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Serbia Today 96-06-28Serbia Today Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>Serbia Today28 June 1996CONTENTS
[01] NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN FR OF YUGOSLAVIA AND THE LONDON CLUBDelegation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia headed by the Federal Minister Vuk Ognjanovic, yesterday in London started negotiations with the representatives of the world commercial banks, known as the London Club 400. This is the first official contact and the start of negotiations between the FR of Yugoslavia and the London Club banks, creditors of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During the talks, matters will be discussed of regulating a part of debts of the SFRY, which is to be serviced by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and there will also be discussion about normalization of the relations with the international capital market. (Borba, June 28, 1996)[02] AN UNCONDITIONAL MONETARY AND FINANCIAL DISCIPLINEMain Committee of the Socialist Party of Serbia at its yesterday's session, had positive views of the party activities from the Third Congress until now and established concrete tasks for the forthcoming period. At the session, support was given to the insistence of the leaderships of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro on the consistent implementation of the Dayton Agreement by the leadership of the Republic of Srpska. In his introductory presentation about the actual situation in the economy and measures of economic policy until the end of the year, member of the Executive Committee and Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Mirko Marjanovic said the following: "After two and a half years since the implementation of the Program of Economic Recovery, where the Government of Serbia was the main carrier, it may be stated that the production is showing a tendency of growth, that the economic activities are taking place in an incomparably more stable climate of earning in comparison with the past period, that the growth of income and standard of living was recorded, that the basic mechanisms of a market oriented economic mechanisms were operationalized, that the state has provided for full budgetary discipline, that normal functioning of the large-scale infrastructural systems was secured important for the life of citizens and performance of economic activities, that all the public services have done a great deal for the effects of sanctions to be alleviated". Prime Minister continued: "Contrary to our expectations, however, the 'outer wall' of sanctions is still present, the return to the international economic organizations is moving at a slower pace and significant financial assets are still blocked abroad, which is all making very difficult the inflow of foreign capital, obtaining of credits and establishment of normal foreign trade relations". (Politika, June 28, 1996)[03] PUBLIC HEARING IN THE CASE OF KARADZIC AND MLADICYesterday before the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, public hearing started in the case based on indictment which the chief Prosecutor Richard Goldstone filed against President of the Republic of Srpska Radovan Karadzic and the Commander of the Main Headquarters of the Republic of Srpska Army General Ratko Mladic. Karadzic and Mladic are indicted for war crimes, genocide, violation of the war law, crime against humanity, unlawful detention of civilians, bombardment of civilian settlements, destruction of property and plunder. Yesterday's beginning of the procedure has opened many questions which are yet to receive answers. This is the view of the majority of observers following the work of the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague from the very beginning of its functioning. At the same time, it is observed that this is coinciding with the new pressures made on the Republic of Srpska on the eve of the Bosnian elections and that this is not just a random coincidence, which is already speaking of the fact that the politics has mixed its fingers in the matters of judiciary. Furthermore, in the indictments there is only mention of the alleged crimes which, under the leadership of the two main indicted, were committed by the Serbian side. However, the international community has determined that in Bosnia a civil war was wagged, with the elements of a religious conflict, in which crimes were committed by all. This is also evident in the materials of this Tribunal. For the Muslim President Alija Izetbegovic even the evidence was submitted proving that he had visited prison camps in which Serbian civilians were tortured and killed. Finally, in such an extensively collected documentation of The Hague Tribunal, there is not even a hint of the Markale massacre and of the massacre in Vase Miskina Street (in Sarajevo) which were, as admitted at a latter date, committed by the Muslims. (Vecernje novosti, June 28, 1996)[04] YET ANOTHER VOICE AGAINST 'MORBID IDEA'On the occasion of the intention of the Croat President Franjo Tudjman to transform Jasenovac into a memorial center for all victims of the war - both Fascist killers and the assassinated Jews, Serbs and Gypsies - the Director of the Eastern European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel Cvi Rav Ner proposed to the President of the Israeli Assembly (Kneset) to publish a protest in all the public information media. In the letter to the Association of Jews from Former Yugoslavia, which was the first one to raise its voice against such Tudjman's "morbid idea", Ner is saying that Israel is restraining from establishing diplomatic relations with Croatia. The reason for this is, states the letter, Tudjman's book and attempts to minimize the number of victims of the holocaust in Croatia, as well as the anti-Semite insinuations contained in the book. In the contacts of Israel with the representatives of the international community there is always a voice of caution being raised at the cynical attempts of rehabilitation of Fascist criminals and actions are instigated against such Tudjman's moves. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, together with the Association of Jews from Former Yugoslavia, will try to prevent desecration of the memory of Jewish victims who have perished in Jasenovac. This Association has sent letters of protest against Tudjman's attempts, among others, to the President of Israel Ezer Weissmann, to the memorial center of victims and heroes of the holocaust Jad Vashem in Jerusalem, to the Museum of Holocaust in Washington D.C. and to the World Jewish Congress. (Politika, June 28, 1996)[05] AFTER GHALI'S ACCUSATIONS OF ZAGREBWith an extensive and mostly accusing report submitted by Boutros Ghali to the UN Security Council on the status of the remaining Serbs in Croatia, the period of several months of criticism at the expense of the official Zagreb is being rounded up. Criticism is arriving even from those world centers which were until recently giving the Banski Dvori clique their full and 'carte blanche' support.At the same time, with the refusal of the Republic of Croatia to truly and in accordance with the international standards resolve this crucial question of the future Serbo-Croat relations, there is an extremely successful process of peaceful reintegration of the Srem and Baranja Region taking place, with the wholehearted cooperation of the Serbian local authorities. One of the most important of all is, of course, the question of demilitarization which was, thanks to the cooperation by both the citizens and authorities of the Serbian region, completed according to plan, exactly one week ago. Such a development is opening before the international public, for who knows how many times now, the significance of "the Serbian question". No matter how disquieting is the stubbornness and persistence of the official Zagreb on "Croatia without Serbs", so much more is encouraging the fact that the factors of highest authority, engaged in the solution of crisis in former Yugoslavia, are more and more often and essentially engaged in these problems. Although one should not have too high expectations that Ghali's report, and several previous presidential and other lukewarm communiques, will produce more emphatic effects on the creators of Croat policies, it is noticeable that both Europe and the rest of the world over the past few months are being faced with the dilemma: now that the Serbian side is with great cooperation taking part in all jobs connected with peaceful reintegration, how can one convince Zagreb to guarantee Serbian minority an optimum of civil rights and freedoms, and in all that just by respecting international criteria? In spite of all the warnings of the Council of Europe and the disastrous analysis appearing on the pages of the world press, Zagreb is not giving up on selective amnesty for Serbs. The cosmetics contained in the amendments to this Law, which should serve as a normative guarantee to Serbs that conflicts in Croatia are being left behind, to the past and history, is a sarcastic ridicule both of the world mediators and of the Serbian population. While speaking of the return of Serbs to their homes, the very fact that only some 7,000 of them have found themselves again in their homeland is the best illustration speaking for itself. This is only confirming what was said so many times before - that the international community is back to square one, when speaking of both poles of "the Serbian question", both in the return of Serbs and in the status of the Srem and Baranja Region. Guarantees which the international community had undertaken are now being jeopardized by Croatia. These facts can not deleted what has already been done. Creating conditions for opening of the highway, railways, establishment of telephone communications and similar, are showing in which direction can be proceeded when both sides are cooperating. The Carrington formula for reduction of war tensions already at the very beginning was foreseeing a sort of autonomy for Serbs. This was recently recalled by the chief of German diplomacy Klaus Kinkel. Vance's plan had also established a number of mechanisms which were guaranteeing Serbs in Croatia a high degree of national rights and freedoms. The impression remains that the international community even at the time of its greatest lack of sympathy for Serbs, was taking care of the importance of "the Serbian question". Recalling again this question does not have as aim to undermine the small but important steps taken so far in the arrangement of the Serbo-Croat relations. On the contrary, in order to continue in this direction it is necessary to offer those political models which will guarantee that "the Serbian question" will not appear again and again as the source of instability in these areas and in the relations between the two states, and that this can be discussed not as a nationalistic but as a civilizational issue. What has been happening these last weeks in this respect, suggests that "the Serbian question" in Croatia will appear also as some kind of indicator in the balance of political power between Europe and the United States. In the light of this fact, it is necessary to search for such a chance which, by wise policy and through negotiations and by insisting on international guarantees, will make possible for the final solution be reached. (Politika, June 28, 1996) Serbia Today Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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