Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-07-24

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT ON EXPANDING THE BORDER BELT

[02] ALBRIGHT CRITICIZES CROATIA

[03] SELF-STYLED KOSOVO PARLIAMENT ADOPTS A DECLARATION

[04] TERRORISTS SEIZE ZOCISTE MONASTERY NEAR ORAHOVAC

[05] SERBIAN POLICE SEIZE LARGE QUANTITIES OF ARMS FOR TERRORIST ACTIONS INVESTIGATION OF ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS

[06] FRENCH AMBASSADOR VISITS PRISTINA

[07] MONTENEGRIN PREMIER MEETS WITH THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR

[08] UNICEF INFORMED ABOUT THE SITUATION IN KOSMET

[09] SERBIAN PRESIDENT AND U.S. DELEGATION DISCUSS THE KOSOVO CRISIS

[10] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER: BORDER ZONE WITH ALBANIA HAS BEEN WIDENED

[11] TERRORISTS KILL ONE POLICEMAN NEAR PEC

[01] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT ON EXPANDING THE BORDER BELT

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

The Yugoslav Government decided in a session on Thursday to widen the border zone toward Albania in order to obstruct the growing number of ter rorists from crossing into Yugoslavia illegally. The zone will be clearly marked, and the Yugoslav Army will have full authorization to act within it, said a state ment released by the Information Secretariat.

As he will be taking up new duties Deputy Foreign Minister Radoslav Bulajic has been relieved and in his place the Government has appointed the curre nt Ambassador to Poland, Zoran Novakovic.

[02] ALBRIGHT CRITICIZES CROATIA

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Wednesday again critic ized Croatia for its stand and political practice regarding the Serb populatio n and asked the Croatian Government seriously and immediately to begin with the realization of the plan for the return of refugees and displaced persons. In a talk with Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic in Washington, Albright s aid the United States would back Croatia's entry into western institutions depend ing on the Croatian Government's actions regarding respect of minority rights. A lbright also made it quite clear that the U.S. Government expected the soonest po ssible implementation of the plan for the return of refugees, which is also a co ndition for U.S. support of international financial assistance in to Croatia, a Government statement said. She expressed the dissatisfaction and concern of Washington over the general state of respect of human rights and other is sues in connection with the development of democracy in Croatia, principally refe rring to the election system and media. About 250,000 Serbs were banished from Croatia in 1995.

[03] SELF-STYLED KOSOVO PARLIAMENT ADOPTS A DECLARATION

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

The parliament of the self-styled republic of Kosovo has adopted a declaration that reveals the aspirations of the separatist policy of ethn ic Albanians in Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province. The Pristina daily "B ujku", published in the Albanian language, and controlled by ethnic Albanian lea der Ibrahim Rugova, printed the declaration on Thursday.

It said Rugova's followers had not given up the idea of an independe nt Kosovo, and recognized the terrorist Liberation Army of Kosovo. The decla ration said the session of the illegal parliament was held in "conditions of Ser bian occupation ... with the Kosovo liberation war in full swing." Observers h ave interpreted the declaration as an attempt by Rugova to rally all ethnic A lbanian political and terrorist groups, which are divided in the struggle for pow er.

The declaration praises the supposed strengthening of the LAK, and d emands support from Albania, which clearly reveals the essential aspiration of t he separatists, which is to break*off Kosovo from Serbia.

[04] TERRORISTS SEIZE ZOCISTE MONASTERY NEAR ORAHOVAC

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

Ethnic Albanian terrorists on Tuesday morning attacked the Serbian O rthodox monastery of St. Kosmo and Damjan in the village of Zociste near Orahovac and abducted seven young monks and one nun, and about 30 Serb civilians, the Information Service of the Raska-Prizren Eparchy told Tanjug late on Wedn esday. The attack launched by terrorists of the so-called Liberation Army of Kos ovo (OVK), using mortars and light arms, lasted 45 minutes. The civilians had sought refuge in the monastery from neighbouring villages. Ethnic Albanian terro rists are still in control of the Zociste monastery, the Eparchy said. Father J ovan said the monks had not offered resistance. OVK terrorists searched the mo nastery and then took the monks and civilians into a school in a nearby ethnic Albanian-populated village. The monks were not physically maltreated, but suffered much psychological pressure. Armed persons occasionally entered the school, Father Jovan said. A team of the International Red Cross appeared after several hours and the terrorists handed over the monks, who were then tra nsported to the Gracanica monastery near Pristina. The terrorists also released 27 elderly civilians, mostly women and children. The Zociste monastery is currently empty but under OVK control. There is no report of possible damage to the monas tery. This is the first open attack by the OVK on an object of the Serbian Orth odox church. The Raska-Prizren Eparchy expresses its deepest concern over this armed attack on a civilian and religious object and appealed that such unpleasa nt incidents be prevented in the future, the statement said.

[05] SERBIAN POLICE SEIZE LARGE QUANTITIES OF ARMS FOR TERRORIST ACTIONS INVESTIGATION OF ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

Gnjilane District Court Investigative Judge Zivorad Stankovic has op ened an investigation against Haziri Dzevat (44), of the village of Podgorica, municipality of Vitina, for illicit possession and storage of firearms. S erbian police found three automatic rifles, two pistols and two hand grenades in Haziri's workshop in the Kosovo and Metohija town of Vitina on July 18. T wo of the rifles were of domestic make, models 56 and 70, and the third was a S checks M-62 automatic rifle. The pistols were a Walter and a Luger Special M-38, and police also found 10 bullets. After the arrest and seizure of the arms, H aziri was placed in detention for 30 days. Police learned from informal talks t hat the weapons had been stashed for ethnic Albanian terrorists of the so-called Liberation Army of Kosovo (OVK).

The Pec District Prosecutor on Thursday filed a demand to the Distri ct Court for an investigation against five ethnic Albanians from the municip ality of Djakovica, who are suspected of crimes of terrorism. The demand was fi led against Ljuljaim Kpuska (39), Perparim Kpuska (37), Afrim Dede (35), Kora b Vindjiu (37), and Milota Morina (24). Acting under the orders of Metohi ja headquarters of the terrorist organisation, the self- proclaimed "Liberati on Army of Kosovo" in the village of Glodjane, the group set up in the village of Crmljane sabotage and terrorist headquarters for the town of Djakovica, o btained automatic rifles and hand grenades and tried to cross into Albania in ord er to purchase arms for the terrorist needs. In the village of Ljugbunar, they came across security forces and opened fire at them and Ljuljaim Kpuska was ar rested on that occasion.

[06] FRENCH AMBASSADOR VISITS PRISTINA

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

Information Secretary of Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Me tohija Bosko Drobnjak met on Thursday in the provincial capital Pristina the Fre nch Ambassador to Yugoslavia Stanislas Filliol, the provincial Information Secretariat said in a statement. The talk focused on the traditionally go od and friendly bilateral relations and on the endeavours to resolve problems in Kosovo and Metohija through dialogue that must be resumed as soon as possible.

The international community rules out any secession in the region an d advocates autonomy in line with highest international standards, it was underlined during the meeting.

[07] MONTENEGRIN PREMIER MEETS WITH THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

Montenegrin Premier Filip Vujanovic received in Podgorica on Thursda y the Russian Ambassador to Yugoslavia Yuri Kotov, the Montenegrin Premier's Of fice said in a statement. In a long and open discussion, a series of questions were raised regarding the strengthening of bilateral cooperation, and special emphasis was laid on the opening of Russia's General Consulate in Montene gro, commodity credits and new modes of cooperation between the chambers of co mmerce and other economic associations. The idea on the organisation of a meetin g between Montenegrin and Russian businessmen was supported. The Russian Ambassador was also received by Montenegrin Foreign Minister Branko Perov ic, Industry, Power Industry and Mining Minister Vojin Djukanovic and Tourism Minister Vlado Mitrovic.

[08] UNICEF INFORMED ABOUT THE SITUATION IN KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

Head of the Yugoslav Government Commission for cooperation with UNIC EF and promotion of women's position Margit Savovic on Thursday received UNICEF representative for the former Yugoslavia Steven Allen and head of the UNI CEF Belgrade office Steven Johnson, a Yugoslav Government statement said. The talks focused on the situation in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Meto hija, which Allen and Johnson had recently visited, and issues related to the assistance to the needy, especially children. The Yugoslav and UNICEF off icials called for an immediate cessation of terrorist activities and violence in order to spare the children and for a peaceful and negotiated resolution of pro blems in Kosovo and Metohija. Savovic agreed that the situation in the province was difficult, all the more so because children were frequently victims of te rrorism and said that all help was welcome in assisting people, regardless of the ir nationality.

Describing the Yugoslav-UNICEF cooperation as successful, Savovic vo iced belief that it would remain so in the future. The Yugoslav Government sen t to UNICEF's New York headquarters a demand for signing a new cooperation con tract for the years 1999-2001. UNICEF is also expected to help in the making of a national programme for the promotion of the position of women, the statem ent said.

[09] SERBIAN PRESIDENT AND U.S. DELEGATION DISCUSS THE KOSOVO CRISIS

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

Serbian President Milan Milutinovic and a U.S. delegation headed by Ambas sador Christopher Hill on Thursday exchanged views on questions pertaining to p eace and stability in the region, said the statement issued by the Office of the President. The two sides agreed that the problems in the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija can be settled only by way of political means, throug h dialogue, respecting principles of equality of the people and national communities living in the province, in keeping with the generally accepte d international standards. The solution must honour the territorial integri ty of Serbia and Yugoslavia, it was said. The international community is becomi ng increasingly convinced that a stop must be put to the universal evil of terrorism, everywhere in the world, including Kosovo and Metohija. It was assessed that incursions by ethnic Albanian separatists, abductions and m urder of civilians, attacks on religious and industrial objects and health care centres, seriously hamper dialogue and impede efforts toward stabilizatio n of the situation. Milutinovic said Serbia drew a clear line between members of t he Albanian nationality, and terrorists, and that the measures undertaken by competent authorities were aimed at securing peace and safety to all in K osovo and Metohija.

[10] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER: BORDER ZONE WITH ALBANIA HAS BEEN WIDENED

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic said that the Government had decided to widen the border zone toward Albania to five km, Belgrade's St udio B television station reported Wednesday evening. In an interview with Studi o B, Bulatovic explained that there was a need to deal more efficiently with e thnic Albanian terrorists in the Kosovo and Metohija province, who were bringin g arms and infiltrating men across the border into Yugoslavia. He added that the measure would require extra engagement by the Yugoslav Army. "We believe the Yugo slav Army is working patriotically, professionally and responsibly in such ext remely difficult circumstances," Bulatovic said. This obliges the Federal Govern ment to finance this additional engagement with additional funds, he said. Bula tovic said these funds would not be small but that "the Federal Government is f inding possibilities to secure the functioning of the Yugoslav Army, in a way th at will justify the meaning of its existence and the protection of the Federal Re public of Yugoslavia."

"I would be very happy if Yugoslav Army troops did not fight and die in Kosovo and Metohija, but on the other hand, there is no choice when long lines of armed bandits are crossing over from the Albanian territory, whose sol e purpose is obviously to create the biggest possible chaos in Kosovo and Metohija," said Bulatovic. Bulatovic said that Albanian charges that thre e Yugoslav Army artillery shells had allegedly crashed into Albanian territ ory were absurd, since the Yugoslav artillery was very precise and could not make such a mistake. "It sounds pretty funny when they say they do not know anything about 1,000 armed men crossing their territory or about the existence of terror ist training camps, yet they manage to calculate precisely that three shells fell on their territory," said Bulatovic. Anyway, United States diplomats admit t hat the Albanian Government does not control one-third of its territory, he said. "I would be pleased if Albania would understand reality, and that it should leave Kosovo and Metohija alone. It can do nothing good at all with its interfe rence," he said. Bulatovic urged the establishment of cooperation with the OSCE i n order to overcome this crisis, but only provided Yugoslavia's membership in tha organization is restored. "Those who reject this approach, those countrie s under whose influence OSCE decisions are made, know that a principled stand on the protection of its rights must be set toward Yugoslavia as well, and not o nly to impose greater obligations. Such synchronized steps are our key state int erest," he said. Bulatovic said Yugoslavia could hardly agree to have missions in its territory which would tell it what to do, while at the same time not havi ng the possibility to say, through OSCE mechanisms, that it would not do anythin g other than other European countries. "We are not asking for an excess of rights , but we will not agree to fewer rights. We only wish to have equal rights as a ll other European countries," Bulatovic told Studio B.

[11] TERRORISTS KILL ONE POLICEMAN NEAR PEC

Tanjug, 1998-07-23

Policeman Zoran Ceranic (36), was killed on Wednesday night in a ter rorist attack on a police patrol in Brezanik, a hamlet near the town of Pec, the Pristina-based Media Centre reports on Thursday. Another policeman was wo unded in the attack, and taken to hospital in Pec. Brezanik is located close to the town of Lodja, where Yugoslav security forces fought fiercely with armed Albanians about ten days ago.

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