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Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-03-25Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>Yugoslav Daily SurveyCONTENTS
[01] PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN MONTENEGRO SCHEDULED FOR MAY 31Tanjug, 1998-03-24Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic said on Tuesday evening that parliamentary elections in the republic would be held next May 31. Pre-election activities can start as of Tuesday evening. Electoral lists can be presented between April 14 and May 10. The pre-election campaign will end on May 28 at midnight. [02] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA PRESIDENT PROTESTS TO HIGH REPRESENTATIVETanjug, 1998-03-24Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic addressed on Tuesday evening a protest letter to the High Representatives of the international community for Bosnia Carlos Westendorp, informing him of the detentions and arrests of republika Srpska citizens in the Muslim-Croat Federation. Plavsic said that several Republika Srpska nationals were arrested recently in Sarajevo and Gorazde in violation of the Dayton Agreement. The arrests have caused concern among Republika Srpska citizens and justify their misgivings regarding the freedom of movement in Bosnian entities, Plavsic said. In order to alleviate the concern felt by Republika Srpska citizens and in line with the Dayton Agreement, Plavsic asked Westendorp to have the arrested persons released or handed over to the Republika Srpska authorities. [03] YUGOSLAV PREMIER KONTIC RECEIVED THE CYPRUS SUPREME COURT DELEGATIONTanjug, 1998-03-24Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic received on Tuesday a delegation of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Cyprus. The delegation, headed by Chief Justice Iorgos Pikis, is paying a several- day official visit to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia at the invitation of the Yugoslav Constitutional Court and comprises Justices Petros Artemis and Ianakis Constantinidis. The talk was attended by Yugoslav Constitutional Court Chief Justice Milomir Jakovljevic and Cyprus Ambassador to Yugoslavia Andreas Skarparis. Kontic spoke about the deep roots of friendship between Yugoslavia and Cyprus and thanked Cyprus for its principled attitude to the Yugoslav crisis. Kontic stressed the importance of promoting cooperation between the two friendly countries, especially in exchanging experience of the role played by the Constitutional Court in the exercise of civic rights and freedoms. He gave positive marks to direct forms of cooperation and exchanges of experience in Constitutional Court practice agreed between the Yugoslav and Cyprus constitutional courts. He said he was sure the visit would give an impetus to promoting relations, friendship and cooperation between Yugoslavia and Cyrpus, adding he expected a speedy strengthening and expansion of economic cooperation between the two historically friendly states. A Yugoslav governmental statement said the talk had encompassed an exchange of views also on ways and means of promoting the peace process and consolidating cooperation and trust in southeast Europe. [04] OSCE WELCOMES THE AGREEMENT ON NORMALIZING EDUCATION IN KOSOVO- METOHIJATanjug, 1998-03-24Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, welcomed on Tuesday evening the agreement on normalizing education in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo- Metohija signed by representatives of Serbian Government and ethnic Albanians. The decision to implement the agreement concluded on September 1, 1996, by the then Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova is a first small step towards normalizing the situation in Kosovo, the OSCE said in a statement issued by its headquarters in Vienna. Geremek added he expected the dialogue on the status of Kosovo and Metohija to start shortly to resolve the crisis in the province. Geremek also thanked the parties which took part in reaching the agreement and the Catholic organization Sant Egidio which acted as a mediator. [05] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY TERMS ILLEGITIMATE ETHNIC-ALBANIAN ELECTIONS IN KOSMETTanjug, 1998-03-24Russia officially assessed on Tuesday that the ethnic-Albanian elections held in Kosovo and Metohija on Sunday were illegitimate, and it paid recognition to Serbian authorities for, nevertheless, displaying constraint and preventing incidents. "Russia, just as the entire international community, maintains that the alternative elections, held in Kosovo and Metohija on March 22, are illegitimate and contrary to the republican and federal laws, and relevant election laws," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Gennady Tarasov told a news conference. "We stress with satisfaction that, regardless of the fact that the action was not permitted, Serbian authorities and law-enforcing organs displayed constraint, so that the elections passed without incidents," the Russian diplomat said. He applauded the document signed on Monday on measures for the implementation of the earlier signed agreement on the organization of the education system in Kosovo and Metohija. Russia holds the view that Kosovo Albanians and the international community "have correctly understood these positive signals, just as other latest measures on the part of the leaderships of Yugoslavia and Serbia," Tarasov told the press. It is now in the interest of the resolution of the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija that Belgrade and Pristina as soon as possible establish dialogue on a whole range of issues, including self-government for Kosovo and Metohija as part of Serbia and Yugoslavia, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said. [06] RUGOVA NAMED A TEAM FOR TALKSTanjug, 1998-03-24Leader of Kosmet Albanians Ibrahim Rugova announced the names of representatives of Albanian parties who, he said, should prepare the platform for talks with representatives of the Republic of Serbia. Following are the members of the team: Fehmi Agani, Mahmut Bakali, Bujar Bukosi, Adem Demaci, Hidajet Hiseni, Redzep Ismailji, Bairam Keljmendi, Mark Krasnici, Skeljzen Malici, Pajazit Nusi, Blerim Salja, Esat Stavileci, Veton Suroi, Edita Tahiri and one representative of Albanian students - Bujar Dugoli or Albin Kurti. Rugova, at a press conference, did not specify when the Albanian representatives will respond to the invitation for talks which has been extended for the ninth time, because, as he said, that does not depend on them. He said that the Albanian side wants to hold talks with a delegation appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic. [07] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS SHOOT AT FOREIGN REPORTERSTanjug, 1998-03-24Ethnic Albanian terrorists, who have been fighting with the Serbian police in the village of Rznic near Decani since Tuesday morning, opened fire at a car with foreign reporters, claimed foreign reporters in Pristina on Tuesday evening. It was reported that, at around 4.30 p.m. local time, the terrorists fired from the grenade launcher at the car with an Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency reporter and photographers in it. The grenade landed at about two metres away from the car. The car was also pelted with automatic gunfire, but no one was hurt. According to foreign reporters, the attack took place when the police at a check-point warned the reporters that terrorists were around and advised them to go back for their own safety. While the reporters were turning the car around, the terrorists opened fire at both the police officers and the reporters. [08] SEVERAL SERBIAN POLICE OFFICERS HAVE BEEN INJURED IN A TERRORIST ATTACKTanjug, 1998-03-24A large group of ethnic Albanian terrorists attacked a Serbian police patrol near the village of Rznic in the Decani area on Tuesday morning, killing police officer Miodrag Otovic, seriously wounding Slobodan Jokic and wounding several other officers. The terrorists ambushed the police patrol, opening fire from portable rocket launchers and automatic guns. The police fired back and the terrorists withdrew to village houses from where they have been shooting at the police for several hours now. The fighting is still in progress. Several foreign television crews were reported on the ground in villages near Rznic. Tanjug's reporter witnessed a stage-managed evacuation of people from the village of Prilip. The civilians peacefully went back home after TV cameras stopped rolling. [09] FOREIGN DIPLOMATS IN THE FEDERAL FOREIGN MINISTRYTanjug, 1998-03-24The heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) were received on Tuesday in the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Political Director Dragomir Vucicevic informed the ambassadors about the measures which the Serbian Government is taking for the normalization of the overall situation in Kosovo and Metohija. These activities are based on the Declaration of Serbian President Milan Milutinovic about the political processes in Kosovo and Metohija. Confirmed was the full readiness for all concrete issues to be resolved through a detailed and open dialogue without any conditions and on the principle of the preservation of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia. Underlined were the agreed temporary measures for the implementation of the agreement on education in Kosovo and Metohija so that the former represents the full normalization of the situation for the ethnic Albanian children and youth. Greeted was the readiness of the European Union to aid the realization of the agreed measures, the statement said. [10] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN TRADE MINISTER TO VISIT AUSTRIA ON WEDNESDAYTanjug, 1998-03-24Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister Borislav Vukovic will visit Austria on Wednesday as head of a delegation including Yugoslav Deputy Transport and Communications Minister Budimir Saranovic and Serbian Assistant Transport and Communications Minister Slobodan Stamenkovic. Vukovic is to meet with Austria's Secretary of State Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Austrian Parliament Speaker Heinz Fischer and President of Austria's Chamber of Commerce Leopold Maderthaner. He is also to hold talks with ranking bank officials and leading businessmen and to give a lecture at the Austrian Chamber of Commerce's club for international economy. Saranovic and Stamenkovic will hold bilateral talks with officials of the Austrian Transport Ministry and the Association of export-import companies. Vukovic is also to attend a Ministerial Meeting of the Danube Basin Countries in Vienna on March 27-28. [11] YUGOSLAV DEPUTY PREMIER CONTINUES TALKS IN BEIJING YUGOSLAV DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS SALONIKATanjug, 1998-03-24Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, who is on a five-day working visit to China, at the invitation of the Chinese Government, held today a series of talks with prominent representatives of the Chinese economy and banking sector. Sainovic first held talks today with President of the Administration Board and Director of the Chinese Ehim bank, Zhou Keren. Possibilities of banking cooperation were reviewed with a view to encouraging economic projects. Sainovic then received the first Vice-President of the largest Chinese bank, the Bank of China Zhao An Gea. Huge interest was mutually expressed for improving banking cooperation. Sainovic and Zhao held detailed talks about the creation of a joint Yugoslav*Chinese bank in Belgrade, which should finance and encourage economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as activities of Yugoslav and Chinese firms on third markets. In a series of talks today in Beijing, Sainovic also talked with the Vice- President of Sinochem, Liu Deshu, a firm with which our economy established long*standing and important cooperation. A mutual readiness was expressed for using the oil arrangement for strengthening cooperation between the two economies, in the mutual interest. Taking part in the talks today were also Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the People's Republic of China Slobodan Unkovic and President of the Beogradska bank Borka Vucic. Sainovic talked, in the Yugoslav Embassy in Beijing, with the directors of Yugoslav firms in China. (Tanjug,, March 24, 1998 Yugoslav Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic arrived on Tuesday morning with his host Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos from Athens to Salonika where they visited together the military cemetery Zejtinlik where 8,000 Serbian soldiers are buried. Ministers Bulatovic and Tsohatzopoulos laid a wreath on the memorial-crypt, and then stated that the Serbian and Greek peoples are linked by strong and close spiritual bonds and that the two peoples in their history waged many battles for freedom. According to them, the celebration this year of two joint jubilees - 800 years of the monastery Hilandar and 80 years since the breaking through of the Salonika front binds the two states and peoples to strengthen friendship and overall cooperation. The visit to Salonika of the Yugoslav Defense Minister is the third and final official part of his visit to Greece, which started on March 22. [12] YUGOSLAV AND JORDANIAN MINISTERS OF SPORT INITIAL A COOPERATION AGREEMENTTanjug, 1998-03-24Yugoslav Minister of Sport Zoran Bingulac and Jordanian Minister of Youth and Sport Talal al Hassan have initialled an Agreement on cooperation in sports. During his two-day visit to Jordan, Bingulac had several substantive talks on the development of relations between Yugoslavia and Jordan. In a cordial and friendly talk with al Hassan, who is also Jordan's acting Foreign Minister, Bingulac said that the development of cooperation in the area of sports was a major contribution to the promotion of overall bilateral relations. It was noted in the talk that the two friendly countries were successfully renewing political, economic and cultural cooperation as well as that in the fields of traffic and tourism. Al Hassan said, for his part, that Jordan greatly esteemed Yugoslav and Serbian leaderships' efforts to overcome problems in Kosovo and Metohija, which strengthened regional stability and constituted a major contribution to world peace. [13] TERRORIST KILLED ONE POLICE OFFICER AND WOUNDED ANOTHERTanjug, 1998-03-24Terrorists attacked a regular police patrol at 10.45 a.m. on Tuesday in the village of Dubrava, Decani district in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian Interior Ministry Information Service has said. In the ambush on the police vehicle, the terrorists fired hand-held rocket launchers and automatic machineguns killing officer Miodrag Otovic and seriously wounding officer Slobodan Jokic, the statement said. In reaction to the attack, the police undertook energetic measures and captured one terrorist who admitted that a part of the gang was infiltrated from Albania, the statement said. Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |