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Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-09-22Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>Yugoslav Daily SurveyCONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC: WE CAN BELIEVE IN SERBIA'S SPEEDY DEVELOPMENTTanjug, 1997-09-18Serbia is on the move and striding towards its goals of reconstruction and reform, according to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade late on Thursday. Milosevic, who is heading the joint Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) - Yugoslav Left (JUL) - New Democracy (ND) ticket, was speaking at a closing election campaign convention of the leftist coalition and of presidential candidate Zoran Lilic. Milosevic said that the leftist coalition was a champion of peace and progress in Serbia and its victory was in the vital interest of this Yugoslav republic. "The elections before us are of historic importance to the future of Serbia. "Whether Serbia manages to keep the peace and stay on the reform course and in the reconstruction process will depend on whether the people support those who have managed, in the past seven years of difficulties, to protect the peace and to get reform and restoration off to a good start, or whether they will support those who have spent the seven years alternating between war and peace - urging war for three months and peace for fifteen days - who have urged both a Serbian state and a community of nations, both a monarchy and a democracy, now something new, now something old, without knowing what the new should be, nor having understood the old. "This coalition is a champion of peace and progress for Serbia. This is why its victory in the elections is in the vital interest of Serbia," Milosevic said. [02] FEDERAL VICE-PRIME MINISTER DJUNIC RECEIVES AUSTRIAN BANKERSTanjug, 1997-09-18Yugoslav Vice-Prime Minister Danko Djunic received on Thursday a delegation of the Bank Austria Handelsbank of Vienna headed by Helmut Bohunovski, the Director and member of the Board of directors. Bohunovski on Wednesday signed an agreement with Sartid on the renewal of a financial loan amounting to 80 million dollars. The Austrian delegation informed Djunic about the provisions of the agreement, i.e. its short term revolving credit line for pre-financing Sartid exports approved by a consortium of several world banks, and the bank's future plans for Yugoslavia, Djunic's cabinet said. Djunic said that the Federal Government supported such mutually useful financial arrangements. He positively assessed the readiness of European banks to invest in arrangements with Yugoslav firms. Djunic emphasised that, in the future, foreign banks should be expected to step up engagements in Yugoslavia, especially since talks on the regulation of obligations towards commercial banks within the London Club are under way and positive results are expected, the statement said. [03] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA OFFICIAL MEETS INTERNATIONAL HIGH REPRESENTATIVETanjug, 1997-09-18Republika Srpska President in the three-man Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Momcilo Krajisnik met on Thursday afternoon with international community's High Representative for Bosnia Carlos Westendorp. No details were released after the talks held behind closed doors. It is believed that Krajisnik and Westendorp discussed the situation following the September 13-14 local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina. [04] BRCKO SUPERVISOR: NO OBSTACLES TO FINANCING TOWN'S RECOVERY EXISTTanjug, 1997-09-18Brcko supervisor Robert Farand told Tanjug late on Wednesday that a memorandum of understanding had "finally" been signed with the Republika Srpska Government. He said that the Republika Srpska would finally be able to use the funds which the international community had pledged to allocate for the economic prosperity of Brcko. Farand said he was not satisfied with the Republika Srpska Government's cooperativeness and added that the elections in Brcko had passed surprisingly well. Farand said he believed that the possibility for a feeling of pluralism would appear in the future, which was very good. He said that he aimed at helping implement economic goals as soon as possible to be able to revive the economy of Brcko. Farand expressed deep regret over the SFOR helicopter crash in which Assistant International High Representative Gerd Wagner and his associates were killed and said that this would make them implement the Dayton agreement in Bosnia even better. Farand said that he had not been informed about rumours that the helicopter had carried the ballots of absentee voters. [05] FROWICK EXPECTS OSCE WILL APPROVE SENDING OF OBSERVERS TO REPUBLIKA SRPSKATanjug, 1997-09-18Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Bosnia mission chief Robert Frowick said in Vienna on Thursday that he was satisfied with the good turnout and peaceful proceeding of the local elections in Bosnia- Herzegovina, assessing they would contribute to the progress of the peace process. The U.S. Ambassador said bigger problems and irregularities had been registered in the territory of the Muslim-Croat federation in Drvar and Zepca, and that there had been fewer problems in Mostar than expected. Regarding Republika Srpska, there were some problems in Brcko, said Frowick, who today took part in the work of the OSCE Standing Council. Frowick told an unscheduled press briefing also why he had annulled a decision of the OSCE Elections Subcommission to disqualify the Serb Democratic Party (SDS). He said he had not wanted to risk the safety of members of international institutions and that such a decision could have been adopted before the elections and not after. Frowick said the most important thing was to rule out the influence of former R.S. President Radovan Karadzic on political life. He said the people had this time voted for others as well, not just nationalist parties. The Standing Council today considered a decision to send observers to the parliamentary elections in Republika Srpska, acting on an invitation from R.S. President Biljana Plavsic sent in mid-July this year, he said, adding that he expected approval would be given later in the day. Frowick was asked to comment initiatives in Republika Srpska for solving the political crisis - simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections. He said there were also proposals to appoint a new R.S. representative on the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency and that all these options were open. Frowick said it was above all necessary to respect the constitutional procedure in Republika Srpska. Diplomatic sources of the OSCE said Russian representatives were against any decisions being adopted at this time on sending observers to the parliamentary elections in Republika Srpska, before the local authorities agree if elections will be held only for the Parliament or for President as well. [06] SFOR WILL NOT ARREST PERSONS CHARGED WITH WAR CRIMESTanjug, 1997-09-18Deputy Commander of the SFOR North Division Press Centre, Dutch Major Bjern Soerensen, said on Thursday that SFOR had not changed its mandate concerning the arrest of persons charged with war crimes. Soerensen told a regular press conference that SFOR would arrest these persons only if it came upon them during its regular duties. Commenting the removal of the SFOR checkpoint on the bridge in Brcko, Soerensen said SFOR believed that patrols were more efficient than permanent checkpoints and that this was the only reason for the removal of the Brcko bridge checkpoint. "Control of the bridge is under the jurisdiction of the local police, and SFOR will re-establish a regular checkpoint if the situation in the region requires it," Soerensen said. He announced the rotation in the U.S. SFOR contingent and the arrival by the first week of November of the Second Armed Regiment to replace the First U.S. Infantry division. Soerensen added that the size of the troops would not be increased. Polish Major Arthur Bilski said that in the zone controlled by the Nordic- Polish brigade, 27 minefields had been cleared in the past week and that, since early March, when the minesweeping operation began, 7.762 mines and other explosive devices had been destroyed. "Despite that, SFOR is not satisfied with the dynamics of the minesweeping operation," Bilski said. [07] THE YUGOSLAV-HUNGARIAN INTER*STATE COMMITTEETanjug, 1997-09-17The two co-chairmen of the Yugoslav-Hungarian Inter*state Committee for economic, industrial and technical cooperation, Filip Turcinovic - who is Assistant Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister, and Lajos Bereni - who is Hungarian Undersecretary in the Trade, Industry and Tourism Ministry, met here on Wednesday. The state and promotion of economic cooperation between the two countries and concrete activities for the preparation of the next session of the Joint Committee to be held in Budapest at the start of 1998, were discussed. [08] KINKEL CONFIRMED WAGNER'S DEATH IN BOSNIA CHOPPER CRASHTanjug, 1997-09-17German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel confirmed in Bonn late on Wednesday the report of the death of German diplomat Gerd Wagner in a helicopter crash in Bosnia earlier on Wednesday. Wagner died when the United Nations helicopter he was flying in, piloted by an Ukrainian crew, crashed into a hill on route from Sarajevo to the town of Bugojno in the Muslim-Croat Federation. Wagner, aged 55, was appointed Deputy to the International Community's High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina Carlos Westendorp three months ago. Kinkel told a news conference that 12 passengers had died in the crash, including another German diplomat and three German nationals. Among the victims were also five U.S. citizens, one British subject and one Pole, Kinkel said, confirming that the four Ukrainian crew members had survived the crash. Kinkel said that the helicopter had been flying a mission ordered by the NATO-led peace Stabilisation force (SFOR) command which had to do with supervising the return of refugees and with last week's elections in Bosnia- Herzegovina. [09] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCES ECONOMIC POLICY FOR 1998Tanjug, 1997-09-17Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic said on Wednesday that the stability of prices and the exchange rate of the dinar, stepping up the pace of production, export, privatization, economic transformation and boosting living standards would be the basic goals of the economic policy in 1998. Kontic was speaking at a meeting with Vojvodina businessmen, organized for the fourth time in a row by the Vojvodina Chamber of Commerce at the Novi Sad Fair. He said that prospects were real for a Social Product growth by about 10%, followed by a one-digit price rise. He said that the policy of foreign economic relations would be directed towards Yugoslavia's reintegration into international financial and trade organizations and further liberalization of foreign trade. Kontic said the economic policy in 1998 would focus on major prerequisites for normalizing relations with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other international financial institutions, on regulation of relations with the World Trade Organization, further normalization of relations with the European Union and also on stepping up ownership transformation and foreign investments, cutting down public expenditures and increasing fiscal and financial discipline. As for macro-economic movements in the Yugoslav economy, Kontic said that the basic goals of the economic policy, determined by the Yugoslav Government, were implemented over the past eight months of 1997. He said that prices and the exchange rate were stable, while retail prices were up by about 3% or approximately 0.3% monthly, as compared with December 1996. Kontic said that one-digit inflation in 1997, one of the lowest in Europe, was a remarkable result, considering the fact that the rate of inflation was about 120% in 1995 and about 60% in 1996. He said that, in the same period, import was increased by 28.2% as compared with the first seven months of 1996 and, with steps that had been undertaken, its results would get very close to the planned 40% rise in 1997. Despite = very important results achieved in the past period of 1997, Kontic reported a series of major problems in implementing the economic policy in 1997. He said the biggest problem was a further presence of the "outer wall of sanctions", and, therefore, the Federal Government's priority was to bring Yugoslavia back into the international community. He said that major internal problems were illegal parallel economy and those in the area of public expenditures. Kontic said results of the foreign policy were also very important. He also said that Yugoslavia had been accepted as an important and indispensable factor in the peace process, and also as a constructive and respected bilateral partner. He said that, thanks to the principled and constructive domestic policy, approaches to estimating the past tragic developments in the former Yugoslavia had become objective and more balanced. He said that normalization of relations with the former Yugoslav republics had continued, especially with Macedonia and Croatia, reporting also stepped-up activities in drafting the division of assets of the former Yugoslavia. Despite major progress on the relations with the international community, we are still being blocked by the "outer wall of sanctions", said Kontic. He also said that Yugoslavia's status in international organizations and institutions was more a political than a legal or economic matter. Kontic illustrated Yugoslavia's unequal position by saying that the division of assets is a condition for the lifting of the outer wall of sanctions, whereas no such or similar conditions have been made to former Yugoslav republics that normalized their relations with international organizations. He said that Yugoslavia's undefined status in the United Nations was an anachronism, considering the UN's universality. He also said that this problem could be overcome in a very pragmatic way. We believe that the UN General Assembly could make a decision enabling Yugoslavia to renew its activities within this and other UN working bodies without any political consideration, said Kontic. A renewal of Yugoslavia's activities within the UN working bodies would secure a normalization of its relations with other international organizations and institutions, said Kontic. [10] PRESIDENT PLAVSIC RECEIVED FROWICKTanjug, 1997-09-17Republika Srpska (RS) President Biljana Plavsic received Robert Frowick, Chief of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Talks dealt with the implementation and results of local elections, and preparations for the upcoming extraordinary parliamentary elections in RS. "Although I expected it, I was very pleased to learn that the elections in the territory of RS were correct," Biljana Plavsic said and added "Serbs like elections because they want problems to be solved by democratic means." Frowick said after the meeting that the just completed local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina were only the first phase in the long process of democratisation in the country. He especially praised the citizens of RS, primarily because of turning out at the polling stations and expressing their free will. [11] BOSNIAN SERB OFFICIAL SATISFIED WITH FIRST LOCAL ELECTION RESULTSTanjug, 1997-09-17Republika Srpska Deputy Prime Minister and Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) Acting President Aleksa Buha said that he was satisfied with the first, unofficial results of the local elections. Bosnian Serb Television quoted Buha as saying that the SDS had remained the main and by far the strongest party. Stressing that he was pleased with the turnout, Buha said that people had realised that the elections were about the survival of the Republika Srpska as a single state. He said that regardless of the final results, the local elections could not resolve the "duality of government existing in the Republika Srpska," because there could be no democratic solutions without new parliamentary and presidential elections and even the elections for a new Republika Srpska representative in the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency if necessary. Buha said that the holding of parliamentary elections alone would results in the "creation of at least two state structures, i.e. the territorial and political division of the Republika Srpska." [12] PREMIER MARJANOVIC INAUGURATED THE PECENJEVAC-KOCANE HIGHWAY SECTIONTanjug, 1997-09-17Serbian Premier Mirko Marjanovic inaugurated on Wednesday a stretch of the highway between Pecenjevac and Kocane, a part of the international road Belgrade-Nis-Macedonian border. Premier Marjanovic told a crowd of several thousand that Serbia and Yugoslavia were increasingly integrating themselves into the European transportation and communications systems and all other international economic and developmental processes. Serbia is opening up to the rest of the world on all fronts, and the world is simultaneously opening up to Serbia, Premier Marjanovic said. The policy we pursue and the energy and courage we have displayed in the difficult years of the blockade have convinced the whole world that we are a society capable of creatively using our resources and securing a material base for survival in hard times and a material base for rapid recovery and prosperity once the hard times are over, Marjanovic emphasised. "We are sure that the most difficult years are behind us. And, the Government of national unity has created conditions for economic recovery, which is increasingly turning into stepped-up growth," the Serbian Premier set out. He said that an even faster integration of Serbia and Yugoslavia into the international movement of goods, services, capital and labour called for "serious efforts in the building and modernization of our infrastructure." Premier Marjanovic pointed out that more than 320 million German marks had been invested into roads, railways and the power industry from the republic's Development Fund this year alone, and noted that greater attention would be devoted to tourism in the future. [13] U.S. OBSERVERS WILL FOLLOW ELECTIONS IN SERBIATanjug, 1997-09-17The United States will send observers to Serbia for the September 21 parliamentary and presidential elections, State Department Spokesman James Foley said late on Tuesday. He told the press at a regular briefing that the U.S. mission will be part of the OSCE delegation. The upcoming elections in Serbia will also be directly followed by delegations of very influential non-governmental organizations. It has been confirmed in Washington that the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute and the Foundation for Election Systems will send observers to Serbia. [14] YUGOSLAV ARCHIVES ON INTERNETTanjug, 1997-09-17The Archives of Yugoslavia were linked on Wednesday to the global world information network Internet. Archives Director Jovan Popovic said that the Archives will appear on Internet within several topical units which provide basic information about its founding, status, organizational development and activities, as well as the content of the archives, conditions and ways of using them, publishing activities and international cooperation. The Archives will appear on Internet in Serbia and English at the web address: http://www.gov.yu/archiv . Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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