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Serbia Today 96-02-14

Serbia Today Directory

From: ddc@nyquist.bellcore.com (D.D. Chukurov)

Serbia Today

14 February 1996

In This Edition


CONTENTS

[01] INVESTIGATION PROCEEDINGS AGAINST REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA ARMY OFFICERS BEGIN

[02] TRIBUNAL - AN INSTRUMENT OF PRESSURE

[03] VIOLATION OF THE PEACE AGREEMENT

[04] RUSSIA REQUESTS LIFTING OF SANCTIONS ON THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA

[05] MOSTAR 'KNOT' ABOUT TO BE CUT

[06] CROATIA IS AGAIN DECEIVING SECURITY COUNCIL

[07] YUGOSLAV-BULGARIAN AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENTS PROTECTION

[08] EXHIBITION 'SERBIAN-HUNGARIAN CONTACT'

[09] YUGOSLAV PROJECT OF PRIVATIZATION IS NOW DRAFTED

[10] RETURN WITH HIGHEST GUARANTEES

[11] SUBSTANTIAL AID ARRIVES FROM ZURICH


[01] INVESTIGATION PROCEEDINGS AGAINST REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA ARMY OFFICERS BEGIN

Investigation proceedings have been initiated yesterday before the International Tribunal for Prosecution of War Crimes Committed in Former Yugoslavia in The Hague against two high officers of the Republic of Srpska Army, General Djordje Djukic and Colonel Aleksa Krsmanovic. Spokesman of The Hague Tribunal Christian Chartier said at the press conference that according to the judicial procedure, the suspected but not indicted Serbian officers, were informed of their rights to the choice of defense attorney and paid sworn-in judicial interpreters. It was explained that the extradition has taken place at the orders of Judge Ninijan Steven, based on suspicion that they are possible perpetrators of the acts for which they were charged by the judicial bodies in Sarajevo. Chartier also said that in The Hague Tribunal an urgent decision is awaited on raising (or not raising) of the indictment as soon as possible. If the investigation should conclude that there are no grounds for indictment, Djukic and Krsmanovic will be returned to the authorities in Sarajevo from where they were taken. When asked what will happen if the local authorities should nevertheless decide to prosecute, spokesman of The Hague Tribunal said that this should not happen. Officers in question could be retained in The Hague even if their guilt is not proved, in the capacity of witnesses. Regarding the role of IFOR members in the extradition of the suspects from Sarajevo to The Hague, this form of cooperation is welcomed in The Hague, said Chartier. For purpose of further cooperation IFOR members are given detailed description and data about all of the 52 persons so far indicted for war crimes in Bosnia, from this number six are Croats, and all the others are Serbs, while no Muslim has been indicted until now. (Politika, February, 14, 1996)

[02] TRIBUNAL - AN INSTRUMENT OF PRESSURE

Command of the international forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina, IFOR and NATO, is very much concerned over further prospects of the peace mission after extradition of the two high officers of the Republic of Srpska Army to the Tribunal in The Hague, reports Tanjug from London. There is no dilemma whatsoever, recalls London, that war criminals of the Bosnian civil war should be brought to justice, but the circumstances under which Serbian officers have been arrested and their extradition are giving cause for doubt that the Tribunal in The Hague is most of all an instrument of political pressures and manipulation. (Borba, February 14, 1996)

[03] VIOLATION OF THE PEACE AGREEMENT

Regarding the extradition of the two high officers of the Republic of Srpska Army to the Tribunal in The Hague, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Srpska Aleksa Buha has sent an open letter to Carl Bildt, representatives of the Contact Group member-countries and representatives of the countries, members of the Managing Board of the Conference for the Implementation of the Dayton Agreement. "Government of the Republic of Srpska is considering its urgent duty to warn you of a number of negative elements in the present implementation of the peace agreement which must be overcome as soon as possible, so that the agreement will not be disavowed", writes Buha and lists examples of violation of the peace agreement. "A satisfactory solution regarding securing of collective and civil rights of Serbs in Sarajevo has also not been found as yet", says Buha. President of the Republic of Srpska Radovan Karadzic has qualified last night in Pale the extradition of the high Serbian officers to the Tribunal in The Hague as "yet another international disgrace". This is the hardest blow to the freedom of movement, and life together will not be possible if "the international community should continue to be sympathetic with the Muslim rovocations, while they are nursing their hatred for the Republic of Srpska", says Karadzic. (Tanjug, February 14, 1996)

[04] RUSSIA REQUESTS LIFTING OF SANCTIONS ON THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA

Russia is having consultations with the other members of the Contact Group and is trying to get information in The Hague in order to clarify circumstances of the capture of two Serbian officers by the authorities in Sarajevo. This was stated by an un-named representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, who added that the arrest is causing suspicion. At the same time spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Grigory Karasin said that Russia is striving for the lifting of sanctions against the Republic of Srpska, being of opinion that the Serbian side has fulfilled all the obligations required for such a decision. (Vecernje novosti, February 14, 1996)

[05] MOSTAR 'KNOT' ABOUT TO BE CUT

Visit of Richard Holbroke and Klaus Kinkel to Zagreb is qualified by the analysts in the world as a decisive step towards "cutting of the Mostar knot". This is also suggested by the yesterday's visit to Mostar of the NATO Secretary General Xavier Solana who expressed the support of the Atlantic alliance to the European Union administration and its plan on the life together of ethnic communities in Mostar, which was rejected last week by Croats both in Mostar and in Zagreb. Pointing out at the responsibility of Zagreb in sabotaging the Dayton Agreement, "Zie Deutsche Zeitung" of Munich is not leaving place for doubt that "Tudjman is controlling Croats in Mostar". According to the RFI "Croat authorities are closely connected with Herzegovina mafia, and by their decisions so far have made it possible for mafia to become rich, so that it can profit itself". British analysts are also inclined to conclude that Tudjman's time is running out in the simultaneous game that he is playing with the EU, USA and his quasi-partners in the Bosnian federation. (Politika, February 14, 1996)

[06] CROATIA IS AGAIN DECEIVING SECURITY COUNCIL

After several resolutions of the UN Security Council and the report by the UN Secretary General in which Croatia is being accused for killing of civilians and violation of human rights of the remaining Serbs in Krajina, Croat Government has submitted to the Security Council a report denying almost all the statements given by the UN officials on the ground. Officials from the information and documentation center "Veritas" have pointed out at a number of false data and illogical statements. For example, in the Croat report there is a mention of only 757 burnt-down houses, while members of the UN during first two months after Croat aggression in Krajina have registered 21,000 of completely or partially destroyed houses. An even greater absurd is the fact that "in the re-integrated area" 41 attempts of looting were registered, and from this number the police has allegedly solved 26 of them. About mass plunder, convoys of cars, trucks and even railway trains full of plundered goods were writing both the world media and even some Croat ones. In every Serbian village everything that could be looted was taken away, but in spite of all that only 41 cases are presented to the Security Council. Croatia is informing that it has solved also 1,151 cases of robbery, but it is not mentioned what kind of cases they are, and no one knows how these cases were solved. But everyone well knows to what harassment were subjected the remaining Serbs, mostly aged persons. In the report about killing of civilians, the killings also mentioned in Ghali's report, it is claimed that "the Croat army did not undertake any actions against civilian targets", and civilian victims are explained by "the enemy military units having used civilians as a live shield". Croatia is not mentioning any names of allegedly indicted Croats for "individual and isolated incidents". For the two most drastic cases of the murder of civilians, nine of them killed in the village of Varivode near Knin and seven in the village of Gosic, the Croat Government is claiming that the investigation of the suspects is now close to completion. It is not hard to imagine what will be the outcome of these prosecutions, because it is not the first time that Croatia is deceiving the international community. The best illustration are the murderers of Zec family in Zagreb, body-guards of the Croat Defense Minister, who were acquitted by the court although they have confessed to the crime. The criminal prosecution against Tomislav Mercep and his men who were even boasting of their crimes, was never completed. (Tanjug, February 14, 1996)

[07] YUGOSLAV-BULGARIAN AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENTS PROTECTION

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Bulgaria have concluded the agreement on promotion and protection of investments. After signing of the agreement, Prime Ministers of the FR of Yugoslavia and of Bulgaria, Dr. Radoje Kontic and Jan Videnov have jointly stated that the official visit of Bulgarian delegation to our country was very successful and has resulted in concrete agreements. Underlining the importance of the just signed agreement, Videnov said that "it is even more important that other agreements are also prepared, especially in the sphere of economy, which will be signed during the session of the Joint Yugoslav-Bulgarian Commission by the beginning of March in Sofia". The most important result of this visit, it was stated, is the joint belief that there is no return on the peace process in the Balkans and that now all the necessary conditions have been created for a stable and peaceful cooperation in the Balkans. (Politika, February 14, 1996)

[08] EXHIBITION 'SERBIAN-HUNGARIAN CONTACT'

Charge d'affaires of the Hungarian Embassy in the FR of Yugoslavia Ishtvan Sabo has opened yesterday in Belgrade a commercial exhibition entitled "Serbian-Hungarian Contact", where 40 Hungarian firms have presented their products. The exhibition, the third of its kind this year, was organized by the Hungarian Bureau for Foreign Trade and the Chamber of Economy of Yugoslavia. The presented products are illustrating opportunities for expanding cooperation in the field of power, civil engineering, food industry and machine building industry. At the meeting of Hungarian and Yugoslav businessmen at the exhibition, conditions were discussed for strengthening of cooperation between companies of the two countries and establishment of joint companies. Sabo conveyed the message of the Hungarian Government that it is necessary to normalize economic relations, as a part of an overall cooperation. (Politika, february 14, 1996)

[09] YUGOSLAV PROJECT OF PRIVATIZATION IS NOW DRAFTED

The delay in the process of privatization in Yugoslavia may even become an advantage if our country should succeed in avoiding the mistakes made by others and if it should enter this process with a clear political will and social consensus. This was stated yesterday by one of the authors of the National Bank of Yugoslavia project entitled "Privatization in Yugoslavia", Dr. Danilo Sukovic. It is a project which contains a critical survey of the so far offered models of privatization by political parties, economic institutes and influential individuals in the country, and also an analysis of experiences from the Czech Republic, Russia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Macedonia and Slovenia. Privatization is one of the prerequisites for attraction of foreign investments and a means for breaking down of unnatural monopolies, strengthening of competition and a higher economic efficiency, says Dr. Sukovic. (Politika, February 14, 1996)

[10] RETURN WITH HIGHEST GUARANTEES

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is actively striving for the international community to force Croatia to provide conditions for the return of all the exiled Serbs and to guarantee their permanent safety. This was stated yesterday by the Federal Government as an answer to the deputy question. Government will continue to insist with the international community to make the solution of problem of refugees from the Republic of Serbian Krajina "a component part of the process of solution of the Yugoslav crisis". It is requested from the international community to undertake energetic measures against Croatia with the aim "to make possible a free and safe return of all the exiled Serbs who wish to return to their centuries long homes". And Yugoslavia will undertake actions in that direction also within the framework of negotiations about normalization of the Yugoslav-Croat relations. (Borba, February 14, 1996)

[11] SUBSTANTIAL AID ARRIVES FROM ZURICH

Humanitarian Orthodox Christians Society of Switzerland has sent recently to Belgrade two large shipments of humanitarian aid in the total value of some 126 thousand DEM. In gathering of humanitarian aid for purchase and preparation of two thousand parcels, this humanitarian organization had a great help from the organization of the Evangelist Church in Switzerland which has already before taken part in gathering aid for Serbian refugees. The donors from Switzerland have prepared 3,500 parcels for Banja Luka and 1,500 for Modrica. (Politika, February 14, 1996)

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