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Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-10-19Yugoslav Daily Survey Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>Yugoslav Daily SurveyCONTENTS
[01] SERBIAN DEPUTY PREMIER RECEIVED THE HEAD OF THE US MISSIONTanjug, 1998-10-16Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Prof. Milovan Bojic received on Friday the head of the US mission in Yugoslavia Richard Miles. Bojic informed Miles of the need and reasons for adopting the decree tem porarily banning some media, and underlined it was in line with the highe st legislation, the Information Ministry said in a statement. The decree is not an isolated measure taken by the Serbian Government in the face of NATO military threats, but one of a package of measures take n by the government to defend the country and protect its integrity and s overeignty, Bojic explained. All, including the media, must behave accordingly in such circumstances, Bojic underlined. Bojic strongly denied allegations on media censorship or denial of free speech in Serbia, but said that a ban was in force on spreading defeatism , panic and fear, and on undermining the national defense capacity. No Serbian authority, least of all the government, can dare disregard th e Constitution, the law and other legal regulations passed in an answer t o military threats against the country. The decree is temporary and will remain in force until lifted by the Serbian Government, Bojic said. Miles had conveyed to Bojic the concern of the US Government regarding t he decree temporarily banning the work of some media. [02] "VOJSKA" ON THE NATO ROLE IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA CRISISTanjug, 1998-10-18Numerous resolutions, warnings and threats issued over the past week or so by NATO, 'Contact Group,' the Organisation for Security and Cooperatio n in Europe (OSCE, 1998) and the U.N. Security Council in connection with Kosovo and Metohija are aimed at creating an impression that the situati on in Serbia's southern province has assumed alarming proportions because of which something must be done immediately, the Belgrade weekly "Vojska " said in its latest issue. Claiming to be extremely concerned about what it calls Yugoslavia's insu fficient cooperativeness, NATO does not hide that it intends to use force to cut Kosovo and Metohija's Gordian knot, deliberately laying emphasis on the consequences of such a state of affairs and almost completely disr egarding its causes, the weekly said. "Vojska" said NATO strategy boiled down to one thing: creation of crisis areas that can be dealt with through the engagement of armed NATO troops only, to which the international community is expected to agree and appl aud. Its strategy is to trigger a conflict in a country, to fan it to a level at which it cannot be dealt with without its direct engagement, to impos e peace (read aggression, 1998) and, finally, to stabilise the situation and ensure peace (read to deploy its forces to a region for an indefinite period of time and with unlimited mandate, 1998), the paper said. Analyses of the escalation of ethnic Albanian terrorism in Kosovo and Me tohija and the role played in the process by certain NATO member states s how that the first two stages have been completed, the paper said. NATO threats with aggression against Yugoslavia are nothing but an attem pt to secure a permission for the third phase which is imposition of peac e. Advocators of aggression are deluding themselves that it would force Y ugoslavia to allow the stationing of foreign contingents in Kosovo and Me tohija, the weekly said. During the dismembering of the former Yugoslavi a, NATO's Balkans experts attached great importance to the ethnic Albania n separatists' goals. Some NATO member states have made a number of moves aimed at organising the separatists, especially in the military sense, s ince, the weekly said. They have been deliberately trying to provoke a conflict, doubtless with an aim of settling it in their own way and achieving their goals and int erests at Yugoslavia's expense, the paper said. "Vojska" said open support to the ethnic Albanian separatists was in lin e with clandestine activities that primarily included financing and milit ary organisation of the separatists, saying intelligence services by some NATO member states played a key role in organising, training and arming ethnic Albanian terrorists. [03] ETHNIC ALBANIAN REPRESENTATIVES TARGET OF TERRORIST THREATSTanjug, 1998-10-17The ethnic Albanian terrorist organisation calling itself Kosovo Liberat ion Army (KLA, 1998) threatened on Saturday to punish all ethnic Albanian representatives who dared sign an agreement offering anything but indepe ndence for Kosovo and Metohija. The KLA rejected in what it called its political declaration, carried by the Pristina Albanian-language daily "Koha Ditore", a recent agreement b y Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke that has been hailed by the entire world, claiming to be a key ethnic Alb anian factor. Calling on all ethnic Albanian political forces in Serbia's southern pro vince not to group into parties because the time has come to unite, the K LA headquarters, which is based abroad, threatened that it would allow no individual or political subject to seize power without sacrifices. Trying to present itself as a military force to be reckoned with, the KL A went so far as to offer NATO all-round cooperation in securing freedom, peace and democracy all over the world. "Koha Ditore" said KLA representative Adem Demaci had requested that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE, 1998) reach a greement with him because he represented the KLA. Demaci said he was dissatisfied with OSCE verifiers' numbers and mandate , saying it would be far better if they were backed by armed forces. [04] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS LAUNCH 36 ATTACKS IN SEVEN DAYSTanjug, 1998-10-18Facing the imminent implementation of an agreement on the peaceful resol ution of all problems in Kosovo and Metohija, the remnants of the routed ethnic Albanian terrorist gangs have been launching armed attacks and pro vocations in order to prevent the realisation of the agreement. Police sources in Pristina told Tanjug that in the past seven days terro rists had launched as many as 36 attacks at police and civilians, in whic h several people were killed or wounded. Three policemen were killed and two others wounded in an ethnic Albanian terrorist attack in the village of Orlate between Pristina and Malisevo late on Saturday. The terrorists attacked the policemen while the latter were in the building where a police department is situated. The attack was launched the same night when part of an OSCE technical te am which should prepare the arrival of the verification mission arrived i n Pristina. Over the past few days, ethnic Albanian terrorists have launched daily a ttacks on the police in the area around Malisevo. Political circles in Pristina say that peace and the arrival of OSCE ver ifiers in Serbia's southern province do not suit terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija and their sponsors abroad so that they are using all available means in an attempt to prevent this and provoke a NATO military intervent ion. [05] ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS RESUME ATTACKS ON THE POLICETanjug, 1998-10-17The remnants of the routed ethnic Albanian terrorist gangs launched seve ral attacks at Serbian police and civilians late on Friday and early on S aturday, police sources in Pristina said on Saturday. The strongest attack, in which terrorists attacked police near the villa ge of Dragobilje between Orahovac and Malisevo from automatic weapons, mo rtars and hand-held rocket launchers for almost an hour, was launched at about 6 p.m. (1600 GMT, 1998) on Friday. Serbian police did not respond t o the attack. None of the policemen were hurt. Reserve police officer Milosav Stanisic was wounded in the village of Mi rena near Lipljani at about 1.30 p.m., when three terrorists in uniforms bearing the insignia of the so-called KLA fired at his vehicle. Stanisic managed to reach the nearest police checkpoint, whence he was transferred to the Pristina Hospital. Security officer at the Belacevac coal mine n ear Obilic Branko Bojkovic was seriously wounded in an ethnic Albanian te rrorist attack late on Friday. The terrorists attacked the mine from seve ral directions. Bojkovic was transferred to the Pristina Clinical Centre and his life is not in danger. The police station in the Pristina suburb of Vranjevac was also targeted by terrorists late on Friday. The attackers fired from automatic weapons and several bullets hit the searchlights in the yard. None of the police men were hurt. Serbian police did not respond to the fire. Ethnic Albanian terrorists launched three synchronised attacks in Poduje vo at about 11 p.m. on Friday. They threw several hand grenades at the po lice station in central Podujevo, and attacked with automatic weapons a p atrol in one of the main streets and a checkpoint at the entrance to Podu jevo. Police did not respond to the attacks. None of the policemen was hu rt. At about 9 p.m. on Friday, terrorist groups attacked traffic wardens in Komoran on the Pristina-Pec trunk road. The attack at the checkpoint, fro m which reinforcements and staff were removed about ten days ago, was lau nched from the direction of the village of Lapusnik, from which terrorist s launched daily attacks at the checkpoint this summer. None of the polic emen were hurt in last night's attack. Somewhat past midnight, a group of terrorists attacked the house of Rama dan Rusiti, an ethnic Albanian employed at Serbian police, in the village of Donja Bitnja near Stimlje. The terrorists only caused much damage to the house. Groups of terrorists launched several attacks on the police near the vil lages of Jablanica and Grgoc in the Djakovica district. Ethnic Albanians fired at a traffic warden on duty near the village of Stipolje. Nobody wa s hurt in the attacks. Police was also attacked near the village of Dulje on the Pristina-Prizr en road and between the villages of Samodrez and Dobrodeljane in the muni cipality of Suva Reka. None of the policemen was hurt. [06] THREE POLICEMEN WERE KILLED AND FIVE WOUNDED BY ALBANIAN TERRORISTTanjug, 1998-10-18Three police officers were killed and five wounded in ethnic Albanian te rrorist attacks, launched for the third day in succession in Serbia's sou thern province of Kosovo and Metohija, Pristina police said on Sunday. Goran Markovic (27, 1998), Zivorad Kostic (37, 1998), and Dejan Jakovlje vic (37, 1998), were killed in a terrorist attack on a police checkpoint at the village of Orlate, on the Pristina-Malisevo route, at around 9.30 p.m. local time on Saturday. Milivoje Markovic and Goran Sofronijevic were seriously wounded in the a ttack. They were immediately transferred to the clinical centre in Pristi na and their condition is not critical. At the locality of Magura, west of Lipljan, ethnic Albanian terrorists o pened fire on a police car at around 6 p.m. local time, wounding seriousl y Milivoj Pejica, while Ljubisa Puric sustained light injuries. Ethnic Albanian terrorists attacked again a traffic police checkpoint at Komorane, near Pristina, late on Saturday. Police reported no casualties although the attack, in which terrorists used automatic weapons and snip ers, lasted for about quarter of an hour. In the village of Klecka near Lipljan police were also the target of eth nic Albanian terrorist attacks. Until August, Lipljan was a major terrori st stronghold where terrorists executed or burned in a crematorium 22 civ ilians. Ethnic Albanian terrorist groups launched three attacks on police in the village of Kraljane, Djakovica municipality. The police responded to the attacks killing a terrorist. The police reported no casualties in their ranks. [07] REMNANTS OF ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORIST GANGS ATTACK SERBIAN POLICETanjug, 1998-10-16Scattered pockets of ethnic Albanian terrorist gangs have opened fire on Serbian police in different localities over the past two days, killing a police officer late on Thursday, police in Pristina said on Friday. The terrorists killed Nenad Stankovic (27, 1998), and wounded police off icers Vladan Radovanovic and Sasa Todorovic. Zoran Damjanovic sustained l ight injuries. The three wounded police officers were transferred to Pris tina hospital. The terrorists repeatedly opened fire on police officers in the Drenica area as well as in the areas of Lipljan, Glogovac, Suva Reka, Kosovska Mi trovica, Klina and Srbica. Police responded to none of these attacks in which the terrorists used s nipers, automatic weapons and grenade launchers. The terrorists opened fire on civilians in the villages of Dren and Crep ulja, Zubin Potok municipality, on Thursday but there were no casualties. Police in Djakovica told Tanjug that four automatic rifles and one semi- automatic rifle, four pistols and ammunition had been seized in a house b elieved to be a terrorist hideout. [08] TECHNICAL TEAM ARRIVES IN PRISTINA TO MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR OSCE VERIFIERSTanjug, 1998-10-18A technical team, which should make preparations for the arrival of a 2, 000-strong OSCE verification mission in Kosovo and Metohija, arrived in P ristina on Sunday afternoon. The first eight members of the team arrived in Pristina late on Saturday and the remaining 20 people, headed by retired U.S. general John Sandroc k, came on Sunday. Sandrock told reporters that the technical team would visit more than 20 locations in Kosovo and Metohija in order to prepare the ground for the arrival of the verification mission. The team should assess what is necessary for the arrival of the verifica tion mission, he said and voiced hope that the mission would arrive very soon. He said that neither the technical team nor verifiers would carry arms a nd that none of their operations would be armed. Sandrock did not say how many people would arrive in the coming period. He just said that as many people as the infrastructure allows would arriv e as soon as possible. The technical team includes members of the OSCE missions in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sandrock said that it had been difficult for them to decide to come and help because they had a lot of work to do in their ori ginal missions. Asked about new ethnic Albanian terrorists' attacks at police in the pas t few days, Sandrock said that he still had no information about what had really happened. He said he hoped that the mission would be able to work with the aim of stabilising the situation and resolving many issues. [09] U.S. AMBASSADOR HILL MEETS WITH ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADER RUGOVATanjug, 1998-10-16U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia Christopher Hill said on Friday after meeti ng with ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova that they had discussed a v erification mission by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in E urope (OSCE, 1998) and the political process for Kosovo and Metohija. Hill said he had briefed Rugova about the current situation and about th e agreement reached with Serbia's and Yugoslavia's state bodies on verifi cation of the situation from air and by the OSCE mission. He said there were differences in interpretation of the agreement betwee n the Serb and the ethnic Albanian side. He said both sides had made obje ctions but said the international community insisted on solutions rather than justice. Rugova refused to address reporters following the meeting held at his pa rty's headquarters. [10] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANNAN WELCOMES THE ACCORDTanjug, 1998-10-16The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has written to Yugoslav President Sl obodan Milosevic welcoming the accord he had reached with US envoy Richar d Holbrooke as a turning point in the endeavours for ending the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija. Referring to the earlier invitation to visit Yugoslavia, Annan said in h is letter he regretted that his commitments prevented him from doing so a t present, but hoped to come at a later date. He also proposed to send to Yugoslavia a high-level mission of the UN Secretariat to report to him o n the developments in Kosovo and Metohija. [11] GEREMEK: OSCE MISSION WILL CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE IN KOSMETTanjug, 1998-10-16The Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE, 1998), Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, said on Friday i n Pristina that the European Union (EU, 1998) and the international commu nity want to see peace in Kosovo and Metohija and that a contributing fac tor to this would be the 2,000-strong OSCE verification mission which wil l, as he said, introduce the minimum of trust. After meeting with ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova, Geremek said t hat OSCE had given him the mandate to inform Rugova about the mission and about the agreement he had signed with Federal Foreign Affairs Minister Zivadin Jovanovic. Geremek said that Rugova had given him assurances that the mission would be well received by the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija and that they "will conduct themselves towards it just as towards the diplomatic monitoring mission". "Group and individual provocations are possible, but OSCE will have agre ements with different international organizations, including NATO, and th is will step up the security of the mission," Geremek said. Rugova briefly told the press that he expects the OSCE mission to come t o Kosovo and Metohija as soon as possible because, as he said, "all citiz ens support and expect" its arrival. The arrival of the mission, Rugova said, will increase safety in Kosmet. [12] GEREMEK UNDERSCORES IMPORTANCE OF AGREEMENT ON THE OSCE MISSIONTanjug, 1998-10-16OSCE Chairman Bronislaw Geremek underscored in Belgrade on Friday the gr eat importance of the agreement on the setting up of an OSCE verification mission in Kosovo and Metohija, and said he hoped it would open a possib ility for a peaceful resolution of the crisis in the province. Geremek told a news conference that he had signed the agreement on behal f of the OSCE and discussed with Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovano vic all important aspects of the mission's activities. The agreement opens a possibility for peace in Kosovo and Metohija and g ives Yugoslavia and the international community a chance to do a good and effective job in the process of the resolution of the Kosovo and Metohij a crisis, according to Geremek. The OSCE Chairman said the verification mission would follow the impleme ntation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1199, the end of violence in the province, and the creation of conditions for the opening of a dialogu e between Serbia authorities and ethnic-Albanians. Geremek, who described the signed agreement as a step in a good directio n, said the first group of the 2,000 OSCE "verifiers" would arrive in Kos ovo and Metohija as early as Saturday, in cooperation with Serbia authori ties, to secure conditions for the arrival of the rest of the mission. Geremek told the press that OSCE member-countries had so far pledged 800 "verifiers" and said he hoped there would be all the 2,000 in a few days. Asked whether Jacques Klein, retired U.S. general and Deputy High Repres entative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, would be appointed head of the verificati on mission, the OSCE Chairman said he knew about this only through the me dia and set out that the OSCE would chose the head of the mission only af ter a new U.N. Security Council resolution on Kosovo and Metohija was pas sed, most likely next week. Geremek explained that the OSCE mission would not be an observer mission but would verify the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and establish the facts. Asked about the rejection of the agreement by the ethnic-Albanian terror ist organization "Kosovo Liberation Army, Geremek replied that he was goi ng to Pristina to meet with Ibrahim Rugova and ask him to take a clear po sition on the agreement. He told reporters that the OSCE mission was not coming to Kosovo and Met ohija to introduce peace but that its duty was to facilitate the process which must end in a dialogue of the two sides. We are doing everything to help the Kosovo peace process, Geremek told r eporters. [13] RUSSIA CALLS FOR YUGOSLAVIA'S RE-ADMISSION TO OSCETanjug, 1998-10-16The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that all conditions had been created for Yugoslavia's re-admission to the Organisation for Security a nd Cooperation in Europe following an agreement on an OSCE mission's depl oyment to Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija. Without setting any conditions Belgrade has agreed to accept an OSCE mis sion and, consequently, it is time for the OSCE to make a goodwill gestur e towards Yugoslavia, the Ministry said in a statement. The statement said the U.N. Security Council was soon to pass a special resolution specifying the OSCE mission's tasks. The mission is to report regularly to the Security Council through the OSCE Standing Council, the statement said. The mission will be led by Russian, E.U. and U.S. officials, the stateme nt said. The statement also said that a new phase has opened in developments in K osovo and Metohija that should lead to the political resolution of the cr isis in the province, to which end Russia has been making consistent effo rts. The Ministry also said that conditions had been created for averting a d anger of resolving the crisis through the use of force. Yugoslavia's territorial integrity will be preserved in practice and a m ajor step taken towards ensuring that all parties comply with relevant U. N. resolutions, the statement said. It also said that it was vital that the stand had prevailed on regulatin g the situation through the strict respect of principles and norms of int ernational law and OSCE commitments. New York and Vienna have now become political centres for resolving the Kosovo and Metohija issue as they should have from the very start, the st atement said. [14] RUSSIA TO PARTICIPATE IN OSCE MISSION IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJATanjug, 1998-10-17Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Balkans Department Vladimir C hizov said on Saturday that Russia would take part in the OSCE verificati on mission in Kosovo and Metohija and that Western countries were interes ted in its participation in the aerial surveillance of the situation in S erbia's southern province. Head of the Defence Ministry's Department for international military coo peration Gen. Leonid Ivashov on Saturday voiced Moscow's readiness to use its AN-30 aircraft for aerial surveillance in Kosovo and Metohija. However, Moscow has made its participation in aerial surveillance condit ional on NATO's withdrawal of its decision on a possible military operati on against Yugoslavia. [15] RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT BELIEVES KOSOVO CRISIS CAN BE FULLY SOLVEDTanjug, 1998-10-17Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said on Saturday that the Russian G overnment believed that the situation in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia' s Kosovo and Metohija province could be fully solved through internationa l cooperation. Ivanov told a news conference after talks with his Japanese counterpart Masahiko Komura that Russia was ready to cooperate closely with "all stat es which are genuinely interested in the settlement of the problem." "We are confident that we will be able to do this," he added. Ivanov said that the more acute the situation in the Balkans, the more c ountries realized the need for supporting the Russian approach, based on the search for a political settlement and respect for international law. Referring to the security of the Organization for Security and Cooperati on in Europe (OSCE, 1998) mission in Kosovo and Metohija, Ivanov said tha t the Yugoslav Government had assumed the obligation to ensure its safety. "We have to proceed from the assumption that these obligations will be h onoured," he said. Ivanov also stressed that it was necessary to be ready for provocations and try to minimize their consequences. He said to this effect that it had been "agreed that should there be an emergency, the Contact Group will meet immediately at the first notice of the OSCE Chairman, and, if necessary, at the level of foreign ministers." [16] ARBATOV: U.S. SHOULD GIVE UP ANTI-SERBIAN POLICYTanjug, 1998-10-18Russian Parliament Lower House (State Duma, 1998) official Alexei Arbato v, who was on a Russian parliamentary delegation that paid a several-day visit to Yugoslavia, said on Sunday that the West should give up an anti- Serbian policy for its own good. Arbatov, the Vice-Chairman of the Duma Defense Committee, said that the continuation of such policy would cause the creation of a Muslim "quasi s tate" in the heart of Europe, which would boomerang to the West itself, r esulting in unforeseeable negative consequences. "Many NATO member-countries do not want to interfere in conflicts in the Balkans, and, in fact, it is all up to the United States," he said. Arbatov said that, therefore, Russia should pressure the United States t o force ethnic Albanians in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province to join the negotiating table. He also said that demoralized ethnic Albanian terrorists should now in n o way be allowed to think they could launch another offensive, as this wo uld trigger a real war, which would not affect Kosovo and Metohija, alone. NATO would be invited to interfere in the conflict, and then Russia can interfere, too, which would trigger a crisis that would affect everyone, said Arbatov. Chairman of the Duma national issues committee Vladimir Zorin said, for his part, that the current easing of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija should be used to contribute to the stabilization of the situation in th e entire region. Zorin said this could be achieved by an immediate beginning of talks bet ween Belgrade authorities and representatives of ethnic Albanian politica l parties in Kosovo and Metohija and by giving urgent economic assistance to the people in the province. He said that, most of all, a circle of et hnic Albanian activists in Kosovo and Metohija, with which accord could b e reached, should be realistically determined. [17] LUKIN: RUSSIA CONTRIBUTES TO A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF THE KOSOVO CRISISTanjug, 1998-10-16Duma's Foreign Policy Committee President Vladimir Lukin said late on Fr iday that Russia was doing its utmost for the situation in Serbia's Kosov o and Metohija province to be resolved peacefully through negotiations. Speaking at a panel discussion on Russia's policy in the Balkans at the Russian Cultural Center in Belgrade, Lukin said the Russian Parliament's Lower House had reached full accord on the Kosovo and Metohija (Kosmet, 1998) crisis. Duma's decisions directly influenced Russia's policy on the problem of K osmet to take a turn which takes care of the interests of Serbia and Yugo slavia much more than before, Lukin said. Russia must practice a balanced foreign policy, Lukin said. In most case s, this is narrowed down to finding solutions for certain conflict situat ions in the world, such as the Kosmet crisis, in which Moscow will not re main alone, he said. Such a policy best contributes to the protection of Russian, but also Se rbian interests, said Lukin. Lukin said he would mostly support the majority of the earlier United Na tions Security Council resolutions on Kosmet, but, asked if this was also true for the latest such document, he said he would have to think it ove r. [18] PATRIARCH PAVLE RECEIVED THE RUSSIAN STATE DUMA DELEGATIONTanjug, 1998-10-17Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Pavle received in Belgrade on Saturday a Russ ian State Duma delegation, headed by Deputy Speaker Sergei Baburin and th anked them for Duma's support in the difficult situation experienced by o ur people. Patriarch Pavle said that our people was forced to defend itself once ag ain and that his recommendation, in the capacity of the head of the Serbi an Orthodox Church, was that one should not respond to violence and crime in the same way. Patriarch Pavle, who recently visited Kosovo and Metohija, said that the problems of Serbia's southern problems should be resolved in a dignified manner, because this conflict could be the cause of major misfortunes. "God is my witness that I feel equally sorry for all the victims, whethe r they are Serbs, ethnic Albanians or Muslims... I don't want to shift al l the blame to ethnic Albanians and I hope that this conflict can be reso lved in a peaceful way, because innocent people are those who have suffer ed the most in it," Patriarch Pavle said. "As a nation, we have never been against ethnic Albanians' right to live , but one should not forget that Serbs and other peoples who live there h ave the same right," he said. Baburin voiced his embitterment with the situation in Kosovo and Metohij a, which was the reason for the delegation's visit, and said that all Rus sian parties had been united in opposing a military intervention against Yugoslavia and that one should observe the present laws and use all polit ical mechanisms in the resolution of Kosovo and Metohija problems. Responding to Baburin's question about the least painful way for resolvi ng the problems in Kosovo and Metohija, Patriarch Pavle said that one sho uld not forget that ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija had a higher birth rate than Albanians in Albania, but that despite this fact, the "co untry is big enough for all." "Violence and reprisals can solve nothing," Patriarch Pavle said. [19] YUGOSLAV DEFENCE MINISTER RECEIVED THE RUSSIAN STATE DUMA DELEGATIONTanjug, 1998-10-17Yugoslav Defence Minister Pavle Bulatovic received on Saturday a delegat ion of Russia's State Duma, headed by Deputy Speaker Sergei Nikolayevich Baburin. In a cordial talk, the delegation offered unreserved support to Yugoslav ia's peace policy and defence of the country's sovereignty and territoria l integrity. Baburin said that the Russian Government and President Boris Yeltsin had opposed terrorism and the use of force at the very outbreak of the crisi s in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija. He said Russia condemned NATO threats to Yugoslavia, saying his country would insist that the international community do all to secure the defeat of terrorism and secessionism in Kosovo and Metohija and to defend and p reserve peace in the province. Bulatovic said cooperation between Yugoslavia and Russia in the sphere o f defence should be improved still further. He said military, economic, s cientific and technical cooperation between the two countries' armies was in the interest of peace and cooperation. He said all conditions existed necessary for this cooperation which he said was in mutual interest. [20] UPPER HOUSE SPEAKER MET WITH THE RUSSIAN STATE DUMA DELEGATIONTanjug, 1998-10-17Yugoslav Parliament's Upper House Speaker Srdja Bozovic on Saturday met with a Russian State Duma delegation, headed by Duma Deputy Speaker Serge i Baburin, and discussed the situation in Yugoslavia and in Kosovo and Me tohija. Welcoming the Russian parliamentarians, Bozovic thanked Russia's state b odies for their consistent and objective stand on the Kosovo and Metohija crisis, which was based on the truth and facts. Bozovic said that Russia's principled behaviour had encouraged Yugoslav peoples in the past few very difficult weeks, which was another proof of the true friendship between the two states. Good and friendly relations between Yugoslavia and Russia are very impor tant for peace and stability in Europe and other parts of the world, Bozo vic said. He said that the signing of an agreement on an OSCE verification mission in Kosovo and Metohija also meant the reintegration of our state in the OSCE, which "widely opens the door for Yugoslavia's return into other int ernational organisations and institutions." The Russian President, Government and Parliament took a single stand on Kosovo and Metohija, Baburin said and added that during their stay in Yug oslavia and Kosovo and Metohija, the State Duma delegation had seen that the situation in Serbia's southern province was "really difficult." According to Baburin, the OSCE mission in Yugoslavia is the best element for the settlement of the Kosovo and Metohija crisis, and especially for removing any possibility of a military intervention against the sovereig n Yugoslav state. The best response to all aggressive international plans against Yugoslav ia is the country's rapprochement to the alliance of Russia and Belarus, Baburin said and invited a Yugoslav parliamentary delegation to attend th e November 2 session of the alliance's assembly. Baburin said that the OSCE mission could not successfully operate in Yug oslavia unless it was a member of the organisation. He said that Yugoslav ia was among the founders of many international organisations, including the OSCE and the United Nations. [21] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVED THE DUMA DELEGATIONTanjug, 1998-10-16Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received on Friday the visiting de legation of the Russian State Duma (Lower House, 1998) headed by its Depu ty Speaker Sergei Baburin. Yugoslavia and Russia maintain successful all-round cooperation based on equality, mutual understanding and joint interests in the economy, scien ce, culture and other fields, it was noted during the meeting. The well developed parliamentary ties and contacts play an important rol e in the regular political dialogue between the two countries, and the ex change of visits by parliamentary delegations help Yugoslavia and Russia to be well informed and take stances on the outstanding issues of mutual interest, it was underlined during the meeting. Russian parliamentarians expressed their support to the policy followed by Yugoslavia and condemned the threats it has been facing. They unanimou sly endorsed the accord on implementing the political process of resolvin g problems in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija. The meeting was attended also by Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovan ovic and Russian Ambassador to Yugoslavia Yuri Kotov. [22] KOSMET PROVISIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL LENDS SUPPORT TO POLITICAL FRAMEWORKTanjug, 1998-10-16A peaceful resolution of problems in Kosovo and Metohija through dialogu e is the only acceptable way to reach lasting, just and humane solutions to all outstanding issues in the province, President of the Provisional E xecutive Council of Kosovo and Metohija Zoran Andjelkovic said late on Th ursday. At a session held late on Thursday, the Kosovo and Metohija Provisional Executive Council endorsed the "agreed political framework, i.e. principl es for a political resolution of all issues in Kosovo and Metohija, with fixed deadlines," a released statement said. Andjelkovic said that "violence and terrorism are unacceptable means, wh ich run counter to international norms," and underscored that all solutio ns must be based on full respect for the equality of all citizens and nat ional communities in the province. "The future of Kosovo and Metohija is in peace, equality, integration, a life together and in peace within Serbia and Yugoslavia," the he said. The Provisional Executive Council took a decision to set up a provincial task force for the monitoring of agricultural activities. It considered information about the supply in victuals and other basic items, the secur ing of a regular supply in fuels, the work of the Office for the developm ent of underdeveloped areas in the province, and on the restoring of prod uction. [23] YUGOSLAV DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVED THE CHINESE AMBASSADORTanjug, 1998-10-16Yugoslav Deputy Foreign Minister Zoran Novakovic received on Friday the Chinese Ambassador to Yugoslavia Pan Zhanlin to express to him the gratit ude of Yugoslavia's leadership for China's principled stance regarding th e situation in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija. China has contributed to finding a peaceful solution and preventing the use of force, Novakovic said and added that he expected China to support the implementation of the accord on peacefully resolving problems in Koso vo and Metohija in the future. China welcomes the accord that has been reached and congratulates Yugosl av President Slobodan Milosevic and Yugoslav diplomacy for successfully r eaching the best possible accord in the existing circumstances, which has averted a foreign aggression and preserved the fundamental principles of the defense of Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the C hinese Ambassador said. China believes that the accord should remove all threats of the use of f orce and pave the way for lifting the outer wall of sanctions against Yug oslavia, Pan said. The Ambassador expressed China's readiness to take part in the observer mission the UN Secretary-General intends to send to Yugoslavia to monitor the implementation of the Security Council resolution on Kosovo and Meto hija. [24] YUGOSLAV DEPUTY PREMIER: EUROPE WILL BE OASIS OF PEACE AND COOPERATIONTanjug, 1998-10-16Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Lilic said on Friday that the endea vours to a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Serbia's southern provinc e of Kosovo and Metohija, by implementing the accord on the province, gua ranteed the preservation of Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territorial inte grity. At a reception he hosted for the participants of an international round table on Russia's Balkan policy, Lilic thanked all who defend the princip le of non-interference in internal affairs of countries, which is the fun damental principle of Yugoslavia's foreign policy. Underlining that some countries have in Yugoslavia's case attempted to v iolate the international legal principle that no action can be taken agai nst a sovereign country without a relevant Security Council decision, Lil ic said such attempts would not have been possible in the past when there existed a balance of power in a bi-polar world. Welcoming the round table participants from Russia, Spain, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, the Russian State Duma and Defense Council delegations and re presentatives of international and Belgrade-based institutes, Lilic said he hoped Europe would become an oasis of peace and cooperation in the int erest of all its peoples. [25] PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF REPUBLICS BOZOVIC RECEIVED THE CHILEAN AMBASSADORTanjug, 1998-10-16The Yugoslav Parliament's Chamber of Republics President Srdja Bozo vic on Friday received the newly appointed Chilean Ambassador to Yugoslavia Augustini Garcia Espinos a, the Federal Parliament said. Bozovic informed the Ambassador in more general terms with the constitut ional role, structure and organization of work of the Federal Parliament, stressing its good cooperation and development of relations with numerou s parliaments world over. Underscoring also the importance of Yugoslavia's continuous membership a nd constant activities in the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which confirms t hat the general international support to Yugoslavia is justified, Bozovic expressed the need for establishing concrete forms of parliamentary coop eration between the two counties, since such cooperation is the foundatio n for all other relations, the statement quoted Bozovic as saying. The Chilean Ambassador agreed with these assessments and expressed readi ness for the immediate taking of measures and launching activities for pr omoting cooperation between the parliaments, as well as overall relations between Yugoslavia and this South American country, the Federal Parliame nt statement said. 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