Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-10-09

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] RUSSIA CONTINUES EFFORTS TOWARD PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT IN KOSOVO * PM

[02] BELGIAN PUBLICIST SAYS ETHNIC ALBANIANS ARE MAJOR POWERS' INSTRUMENT

[03] ACADEMIC DIMITROV OPPOSES POSSIBLE BULGARIAN ROLE IN KOSMET

[04] SERGEYEV: RUSSIA'S REACTION WLL NEVER BE POSITIVE

[05] RUSSIAN FM: TENDENCY TOWARDS NORMALIZATION IN KOSOVO-METOHIJA

[06] RUSSIA'S IVANOV SAYS ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS POLITICAL SETTLEMENT MADE

[07] HALITI: PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT TO DO ALL TO ENSURE NORMALISATION

[08] PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT HEAD ANDJELKOVIC MEETS WITH UNHCR OFFICIALS

[09] REFUGEES IN YUGOSLAVIA PROTEST AGAINST THREATS WITH AIR STRIKES

[10] YUGOSLAVIA'S PUBLIC PROSECUTOR RECEIVES SLOVAK DELEGATION

[11] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT HOLDS SESSION

[12] MILOSEVIC RECEIVES IVANOV

[01] RUSSIA CONTINUES EFFORTS TOWARD PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT IN KOSOVO * PM

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov had a talk on Kosovo and Metohij a with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi on Thursday. He briefed Prodi on the results of Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov's meeting with Yugoslav Pr esident Slobodan Milosevic earlier in the day.

Primakov stressed that, during the talk, Yugoslavia had asserted its rea diness to allow the arrival of an OSCE mission into Kosovo and Metohija.

[02] BELGIAN PUBLICIST SAYS ETHNIC ALBANIANS ARE MAJOR POWERS' INSTRUMENT

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Belgian publicist Michel Colon on Thursday told a Tanjug panel that alre ady tested mechanisms of media manipulation were being applied in the Yug oslav Republic of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija Province and their purpose was the achievement of major powers' political and economic goals.

Colon, the author of two books on media manipulation, said that he was w orking on his third book on media abuse, prompted by world media manipula tions in reporting from Kosovo-Metohija.

He said that the world had not yet found an answer to the challenge of m edia manipulation, as most international media were owned by the world's wealthiest magnates, who manipulated the public both at home and worldwid e, operating in the interest of major powers alone.

Referring to the developments in the Balkans, Colon said that the crisis had broken out due to major powers' clashing interests, primarily those of the United States and Germany, whose goals in the Balkans were differe nt despite their publicly declaring themselves as close allies.

As for media manipulation, he said in substantiation that during the war of secession in Croatia and Bosnia, Western media had never reported tha t Serbs were an integral part of the two former Yugoslav republics' popul ation and could not, as such, have been aggressors.

Instead of respecting this fact, Western media had deliberately distorte d the truth, saying that the Serbs had come from the outside to Croatia a nd Bosnia to destabilize and conquer them, he explained.

According to Colon, neither the United States nor Germany are interested in a prompt normalization of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija.

Both powers, being unable to come to terms on how to divide the spheres of influence in the Balkans, really want Kosovo and Metohija to remain a problem as long as possible, he said.

Major powers, spearheaded by the U.S., are using ethnic Albanians in Kos ovo and Metohija as an instrument of expanding their own spheres of inter est, just as they had done with Croats and Muslims in Bosnia, said Colon. He added that ethnic Albanians could not expect to fare better in histor y as long as they were unaware of this fact.

Colon said that after the unification, Germany was spreading its influen ce fast, advancing eastward, primarily toward the oil-rich regions of the Caspian Sea and the Middle East.

He quoted an earlier statement by outgoing German Chancellor Helmut Kohl as saying that there were about 100 million Germans in Europe. He also s aid that this was undoubtedly proof of Germany's latest expansionism, giv en the fact that 80 million Germans lived in Germany, while about another 20 million were ethnic Germans living outside their mother country.

With or without Kohl, Germany wants to achieve its historic goal. Serbia is in the way of its advances, and this, rather than Serbian nationalism , is the real reason for attacks against Serbs and Serbia. On the other h and, the United States wants to rule the world alone, so clashes between the alleged allies are becoming more frequent, affecting small countries as a result, Colon said.

[03] ACADEMIC DIMITROV OPPOSES POSSIBLE BULGARIAN ROLE IN KOSMET

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Arts and Sciences Dimitrov Ilcho on T hursday said that Bulgaria's possible participation in "peace operations in Kosovo and Metohija would be nothing other than blackmail for Bulgaria 's membership in NATO."

In the lengthy article "Are We Sending a New Occupation Corps to Serbia? ," published in the influential daily Duma, Ilcho sharply opposed Bulgari an Defense Minister Georgiu Ananiev for saying that "Bulgaria could parti cipate in peace forces" in Kosovo and Metohija.

The Bulgarian academic warned the country's leaders that Kosovo and Meto hija was part of Serbia and Serbia, together with Montenegro, was part of Yugoslavia.

"The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is an internationally recognized fed eral state which is obliged alone to resolve the Kosovo and Metohija issu e, " Ilcho said.

He observed that Bulgaria had not yet freed itself of a guilty feeling i t had because of its role in the Prague Spring.

Ilcho set out that Bulgaria's participation in Kosovo and Metohija was u sed as blackmail for his country's memberhip in NATO, which he said was u nnecessary but was greatly desired by some political circles.

Ilcho reminded readers of the serious consequences of Bulgaria's role in World War II, when it was an ally of the Third Reich," and underscored t hat Bulgaria had "normal relations with neighbouring Serbia and Montenegr o today."

[04] SERGEYEV: RUSSIA'S REACTION WLL NEVER BE POSITIVE

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Russian Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev said in Athens on Thursday that " Russia's reaction to NATO attacks on Kosovo will never be positive" and d escribed those who urge the attacks as criminals, and the ethnic Albanian extremists as bandits.

Sergeyev has been in Greece on a several-day visit since Monday but, acc ording to latest reports from Athens, today he decided to cut short the v isit and return to Moscow this evening.

According to the Itar-Tass news agency, today Sergeyev addressed the stu dents of the Greek National Defence Academy saying that "every day many i n the world are increasingly coming to see the hopelessness" of a NATO ac tion in Kosmet.

He recalled that China and Belarus were opposed to this, and even within NATO itself there are countries, including Greece, which do not support the implementation of force against Yugoslavia.

Sergeyev said that this action should not allowed until all political po ssibilities are exhausted and until a corresponding U.N. Security Council Resolution is adopted because, otherwise, it would be transformed from a civilized mission into a criminal activity.

"These would be criminals who decide the fate of other nations at a whim ," Sergeyev set out.

He also stated that special U.S. representative Richard Holbrooke had tr ied in Pristina to convince the Kosovo Albanians, including the ethnic Al banian terrorist organization, the so-called "Kosovo Liberation Army", to agree to a three-year postponement of a decision for the status of the p rovince.

"These attempts failed to have any result, but in this way the United St ates has indirectly given moral support to the Kosovo bandits," Sergeyev wraned.

According to him, a Serbian Government delegation is willing to sit down at the negotiating table, and the Contact Group is actively engaged in t his, but the ethnic Albanians do no want to negotiate.

This is why the situation remains complex, but not hopeless, Sergeyev sa id.

[05] RUSSIAN FM: TENDENCY TOWARDS NORMALIZATION IN KOSOVO-METOHIJA

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said on Thursday in London that a t endency towards a normalization of the situation as regards Serbia's sout hern Province of Kosovo-Metohija had emerged following his meeting earlie r in the day with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Ivanov made the statement on his arrival in London from Belgrade, to attend a Contact Gr oup meeting in the evening. Ivanov told ITAR-TASS that such problems coul d not be resolved quickly and pointed to the need for collective peace ef forts, adding that Russia was actively working towards that end.

The principal goal of the Contact Group meeting Thursday is to create a mechanism for monitoring compliance with the UN Security Council Resoluti on adopted two weeks ago, and to discuss ensuing developments.

Ivanov noted that the Yugoslav side had confirmed during his visit to Be lgrade Thursday that it would be ready to receive an OSCE mission to Belg rade without pre-conditions.

Ivanov said he had been instructed personally by Russian President Boris Yeltsin to pursue a policy aimed at finding a formula for joint endeavor s within the framework of the UN Resolution.

Referring to Russia's role in the Contact Group, Ivanov said that Moscow had never yielded to pressures, nor would it do so in the future, and wo uld never accept a solution that would be contrary to its national intere sts.

Noting that implementation of the UN Rresolution would pave the way for active peace talks, Ivanov said it was imperative to seek a peaceful solu tion to the present situation.

[06] RUSSIA'S IVANOV SAYS ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS POLITICAL SETTLEMENT MADE

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said late on Thursday that another step towards a political settlement of the conflict in Kosovo-Metohija ha d been made at the Contact Group's meeting in London earlier in the day.

The Contact Group has decided to continue to deal with the problem of th is troubled Province of the Yugoslav Republic of Serbia exclusively by pe aceful means, according to the Russian Itar-TASS news agency's story date lined from London and marked urgent.

Ivanov said that "only political measures" had been discussed.

He said the Contact Group had decided to send U.S. Envoy Richard Holbro oke on another trip to Belgrade.

Asked about Holbrooke's instructions from the Contact Group, Ivanov said they were consistent with the latest U.N. Security Council resolution on Kosovo-Metohija.

The meeting of the Contact Group "was a detailed discussion of the Kosov o situation," said Ivanov.

[07] HALITI: PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT TO DO ALL TO ENSURE NORMALISATION

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Kosovo and Metohija Provisional Government member in charge of informati on in national minority languages Bajram Haliti said on Thursday that thi s body would do all in its power to normalise relations in the Province a nd restore inter-ethnic confidence.

Haliti told Tanjug that the national minority languages, including the A lbanian language, were adequately represented in the information area, bu t that the information programme in Albanian would be better and would la st longer if ethnic Albanian reporters agreed to work in the state media.

Haliti said that Radio Pristina broadcast 16.5 hours of programme in the Albanian language every day and that Pristina Television had in the Alba nian language an average 17.4 percent of the daily programme. Radio progr ammes in the Albanian language are based on information programmes and mu sic in this language, while the television's information programme includ es regular news broadcasts and other programmes devoted to current events , Haliti said and added that television also presented films subtitled in Albanian once a week.

He said that there were 53 newspapers and magazines in Albanian, only 21 of which are registered, and state and its organs have no includence on their editing policies. "Although most of them support and urge terrorism , none of their founders or editors have been held accountable and none o f them (newspapers and magazines, 1998) were banned," Haliti said and com pared this with Albania, which has just 14 newspapers.

Speaking about information in other minorities' languages, Haliti said t hat there were no problems in this field, because Radio Pristina broadcas t a daily seven hours of programme in the Turkish language. The programme includes cultural, scientific, educational, sports and entertainment pro grammes as well as subtitled films.

Radio has two Romany-language broadcasts a week which together last two hours and deal with the most important events in the life, culture and cu stoms of this ethnic community.

Pristina television broadcasts an annual 13,603 minutes of programme in the Turkish language, which accounts for 10 percent of its daily programm e, and 1,689 minutes in the Romany language, which accounts for 1.2 perce nt of its daily programme.

The Turkish and Romany national minorities as well as members of the Egy ptian national community in Kosovo and Metohija have their dailies and pe riodicals.

The magazine Sesimliz is printed in Prizren under the auspices of the De mocratic Alliance of ethnic Turks, and ethnic Turks also have the Bay per iodical.

Romanies have their magazine Romanonevipe, which is financed by the Yugo slav Government, as well as Periodik of Gnjilane and Rota, which is publi shed by the Association of Romanies of Pristina.

Ethnic Egyptians have their magazine Glas Jugoslovenskih Egipcana (The Voice of Yugoslav Egyptians, 1998), which is printed in Albanian and Serbi an and they and Romanies plan to launch more newspapers and magazines.

[08] PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT HEAD ANDJELKOVIC MEETS WITH UNHCR OFFICIALS

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Head of the Kosovo and Metohija Provisional Government Zoran Andjelkovic on Thursday discussed the situation in the Province, especially at the h umanitarian level, with special UNHCR envoy Nicholas Morris and head of t he UNHCR Mission for Yugoslavia Margaret O'Keeffe.

Morris and O'Keeffe voiced satisfaction with the degree of cooperation b etween the UNHCR and state authorities of Serbia and Yugoslavia. The UNHC R officials said that members of international humanitarian organizations were able freely to move on all of the territory of Kosovo and Metohija.

Kosovo and Metohija Provisional Government head Andjelkovic informed the guests about the measures taken by the Serbia Government to normalize th e situation in the Province. Andjelkovic said that 100 relief distributio n centres were to be opened in Kosovo and Metohija to help all those in n eed, regardless of religion and nationality.

He said the Provisional Government would give priority to the resolution of social and humanitarian issues.

Andjelkovic stressed that, under a decision of the Assembly of Serbia, a ll ethnic Albanians who hand over arms to state authorities would be amne stied, provided they had not participated in terrorist operations.

It was decided to intensify joint humanitarian activities and in that wa y help create conditions for the restoration of confidence and life in la sting peace in Kosovo and Metohija.

Andjelkovic stressed that the state of Serbia was doing everything to re store peaceful and secure life in the Province.

The meeting was attended bu Provisional Government member in charge of h umanitarian affairs Zejnelah Kurejs.

[09] REFUGEES IN YUGOSLAVIA PROTEST AGAINST THREATS WITH AIR STRIKES

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Six refugee associations in Yugoslavia on Thursday sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council, the Council of Europe, the Contact Group members a nd all institutions and humanitarian organizations in the U.N. system, ur ging that all threats and attempts to resolve the crisis in Kosovo and Me tohija by the use of force against Yugoslavia immediately cease.

The letter was sent by the Association for Assistance to Refugees in FRY , the humanitarian association Solidarnost, the Association of Displaced Persons from Montenegro, the Committee of Persons Banished from Croatia, the Provincial Committee of the Association of Refugees of Vojvodina, and the Association for the Return of Serbs to Bosnian Krajina.

Representatives of the refugee associations told a news conference that the letter set out that the external use of military force would mean agg ression and that aggression would imply defense on a broad scale.

The letter said that all such past attempts in the region had boomerange d and had most heavily affected the innocent population.

[10] YUGOSLAVIA'S PUBLIC PROSECUTOR RECEIVES SLOVAK DELEGATION

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Yugoslavia's Public Prosecutor Vukasin Jokanovic and his aides received Thursday a three-member delegation of Slovakia's Supreme Court, led by th e Court's President Stefan Harabin.

The talks focused on major issues concerning the two countries' legal sy stems, said a statement released by the Public Prosecutor's Office. It wa s agreed that closer ties should be established between the two countries ' judicial bodies and international legal assistance successfully realise d.

[11] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT HOLDS SESSION

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

The Yugoslav Government established on Thursday, at a session chaired by Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic, that the newly passed Law on the financi ng of extra defense expenditures had gone into effect, and it assigned co ncrete tasks to ensure that the collected resources would immediately be put to use so as to improve the material position and enhance the technic al equipment and prepardness of the Army of Yugoslavia, a Government stat ement said.

The Yugoslav Government approved the report on Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic's visit to the New York U.N. Headquarters and Washington.

The Government assessed that the visit had been extremely important, as contacts had taken place with a large number of foreign ministers, highes t U.N. officials, distinguished representatives of the U.S. political and public life and of world media in a situation when Yugoslavia was expose d to external presures and a media campaign over the situation in Kosovo and Metohija.

It said that, in an atmopshere of mutual acknowledgement, Yugoslavia's p ositions and arguments were presented about matters of a priority interes t to the country, especially the normalization of Yugoslavia's status in the U.N. and other international organizations, the situation in the regi on, the bilateral relations and prospects for their further promotion.

The Yugoslav Government said the offered information about the actual si tuation in Kosovo and Metohija and the readiness and lasting commitment o f Serbia and Yugoslavia to resolve all problems in the Province by peacef ul means and through an unconditional dialogue had been received with att ention and interest.

[12] MILOSEVIC RECEIVES IVANOV

Tanjug, 1998-10-08

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received early on Thursday Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and his aides.

It was stressed in the talks that a speedy normalisation of the situatio n in Serbia's southern Province of Kosovo and Metohija made possible imme diate resumption of dialogue between the state delegation and representat ives of ethnic Albanian political parties.

Yugoslavia and Russia take the stand that the existing problems can be r esolved through political methods only. Threats with military interventio n against Yugoslavia are unacceptable and could jeopardise the entire int ernational order based on the U.N. Charter as well as peaceful co-existen ce of European states and peoples.

Yugoslavia and Russia remain firmly committed to a declaration signed in Moscow by President Milosevic and Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

Also present were Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic and Russia's Ambassador in Belgrade Yuri Kotov

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