Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-06-10

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] LONDON CLUB TALKS WITH YUGOSLAVIA HAVE BEEN RESUMED

[02] MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON BOSNIA CONCLUDES

[03] "CORRIERE DELLA SERA" ON MASSIVE ARMS SMUGGLING INTO KOSMET

[04] YUGOSLAVIA FULLY SUPPORTS THE DAYTON/PARIS PEACE ACCORDS

[05] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION HOLDS TALKS IN JORDAN

[06] YUGOSLAV BORDER GUARDS CUT OFF ANOTHER GUN-SMUGGLING CONDUIT

[07] YUGOSLAV ARMY STATEMENT

[08] RUSSIA WILL NOT ALLOW NATO ENGAGEMENT IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

[09] ISTANBUL DECLARATION ON REGIONAL COOPERATION

[10] YUGOSLAVIA FIRMLY AGAINST FOREIGN INTERFERENCE

[11] SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ENDS IN ISTANBUL

[12] FOREIGN MINISTER JOVANOVIC MEETS WITH AFANASYEVSKI, PANGALOS AND HANDZISKI

[13] SUPREME DEFENSE COUNCIL SESSION

[14] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENTARY OFFICIAL RECEIVES BUNDESTAG DELEGATION

[15] PRIME MINISTER BULATOVIC RECEIVED AMBASSADOR KOTOV

[01] LONDON CLUB TALKS WITH YUGOSLAVIA HAVE BEEN RESUMED

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

The International Committee of the London Club met on Tuesday with a Yugoslav delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Jovan Zebic. Following the talks, both parties agreed that the dialogue was constructive and that p rogress had been made in identifying issues. They agreed to meet again in the nea r future to continue the process.

[02] MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON BOSNIA CONCLUDES

Tanjug, 1998-06-08

Foreign ministers of the Supervising Committee of the Bosnia Peace Implementation Council adopted a Communique at the conclusion of its meet ing on Tuesday. The document sets out that significant progress has been made in Bosnia over the past six months, but that the Dayton and Paris Peace Accords ha d been insufficiently implemented. It says sluggish implementation of the accord s by the Bosnian authorities is a matter of grave concern to the international com munity. There is progress, but a lot more remains for the Bosnian authorities to do on all levels, Carlos Westendorp, the international high representative for Bosnia, said in a news conference after the meeting.

Westendorp said the Bosnian authorities should not wait for the international community to settle all questions.

Westendorp said difficulties and lack of confidence among the commun ities in Bosnia were most evident in resistance to the return of refugees. He c ommended results achieved in the media reform. The Supervising Committee met with the three Bosnian leaders and representatives of the signatories to the peace accords, to examine progress in the implementation of the accords since t he December 1997 Bonn meeting on Bosnia, and to establish priorities for th e next six months. The ministers positively assessed the progress made so far, but told the Bosnian authorities that the country must begin to stand on its own f eet. The extent of international presence and aid enjoyed by the country today will not last forever, said a statement issued after the meeting. The committ ee welcomed an extension of the mandate of the Stabilization Force in Bosnia after the June 30 deadline. The Communique underlines the fundamental right of all refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes, supports media r eforms, and calls for a modern, pluralistic and democratic Bosnia, based on princ iples of multi-ethnicity, tolerance and confidence. The participants discussed the question of succession to the former Yugoslavia and upheld a recommendati on by the high representative for a recess in negotiations until the end of Sep tember. The Yugoslav delegation was led by Foreign Ministry Political Director Dr agomir Vucicevic.

[03] "CORRIERE DELLA SERA" ON MASSIVE ARMS SMUGGLING INTO KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

The Milan daily "Corriere della Sera" reported on Tuesday that arms were being smuggled on a large scale across the Albanian-Yugoslav border from Albania into Kosovo and Metohija - tens of thousands of pieces of different weapo ns. Albanian peasants and shepherds, with their horses, are the main transpor ters of Kalashnikovs, machine-guns, bazookas, and other weapons, said the Milan d aily correspondent in his report. Prices range from 200 D- marks for a Kalashni kov to 400 D-marks for a machine-gun, he said. There is no shortage of funds, h owever, as members of the Albanian minority in the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija collect funds among ethnic Albanians throughout the world and pu rchase weapons on different world markets, said Corriere della Sera. The reporte r said he had learned as much from a group of Albanian terrorists whom he had me t in the border zone, and to whom he referred to as "Albanian guerrillas". The me n wore combat fatigues and sported a German flag on their sleeves. They were arm ed with automatic rifles and mortars - weapons evidently purchased from some arms stockpiles in Germany, the report said.

[04] YUGOSLAVIA FULLY SUPPORTS THE DAYTON/PARIS PEACE ACCORDS

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

Any attempt to revise the Dayton Peace Accord could have extremely dangerous consequences for peace and stability in both Bosnia-Herzegovina and the whole Balkan region, according to a Yugoslav official in Luxembourg on Tu esday. Political Director in the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry Dragomir Vucicevic is heading the Yugoslav delegation to a meeting of the Bosnia- Herzegovina Peace Implementation Council Supervising Board being held in Luxembourg.

Vucicevic stressed again that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia con tinued to give full support to the peace accord and was ready to do so in the fu ture. He said that Yugoslavia, as a guarantor of the Dayton/Paris accord, consi dered it equally important to prevent tendencies that might be conducive to a u nitary Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as those conducive to the insularity of the B osnian entities. Saying that this year was the year of refugee repatriation, he urged for a safe and unrestricted return of refugees to their original places o f residence or to those of their choice. Yugoslavia had offered hospitality to more than 700,000 displaced persons, Vucicevic said, adding that as part of a lasting solution to this serious humanitarian problem, the international communit y was expected to continue to provide aid for them. Speaking about what sho uld be done in the future for a full implementation of the peace accord for Bosnia- Herzegovina, he urged the creation of the necessary conditions for the upcoming elections in Bosnia to be democratic and fair. He said that, in line with the rules defined by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation i n Europe (OSCE), the FR of Yugoslavia would do everything for the refugees from Bo snia in its territory to exercise their right to vote. As for the disputed Bosnia-Herzegovina town of Brcko, he said that any solution offered event ually by the Arbitration Commission must not contain the germ of future conflic t, but must instead be a basis for the welfare of Brcko and its inhabitants. He went on to say that the Arbitration Commission's decision should not run counter to the provisions of the Dayton/Paris accord which guaranteed an uninterrupted t erritory to the Republika Srpska.

He referred also to the addresses of some of the participants in the Luxembourg meeting who called for a debate on the question of the Yugosla v republic of Serbia's province of Kosovo and Metohija. He said that such a debate would be counter-productive, in view of the fact that direct dialogue had opened on all questions outstanding in Kosovo and Metohija. The governments of S erbia and the FR of Yugoslavia remained firmly committed to dialogue as the onl y method of dealing with all open questions in Kosovo and Metohija, he stressed. He went on to reiterate the principled position of the FR of Yugoslavia as a sove reign state that interference in its internal affairs was totally unacceptable.

As for the question of succession to former Yugoslavia, he said that the FR of Yugoslavia was against anybody imposing solution who had not been e mpowered by the five states concerned in the succession. Anything else would const itute a gross violation of the principles of sovereign equality and independenc e of states - participants in the negotiating process, he said, closing his ad dress at the Luxembourg meeting on Bosnia*Herzegovina.

He added that the Yugoslav delegation was distancing itself a priori from any final document that might be on the lines of imposing a solution to t he succession problem.

[05] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION HOLDS TALKS IN JORDAN

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

Deputy Foreign Minister Radoslav Bulajic conferred in Amman with Jor danian Chamber of Commerce President Haydar Murad on possibilities for expanding economic cooperation between Yugoslavia and Jordan.

During the talks of the Yugoslav delegation, which were attended by a significant number of prominent Jordanian businessmen and economists, a l arge number of business contacts were established and concrete business arrang ements made. The Yugoslav state-economic delegation also visited the Jordanian C hamber of Industry and the biggest national cororporation, a phosphates plant. B ulajic also had comprehensive talks at the Jordanian Foreign Ministry. The visit of the Yugoslav delegation attracted much attention among Jordanian business and economic circles. Jordanian newspapers also devoted significant attention to the visit and Bulajic's meetings with representatives of the political and ec onomic life of Jordan.

[06] YUGOSLAV BORDER GUARDS CUT OFF ANOTHER GUN-SMUGGLING CONDUIT

Pristina, 1998-06-09

Yugoslav Army border units cut off another gun-smuggling conduit fro m Albania at around 11 p.m. Monday, the Pristina-based Media Centre reporte d on Tuesday. A large group of armed Albanians attempted to smuggle on horses a large quantity of weapons from Albania via Mt. Kunor southwest of the town of D jakovica in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province. After the border guards warning, the terrorists opened fire and the guards responde d. One Albanian terrorist was killed in the skirmish, while the rest of the grou p dispersed toward Albania, Media Centre learned from military sources in P ristina. The sources confirmed that the border guards had seized one recoilless gu n, 13 machine guns, 10 bazookas, 3 rocket launchers (zolja), 60 Kalashnikovs an d a large quantity of grenades, ammunition and military supplies. The guards also seized for the first time two new Ambrust rocket launchers of German make. The search of the ground is currently underway.

[07] YUGOSLAV ARMY STATEMENT

Tanjug, 1998-06-10

The Information Service of the Yugoslav Army's Second Army denied th e truthfulness of the allegations, contained in the statement by the (Alban ian) Democratic Alliance in Montenegro, that a group of Albanian refugees from Kosovo and Metohija, who fled to Babino Polje near Plav, were ill*treated by sol diers of the Yugoslav Army border units.

The denial of the Second Army Information Service also notes that th e allegations in the Democratic Alliance statement are untrue and that they serve the propaganda activity conducted on a broader plane against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its army.

[08] RUSSIA WILL NOT ALLOW NATO ENGAGEMENT IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev said on Tuesday that "Russia will under no circumstances permit the deployment of NATO troops" in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija. The Russian news Agency Itar-Tass quote d Minister Sergeyev as saying in Bonn after a meeting with his German count erpart, Volker Ruehe, that he had also not consented to the deployment of NATO tr oops on Albania's and Macedonia's borders towards Kosovo and Metohija.

"A decision on an operation by international peace forces in the reg ion can only be taken by the U.N. Security Council and by no other organization, " the Russian Defense Minister stressed. The situation in Kosovo and Metohija was a major topic of the two-day Russian-German summit in Bonn, which ended on Tuesday.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl is sued a joint statement after the talks, in which they underscored that autonom y talks between Belgrade and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija were indispe nsable. They condemned the use of force in Kosovo and Metohija and said it was im portant to set up an OSCE mission in the province. President Yeltsin's Press Sec retary Sergei Yastrzhembski told a news conference Monday evening that the Russi an President and the German Chancellor had agreed that the international com munity must act in concert with a view to finding a solution for Kosovo and Meto hija soon. He said the fact that Kosovo and Metohija was an inseparable part of Serbia had to be respected. Yastrzhembski said that Yeltsin and Kohl had agreed that ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija could not have pretensions t o independence but only to "a maximum degree of autonomy." Russian Forei gn Minister Yevgeni Primakov and his German counterpart, Klaus Kinkel, also devoted a good part of their talks to the situation in Serbia's southern province Primakov told Itar-Tass before the meeting that it was "hardly likely" th at Russia would join the European Union sanctions against Yugoslavia.

[09] ISTANBUL DECLARATION ON REGIONAL COOPERATION

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

The Declaration on strengthening good*neighbourly relations, stabili ty, security and cooperation in southeastern Europe adopted on Tuesday in Ist anbul at the end of the two-day conference of foreign ministers of seven countr ies practically covers all outstanding issues for the future development in t he region. The Declaration has reinforced the general endeavours for coope ration in the region by endorsing all initiatives complementary with those of ot her regional organizations in specific areas. It underlines the European orie ntation of the region's countries as an integral part of their political, economi c and social development. A favourable political environment is a significant contribution to the removal of all obstacles to a wider regional cooperat ion, the participants noted. The ministers expressed their commitment to support c lose cooperation among national parliaments and elected national representativ es. The ministers also discussed various initiatives for cooperation in defense a nd security and pointed to the importance of fighting arms and drugs smuggli ng and international terrorism. The Declaration points to the need for a due ab idance by the peace agreements for Bosnia* Herzegovina, cooperation between its two entities and repatriation of all refugees. The process of full normaliza tion of relations in the former Yugoslavia must continue. Economic cooperation is vital not only for the peoples living in the region but also for the region's s tability in general, the Declaration states. The participants described as useful all other forms of regional cooperation.

[10] YUGOSLAVIA FIRMLY AGAINST FOREIGN INTERFERENCE

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is firmly against foreign interfe rence in the solution of problems in Kosovo and Metohija, Yugoslav Foreign Mini ster Zivadin Jovanovic said in Istanbul to the Chinese Agency Xinhua. Jovanovi c took part in Istanbul in the Ministerial Meeting of Southeast European countri es, which closed on Tuesday.

Xinhua quoted Tuesday evening Jovanovic's statement that Yugoslavia was firmly against any form of foreign military intervention in connection wi th events in Kosovo and Metohija. The Yugoslav Foreign Minister told the correspondent of the Chinese news agency that Kosovo and Metohija "is an internal issue of the FRY" and that it should be left outside foreign influences. "There is no need, no space for foreign interference and it is inadmissible in a n internal issue," Jovanovic said. The Yugoslav Foreign Minister consider ed, Xinhua said, that problems in Kosovo and Metohija should be solved by a "political dialogue" between the Government of Serbia and ethnic Albanian s, "within the sovereignty and integrity of Serbia." "In that respect, we do not see any reason for pressure and the interference of foreign countries," J ovanovic said, adding that foreign, military intervention would not help resolve t he problem.

[11] SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ENDS IN ISTANBUL

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

A two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of seven Southeast Europe an countries ended work in Istanbul on Tuesday after adopting a Declaration on development of good-neighbourly relations, stability, security and cooper ation in the region. The final document was adopted by consensus. Yugoslav For eign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic said that the meeting was successful and had p rovided a strong impulse to the strengthening of the regional cooperation.

Proceeding from the principles of the strengthening of good-neighbou rly relations, the ministers welcomed all forms of cooperation among the nati onal parliaments, which are to become places of full understanding and friendl y relations. The Istanbul meeting decided for the next southeast Europe su mmit to be held in Turkey, October 12-13 of this year. The participants in the t wo-day meeting in Istanbul were the foreign ministers of Turkey, Yugoslavia, Alb ania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Macedonia.

[12] FOREIGN MINISTER JOVANOVIC MEETS WITH AFANASYEVSKI, PANGALOS AND HANDZISKI

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic, who is heading a Yugosl av delegation to the meeting of foreign ministers of seven southeastern Euro pean nations in Istanbul, on Monday had several meetings with heads of delegat ions and other participants in the conference. Jovanovic met with Deputy Russian F oreign Minister Nikolai Afanasyevski, whose delegation is attending the meeting in the capacity of observer. In separate meetings, Jovanovic conferred with fore ign ministers Teodoros Pangalos of Greece and Blagoje Handziski of Macedonia. In these open and beneficial meetings, views were exchanged on the work so f ar of the Ministerial Conference and on bilateral relations.

[13] SUPREME DEFENSE COUNCIL SESSION

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

A session was held in Belgrade on Tuesday of the Supreme Defense Cou ncil, presided over by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

The Supreme Defense Council reviewed the current military-political situation in the region and the situation on the border with the Republic of Albania. It was noted that the Yugoslav Army and Interior Ministry were f ully in control of the state border and are successfully carrying out measures th at guarantee the security of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. At the sess ion, the Supreme Defense Council reviewed also other issues from its constitutional competency.

In the work of the session, besides members of the Supreme Defense C ouncil, took part Serbian President Milan Milutinovic and Montenegrin President M ilo Djukanovic, Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic, Yugoslav Defense Mi nister Pavle Bulatovic, Yugoslav Army Chief of General Staff general Momcilo Per isic, and Supreme Defense Council secretary general Slavoljub Susic.

[14] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENTARY OFFICIAL RECEIVES BUNDESTAG DELEGATION

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

Vladimir Stambuk of the Yugoslav Parliament Upper House Foreign Rela tions Committee received on Tuesday a delegation of Germany's Bundestag (Federal Assembly). Stambuk and the delegation, headed by Eberhard Brecht of the S ocial Democratic Party's parliamentary club, discussed the situation in the Bal kans, the normalisation of relations between Yugoslavia and the European Union and the issue of Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija.

Stambuk said the international community should encourage representa tives of ethnic Albanians in the province to hold talks with Serbia's state del egation and should treat Yugoslavia in the same manner as other countries in the region. He stressed that the issue of Kosovo and Metohija could be resolved throu gh dialogue and political means only.

[15] PRIME MINISTER BULATOVIC RECEIVED AMBASSADOR KOTOV

Tanjug, 1998-06-09

Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic received on Tuesday Russia's Ambassador in Belgrade Yuri Kotov, the Yugoslav Information Secretariat s aid in a statement. Kotov conveyed Russian Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko's felicitations and best wishes to Bulatovic on being appointed Prime Minis ter, the statement said.

Bulatovic and Kotov discussed further promotion of traditionally fri endly relations and cooperation between Yugoslavia and Russia, the statement sa id.

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