Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-12-23

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] MILUTINOVIC LEADS

[02] TALKS ON RENEWING TRAFFIC

[03] PROTOCOL ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION

[04] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION MEETS ICAO OFFICIALS

[05] HUMANITARIAN AID TO YUGOSLAVIA WILL NOT BE REDUCED

[06] THERE IS ROOM FOR YUGOSLAV ECONOMY ON WORLD MARKET

[07] GOSA BUILDS HYDRO-PLANTS IN ETHIOPIA

[08] VISIT PROVIDES INCENTIVE FOR CONSOLIDATING PEACE

[09] MIXED GROUP FOR BORDER ISSUES

[10] PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER GAMA DUE IN BELGRADE MONDAY

[11] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT ADDRESSES BEST WISHES TO CHINA FOR 1998

[12] YUGOSLAVIA WILL OPEN CONSULATE IN SHANGHAI

[13] YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR PROTESTS TO THE WARSAW TRIBUNA

[14] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT SAYS PREMIER KONTIC'S VISIT TO RUSSIA SUCCESSFUL

[15] MILOSEVIC RECEIVES NEWLY-APPOINTED BRITISH AMBASSADOR

[16] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES CARLOS WESTENDORP

[17] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT RECEIVES BUILDERS OF NEW SAVA BRIDGE

[18] DELEGATION OF YUGOSLAV CONSTITUIONAL COURT IN GERMANY

[19] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT PROPOSES DRAFT BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR

[20] ALL PREPARATIONS FOR SERBIAN RUNOFF ELECTIONS MADE

[21] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER KONTIC SENDS LETTER TO U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL

[22] YUGOSLAV AIRLINES JAT STARTS SERVICE TO BEIJING

[01] MILUTINOVIC LEADS

Tanjug, 1997-12-22

Spokesman for the Socialist Party of Serbia Ivica Dacic said early on Tuesday that 90 percent of the ballots counted so far put left bloc candidate Milan Milutinovic in the lead. Milutinovic has won 1,954,923 votes (57.51 percent), and radical candidate Vojislav Seselj 1,333,273, votes (39.23 percent). Dacic said the second round of the elections for the president of Serbia had been successful, as the turnout was over 50 percent. Head of the campaign staff of the Serbian Radical Party Dragan Todorovic has said that left bloc candidate Milan Milutinovic was ahead of their own candidate in the second round of presidential elections. The party has counted 92.77 percent of polling precincts, and recorded a turnout of 49.96 percent. Milutinovic has won 1,944,396 votes (57.63 percent), and Vojislav Seselj 1,314,104 (38.95 percent).

[02] TALKS ON RENEWING TRAFFIC

Tanjug, 1997-12-19

Yugoslav Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications will head a delegation for talks with representatives of the Albanian Ministry of Industry, Traffic and Trade in Tirana, December 19-20 this year, the Yugoslav Information Secretariat said on Friday. All pend= ing issues will be reviewed on that occasion in connection with the renewal of traffic in the coming period between the two countries, particularly the possibility of restoring railway traffic between Podgorica and Skadar, the statement said.

[03] PROTOCOL ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Tanjug, 1997-12-19

A protocol on trade and economic cooperation between Serbia and Belarus was signed in Belgrade on Friday, a Government statement said. The protocol provides for the expansion of trade and economic cooperation between Serbia and Belarus, which currently lags behind the actual possibilities. The value of the bilateral trade for 1998 is expected to exceed 100 million dollars. The protocol was signed by Serbian Minister without Portfolio Andrej Milosavljevic and Division Head in the Belarus Government Viktor Demianovic.

[04] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION MEETS ICAO OFFICIALS

Tanjug, 1997-12-20

A Yugoslav delegation headed by Minister of Transport Dejan Drobnjakovic has visited Montreal at the invitation of Assad Cotaita, President of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council, to discuss air traffic issues at ICAO headquarters. The talks focused on selecting flight routes and safety measures. The Yugoslav delegation emphasised the principle of territory protection and flight safety, and its views were fully endorsed by ICAO Council President and by its Secretary-General Costa Perreira, as confirmed by a protocol signed during the talks. The ICAO agreed to fulfil its commitments in this regard as soon as possible and promised it would strive to have Yugoslavia readmitted is its member. The ICAO is a UN agency. The issue of a Yugoslav Airlines (JAT) Boeing B737-300 still grounded in Istanbul by the Bosphorus company despite a ruling of Turkey's Supreme Court, ICAO endeavors and bilateral diplomatic activities, was also discussed. The Yugoslav delegation presented a complete file of evidence regarding this problem, and this was accepted by the ICAO representatives. The ICAO officials pointed to the high degree of safety of flights in Yugoslavia's air space and in JAT aircraft. A protocol on the future intensification of bilateral cooperation was signed by Minister Drobnjakovic and ICAO Council President.

[05] HUMANITARIAN AID TO YUGOSLAVIA WILL NOT BE REDUCED

Tanjug, 1997-12-20

Serbian Commissioner for Refugees Bratislava Morina said on Saturday that the results of the several-day meeting in Geneva on the situation of refugees and humanitarian aid would alleviate the concern of refugees as regards the funding of aid in 1998. Morina told Radio Belgrade on her return from Geneva that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had appealed for maintaining the same level of aid in 1998 as in 1997. Representatives of the international community were told that Yugoslavia remained firmly in favour of the implementation of the Dayton Agreement and was exerting utmost efforts to take care of nearly 700,000 refugees. The most important results of the Geneva meeting were the agreements to provide equal aid to both Bosnian entities (Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation) and to initiate the voluntary repatriation of refugees, Morina said. Describing the Geneva meeting as characterized by a similarity of stances of all delegations, Morina said that the proposal of the Serbian delegation on hosting the next regional meeting on refugees and humanitarian aid was accepted by the participants and should be held soon after the New Year.

[06] THERE IS ROOM FOR YUGOSLAV ECONOMY ON WORLD MARKET

Tanjug, 1997-12-21

Higher production and a reduced participation of public spending in the social product will be the chief features of Yugoslavia's economic and development policies in 1998, Yugoslav Minister of Development, Science and Ecology Jagos Zelenovic has said. Zelenovic said in an interview published in the Pristina daily "Jedinstvo" that the available potentials were a guarantee that the planned development would be achieved. He urged that internal differences over economic issues be resolved, as he said they could pose an obstacle to the planned development. Asked how the extended "outer wall" of sanctions against Yugoslavia would reflect on the country's development, Minister Zelenovic said that capital had its own logic which was often not in line with the actual policy and that logic had already opened many possibilities for exchange with foreign partners. "There is room for Yugoslav economy in the world. Yugoslavia is present on the world market and has numerous bilateral economic arrangements. Yugoslav enterprises record significant trade results and foreign firms are interested in investing in our economy", Minister Zelenovic underscored. He reiterated that inflation must be maintained at the zero level and in that context singled out the need for securing the Yugoslav economy's competitiveness on foreign markets.

[07] GOSA BUILDS HYDRO-PLANTS IN ETHIOPIA

Tanjug, 1997-12-19

The "Gosa" holding corporation, based in the Serbian town of Smederevska Palanka, has signed a contract to produce and assemble parts for a hydro- electrical power plant in Ethiopia. The deal was signed with mediation from the Belgrade "Energoproject" company, and the value of the works is about two million U.S. dollars. The "Gosa" industry is due to meet the terms of the contract in less than two years, which would pave the way for work on three more hydro-power plants in Ethiopia. "Gosa" carried off the deal amid strong international competition, in which about 60 companies contested for the job.

[08] VISIT PROVIDES INCENTIVE FOR CONSOLIDATING PEACE

Tanjug, 1997-12-21

Deputy Foreign Minister of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Council of Ministers Dragan Bozanic said Sunday in Pale that the visit of US President Bill Clinton to Bosnia-Herzegovina Monday was very important and that much was expected from it. This will be one more incentive to the consolidation of peace and to the implementation of the Dayton Agreement, Bozanic said and added he expected the Americans to pursue their constructive endeavors for the full implementation of the Agreement. Clinton is coming to Bosnia to pay a Christmas visit to the US troops within SFOR, but his visit will also be important for the establishment of good relations within Bosnia- Herzegovina, Bozanic said. Bozanic said he did not share the view prevailing in the Muslim-Croat Federation that the implementation of the Dayton Agreement had come to a standstill. The Peace Agreement continues to be implemented and progress is being made after the Peace Implementation Council conference in Bonn, Bozanic said and expressed hope that activities to this end would be pursued next year.

[09] MIXED GROUP FOR BORDER ISSUES

Tanjug, 1997-12-19

The Mixed Working Group, formed by the Joint Diplomatic-Expert Commission for determining the state border between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Macedonia, held a meeting in Belgrade, December 17-18, the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry said Friday. The task of the Mixed Working Group is to examine important documents for determining the state border between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Macedonia, which are at the disposal of both sides. Promemoria about the documents were exchanged by the two sides in Skoplje, on October 20 this year. The conclusions and proposals of the Mixed Working Group will be reviewed by the Joint Diplomatic-Expert commission at its next session due to be held soon in Belgrade, the statement said.

[10] PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER GAMA DUE IN BELGRADE MONDAY

Tanjug, 1997-12-21

Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama is due on a two-day official visit to Yugoslavia on Monday, the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry said Sunday. Minister Gama is expected to discuss with his Yugoslav hosts all aspects of the bilateral cooperation, especially, economic, in whose promotion both sides are interested. The talks are also to cover major international topics of joint interest, especially the further development of relations between Yugoslavia and the European Union.

[11] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT ADDRESSES BEST WISHES TO CHINA FOR 1998

Tanjug, 1997-12-20

President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic has addressed a New Year's message of best wishes for prosperity and cooperation to the President of the People's Republic of China Jiang Zemin and to the Chinese people. The message was presented Saturday in Beijing to the Chinese Foreign Minister Zhang Deguang by Yugoslav Deputy Foreign Minister Radoslav Bulajic, the Yugoslav Embassy in Beijing told the press. Zhang thanked Bulajic for the message and pointed to the great importance of the recent visit of Yugoslav President Milosevic to China which had opened a new stage in the traditionally good and friendly bilateral relations. China is ready to continue developing overall relations and economic cooperation with Yugoslavia, Zhang said, and welcomed the establishment of direct Belgrade-Bejing flights by the Yugoslav airline JAT. Zhang and Bulatovic exchanged views on the overall bilateral relations and Bulatovic thanked the Chinese leadership for the help in opening the flight service. The meeting also focused on international and regional issues of mutual concern.

[12] YUGOSLAVIA WILL OPEN CONSULATE IN SHANGHAI

Tanjug, 1997-12-20

Yugoslav Ambassador to China Slobodan Unkovic said Saturday that a Yugoslav consulate would be opened early next year in Shanghai. Unkovic told the press that China was one of Yugoslavia's key trade partners and underlined that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's recent visit to China had contributed to the promotion and strengthening of all-round bilateral ties, especially in the economy. An inter-state agreement on cooperation in tourism is expected to be concluded in a near future, Unkovic said.

[13] YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR PROTESTS TO THE WARSAW TRIBUNA

Tanjug, 1997-12-18

Yugoslav Ambassador in Warsaw Zoran Novakovic has sent a letter to the Warsaw Tribuna saying that two years after the conclusion of the civil war in Bosnia, that paper continued to sensationalise reports about Yugoslavia.

In the letter, published by Tribuna on Wednesday, Ambassador Novakovic reminds that the FRY had made a decisive contribution to the conclusion of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which led to the ending of the civil war in Bosnia.

"Tribuna's reports about the FR of Yugoslavia have lately been hostile, unobective, in one word as if the intention was to lead a new anti*Serbian propaganda campaign," Novakovic said.

Is Tribuna anticipating or stirring up new conflicts and why?, the Yugoslav Ambassador asked.

"To say that Kosovo is part of Albania is strange and has nothing to do with professional journalism," the Yugoslav Ambassador assessed and added: "Is it possible that in Tribuna's international desk journalists don't know anythong about geography?"

Tribuna also regularly publishes polls in which Serbs are most often classified as the most disliked people.

"Where does this come from? Short memory? What is the intention, to stir up, stimulate?," Novakovic asks the Warsaw daily.

The Yugoslav Ambassador told Tribuna he was "not afraid of new sanctions against the FRY." "Sanctions cannot be imposed on a country for pursuing a policy of defending national interests, including tending to the needs of countrymen outside its borders - by political means, dialogue and cooperation," Ambasssador Novakovic said in conclusion.

In it's reply, Tribuna said that "after the unfortunate note about Kosovo, taken word for word from the news agency PAP," it published a correction and apologies the following day.

With respect to polls conducted in Poland about different peoples, the daily's staff said it was not responsible for them and that it "had always attempted to present the situation in the Balkans in an objective manner."

[14] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT SAYS PREMIER KONTIC'S VISIT TO RUSSIA SUCCESSFUL

Tanjug, 1997-12-18

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic's visit to Russia on December 2-4 was successful and has created conditions for further promotion of the two countries' overall relations and in particular economic cooperation, the Yugoslav Government said on Thursday. The Government adopted at a session a report on Kontic's visit, paid at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, a statement issued by the Yugoslav Information Secretary said.

The Government said Kontic's visit had confirmed the two countries' wish to develop and promote their relations in keeping with their interests, tradition, historical and spiritual closeness, and comparative possibilities and needs of their respective economies.

Russia remains Yugoslavia's major economic partner and the two countries have developed mechanisms of cooperation, their economic subjects are inter- dependant and have had successful cooperation to date, the statement said.

The Government adopted a platform for Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic's talks with his Portugese counterpart Jaime Gama in Belgrade on December 22-23, the statement said.

It also adopted a platform for Yugoslav Transport Minister Dejan Drobnjakovic's participation in a conference of Balkan Transport Ministers in Salonika, Greece, on December 23. Yugoslav Deputy Transport Minister Budimir Saranovic will head the country's delegation in talks with officials of Albanian Industry, Transport and Trade Ministries in Tirana, the statement said.

The Government also adopted a platform for talks with Iran on an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation. The talks are to be held in Belgrade on December 22-25.

[15] MILOSEVIC RECEIVES NEWLY-APPOINTED BRITISH AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1997-12-18

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received on Thursday Britain's newly- appointed Ambassador in Belgrade Joseph Brian Donnelly who presented his credentials to him.

Donnelly expressed his country's readiness to step up the promotion of relations and cooperation with Yugoslavia, its ally throughout history with which it has had friendly ties for decades. He said it was vital to diversify economic cooperation between the two countries whose businessmen had had numerous positive contacts, saying these contacts created a stable basis for a new upturn in the realisation of joint deals.

Milosevic said he was confident that stable relations based on the footing of equality and all-round cooperation between the two countries would continue to develop successfully, which he said was not only in the best interests of the two nations but also in the best interests of strengthening stability and progress in Europe.

Milosevic stressed the importance of current integration processes in the world, whose success he said depended on the countries' active participation in them on the footing of equality. He also underlined Yugoslavia's openness and its firm commitment to setting up all-round economic ties with other countries, in the process of which he said Britain played an important role considering the achieved level of scientific, technological, cultural and other cooperation with it.

Milosevic wished Donnelly every success in his work.

[16] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES CARLOS WESTENDORP

Tanjug, 1997-12-18

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received on Thursday the International Community's High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Carlos Westendorp.

In a talk relating to topical issues of the implementation of the Dayton Agreement and the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, President Milosevic said that Yugoslavia, which had made a decisive contribution to the creation of the foundations of the curent and future peace in the region, was actively working on the preservation and successful implementation of the peace process in its neighbourhood.

President Milosevic stressed that the sides in Bosnia-Herzegovina should increasingly assume their share of responsibility.

The international community should not act instead of them and should not assume the role of an arbiter in every disputed issue but should create conditions for the democratically elected representatives fully to play the role which belongs to them under the peace agreement, President Milosevic said.

He underscored that it was especially important that the international community secure a balanced economic development of the two entities through providing an equal treatment of the two.

The strengthening and affirmation of legally elected authorities is doubtlessly in the interest of citizens and of a successful implementation of the Dayton Agreement. It was assessed in that context that the constituent session of the newly elected Parliament of Republika Srpska should certainly be held within the period envisaged under regulations.

[17] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT RECEIVES BUILDERS OF NEW SAVA BRIDGE

Tanjug, 1997-12-18

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on Thursday received leading engineers and constructors of a new bridge on the Sava River. The 1,800- metre bridge is the most complex facility on the Bubanj Potok-Dobanovci section of the trans-Yugoslav highway and it is worth about 250 million dinars.

Experts of the Yugoslav construction companies Mostogradnja, Jugoslavija Put, Novi Autoput, Partizanski Put and Ratko Mitrovic, who are engaged in the realisation of this strategic facility, informed the president that the section was to be opened in late July 1998.

Addressing the builders, Milosevic said: "This year we built probably the largest number of roads. Brand new factories, hospitals and schools were opened. Yugoslavia is returning to the time from which it was expelled by sanctions and other outside pressures. "This bridge represents a symbolic return of out country to that time, to a new time and recovery, which has especially intensively started this year.

In order to achieve full recovery, in order to make our country economically and culturally successful and modern, the entire people, all citizens should join their efforts. Difficult times sometimes divide people, entire nations. But difficult times can also link them firmly, stubbornly, creatively and heroically. Therefore, I should say that this bridge represents a symbolic message of history, an appeal of the future to link everything we have, time, energy, forces, good will in the interest of a better and more humane life and modern development of our country.

"Whether our country will be peaceful, beautiful and successful depends only on us. It is in the hands of constructors of bridges, those that symbolise our future and that characterise our present with which we enter the new year. I want our country to have thousands of bridges like this linking river banks, people, nations, efforts they make to live in freedom, peace and prosperity. Let ill intentions, hatred, vassalage and laziness, which tie hands even in better times than this, stay at the bottom, where they belong.

"I wish all the citizens of Yugoslavia that 1998 be a year of solidarity and success, which is symbolised by this bridge. I wish to congratulate the engineers and workers, the builders of the bridge on their efforts and success. I wish that our Yugoslavia be peaceful, developed and harmonious," Milosevic said.

[18] DELEGATION OF YUGOSLAV CONSTITUIONAL COURT IN GERMANY

Tanjug, 1997-12-18

A delegation of the Yugoslav Constitutional Court, headed by Court President Milomir Jakovljevic, visited the German Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, at the inviattion of Court President Jutte Limbnach. The working visit was very successful and useful. The exchange of views covered the position, role and jurisdictions of constitutional courts, the Yugoslav Constitutional Court said on Thursday.

The two sides agreed to intensify the mutual exchange of experiences in the interest of the two Courts.

Jakovljevic invited representatives of the German Federal Constitutional Court to visit the Yugoslav Constitutional Court.

[19] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT PROPOSES DRAFT BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR

Tanjug, 1997-12-18

The Yugoslav Government submitted to Parliament on Thursday a draft law on the Federal Budget for 1998 to the amount of 9.693 billion dinars. Parliament is expected to adopt the bill, which is 9.13 percent of the GDP, by summary procedure. The Draft Budget, and the commitment that spendings be financed solely from real sources, is in line with the stabilization economic policy pursued by the Government in the last few years.

The concept of the economic policy for next year is based on a market economy with accent on exports and intensified reforms.

The growth of the GDP is calculated at 10 percent, compared with the GDP estimated for 1997.

Price increases have not been calculated in the budget, except the transfer of this year's price growth of 5.5 percent.

Most of the earnings are expected from the sales and excise tax - 5.2 billion dinars.

Tax earnings are expected to bring in 835 million dinars, customs and duty three billion dinars, and the rest 650 million dinars.

Most of the budget will be used for the army - 6.5 billion dinars, which amounts to about 67.6 percent.

Twelve percent of the budget - 1.16 billion dinars, will go for invalids and veterans, and 13.6 percent for federal organs and organizations.

About 250 million dinars will be used for interventions in the economy and for stimulating development.

[20] ALL PREPARATIONS FOR SERBIAN RUNOFF ELECTIONS MADE

Tanjug, 1997-12-18

All preparations have been made for the second round of the Serbian presidential elections to be held between 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) and 8 p.m. on Sunday.

According to the Serbian Statistics Bureau, Serbia has 7,235,307 voters, who will be able to cast their ballots at 9,844 polling stations throughout Serbia.

Socialist Party of Serbia-Yugoslav Left-New Democracy candidate Milan Milutinovic and Serbian Radical Party candidate Vojislav Seselj will run at the elections.

Under the relevant law, the candidate who wins the majority of ballots if the turnout is more than 50 percent will become the Serbian President.

[21] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER KONTIC SENDS LETTER TO U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL

Tanjug, 1997-12-18

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic has sent a letter to U.N. Security Council President Fernando Soto suggesting that the mandate of the U.N. military observers on the Prevlaka peninsula (UNIMOP), which is due to expire on Jan. 15, 1998, be once again extended. Kontic expressed hope that UNIMOP would remain in the area until a jointly acceptable solution to the territorial dispute involving Prevlaka was found through bilateral talks.

Prime Minister Kontic set out that Yugoslavia consistently respected the demilitarized area on Prevlaka.

He said no major headway had been made toward a solution to the dispute due to Croatia's lack of readiness to resolve the dispute through talks and its attempts to prejudice a solution through unilateral actions and violations of the demilitarized zone.

[22] YUGOSLAV AIRLINES JAT STARTS SERVICE TO BEIJING

Tanjug, 1997-12-18

A Yugoslav Airlines JAT DC-10 took off from Belgrade Airport at 8 p.m. on Thursday on its first flight to Beijing.

The long-haul flight, with 277 passengers on board, inaugurates JAT's regular weekly service to the Chinese capital.

The new service will help strengthen bilateral economic cooperation and enhance understanding between the two nations, in the wake of the recent Friendship and Cooperation Declaration, JAT officials said.

The Declaration was signed in Peking by the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, and the President of the People's Republic of China, Jiang Zemin.

Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory - Previous Article - Next Article