Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-09-08

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES U.S. AMBASSADOR PARDEW

[02] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES GENERAL CLARK

[03] GOVERNMENT ADOPTS PLATFORM FOR MILUTINOVIC-GRANIC TALKS

[04] PERISIC RECEIVES CLARK AND PARDEW

[05] CLARK APPEALS TO MILOSEVIC TO END CONFRONTATION IN RS

[06] AUSTRIAN MEDIA ABOUT "BAJRAMOVIC CASE"

[07] KONTIC RECEIVED HEAD OF AUSTRIA'S JOINT CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

[08] PRIME MINISTER KONTIC RECEIVED AUSTRALIAN, NEW ZEALAND AND KOREAN BANKERS

[09] MILOSEVIC RECEIVED REPUBLIKA SRPSKA OFFICIALS

[10] LIBERATION: ETHNIC CLEANSING ONE OF ZAGREB'S GOALS

[11] WESTENDOROP, MILOSEVIC BACK NEITHER OF BOSNIAN SERB SIDES

[12] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVED WESTENDORP

[01] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES U.S. AMBASSADOR PARDEW

Tanjug, 1997-09-04

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received on Thursday Ambassador James Pardew, special U.S. representative for issues concerning military stabilization in the region.

The talks focused on current military-political issues of importance for cementing peace and stability in the Balkans, said a communique on the talks.

[02] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES GENERAL CLARK

Tanjug, 1997-09-04

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received on Thursday U.S. General Wesley Clark, NATO Europe Commander.

Milosevic and Gen. Clark exchanged information and views on the current implementation of the peace agreement on Bosnia-Herzegovina and focused on the role of the international forces.

Underscored was that the positive experiences in the realization of the military part of the agreement are a solid basis, which can serve for the successful rounding up of their overall implementation. Also set out was that cooperation so far between the citizens and institutions of Republika Srpska and SFOR, had been constructive. The crisis in RS should not threaten this cooperation, it was said.

Milosevic said that the problems appearing in the process of SFOR's fulfilling of its obligations, should be resolved through political means, with agreement and with mutual understanding, which excludes the application of threats or force.

The talks were attended by Federal Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic and Yugoslav Army Chief of General-Staff, Gen. Momcilo Perisic.

[03] GOVERNMENT ADOPTS PLATFORM FOR MILUTINOVIC-GRANIC TALKS

Tanjug, 1997-09-04

The Yugoslav Government adopted a platform for talks between Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic and Deputy Croatian Premier and Foreign Minister Mate Granic in Belgrade this month at a session chaired by Prime Minister Radoje Kontic, a Federal Government statement said.

Minister Milutinovic was authorized to sign on behalf of the Yugoslav Government an agreement with Croatia on social security, a treaty on legal aid in civilian and criminal affairs, and agreements on border railway traffic, on road traffic, on border crossings, and on border traffic of persons.

[04] PERISIC RECEIVES CLARK AND PARDEW

Tanjug, 1997-09-04

Chief of General Staff of the Yugoslav Army Gen. Momcilo Perisic and his associates received separately in Belgrade on Thursday NATO Commander for Europe Gen. Wesley Clark and special U.S. envoy for military affairs in the Balkans, Ambassador James Pardew, and his associates.

A General Staff statement said generals Perisic and Clark had conferred on certain issues regarding the realization of military aspects of the Dayton accords and the agreement on subregional arms control. They agreed mutual cooperation should be stepped up and additional efforts invested toward the resolving of current problems through political means and without the use of force.

Gen. Perisic and Ambassador Pardew spoke in detail about the essence of the programme "Equip and Train" and the possible implications of its implementation on stability in the region and peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the statement said.

[05] CLARK APPEALS TO MILOSEVIC TO END CONFRONTATION IN RS

Tanjug, 1997-09-04

NATO Commander in Europe General Wesley Clark has asked Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to use all his influence to end confrontation and make peace prevail in Republika Srpska.

I discussed with Milosevic and Perisic the importance of keeping the Republika Srpska army neutral in the struggle for power and remaining in good and frank relations with the Stabilization Force, said Clark in a press conference.

He said the talks had been open, adding that further comprehensive implementation of the Dayton peace accord was examined. SFOR will continue to carry out its mission, in implementing the military and civilian aspects of the Dayton accord, said Clark.

He said the troops are authorized to defend themselves. They are authorized to take measures for self-defense including force, if their lives are threatened, said Clark.

[06] AUSTRIAN MEDIA ABOUT "BAJRAMOVIC CASE"

Tanjug, 1997-09-04

Austria had wholeheartedly supported Croatia during the war in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, but now it has to ask Croatia to show greater resolution in dealing with war crimes, Vienna newspaper Der Standard commentator said Thursday.

The demand came after the arrest of four Croats, former policemen, for committing war crimes over Serb civilians.

Some Austrian newspapers reported only Thursday in detail about the confession of former Croatian policeman Miro Bajramovic about the monstrous crimes of special police units over Serb civilians in Gospic, Pakrac and Slano near Dubrovnik.

Most Austrian media, who at the time of the conflict in the Balkans were against Serbs and against Yugoslavia, published news agency reports from Zagreb with detailed descriptions about the killing and torturing of hundreds of Serb civilians, including women and children.

Der Standard commentator Gerhard Plot, attempting to save the honor of Austrian journalism had, also earlier, along with some of his colleagues, kept a critical distance towards Zagreb.

"The dark spots in Croatia's history, the Ustashi barbarism, the notorious concentration camp Jasenovac, open fanaticism (linking Austrians and Croats) - were all taboo topics in Austria, because war was raging in the neighbouring country," the Der Standard commentator said.

"We knew, thanks to Mock, who our friends were. The West, and also Austria, wanted to be the judge of which side was good and which side was bad," Plot said condemning the behaviour and one-sidedness of West European politicians in the Yugoslav crisis.

Instead of demanding from Croatia to arrest war criminals, nothing has happened. Zagreb is very restained, as, according to Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, war criminals are mostly Serbs and a few Muslims. Describing as scandalous the behaviour of the Croatian judiciary, the Austrian commentator said it waited for conscience-struch war criminals to confess in newspapers before taking action.

Austrian newspapers also quoted Bajramovic as saying that the top Croatian leadership issued the order for the ethnic cleansing of Serbs, so that Tudjman must have been informed about the crimes of the Croatian police.

Instead of turning over war criminals to the Hague, the mood in Croatia is relaxed. In the end, Gerhard Plot said, it is not pleasant to chose between good and bad nationalists in the Balkans, if violent nationalism is identified as the source of all evil, and especially if we do not know exactly which ones are really good.

[07] KONTIC RECEIVED HEAD OF AUSTRIA'S JOINT CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

Tanjug, 1997-09-03

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic received President Leopold Maderthaner of the Association of Chambers of Commerce of Austria, who heads an economic delegation on a visit to the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce.

Kontic expressed Yugoslavia's readiness to renew and develop comprehensive bilateral cooperation and underscored that Austrian businessmen, after the lifting of international sanctions against Yugoslavia, had been among the first to show interest in new projects in cooperation with Yugoslavia.

Nevertheless, political dialogue was not renewed at the expected level, Kontic said.

Kontic said Yugoslavia expected Austria's more dynamic influence on Yugoslavia's equal return to the international community, its organizations and forums. He informed the visitors about the strategic options of the Federal Government in building an open market economy.

Maderthaner conveyed the wish of Austrian businessmen that cooperation with Yugoslav partners be strengthened as soon as possible, not only in trade, but also in the development of coproduction and joint ventures on third markets. Maderthaner agreed it was necessary to renew political dialogue in order to strengthen economic relations between the two countries and informed Kontic that it had been agreed during the visit to Belgrade that Yugoslav-Austrian business partners meet in Vienna on Dec 2. Maderthaner said the Association was ready to back Yugoslavia's return to international trade and financial organizations, said a statement.

[08] PRIME MINISTER KONTIC RECEIVED AUSTRALIAN, NEW ZEALAND AND KOREAN BANKERS

Tanjug, 1997-09-03

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic received Wednesday representatives of the Australia-New Zealand banking group ANZ and Korean investors, who head a delegation of 50 renown Australian, New Zealand and Korean bankers on a two-day visit to Yugoslavia.

Prime Minister Kontic set out that broad possibilities existed for investments in the development of the Yugoslav economic and banking systems.

He singled out the stepped-up processes of privatization, structural changes in the economy, and recovery of the banking system in the country.

Kontic drew attention to incentives provided by Yugoslav legislation for foreign investments, especially in terms of customs and tax facilities.

He informed the guests that the economic and political situation in Yugoslavia was stable, of which he said foreign business circles were not fully aware due to a media blockade.

Ranking representatives of the prestigious Australia-New Zealand and Korean banking groups showed special interest in capital investments through the international securities market and their newly founded Fund for Investments in South-Eastern Europe.

[09] MILOSEVIC RECEIVED REPUBLIKA SRPSKA OFFICIALS

Tanjug, 1997-09-03

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on Wednesday afternoon received Republika Srpska member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Momcilo Krajisnik, Republika Srpska Parliament Speaker Dragan Kalinic and Prime Minister Gojko Klickovic.

The talks focused mostly on ways to overcome the crisis in the Republika Srpska and on efforts towards a further successful implementation of the Dayton peace accords.

Milosevic called for an active participation of Republika Srpska representatives in the joint institutions of Bosnia-Herzegovina and for a participation of the people and institutions of the Bosnian Serb state in preparations and realization of the coming local elections, which could only contribute to a stabilization of the current political situation.

Until the opening of the local elections, the Government of the Republika Srpska is expected to find, together with representatives of the international community, solutions to problems that are hampering the holding of free and democratic elections under regular conditions, it was heard at the meeting.

The people of the Republika Srpska should express their political will and give its trust to representatives and institutions, which will efficiently represent and protect their common interests aimed at strengthening peace and equality of the Bosnian Serb state.

Therefore, no one must call into question the exercising of the legitimate right of the Republika Srpska citizens, whose crucial interest is a consistent implementation of the Dayton peace accords as they define goals of vital importance to all the citizens, it was heard at the meeting.

[10] LIBERATION: ETHNIC CLEANSING ONE OF ZAGREB'S GOALS

Tanjug, 1997-09-03

The confessions of four former Croatian policemen about war crimes committed in 1991 over several hundred Serbs "reveals that ethnic cleansing was one of the goals of war which was always presented by Zagreb as an aggression on Croatia," the Parisian Liberation assessed Wednesday.

In a text headlined Confessions of a Croatian war criminal, one of the leading French newspapers reproduces in detail the confession of a former Croatian policeman, Interior Ministry special units member Miro Bajramovic, published in the Split paper Feral Tribune, placing an accent on his confession that he killed, mostly Serbs, "under the order to perform ethnic cleansing."

Bajramovic's confession, as well as those of three other arrested former policemen, the newspaper assessed, could shake up people close to Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and those who tried to cover up the affair in 1992, but also have as a result that perpetrators of the crimes and those responsible for them be brought to stand trial before the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague.

Liberation said that the mentioned Croatian police special units, "killed in September 1991 between 90 and 110 Serbs in Gospic, and 13 in Slano near Dubrovnik," and "in October the same year in Pakracka Poljana, Western Slavonia, 400 people," mostly Serbs.

The unit was commanded by Tomislav Mercep, who, the newspaper said, broke up with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) two years ago. In the cover-up of war crimes are involved a former Croatian Interior Minister, Ivan Vekic, who has left the police, and the current Vice-President of the Croatian Parliament, Vladimir Seks, the French newspaper said.

Liberation places an accent on Bajramovic's confession that he "killed with his own hand 72 people, including nine women, without posing any questions" because for Croats they were all "Chetniks and the enemy." "It is difficult to set fire to the first house and kill the first man, after that everything is automatic," the newspaper said, quoting the "merciless" Bajramovic.

The newspaper also quotes Bajramovic's description of monstrous tortures - "they used a gas torch to burn people and then poured vinegar on them".

In his confession to the Feral Tribune, Bajramovic, Liberation said, indicated that his unit operated in Gospic under the order: "ethnic cleansing," for what he indirectly accused Mercep who ordered "the reduction of the number of Serbs in Gospic."

Accusing his former commander, Bajramovic said that "he was not directly taking part in the executions, but was informed about all the killings."

Liberation describes how Croatian crimes over Serbs were covered up. In that context, the newspaper said, Bajramovic, with several other people, was arrested and interrogated for crimes committed in Pakracka Poljana.

The group, Bajramovic claims, was released in April the same year when Vladimir Seks became chief prosecutor. "Mercep organized our defense, and also Ivan Vekic (Interior Minister at the time). He was on our side."

The newspaper draws attention to the statement of the Croatian President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, who recalled that Croatian war criminals were not only protected from prosecution but also promoted and decorated. "A Croat is a hero when he kills a Serb," Liberation quoted Cicak as saying.

[11] WESTENDOROP, MILOSEVIC BACK NEITHER OF BOSNIAN SERB SIDES

Tanjug, 1997-09-03

The International Community's High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina said on Wednesday that neither he nor the Yugoslav President supported either party in the Republika Srpska.

Speaking after talks with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, High Representative Carlos Westerndorp said that Yugoslavia and President Milosevic were of great importance to and had great influence on implementing the peace process in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Westendorp said that he and Milosevic had discussed the present crisis in relations between Banja Luka and Pale in the Republika Srpska, and had agreed that they did not support either faction or any particular person, but only democracy.

Westerndorp said he and Klein were of the opinion that the peace process had progressed over the past 18 months, but that its implementation was still very slow, especially of late, because of the deadlock in the Republika Srpska. He said they wanted a lasting peace, economic prosperity and security for all.

He added that President Milosevic had carefully heard out their views on the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and had promised to help implement the Dayton accord. Westerndorp stressed they were convinced that Milosevic would be true to his word and exert his influence with the Bosnian Serbs.

Speaking about upcoming local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Westendorp said that the international community had invested considerable efforts and funds into their success. The OSCE states had sent 1,000 monitors, and the NATO-led Stabilisation Force had six new battalions that should secure peaceful balloting, he said, adding that millions of dollars had been spent. He said he hoped that the Republika Srpska, too, would vote in the coming polls, as this was in its best interest. He further said he was sure that the Republika Srpska must hold also parliamentary elections, as the only way out of its present difficulties.

Asked to comment on allegations that Belgrade had sent police troops to the northern Bosnian Serb town of Brcko, Westendorp said that such claims could have been read in Bosnian media, but that the international community had no evidence that would support them.

[12] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVED WESTENDORP

Tanjug, 1997-09-03

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received the International Community's High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Carlos Westendorp and his Deputy Jacques Paul Klein.

Discussed were issues regarding the implementation of the Dayton agreement, with emphasis on steps necessary for the successful fulfilment of aims upon which directly depends comprehensive normalization in the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Milosevic underscored that the crisis in Republika Srpska requires a political solution which can be achieved only through complete elections, monitored by OSCE, as an objective and democratic way for checking the political will of the electorate. This will secure stability, continuity and the normal functioning of institutions in this entity.

Milosevic said that in the current circumstances, only through complete elections will an impartial approach be secured and this is the key to the success of the Dayton process.

Expressed was belief that in the realization of these aims achieved will be successful cooperation, trust and understanding with the international team, headed by Westendorp and Klein, and that affirmed will be the positive experiences acquired in the implementation of the peace agreement so far.

The talks were also attended by Federal Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic.

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