIAN AMBASSADOR

[02] DEMAND ADDRESSED TO KOFI ANNAN TO ENABLE RETURN OF REFUGEES

[03] YUGOSLAVIA AND OSCE SIGN MEMORANDUM ON COOPERATION FOR BOSNIAN ELECTIONS

[04] E.U. DOES NOT REGARD YUGOSLAVIA COUNTRY OF CONFLICT

[05] YUGOSLAVIA AND MEXICO CAN DEVELOP ECONOMIC COOPERATION

[06] DJUKANOVIC AGAINST CABINET RESHUFFLE

[07] MONTENEGRIN RULING PARTY CRITICIZES PREMIER'S STANCE

[01] MINISTER VUKOVIC RECEIVES ROMANIAN AMBASSADOR

Following recent Government reshuffles both in Yugoslavia and Romania, it was agreed that the two sides determine in the shortest possible time heads of expert teams within the Governmental Mixed Committee for economic cooperation, scheduled to meet mid-year.

It was assessed by both sides that the two States should work on establishing free trade and greater border zone trade in order to further promote cooperation, the statement said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-10 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-09

[02] DEMAND ADDRESSED TO KOFI ANNAN TO ENABLE RETURN OF REFUGEES

Return and legal security would be guaranteed under civil constitutions which should be adopted by all secessionist states, as their new constitutions have turned over night peoples into national minorities, the letter said.

The United Nations should condition the introduction of such civil constitutions, over a short period of time, and impose penalties against states who fail to do it, the Party said.

The Party of Yugoslavs also demanded from the United Nations and UN Secretary General that aid to refugees be distributed more evenly, as the aid for refugees in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is almost symbolic.

The Dayton and Erdut Agreements provide for the solution of issues such as collective return to villages, problems of 30,000 pensioners from Croatia, dual citizenship, compensation for property loss and financial aid for those who wish to return to Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Party insists on the implementation of all these points on the basis of moral law, as the Party's members are from all ethnic groups and religious affiliations, the letter said.

The Party also suggested to the UN Secretary General, within the announced reforms, to move the United Nations out of the United States 'because United States are abusing, or blackmailing the UN and other world institutions.'

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-10 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-09

[03] YUGOSLAVIA AND OSCE SIGN MEMORANDUM ON COOPERATION FOR BOSNIAN ELECTIONS

The document, which defines cooperation between the FR of Yugoslavia and OSCE for municipal elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina scheduled for next September 13 and 14, was signed by the President of the Yugoslav Commission Bratislava Morina and by prof. Jorgen Elklit.

The Memorandum envisages the opening of an OCV Office in Belgrade and joint activities in organizing and implementing the entire election process for Bosnian nationals in Yugoslavia in line with the rules and regulations to be adopted by the Provisional Electoral Commission in Sarajevo.

OCV President Elklit said that the Governments of countries hosting Bosnian refugees should cooperate to ensure the successful holding of this year's elections like last year.

The preparations initiated two months ago in countries hosting Bosnian refugees are an example of good cooperation and the OSCE has no doubt that its mission will be successful as its principal goal is to contribute to the overall peace process in Bosnia, Elklit said.

The International Organization for Migrations (IOM) will provide full help and cooperation to the OSCE in the election process in Bosnia, and the cooperation of local media will also be very important, he said.

Morina expressed hope that cooperation with the OCV Office would be successful and that about 300,000 refugees from Bosnia in Yugoslavia who are eligible voters would take part in the polls.

She promised full help and cooperation of her staff, who gained good experience last year in the preparations for the registration of voters for Bosnian elections.

Great responsibility lies also with the voters who will determine their own fate and that of their fellow nationals in Bosnia, and Yugoslavia will do all it can to keep the refugees informed and to organize voting in Yugoslavia or trips to Bosnia for that purpose, Morina said.

Asked why the Provisional Electoral Commission President Robert Frowick has already said that local elections of September 13 and 14 would not be held in Mostar and Brcko, Elklit said he did not have precise information as he was not in contact with Frowick.

These two municipalities are in a specific situation, he said and expressed regret at their exclusion from the elections.

Asked whether a decision to this effect was taken by the Provisional Commission or by Frowick himself, he said that it was up to the Commission and that Frowick would rule in case of a dispute, but added he did not know who had taken the decision.

Morina also regretted the exclusion of Mostar and Brcko from the elections, underlining that Yugoslavia hoped a definite decision would be taken by the Provisional Commission rather than by Frowick unilaterally.

The OCV Office staff in Belgrade will comprise Jeff Labovitz, Lawrence Liu Su and Zivota de Luka, while Antonios Tsakiris will be their coordinator in Vienna.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-10 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-09

[04] E.U. DOES NOT REGARD YUGOSLAVIA COUNTRY OF CONFLICT

Speaking of the E.U. categorisation of countries and regions according to the extent of the respect of human rights, Van Vulften said Yugoslavia was in the third group comprising pluralist and transition countries.

Van Vulften called on all parties in the former Yugoslavia to make effort to improve the honouring of human rights, saying this improvement was vital for their relations with the European Union.

He said no one could deny that Yugoslavia was a democratic country, but said the process of democratisation should be speeded up.

He also said the European Union had welcomed a decision that the return of Serbia's local polls held on November 17 be recognised and had backed the full implementation of proposals cited in a report submitted by Felipe Gonzalez.

Van Vulften said no one could deny that Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo and Metohija had been granted autonomy. He called however for a broader autonomy of the Province within Yugoslavia.

The E.U. puts countries and regions into three categories as regards the degree of the respect of human rights - countries of conflict, countries with inadequate responsibility in the domain, and pluralist and transition countries.

The category of countries of conflict includes Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Rwanda, Burundi, Afghanistan, Sudan, Algeria, Liberia, Somalia, Chechnya, Kashmir, Guatemala, Bhutan, New Guinea and Cyprus.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-10 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-09

[05] YUGOSLAVIA AND MEXICO CAN DEVELOP ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Mexico's Embassy in Belgrade, he said, has plans to promote cooperation with Yugoslavia in the field of the foodstuffs industry and agriculture on a joint venture basis, to be discussed in detail by businessmen and experts of the two countries.

There is a great interest in Mexico for trade with Yugoslavia on a higher level, Gonzalez said, in order to diversify Mexico's trade. The Ambassador said 80% of Mexico's trade was with the United States.

Mexico, population 92 million, was the first country to propose and become a member of the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA) along with the United States and Canada, he said.

Mexico's trade with the United States totals 186 billion dollars, making Mexico the US-third biggest trade partner, after Canada and Japan. Mexico could become the second biggest partner of the United States in 1998, Gonzalez noted.

Mexico's exports exceed by 100% those of Brazil, the biggest country of Latin America, and by 200% those of Argentina, the Ambassador said.

Despite the distance between the countries, there are numerous possibilities for cooperation between Yugoslavia and Mexico in politics, economy, culture and tourism, Gonzalez told the news conference.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-10 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-09

[06] DJUKANOVIC AGAINST CABINET RESHUFFLE

Djukanovic expressed his view in a letter to the leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) and Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic, responding to conclusions reached by the DPS Main Committee in a meeting on March 24 and its request for a partial Cabinet reshuffle.

The Main Committee requested that Vice-Premier Slavko Drljevic, Minister of Culture Goran Rakocevic and Security Service Head Vukasin Maras be replaced as well as Head of Montenegro's Trade Mission in Washington Ratko Knezevic.

Knezevic recently handed in his resignation that was accepted by the Government in a session on March 27.

Djukanovic said in the letter that the Government had reviewed in the session the discussion held at the meeting of the DPS Main Committee and the conclusions it had reached and took a stand that it agreed with the Party's highest body on all major political issues.

'The Montenegrin Government takes the view that FR Yugoslavia, as a democratic community of republics and citizens that are equal, is and should remain the lasting commitment' of Montenegro, he said.

'Also, the Montenegrin Government will continue to fully contribute to economic and political reforms undertaken by the common state believing that it is the best way of its getting stronger and its reintegration into the international community,' he said.

'The Government agreed that the election programme backed by the citizens of Montenegro in (the most recent) parliamentary elections must be the platform for the activity of all State bodies' and that all Government activities are directed at securing the general well-being in the Republic, he said.

'Respecting the constitutional norms, the Government did not take a position on the conclusions on the necessary changes in the Cabinet reached by the DPS Main Committee. It concluded that some statements by its members could have caused political harm in the given political context. Consequently, a number of Cabinet members expressed readiness to take all political consequences in the interest of easing political tensions in the Republic, provided that the Premier should agree with it,' he said.

Djukanovic said 'under the Constitution only the Premier has the right to submit proposals to the Montenegrin Parliament on changes in the Cabinet' noting that he took a concrete stand on the matter at the Main Committee's meeting. In this connection he said, 'I therefore believe that the consequences of statements made by some Cabinet members do not necessitate a Cabinet reshuffle.'

He said, 'the Government remained truly committed to the efficient realisation of the principles of democracy and free society in which neither an individual will nor an individual decision can be above the interests and well-being of the citizens of Montenegro and FR Yugoslavia or more important than they are.'

He said he was confident that at this point further disagreements could only destabilise the political situation in Montenegro and do immense harm to Montenegro's development and progress, saying it was evident that this would be in the interest of those who neither lived in Montenegro nor were its citizens.

'In the interest of Montenegro's development and prosperity and Yugoslavia's well-being, the Montenegrin Government is determined to persevere on the path chosen in democratic elections by the citizens of Montenegro, a path which is in the general interest, and it is confident that a democratic and modern economic life in peace will secure a future for Montenegro,' Djukanovic said adding that the Government was ready to discuss these issues as well as all other political issues with the DPS Executive Committee.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-10 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-08

[07] MONTENEGRIN RULING PARTY CRITICIZES PREMIER'S STANCE

A statement issued by the Executive Committee after it examined Djukanovic's letter also notes that some stances expressed in the letter even constitute a step backward from the statement issued by the Montenegrin Government session of March 27, especially the part concerning the DPS role in creating state politics.

The Executive Committee will inform the DPS Main Committee, principal decision-making body according to the Party Statute, of all activities aimed at realizing the defined Party stances.

The Executive Committee was unable to comment the statement made on Tuesday by DPS Vice-President Svetozar Marovic as it was not presented to the Committee but made public by the media during the Committee's session, the statement says.

The letter addressed by Djukanovic to Montenegrin President and DPS President Momir Bulatovic underlines that the Prime Minister believes that the consequences stemming from statements by some Government members are not of such nature as to make the requested Cabinet reshuffle necessary, and that only the Prime Minister has the right to propose a Cabinet reshuffle to the Parliament.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1997-04-10 ; Tanjug, 1997-04-08

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