Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-03-20

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Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] KONTIC CONGRATULATES ZHU RONGJU

[02] R.S. GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISM IN KOSMET

[03] PRIMAKOV: ISSUE OF KOSMET SHOULD BE SETTLED IN SERBIA

[04] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY WELCOMES SERBIAN PRESIDENT'S DECLARATION ON KOSMET

[05] PRIMAKOV: ENTIRE WORLD WILL SUPPORT SERBIAN PRESIDENT'S DECLARATION

[06] OSCE OFFICIAL: ENTIRE EUROPE AGAINST INDEPENDENCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

[07] U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON KOSOVO-METOHIJA BLOCKED

[08] POLICE IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA DID NOT USE FIREARMS

[09] SERBS PROTEST AGAINST TERRORISM

[10] SERBS EXPELLED FROM KOSMET SEND MESSAGES TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

[11] BOMBING ATTACK ON ZENELJ ABAZI'S PRIVATE COMPANY

[12] LEADERS OF KOSOVO ALBANIANS AGAIN FAIL TO SHOW UP FOR TALKS

[13] ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADERS FAVOR INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION ON KOSOVO

[14] KINKEL, VEDRINE REPORT SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN TALKS WITH MILOSEVIC

[15] DJUKANOVIC * KOSMET ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVE BY DIALOGUE

[16] AMBASSADORS RECEIVED IN THE YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTRY

[17] FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SESSION STATEMENT

[01] KONTIC CONGRATULATES ZHU RONGJU

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic has sent congratulations, on behalf of the Federal Government and in his own name, to Zhu Rongju who was elected Prime Minister of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. Kontic said in a telegram that he believed the freindly relations between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and PR of China, which are based on mutual trust and understanding, would in the future develop successfully and comprehensively in the interest of both peoples and of peace and progress in the world.

[02] R.S. GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISM IN KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

The Government of the Republika Srpska strongly opposes the resolution of the issue of Kosovo and Metohija through the use of violence and calls for an immediate dialogue on the issue. The Government backs the political resolution of the crisis in Serbia's southern province and condemns ethnic Albanian terrorism aimed against Serbia's constitutional order and co- existence in the Province, said a statement issued after a Government session late on Wednesday. The Government takes the view that problems in Kosovo and Metohija should be resolved through peaceful means without bringing into question Serbia's territorial integrity.

[03] PRIMAKOV: ISSUE OF KOSMET SHOULD BE SETTLED IN SERBIA

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov said on Thursday after talks with Republika Srpska leaders in Banja Luka, that they had agreed that the problems of Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija (Kosmet) should be resolved through dialogue in Serbia. Russia urges a peaceful road and opposes secession and terrorism, Primakov set out at a press conference. Welcoming the Declaration of Serbian President Milan Milutinovic on settling problems in Kosmet, Primakov said this was the most acceptable framework to satisfy the interests of the entire Kosmet population. Primakov said he believed granting approval to the work of an OSCE mission did not mean an internationalization of this problems, and that the mission could give impetus to dialogue between the two sides. Another impetus could also be provided by Milutinovic's readiness to have the agreement on education signed, Primakov said. He pointed out that the international community must now exert pressure on the ethnic Albanian community to accept the proposed agreement.

[04] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY WELCOMES SERBIAN PRESIDENT'S DECLARATION ON KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Russia welcomed on Thursday the measures set out in the Declaration on the political process in Kosmet proposed by Serbian President Milan Milutionovic and called on Kosmet Albanian representatives to gather around the table of negotiations. Asserting that the Declaration was aimed at settling as soon as possible the situation in Kosmet and that it represented an "important step in the spirit of the recommendations of the Contact Group," Russia called on ethnic Albanians not to undertake action that could lead to the destabilizaiton of the situation. An official Spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Valery Nyesterushkin, said at a press conference on Thursday that Moscow expected that in a direct dialogue of the Government of Serbia and Albanian representatives "further steps will be made towards a political solution of the Kosmet problem."

[05] PRIMAKOV: ENTIRE WORLD WILL SUPPORT SERBIAN PRESIDENT'S DECLARATION

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov said on Thursday that the Declaration of Serbian President Milan Milutinovic on the political process in Kosmet "can serve as a basis for regulating the situation in the province" and that this document would "be hailed throughout the world."

Itar-Tass quoted Primakov as telling the Russian peacekeepers in Ugljevik that for Russia "there can be no doubt that Kosmet cannot break away from Yugoslavia and that the Province needs a form of selfrule which meets the interests of the citizens." According to Primakov, this position "is reflected in the Serbian President's Declaration which will be greeted in the entire world."

[06] OSCE OFFICIAL: ENTIRE EUROPE AGAINST INDEPENDENCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

High Commissioner for Minorities of the OSCE Max van der Stoel has said that entire Europe has made it clear that it opposes the independence of Kosovo and Metohija. Speaking of international crisis management at Vienna's Bruno Kreisky Forum for international dialogue late on Wednesday, Van der Stoel, who also acts as the OSCE chairman's envoy for Kosovo and Metohija, said there were other solutions for Serbia's southern province, explaining that there were various forms of autonomy. Van der Stoel said the situation in Kosovo and Metohija could be dealt with through peaceful means only, saying all that was contrary to that principle was dangerous and must be rejected. He condemned terrorist actions by the so-called Liberation Army of Kosovo, reiterating that a dialogue between the Government in Belgrade and ethnic Albanian representatives should take place in the presence of a third party. He said he hoped Belgrade authorities would accept a mission in Kosovo and Metohija by Felipe Gonzalez, the OSCE Chairman's special envoy. Van der Stoel also said minorities had to respect the laws of a state they were living in and to be loyal to it. If minorities refuse to cooperate with authorities opting for isolation, this leads to confrontation, he said.

[07] U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON KOSOVO-METOHIJA BLOCKED

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that there is no need for passing a resolution on Yugoslavia and the situation in Kosovo-Metohija. Lavrov was speaking to reporters after U.N. Security Council consultations suspending a further debate on a British proposal for imposing an arms embargo on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Lavrov said that Kosovo-Metohija cannot be discussed outside the context of the true state of affairs on the ground, where an implementation of certain specific steps is underway toward reducing the tension in the Province. The situation in Kosovo-Metohija has been stabilized, Lavrov said, adding that the situation there does not threaten the stability in the region. He also said he hoped that the international community will support steps taken by Belgrade toward reducing the tension in Kosovo-Metohija.

[08] POLICE IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA DID NOT USE FIREARMS

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

The Serbian Interior Ministry issued a statement on Thursday refuting reports carried by some foreign and domestic media that the police in Kosovo and Metohija used firearms on Wednesday.

The statement reads: "In connection with the false reports carried by some foreign media and also a part of the domestic press that 'a demonstrator was killed in Pec in yesterday's demonstrations', the Interior Ministry of the Republic of Serbia denies the rumours and informs the public that the police did not use firearms on March 18, 1998 and that no case of wounding or killing of any citizen in connection with the demonstrations was reported to the Ministry and medical institutions on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. "The cited reports mark ill-intentioned and tendentious misinformation of the public about the developments on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija."

[09] SERBS PROTEST AGAINST TERRORISM

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

More than 50,000 Serbs and Montenegrins gathered on Thursday before the Faculty of Filology in Pristina to protest against the secessionism and terrorism of the Kosmet Albanians. The demonstrators, who gathered at initiative of the Students' Alliance, read out a proclamation against terrorism and secessionism and in support of the unity of Serbia. Afterwards, the protesters walked through the streets of Pristina.

[10] SERBS EXPELLED FROM KOSMET SEND MESSAGES TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Serbs expelled from Kosovo and Metohija held a protest rally in the Liberation Square in Nis Thursday and sent messages and demands to foreign embassies, the Chairman of the OSCE and Contact Group members regagrding the situation in Serbia's southern province. The proclamation, adopted by the gathering, demands from the international community to base its proposals for the resolution of the situation, on principles adopted by west european countries for their minorities and underscored the profound belief that the issue of Kosovo and Metohija can be justly resolved only in a peaceful and democratic way within Serbia. The proclamation urges efforts to secure peace and safety for all people living in Kosmet and to enable the return of all who were exhiled to their ancestral lands.

Underscored was the need to guarrantee to the Albanian national minority all rights in keeping with top European standards within the state of Serbia. The President of the initiative board of the Serbs who were exhiled from Kosmet, Bora Djokic, 85, pointed out the importance of the Serb role in the defence of Kosmet from ethnic Albanian terrorists and separatists, while the majority of speakers recalled the injustices towards the Serb people in this region.

[11] BOMBING ATTACK ON ZENELJ ABAZI'S PRIVATE COMPANY

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Persons unknown on Wednesday threw a hand grenade in front of the Abazi Tours company owned by Zenelj Abazi of Pec, Tanjug learned in Pec. The attack, which was carried out at 10.30 p.m. last night in the Radosava Burica Street, did not cause any material damage. The incident is a continuation of pressure by ethnic Albanian terrorists on all citizens of Pec regardless of their nationality to force them to support terrorism and demand the secession of Kosmet.

[12] LEADERS OF KOSOVO ALBANIANS AGAIN FAIL TO SHOW UP FOR TALKS

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Leaders of ethnic-Albanian political parties in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija failed on Thursday to respond for the sixth successive time to the Serbian Government's invitation to open and condition-free talks on the solution of all outstanding issues in the Province.

The talks on Thursday, just as on the previous days, were attended by representatives of ethnic Turks, Muslims and Romanies and by a number of ethnic Albanians who do not support the secessionist policy of Ibrahim Rugova and his followers.

Instead of showing up for the talks, Rugova and other ethnic-Albanian political leaders organized demonstrations in the centre of the provincial capital of Pristina, rallying predominantly pupils and secondary school students.

Except for the traffic police, there are no security forces in Pristina streets, so that the demonstrations are in no way obstructed.

Banners with slogans of support to the terrorists and demands for the secession of Kosovo and Metohija predominate in the demonstrations.

[13] ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADERS FAVOR INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION ON KOSOVO

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Ethnic Albanians' Democratic League of Kosovo party official Fehmi Agani said late Thursday after meeting the German and French Foreign Ministers that the Declaration by Serbian President Milan Milutinovic is an indication of breaking the dialogue deadlock. The international community should in a way be present in future talks between Serbian authorities and representative of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija, Agani told reporters after the talks in Belgrade between representatives of the ethnic Albanian minority and Foreign Ministers Klaus Kinkel of Germany and Hubert Vedrine of France. Agani also said that it is logical to have talks, although the majority of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija currently opt for an independence of Kosovo. He said that the process of normalizing the education system in Kosovo-Metohija has been launched, which implies a return of ethnic Albanian students to schools and universities. Former Yugoslavia's (SFRJ) Communist official Mahmut Bakali said that the frequently postponed political dialogue will begin soon. Bakali called for international community's mediation in dialogue between the ethnic Albanian and Serb sides. Representative of the students' union of the self-styled Albanian university Albin Kurti also said the presence of mediators is important, but that, for the time being, there are no conditions for dialogue due to the tense situation in Kosovo-Metohija. Kurti said that the students' union is dissatisfied also with international community's engagement to-date concerning the issue of Kosovo-Metohija and added that the students will continue their protest.

[14] KINKEL, VEDRINE REPORT SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN TALKS WITH MILOSEVIC

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel and his French counterpart Hubert Vedrine told a news conference here on Thursday that significant progress was made in talks on Kosovo-Metohija with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Kinkel and Vedrine stressed that the complexity of the crisis in Kosovo-Metohija calls for patience in seeking the best solutions. The two ministers also said they made it clear to ethnic Albanians in Kosovo- Metohija that there can be no secession and that no one in the world or Europe wants that. Kinkel also said that Kosovo-Metohija's ethnic Albanians must accept political talks and renounce terrorist militant actions. Vedrine, for his part, stressed the importance of the declaration by Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, which paves the way for political talks on the final settlement of the crisis in Kosovo-Metohija. Vedrine recalled that the issue of a possible international representative or what he called a third party to the political talks on Kosovo-Metohija is still open and that discussions on the matter will continue. The French Foreign Minister also said that the first steps toward easing the tension should be the implementation of the Education Accord and the withdrawal of special police units from their current positions in Kosovo-Metohija. Kinkel said the talks with President Milosevic were frank and stressed that his and Vedrine's visit to Belgrade was made in the light of European Union's basic ambition and that is to improve its relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kinkel underscored that Yugoslavia should take its rightful place in Europe. Vedrine said that his and Kinkel's mission is equally supported by the European Union and all other European countries. In this context, Kinkel said that the expected political talks on Kosovo would enable the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia a full return into the international community, ranging from the International Monetary Fund and rescheduling of debts, to political and financial organizations the country is currently absent from. Kinkel and Vedrine announced that they will inform other members of the Contact Group about their talks in Belgrade so that final stands could be adopted at a Contact Group meeting next Wednesday. They also said that, next Wednesday, the Contact Group will discuss these stands, including measures of resolving the crisis in Kosovo- Metohija also with representatives of Yugoslavia's neighbors. To questions posed by foreign reporters in relation to some ideas about sanctions, Kinkel and Vedrine said that there is a need for creating an atmosphere of understanding and for making the international community realize that Kosovo is a very complicated issue.

The Contact Group is to take a stand on that matter next Wednesday, they said. Kinkel said in conclusion that nothing was just black or white in diplomacy or in life and, therefore, the problem of Kosovo must be approached very carefully, while hasty moves should be avoided.

[15] DJUKANOVIC * KOSMET ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVE BY DIALOGUE

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic said on Thursday, after meeting witn the foreign ministers of Germany and of France, Klaus Kinkel and Hubert Vedrine, that it was agreed that the issue of Kosmet should be resolved by dialogue and without delay. "I am under then impression that Kinkel and Vedrine came for the talks with a certain amount of greater optimism," Djukanovic told reporters. The Montenegrin president met with the German and French Foreign Ministers after their meetings with Serbian President Milan Milutinovic and Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic. Kinkel, talking to reporters, described the talks he and Vedrine had with Djukanovic as very interesting and substantive. He mentioned that the he conveyed to the Montenegrin President the that the European Union (EU) lends support to "the reforms he has undertaken." The German Foreign Minister pointed to the importance of securing economic aid to the region and indicated that the EU will set up a commission to deal with the matter. Kinkel confirmed that the tripartite talks held today also dealt with Kosmet, but did not give any details. Vedrine, too, described the talks with Djukanovic as very interesting, adding that an identity of views was achieved on the topics discussed. Djukanovic, according to the the French Foreign Minister, "is playing a positive role" in the gradual solution of problems in the region. The Montenegrin President told reporters that he informed the Foreign Ministers of Germany and France about reforms in Montenegro and conveyed his hope that Yugoslavia on its path of reforms and democracy "will reserve an important place for cooperation with Germany and France."

[16] AMBASSADORS RECEIVED IN THE YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTRY

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

Ambassadors accredited in the FR of Yugoslavia were received on Thursday in the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry. Political Director Dragomir Vucicevic informed in detail the Ambassadors about current issues of foreign political activities of the FR of Yugoslavia, especially about the positions from the Declaration of the President of the Republic of Serbia Milan Milutinovic about the political process in Kosovo and Metohija. Hope was expressed that the invitation for dialogue without delay and conditioning, addressed to the leaders of political parties of the Albanian national minority in Kosovo and Metohija, will open the way for an efficient resolution of all open issues and lead to the normalization of life in Kosovo and Metohija. Hope was expressed that despite their refusal so far, the leaders of Albanian national minority will attend the talks, as the only way for resolving all open issues regarding respect of the equality of all citizens and their human and civil rights, in line with internaitonal standards of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe, the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry said.

[17] FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SESSION STATEMENT

Tanjug, 1998-03-19

The Federal Government at a session held on Thursday and chaired by Prime Minister Radoje Kontic, determined the bases for talks between Federal Vice Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic during his visit to the People's Republic of China from March 23-27. The Government adopted the bases for talks between Federal Defence Minister Pavle Bulatovic with his Russian counterpart Igor Sergeyev form March 30 - April 1 in Belgrade. Also adopted were bases for the activities of the Yugoslav delegation at the plenary session of the Group for Succession of the Council for the Implementation of Peace which will meet in Brussles on March 25 - 26. This meeting is expected to discuss the revised text of the draft agreement on succession in relation to archives, citizenship, pensions, and aquired rights and agreements prepared by the international mediator in these talks, Sir Arthur Watts. Determined were the Yugoslav amendments to this draft agreement. Federal Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic will participate in Vienna on March 27-28 in a Conference of Foreign Trade and Economy Ministers of countries in the Danube basin and is expected to meet with Austrian Economy Minister Hanes Farnleitner. The Federal Government also determined the bases for conducting talks on the occassion of the seventh meeting for the implementation of Article Seven of the Agreement on the Normalization of Yugoslav-Croat Relations which will shortly be held in Belgrade. The meeting will consider the organized return of refugees and the regulation of ownership and legal relations with the draft agreement on compensating the destroyed, damaged or missing property of refugees or exhiled persons. Also determined were the bases for the visit by Federal Sports Minister Zoran Bingulac to Jordan, Syria and Kuwait from March 22-28.

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