Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-10-02

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Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] JOVANOVIC MEETS WITH U.S. SENATOR ROBB

[02] WORLD CONDEMNS YUGOSLAVIA WITHOUT EVIDENCE

[03] OBSTACLES TO WORK OF PRESIDENCY MUST BE REMOVED, RADISIC SAYS

[04] RADISIC SAYS MEETING WITH MILOSEVIC WAS POSITIVE

[05] FIVE TERRORISTS CONVICTED

[06] CONDITION OF WOUNDED ICRC WORKERS STABLE, SAYS DOCTOR

[07] YUGOSLAV ARMY REPORTS CASUALTIES AMONG BORDER GUARDS

[08] ODALOVIC MEETS WITH HUMANITARIAN OFFICIALS

[09] POLICE BEGIN INVESTIGATION INTO "CASE OF GORNJE OBRINJE"

[10] ARMY WITHDRAWS FROM FIELD

[11] NEW KOSOVO AND METOHIJA GOVERNMENT TO ACT UNTIL ELECTIONS

[12] BELGRADE MEDICAL INSTITUTE INVITES FOREIGN FORENSIC EXPERTS

[13] SERBIAN OFFICIAL ANDJELKOVIC RECEIVES BRITISH AMBASSADOR

[14] YUGOSLAVIA HANDS IN STRONG PROTEST TO ALBANIAN EMBASSY IN BELGRADE

[15] PORTUGAL'S COMMUNISTS CENSURE MINISTER FOR SUPPORT TO NATO ACTION

[16] SPECIAL POLICE UNITS RETURN TO THEIR BASES

[17] DENOUNCIATION OF NATO AND U.S. THREATS

[18] GREECE FIRMLY OPPOSES NATO RAIDS ON YUGOSLAVIA OVER KOSOVO-METOHIJA

[19] RUSSIA ISSUES ANOTHER WARNING TO WEST OVER KOSMET

[20] RUSSIA STRONGLY RESISTS NATO PRESSURES OVER KOSMET

[21] MINISTER JOVANOVIC INVITES U.N. CHIEF ANNAN TO VISIT YUGOSLAVIA

[22] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER: WE EXPECT REASON TO PREVAIL

[23] MINISTER JOVANOVIC EXPECTS U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL TO BE OBJECTIVE

[01] JOVANOVIC MEETS WITH U.S. SENATOR ROBB

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic met Wednesday with Senat or Charles Robb, one of the Democratic Party leaders on the U.S. Foreign Aff airs Committee and the National Security and Armed Forces Committee.

Jovanovic, who is on a visit to Washington, informed Robb about Serb ia's and Yugoslavia's efforts to secure the resumption of unconditional dialog ue on a lasting and democratic solution to issues in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija that will guarantee equality of all citizens, nationa l minorities and ethnic communities in line with the highest human rights s tandards and that will be based on the respect of Yugoslavia's sovereignty and ter ritorial integrity.

It was stressed that pressure and various threats did not contribute to political dialogue but encouraged ethnic Albanian terrorist and separatis leaders that pose a major threat in the region.

Expectation was voiced that the United States and other internationa l factors would immediately back unconditional dialogue and positive proces ses and results, especially in dealing with humanitarian issues and normalising o verall situation. Robb said the United States and the international communit y considered the resolution of humanitarian issues vital. He said a report on the grave humanitarian situation and displaced persons in Kosovo and Metohija was a cause of grave concern for the international community. Jovanovic inform ed Robb about activities and positions by the Yugoslav and Serbian governments an d top state bodies for the normalisation of the overall situation in Kosovo and Metohija and in particular about the programme and results in solving humanitarian issues. Jovanovic said the source of problems by no means l ay in absence of any rights because the state guaranteed equality of all its ci tizens, but in the ethnic Albanians' unacceptable territorial claims. The claims are not only a threat to Serbia's and Yugoslavia's integrity but can also lead to the escalation of the crisis to other countries in the region, he said. Robb voiced understanding for Jovanovic's approach to the issue.

[02] WORLD CONDEMNS YUGOSLAVIA WITHOUT EVIDENCE

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

The world awaits a report on the situation in Serbia's Kosovo-Metohi ja province by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan after reports of alleged mass crimes against ethnic Albanian civilians. The Security Council and NATO both awa it the report anxiously, the former to see if Yugoslavia is behaving' in accorda nce with a recently adopted resolution, and NATO to receive green light for air st rikes, western analysts said on Thursday. Forces are divided in the Council. On one side the United States and Britain hope Annan's report would open doors for mi litary action in Kosovo and Metohija. On the other, Russia and China oppose a mi litary option, and insist on a political solution. There are different opinions in NATO too as to how to solve the crisis in Serbia's troubled province. The British are the most belligerent in both organizations, with Foreign Secretary Ro bin Cook calling for an emergency Security Council session on Thursday. Cook is probably the most quoted diplomat in the world today. He has already pass ed a sentence on Yugoslavia for mass crimes against ethnic Albanian civilians. A possible candidate for Germany's next defense minister and one of the mos distinguished Social Democrats, Guenther Vercheugen, holds a different st and from Cook and outgoing German Defense Minister Volker Ruehe. Vercheugen said h e did not expect military action in Kosovo. He said a solution should be found to the problem of supply deliveries to refugees, adding that was possible only i f the refugees returned to their homes. I doubt that this can be achieved with air strikes on Serb villages, Vercheugen said. The hysteria over Kosovo and M etohija is at its peak, with a Contact Group meeting in London on Thursday, an em ergency Security Council session in New York, and the Annan report early next wee k, on which the Council is due to debate and make a decision next Thursday. A p sychosis has been created, probably to justify the hysteria. Western reporters dis cover new sites of alleged mass crimes in Kosovo and Metohija, carefully counti ng the ethnic Albanian victims. There is no evidence that the crimes were commit ted by Serbian policemen, but all the same Serbia and Yugoslavia are condemned. Nothing like this took place when a mass grave with Serb victims was discovered i n Klecka. So far the reasons for possible air strikes on Yugoslavia had bee n to prevent a supposed humanitarian catastrophe in the province. Another moti ve has been added - alleged Serb crimes against ethnic Albanian civilians. After a careful analysis of statements given over the past few days by western politicians, the gist of the matter is quite something else - a desire to overthrow the authorities and break up Yugoslavia. Western media are assi sting their politicians wholeheartedly. A reporter of the Daily Telegraph, Phil ip Smucker, said that the bodies of 13 ethnic Albanians had been discovered. He admitted, however, that he did not actually see the bodies, only blood an d dusty cartridges in front of a village house. It is obvious that only the form matters. But the gist of the matter is demonization of Serbs.

[03] OBSTACLES TO WORK OF PRESIDENCY MUST BE REMOVED, RADISIC SAYS

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

The work of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina must be based exclusively on the provisions of the Dayton agreement, and all obstacles to its work must be removed, the newly-elected president of the three-member bod y, Zivko Radisic, has said for the Friday issue of the Novi Sad weekly Nedeljni Dn evnik. Radisic said that "joint institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina must be responsible before all three peoples, so that we no longer have situation s where Westendorp hastily resolves all problems."

"I will endeavor, through dialogue and cooperation, both with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and with the international community , and through the implemenentation of the Dayton agreement, to protect Republik a Srpska (RS). There can be no RS without Dayton , or Bosnia and Herzegovina witho ut RS," Radisic said. Speaking about who could be the new premier designate, Radi sic said that the coalition Sloga will declare itself on the subject and announced the possibility that it could again be Milorad Dodik, "who was a very succesf ul premier, so there is no reason to propose someone else."

"For my part, I can promise that there will be cooperation with Mr. Poplasen, and I think his reasoning is the same, beacuse both of us have a huge responsibility before the people to preserve RS," Radisic said.

[04] RADISIC SAYS MEETING WITH MILOSEVIC WAS POSITIVE

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Serb member on the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Zivko Radisic asses sed as positive his meeting with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgra de on Wednesday. Radisic said he was happy that there was a high degree of acco rd on joint issues of interest to Yugoslavia and to Bosnia- Herzegovina. The Bel grade talks were set up to yield an agreement on how to achieve stabilization i n the region and what to do toward the due implementation of the Dayton accords , and thus secure lasting peace and general technological and economic developm ent and prosperity, Radisic said. Radisic underscored that Republika Srpska and Bosnia-Herzegovina see their future in opening to the world and neighbour ing countries and cooperation with near and far regions. Republika Srpska and Bosnia- Herzegovina have additional reasons for establishing constructive cooperation with Yugoslavia and for both sides contributing to the stabil ization of peace and the due implementation of the Dayton accords, Radisic said. The Belgrade meeting on Wednesday was attended also by newly-elected Presiden t of Republika Srpska Nikola Poplasen.

[05] FIVE TERRORISTS CONVICTED

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

The Grand Council of the military court in the central Serbian town of Nis on Thursday convicted ethnic Albanians Imeri Gazmend, 22, to eight years in prison, Sulejman Sadrija, 21, to seven, Nedzet Zumberaj, 24, and Ahmeti A vni, 24, to seven years and six months each, and Agron Suljaj, 28, to six years in prison for preparing terrorist actions in Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province. It was established during the court proceedings that they joined terrorist bands from early April to mid-May this year, and received weapons and training for t errorist actions. Gazmend, Avni and Zumberaj took part in the smuggling of large quantities of arms, ammunition and military equipment from Albania into Yugoslavia, and then handed the goods over to ethnic Albanian terrorist l eaders in the village of Smonica. It was established that this armed group was i n close proximity to the Djakovica-Ponosevac communication route when members of ethnic Albanian terrorist bands attacked a military convoy. The terrorists were caught here on May 23. The court seized from the band four automatic rifles, one pistol and a portable transceiver, which were found on Gazmend, who was the lead er of the group and who left it to the prosecution to prove his case.

[06] CONDITION OF WOUNDED ICRC WORKERS STABLE, SAYS DOCTOR

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

The condition of the two International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers wounded in a mine blast on Wednesday is stable, Tanjug was told o n Thursday by the doctor in charge at the Surgery Clinic in Pristina, Serbi a's Kosovo and Metohija province. ICRC workers ethnic Albanian Dr. Iljir Tolj aj of Pristina and Maggie Bryson of New Zealand were wounded when their vehicle ran over a mine placed by terrorists near the village of Likovac. Dr. Spetim Robaj, an ethnic Albanian from Pristina, was killed in the incident. Mirljinda B unjaku, also an ethnic Albanian from Pristina, received minor injuries and was di scharged from the Pristina Surgery Clinic last night at her own request. The wound ed ICRC workers are awaiting transport to Geneva, as the ICRC has asked that they be moved to the hospital at the headquarters of this humanitarian organizati on, it was confirmed at the Pristina hospital. Dr. Robaj, who was killed on Wedn esday, had a private small clinic in Pristina - the Galaksija. He had a wife and two children. The ICRC, however, did not mention in any of its reports on the occasion of the tragic incident near Likovac how the accident had occurre d or who had placed the mine. Less than a month ago, while the so- called Kosovo Li beration Army (OVK), an ethnic Albanian terrorist organization, still maintained i ts strongholds in the villages of Likovac and Donje Obrinje, a vehicle with Canadian diplomats ran over a mine placed by the terrorists. Six days ago, five Se rbian policemen were killed when their vehicle also ran over a mine on this roa d. Police said on Wednesday that ethnic Albanian terrorists had mined the en tire area around Likovac and that new incidents are possible until the area is completely swept of mines.

[07] YUGOSLAV ARMY REPORTS CASUALTIES AMONG BORDER GUARDS

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

The Army of Yugoslavia Pristina Corps Thursday reported that five Yu goslav border guards were killed and two wounded in a terrorist attack from the territory of the Republic of Albania in the area of the Kosare border pos t in Kosovo and Metohija at around 11:30 a.m. local time Wednesday. The Pristi na Corps also said that, at around 10 a.m. local time Thursday, six Yugoslav borde r guards were wounded in explosions of terrorist-planted mines in the area of the Morina border post in the province and that one of them succumbed to the sustain ed injuries.

[08] ODALOVIC MEETS WITH HUMANITARIAN OFFICIALS

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Kosovo District Chief Veljko Odalovic talked in Pristina Thursday wi th a delegation of the U.S. humanitarian organization Catholic Relief Service about the humanitarian and overall situation in Kosovo and Metohija.

By the efforts made for the return of temporarily displaced persons to their homes, the state has clearly shown its determination to extend to a ll civilians necessary aid, Odalovic said. He warned that terrorism was the greatest disaster in region and underlined that the state will fight against it wi th all available means, because only by uprooting the evil conditions can be cre ated for a the normal life of all residents. In the talks, it was noted that certa in humanitarian problems existed but that they cannot be characterized as a humanitarian catastrophe as some world media are speculating, said the st atement issued by the provincial information secretariat.

[09] POLICE BEGIN INVESTIGATION INTO "CASE OF GORNJE OBRINJE"

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Serbian Interior Ministry spokesman for Kosovo and Metohija Col. Boz idar Filic told Tanjug on Thursday that police and the authorized legislatiove organs had launched a detailed investigation to determine facts concerning certa in foreign media reports on the alleged massacre of civilians in the village of Gornje Obrinje. Col. Filic said the investigation would determine all the facts and relevant data, including a forensic analysis, in order to eliminate a ll speculations and completely solve the case. The spokesman warned that eth nic Albanian terrorists had mined most roads and areas in and around the vill ages of Gornje Obrinje and Donje Obrinje and Likovac, west of Glogovac, and that five policemen and one International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) member have already been killed by mines. Three ICRC members and a Canadian diplomat, a member of the diplomatic observer group in Kosovo and Metohija, have been wounded in mine incidents, he said. Col. Filic urged the local population to avoi d any movement in this area.

"Specialized Serbian police teams have been sent to the region with the task to defuse the mines placed by the terrorists," Col. Filic said.

[10] ARMY WITHDRAWS FROM FIELD

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Yugoslav Army units have withdrawn from the field in the past two da ys and returned to army barracks in Pristina, Pec, Kosovska Mitrovica, Djakovica , Prizren, and Urosevac, Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province, the Pristin a Media Centre learned from army sources in Pristina on Thursday. The Serbian Int erior Ministry Command for Kosovo and Metohija confirmed to the Media Centre th at anti-terrorist police units have also returned to their bases in the prov ince.

The withdrawal of these units was executed in keeping with the decis ions and conclusions of the Serbian government and parliament. Regular police units necessary for maintaining public law and order and securing communication s remain in the field, the sources said.

[11] NEW KOSOVO AND METOHIJA GOVERNMENT TO ACT UNTIL ELECTIONS

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Serbian Vice-Premier Ratko Markovic has said that a new government f or Kosovo and Metohija, which is soon to be formed, is to act until a politi cal solution is found to the status of Serbia's southern province and authori ties set up in line with the constitution and law. Speaking in an interview publi shed Thursday by the Belgrade daily Politika, Markovic said Kosovo and Metohij a's provisional government did not prejudge a political solution to the provi nce's status or anything else in pending negotiations. Markovic said the Serbi an government had made the move and the Serbian parliament had accepted it b ecause the number of executive affairs which the republican government had been dealing with over the past few years on behalf of Kosovo and Metohija had signifi cantly increased in the light of overall developments in the province. The gover nment can no longer cope with all the affairs as it should and it has therefore decided that it is vital to set up a new body that will deal with executive affai rs in the province, he said. Once a political solution urged by Serbia is foun d in talks with ethnic Albanian representatives, the Serbian parliament will t ake a provisional statutory decision and adopt a constituent act for Kosovo and Metohija, he said. On the basis of the act, elections for Kosovo and Met ohija's parliament will be held, as provided for by the constitution, he said. Th e provincial parliament will act as a constituent assembly in the state and will adopt the highest constituent act -- statute -- he said adding that in li ne with the statute a provincial government and authorities would be elected. In this way, the autonomy of Kosovo and Metohija, as provided for by the constitu tion, will be completed politically and institutionally, he said.

[12] BELGRADE MEDICAL INSTITUTE INVITES FOREIGN FORENSIC EXPERTS

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

The Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Belgrade University's Medi cal School Thursday issued an invitation to a group of prominent Finnish fore nsic experts, asking for their assistance in conducting forensic analyses, ide ntifying civilians killed during ethnic Albanian terrorist operations in the Yugos lav republic of Serbia's Kosovo-Metohija province and establishing the circum stances of their deaths. The invitation to the Helsinki University's Insitute of Forensic Medicine was sent through the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry.

[13] SERBIAN OFFICIAL ANDJELKOVIC RECEIVES BRITISH AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

President of the interim Executive Council of the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's Kosovo-Metohija province Zoran Andjelkovic here Thursday receive d British Ambassador to Yugoslavia Brian Donnelly and informed him about th e situation in the province. Andjelkovic said that there had been no clash es in Kosovo-Metohija for three days now, saying he was convinced that the situ ation would stabilize and that safety would be achieved for all the people, whi ch would create conditions for restoring a lasting peace in the area. According t o a statement issued by the Kosovo-Metohija Information Secretariat, Andjelko vic briefed Donnelly about the setting up of the interim Executive Council of Kosovo-Metohija and its priorities, including also the restoration of tru st and beginning of all-level dialogue with representatives of the ethnic Albani an minority. He also informed Donnelly that local ethnic Albanian poplation had formed their own home guards in some localities and that the guards had b een chosen by the locals, themselves. Andjelkovic said that the existence of organized civilian groups would contribute also to a more efficient opera tion of humanitarian centers as they were based in localities with majority ethni c Albanian population. He briefed Donnelly about Wednesday's incidents at the Yugoslav border with Albania, stressing the need for the international co mmunity and the Albanian government to condemn the atrocious attack on Yugoslav A rmy members and a gross violation of Yugoslavia's territorial integrity. In this context, Andjelkovic said he found it strange that the international publ ic should give publicity to unverified figures and rigged reports by some fo reign media, leaving no room for reporting on crimes which were proved to have been committed by ethnic Albanian terrorists in the villages of Klecka, Ratis and Glodjani. He said that such attitude was not conducive to bringing life in Kosovo-Metohija back to normal and that it represented a direct support a nd impetus to ethnic Albanian terrorism and separatism. Ambassador Donnell y said, for his part, that the mandate and future operation of the interim Execut ive Council would be extremely difficult but also very important for the rest oration of functions of political structures that should help normalize the situa tion in the province. Donnelly said that reducing the presence of security force s in the province would contribute to a return home of all the remaining temporari ly displaced persons, which, along with their accepting relief aid, would be a significant step toward their joining normal co-existence.

[14] YUGOSLAVIA HANDS IN STRONG PROTEST TO ALBANIAN EMBASSY IN BELGRADE

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

The Yugoslav foreign ministry on Thursday delivered a strongly worde d protests to the Albanian Embassy in Belgrade over the latest aggression l aunched from Albania on Yugoslav territory on Wednesday. The ministry said that the attack from automatic weapons and a mortar, launched by a 50- strong terro rist group from Albanian territory in the area of the Kosare border point on t he Yugoslav side, had been the worst border incident thus far. ive Yugoslav army troops were killed and two others were seriously wounded in the attack, w hich was an act of aggression and a gross violation of the territory of the Federa l Republic of Yugoslavia. The incident shows that, despite Yugoslavia's nu merous protests and warnings, Albania is taking no steps to put a stop to this k ind of activity, which could have incalculable consequences for the security of the common border and of the region as a whole. The Albanian government bear s full responsibility for this kind of practice which seriously violates the U.N. Charter and the principles of the Organisation of Security and Cooperatio n in Europe (OSCE). The Albanian Embassy was firmly told that Albania has the duty and obligation to open an immediate investigation into the incident, arre st and punish the perpetrators and take the necessary steps to prevent such acts of aggression from its territory happening again.

[15] PORTUGAL'S COMMUNISTS CENSURE MINISTER FOR SUPPORT TO NATO ACTION

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Communist Party members of the Portuguese parliament Thursday urged parliament Speaker Almeida Santos to immediately schedule a debate on Def ense Minister Viega Simao's position, because of an armed forces supreme comma nd decision to take part in a possible NATO military operation in the Yugosl av republic of Serbia's Kosovo-Metohija province. The Communist MPs explain ed their request, saying that the defense minister had consented to Portuguese tro ops involvement in a possible military intervention in Kosovo-Metohija withou consulting parliament.

The MPs said that under the Portuguese Constitution, no decision on the involvement of army units outside Portugal could be passed without a full consent of parliament and the national defense supreme council.

It is the parliament speaker's duty to convene a debate on the defen se minister's disregarding the constitutional rocedure and failure to obtain consent from the parliament when pledging Portuguese troops' involvement. The ple dge was made at a meeting of defense ministers of NATO member- countries in Vilamu ra. Portuguese daily papers said Thursday that Simao's consent had not won th e necessary support as each operation of the armed forces must be backed by parliament. The Communist MPs said in their request that they wanted Por tugal not to go beyond the existing consitutional norms in case of any interven tion of the armed forces outside its boundaries.

[16] SPECIAL POLICE UNITS RETURN TO THEIR BASES

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Antiterrorist units of the Serbian Interior Ministry returned on Wed nesday and Thursday to their bases in Kosovo and Metohija, police sources in Pri stina have told Tanjug. The withdrawal was carried out in keeping with the dec isions and conclusions of the Serbian government and parliament. Only police uni ts necessary for keeping public peace and order and securing communications remain in the field, the same sources said.

[17] DENOUNCIATION OF NATO AND U.S. THREATS

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

The Federation of Ukraine Trade Unions, which has 22 million members, denounces threats by NATO and the United States that problems in Kosovo a nd Meothija are resolved through force and urges that all disputes are resol ved in a democratic way, through negotiations. A delegation of this Ukrainian t rade unions, which is in Yugoslavia from Sept. 28 - Oct. 2, said this at a mee ting Thursday in the Council of Independent Trade Unions of Yugoslavia. Feder ation president and member of the Ukraine parliament, Alexander Stoian, said th at cooperation between the Yugoslav and Ukrainian trade unions is very good and that their members have identical problems. The talks also focused on labour and labour issues, material and social positions of the employees, unemployme nt as a world problem and privatization.

The secretary of the Council of Independent Trade Unions of Yugoslav ia, Grozdana Miljanovic, said that despite the talks conducted at the Federal Trade Unions, the Ukraine delegation also visited several firms in Serbia.

[18] GREECE FIRMLY OPPOSES NATO RAIDS ON YUGOSLAVIA OVER KOSOVO-METOHIJA

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

A Greek spokesman said on Thursday that Athens did not approve of a NATO military operation for settling the problem of the Yugoslav republic of S erbia's Kosovo-Metohija province. Spokesman Dimitris Repas told a regular news b riefing that the position of Greece had already been made perfectly clear, that i t did not accept the insistence on a military intervention until the possibilit y of a political settlement had been fully explored. Greece firmly believes tha t there is still a chance for a political settlement, according to Repas, Greece' s information minister. He said that Greece, in consultations with its Eur opean Union partners, had been pointing out that the crisis could be surmounted efficaciously, in a way acceptable to both parties, without spreading the conflict. Asked if Greece would take part in a possible foreign military intervention in Kosovo- Metohija, he said that Greece must assume obligati ons imposed by its membership in the European Union and NATO. However, he ad ded, it would discharge those obligations only to the point where they would not harm Greece's national interests. He further said that a NATO operation would require mandate from the United Nations, adding that Greece insisted on a legal p latform for the next move, whatever it might be.

[19] RUSSIA ISSUES ANOTHER WARNING TO WEST OVER KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Russia on Thursday once again warned the western countries tha t the U.N. Security Council resolution on Kosovo does not allow the implementat ion of force and that no ambiguities can be allowed in the interpretation of thi s document. "Russia believes that there can be no solution through the app lication of force," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir Rahmanin told a pr ess conference today. According to Rahmanin, at this moment the main task of the international community is the practical realization of the contents of t he resolution. He said that in Kosmet it is necessary to excert joint press ure to secure the immediate halting of armed actions, to undertake the necessary measures for overcoming the humanitarian crisis and to immediately open a n unconditional dialogue. "It is necessary to start from the fact that the Security Council resolution is really a serious threat, but that this thr eat is aimed both at Belgrade but also at those who stir up terrorist actions," Rahmanin said. He set out that the situation regarding Kosmet remains "very compl ex" and "gives rise to serious concerns." On the one hand, NATO continues develo pping different scenarios for the implementation of force in the Balkans and, unfortunately, the threat from such an action exists, Rahmanin said. On the other hand, the Serbian prime minsiter has announced that the secu rity forces have started returning to their permanent bases, Rahmanin said. "International observers are monitoring the situation in the field and th e withdrawal of the troops and their movements," Rahmanin added. Commentin g the crime which allegedly occurred last Saturday in the village of Gornje Obr inje, in Kosmet, Rahmanin set out that all circumstances of that incident are n ow being investigated by international monitors, which include Russian representat ives, but that the investigation is still underway. Rahmanin reiterrated that it is necessary to carry out a serious struggle against all forms of terrorism and to halt the outside support to terrorists. He recalled that such a position was decisively supported by the participants of last week's U.N. General Assembly session. Responding to a question by journalists, Rahmanin said that the Russian Foreign Ministry is aware of the stand of Russian D uma President Gennady Seleznyov on Kosovo and Metohija. Seleznyov said on Wed nesday that, in case of a NATO aggression on Yugoslavia, the Lower House of the Russian parliament would rise the issue of severing the agreement between Russia and the western military alliance. Rahmanin said: "Our position is the following : NATO's application of force without approval by the United Nations could drastic ally deteriorate the situation in the region, create a dangerous precedent and strike a serious blow to the Security Council and the entire system of internati onal relations."

[20] RUSSIA STRONGLY RESISTS NATO PRESSURES OVER KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Russia strongly resists mounting NATO pressures on it to join the Alliance's threats addressed to Belgrade, Russian media reported Thursday. According to reports arriving from Brussels, at a special sessio n of the joint Russia-NATO standing council late Wednesday, NATO representatives o nce again tried to persuade Moscow to adopt the same stand as the Alliance or at least not block its military plans against Yugoslavia. There have been n o official statements about the session, but the Russian news agency Itar-T ass quoted a ranking NATO officials as saying that the discussion at the meet ing was heated and candid. Itar-Tass said the statement was an implicit admissio n that the NATO leaders had failed to convince Russia that the Alliance had adop ted a right approach to the resolution of the Kosovo and Metohija issue. The unidentified NATO official even directly conceded that Russia continued categorically to oppose military intervention in Yugoslavia, insisting th at it would only further aggravate the situation and endanger peace in the Balk ans and Europe as a whole. Russia holds the view that the overall international- law order would be threatened if an intervention was to take place without th e approval of the U.N. Security Council. The joint Russia-NATO council was created in May last year under the signed agreement on the promotion of cooperati on and coordination of activities for the consolidation of world peace and secur ity. President of the Russian State Duma, the lower house of parliament, Genna dy Seleznoi, said late Weednesday that the agreement would be rescinded if a "single bomb falls on Yugoslav territory."

[21] MINISTER JOVANOVIC INVITES U.N. CHIEF ANNAN TO VISIT YUGOSLAVIA

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic, who is in Washington, o n Thursday invited U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to visit the Federal R epublic of Yugoslavia. Jovanovic said that such a visit would give Annan first-h and insight into the true state of affairs in Kosovo-Metohija, positive trend s there and the results of the efforts of the governments of Yugoslavia and its r epublic of Serbia for normalising the situation in that Serbian province. Such a visit would also help remove the negative consequences of a media campaign agai nst the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia over Kosovo-Metohija, which has recently g ained momentum in some countries.

[22] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER: WE EXPECT REASON TO PREVAIL

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

We expect reason and wisdom to prevail and expect that there will be no action, which would only enourage ethnic Albanian terrorists and separati sts in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's Kosovo-Metohija province and destabiliz e the wider region, Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic told a news con ference at the National Press Club in Washington Thursday. Jovanovic presente d to the crowded news conference a series of facts showing the true state of affai rs in Kosovo-Metohija, as well as the Serbian and Yugoslav governments' efforts toward a complete normalization of the situation there. He also said that there were no grounds whatsoever for threats and pressure. Jovanovic said he was convi nced that these ideas, threats and pressure could only further destabilize the situation as they were no means to achieve anything. He said he was conf ident that reason would prevail, stressing that every use of force constituted a violation of the U.N. Charter. Resorting to such action is very dangerou s, said Jovanovic and underscored that not a single problem in the world could be solved by military methods. Serbia's and Yugoslavia's number one priority is di laogue, priority number two is dialogue, priority number three is dialogue, he sa id. He also said that there was no other way to resolve the situation but by pol itical means that would include autonomy and self-rule and secure the equality t o all the people in Kosovo-Metohija, rather than to one side alone. Jovanovic said that Kosovo-Metohija had about 650,000 non-ethnic Albanian inhabitants an d that anyone discussing Kosovo-Metohija must bear in mind its multy-ethnic stru cture.

He criticized some Western media reporting, which he described as pu rsuing a campaign of dramatizing the situation in Kosovo-Metohija. He added that , instead of reporting on the true state of affairs in the province, on pos itive processes and normalization, some media apparently had no room for such s tories. Jovanovic said that these media reports created a picture completely diff erent from the true state of affairs on the ground. The extent of media intere st in the developments in Kosovo-Metohija was shown by reporters' questions abo ut an alleged Serbian massacre against ethnic Albanians in the village of Gornj e Obrinje, that has allegedly been discovered again by foreign reporters.

Jovanovic recalled that the Serbian government had strongly denied a ny such involvement of the security forces. He presented key facts, saying that t he entire area had been blocked by landmines planted by ethnic Albnaian terr orists. He also said that representatives of international humanitarian organizat ions sustained mine injuries on their way to the area few days ago. To a repo rter's provocative question, Jovanovic wondered how foreign reporters had been a ble to come into the area. Jovanovic spoke in detail about ethnic Albanian terr orist methods of planting bombs and explosive to post offices and health care institutions and about their getting weapons from abroad as their arsenal s contained also shells and grenades of German make. He added that ethnic A lbanian terrorists were killing and abducting civilians and some of them had been foreign reporters. Ethnic Albanian terrorists usually use civilians as a human s hield when attacking or trying to escape and later torch the houses they have t urned into bunkers, said Jovanovic.

He underscored that terrorists must be treated in the same way all o ver the world, as terrorism was not less dangerous in a small country. Stressing that Yugoslavia was a country open to cooperation, Jovanovic recalled that the country had full diplomatic relations with 150 countries, whereas the relations w ith the United States were dictated by the policy of the so-called outer wall of sanctions. Jovanovic said that Yugoslavia and the U.S. had long and traditionally close ties, adding that Yugoslavia, as an open country, was interested in normalizing relations with the U.S. and bringing them back to the previous level of traditionally good cooperation and ties.

[23] MINISTER JOVANOVIC EXPECTS U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL TO BE OBJECTIVE

Tanjug, 1998-10-01

Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic said on Thursday he expe cted the U.N. Security Council, in its debate of the situation in Kosovo-Metoh ija, called for later today, to be objective, rational and highly responsible.

Speaking for the Voice of America television while on a visit to Washington, Jovanovic said that the Security Council's decisions must con form to the U.N. Charter. Any debate of the situation in that province of the Yug oslav republic of Serbia must take into account the positive processes and normalisation there, he said. Jovanovic had a number of contacts in Wash ington during the day. He gave interviews to the Washington Post, the Washington Times, USA Today and a number of electronic media, including Reuters Television and the Voice of America.

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