Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-06-12

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER LEAVES FOR POLAND

[02] APPEAL TO KLEIN TO PROTECT SERBS

[03] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION CONCLUDES VISIT TO IRAN

[01] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER LEAVES FOR POLAND

Tanjug, 1997-06-12

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic left Thursday for a two-day working visit to Poland at the invitation of his Polish counterpart Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz.

The two Prime Ministers are expected to make an overall analysis of the two countries' relations and to determine measures for their promotion, especially in the sphere of economy.

Kontic's visit is to result in the signing of a number of agreements on cooperation in various fields.

Kontic heads a delegation of state officials and businessmen that are to discuss ways of cooperation with their partners in Poland and are to sign a number of contracts.

Kontic's visit reflects the two countries' interest in the speedy resumption and promotion of all-round cooperation through continual top- level contacts.

Before leaving for Poland, Kontic told reporters at Belgrade Airport that Yugoslavia considered the visit of great importance, saying talks would focus on the promotion of economic cooperation and trade between the two countries.

Kontic said, 'Poland is our traditional partner. Bilateral and in particular economic cooperation was earlier on e high-level as well as trade, while long-term cooperation in production accounted for more than one third of trade.'

He said that while the country had been under the regime of UN sanctions bilateral cooperation had been reduced to a minimum, saying economic cooperation had included only relief aid items at the time.

'Following the lifting of the sanctions, Poland has started renewing bilateral cooperation with Yugoslavia so that certain results have been achieved over the past year and a half,' he said.

He also said the two countries had upgraded their diplomatic relations to the ambassadorial level and had resumed a continual political dialogue.

Moreover, economic cooperation has been renewed so that trade between Yugoslavia and Poland amounted to about 60 million dollars last year, he said.

Stressing that talks would focus on the promotion of economic cooperation, Kontic said that the Yugoslav side would urge the liberalisation of trade as well as a gradual quantitative abolition and reduction of tariffs with a view to opening a free trade zone in the near future.

In this connection, he said Yugoslavia would call on Poland to grant it trade preferences.

Kontic described as vital the development of cooperation in the sphere of finance and banking which he said did not amount to much at this point.

'We shall propose introduction of direct money transfers and credit lines and the setting up of a Polish-Yugoslav bank,' he said. He said the Yugoslav side would also propose that the two countries abolish visas and thus liberalise the traffic of people, saying Yugoslavia was ready to sign an agreement in the domain.

'Apart from these bilateral issues, we shall discuss also international issues, especially the peace process and the implementation of the Erdut agreement and the Dayton peace accords,' he said. He said Yugoslavia would urge Poland to back the stand that the consistent implementation alone of these agreements contributed to a lasting peace and stability in the region.

He said Yugoslavia would also call on Poland to back its full reintegration into the international community and the return to the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In doing so, Yugoslavia is aware that Poland is a non-permanent UN Security Council member and that it will take over chairmanship over the OSCE in January 1998, which means that it is in a position to back Yugoslavia's return to the world community as well as launch various initiatives to this end, he said.

[02] APPEAL TO KLEIN TO PROTECT SERBS

Tanjug, 1997-06-11

The Association of refugee and expelled Serbs from Croatia in FR Yugoslavia sent Wednesday a letter to the UN Administrator in Eastern Slavonia, Jacques Klein, appealing to him to undertake decisive measures, within his competencies, to protect the Serb people in that region.

The Serb people in the region, after the statement of Croatian President Franjo Tudjman in Vukovar Sunday that there was no return for Serbs refugees and expellees to Croatia, is 'astonished, disappointed and scared.'

President Tudjman's behaviour is encouraging local bodies of power to be aggressive towards the remaining Serbs in Croatia, especially those expellees who had the courage to return to their homes, the letter said.

The Association believes that only appropriate sanctions of the international community and decisive pressure on the Croatian authorities could save the Erdut Agreement, and prevent the exodus of the Serb people from the region.

[03] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION CONCLUDES VISIT TO IRAN

Tanjug, 1997-06-11

A Yugoslav state and business delegation led by Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic concluded a visit to Iran on Wednesday.

The visit closed with a tour of Iran-Hodro, Iran's biggest automobile factory, talks with the Minister of Power, leaders of the state ports administration, and with the Iranian Minister of Economy and Finance.

The two sides signed a memorandum, expressing satisfaction with agreements reached in renewal and promotion of cooperation in trade, industrial cooperation, technology transfer, and cooperation in banking and financing.

The officials agreed that the tenth session of the joint commission for economic and technical cooperation between Yugoslavia and Iran be held in Tehran in October, said a statement issued by the Yugoslav Embassy in Tehran.

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