Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-02-04

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT MEETS BRITISH MINISTER

[02] BULAJIC: ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF DIPLOMACY SHOULD BE STREGTHENED

[03] EUROPEAN COUNCIL DELEGATION FOR REFUGEES VISITS BELGRADE

[04] COOPERATION WOULD BE TO MUTUAL ADVANTAGE

[05] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES INDIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER

[06] YUGOSLAV VICE PREMIER RECEIVES INDIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER

[07] FOREIGN MINISTER JOVANOVIC RECEIVES MINISTER LLOYD

[01] MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT MEETS BRITISH MINISTER

Tanjug, 1998-02-02

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic received Monday in Podgorica the British State Minister at the Foreign Office Tony Lloyd.

Djukanovic and Lloyd told a press conference they had discussed the political and economic situation in Montenegro and its status within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The talk focused on normalizing the political situation in Montenegro which should enable the republic to concentrate on the fundamental goals of democratization, economic reforms and international relations, Djukanovic said.

Montenegrin authorities are determined to preserve civic peace and security in order to stabilize the situation in Yugoslavia and pursue positive political and economic reforms in Montenegro and Yugoslavia, Djukanovic said.

Lloyd said Britain supported the reform process in Montenegro and endorsed the results of the presidential election, without any reference to its legitimity.

[02] BULAJIC: ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF DIPLOMACY SHOULD BE STREGTHENED

Tanjug, 1998-02-01

In the first half of this year over 25 economic and trade advisors will join Yugoslav Embassies throughout the world in order to create conditions, with the help of diplomacy, for the Yugoslav economy to make gains on the international market, Yugoslav Deputy Foreign Minister Radoslav Bulajic said.

In a statement to Tanjug on Sunday, commenting the recent decision of the Yugoslav Government to strengthen the work of Yugoslav Embassies and consular representations by appointing a large number of economic advisors, Bulajic pointed out that the policy was "in line with world trends and essential social-economic and international-political changes, that emerged in the last few years."

Bulajic said that, in accordance with Government decisions, trade advisors will be appointed to Yugoslav Embassies in Rome (two posts), Paris, the Hague, Athens, Moscow (two posts), Kiev, Prague, Bucarest, Sofia, Tirana, Ancara, Skopje, Washington, Otawa, Tripolis, Harare, Pretoria, Tokyo and the Permanent Mission to the U.N. in New York, as well as in other countries.

He pointed out that economic and trade advisors are already appointed to Yugoslav Embassies in Vienna, Budapest, Nicosia, Warsaw, Bratislava, Bonn, Bern, Brussles, London, Stockholm, Cairo, Lagos, Beijing, New Delhi, permanent mission to the U.N. European Office in Geneva and the Permanent Mission to the European Union in Brussels.

Speaking about the work of economic advisors and the need for a large number of competent experts, Bulajic said that the Government in taking the decision to strengthen the economic activities of diplomacy had in mind primarily the development of economic cooperation with those countries.

Bulajic said that the importance of "economic diplomacy" had been realized on time in the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry and in the Yugoslav Government. He added that the FRY had nearly one hundred diplomatic missions and that in most of them, especially in countries which are the traditional and most important economic partners of the FRY - there are economic advisors and departments for economic affairs.

Speaking about the appointement of an economic advisor in Moscow, Bulajic said that the Russian Federation, a source of strategic raw materials, semi- products and equipment, was an important market and one of the most important economic partners for the Yugoslav industry.

The importance of Greece and Italy, as economic partners of the FRY and EU members, should be viewed primarily in the context of our position that key economic interests are realized with our neighbours and other European countries, Bulajic said.

Speaking about the appointment of experts in the United States, Canada and Japan, Bulajic said that these industrial countries, possessing huge technical-technological and financial potential, were interesting for us primarily as investors, notably in the field of infrastructure facilities.

Our cooperation with these countries should go in the direction of establishing long-term industrial cooperation, using different concessions, and creating possibilities for activoties on third markets, Bulajic said.

The appointment of economic advisors in Yugoslav Permanent Missions to the E.U. in Brussles and to the U.N. in New York is motivated by the need for intensified efforts for the return of the FRY as a full-fledged member into international financial and trade organizations and institutions, Bulajic said.

"Our diplomacy must prepare primarily for an economic function, as its task is to establish a balance between the commercial interests of the country and foreign policy. Modern diplomacy serves best its country and its citizens as part of a wider foreign policy, when it defends state trade interests and opens the way for potential markets," Bulajic said.

He said that international trade and cooperation was a daily topic in the world and that most states were dealing exclusively with those issues and subjecting their foreign policy to economic interests. Bearing in mind the fact that globalization and multilateralism are continuous processes, we have to take part in those process, with the help of diplomacy, Bulajic said.

According to World Trade Organization (WTO) data, there are in the world over 80 free trade zone, customs unions, various regional and sub-regional institutions and associations, as the best way for realizing state intrests, Bulajic said, stressing that Yugoslavia was in the process of joining those instituions, but that due to the "currently unfavorable status of the FRY in the interanitonal community, that process has been slowed down."

Bulajic assessed that without the active participation of the FRY in the region, it cannot develop economic and goodneighbourly relations and voiced hope that this fact will be taken into account by the region, by Europe and the world and that obstacles will soon be lifted to the return of Yugoslavia to the international community, primarily the "outer wall of sancitons".

Bulajic said that "commercial diplomacy" which used to be a privilege of the rich, was increasingly becoming a strong policy element of of developing countries in their fight for a more just political and economic system.

Remark: We kindly request our readers to use this text of the news instead of the text in Yugoslav Daily Survey No. 1586 published on February 2, 1998. The previously published text was incorrect due to some tehnical deficiecies.

[03] EUROPEAN COUNCIL DELEGATION FOR REFUGEES VISITS BELGRADE

Tanjug, 1998-02-03

Deputy Federal Minister for Labour, Health Care and Social Policy, Mirjana Dragas, received on Tuesday a delegation of the European Coucil for refugees and exilees headed by Nick Hardwick, the Federal Information Secretariat has said.

This humanitarian organization within the European Council, together with the international council of voluntary agencies, includes over 200 national non-government organizations of which some have already been included in providing aid to refugees in Yugoslavia. The arrival of their representatives to this country, it was explained, aims to step up their participation in the resolution of the current problems of refugees in Yugoslavia.

Dragas informed the delegation in detail about all aspects of providing for the refugees, including their permanent integration in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

In FRY there are still over 500,000 refugees, mainly women, children and the elderly, the majority of whom live with relatives.

In view of the slow process of the return of refugees and the large number of those who want to remain here, Dragas said that Yugoslavia continues requiring further international humanitarian aid both for temporary help and for the integration of those who will remain here permanently.

Hardwick said that the members of the delegation would inform their organiations about the needs and problems of providing for refugees in Yugoslavia in order to take part in their resolution on a wider scale, the statement said.

[04] COOPERATION WOULD BE TO MUTUAL ADVANTAGE

Tanjug, 1998-02-03

The Yugoslav Government resumed on Tuesday its debate on restoring and promoting foreign economic relations, with special stress on the results of and prospects for trade with the European Union and its individual members.

A government statement said that at the session, chaired by Prime Minister Radoje Kontic, it was noted that trade with the EU states would be in the best interest of both the European Union and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

It would therefore be to mutual advantage to normalise bilateral ties on the basis of equality, respect for mutual interests and without political strings attached, it was also noted.

There was some headway made in foreign trade in 1997, with export rising at a faster pace than import, which went towards a better balanced foreign trade. Export covered 49.3 percent of import in 1997, a rise from 44.9 percent the year before.

The Government drafted a programme of measures and activities for increasing export to the EU market, and for attaining other targets of the foreign trade policy in 1998.

[05] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES INDIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER

Tanjug, 1998-02-02

Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic received Monday Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of India Lalit Mansing.

Yugoslavia and India have an identical position that traditionally friendly relations between the two countries should be developed in a comprehensive manner, on modern bases, and that bilateral cooperation should be diversified both on the political and economic level, the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry said.

The visit of Indian Deputy Foreign Minister Lalit Mansing was realized within political consultations of the two foreign ministries.

[06] YUGOSLAV VICE PREMIER RECEIVES INDIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER

Tanjug, 1998-02-03

Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic on Tuesday received Indian Deputy Foreign Minister Lalit Mansing. The friendly talks focused on all aspects of the promotion of bilateral relations, laying a special stress on the perspectives of economic development which the two countries regard as very important, the Yugoslav Government said in a statement.

[07] FOREIGN MINISTER JOVANOVIC RECEIVES MINISTER LLOYD

Tanjug, 1998-02-02

Federal Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic received on Monday the State Minister at the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Tony Lloyd.

The Federal Foreign Ministry said that exchanged were views on issues of the development of bilateral cooperation, situation in the region and relations between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the European Union.

It was said that Yugoslav-British relations and cooperation, especially in the economic sphere, are on an upward trend but that their content and level are still considerably lagging behind the two countries' possibilities and interests.

Jovanovic and Lloyd set out that development in the region is characterized by the improvement of the overall situation, stabilization of the peace process, development of goodneighbourly relations, better linking and creating of conditions for speeding up the transition process.

The two ministers underscored that FRY is significantly contributing to all these positive trends, through the affrimation of its open foreign policy in which good-neighbourly relations and equal relations in Europe have a priority.

Underscored was the need for the full normalization of relations and equal cooperaton between FRY and EU, and that Great Britain, as a FRY's traditional and major partner and the EU chairman, can contribute to this, the statement said.

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