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Serbia Today 96-07-01

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

Serbia Today

1 July 1996


CONTENTS

  • [01] LILIC: MOST IMPORTANT IS CONSISTENT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE AGREEMENT
  • [02] NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS WITH THE LONDON CLUB
  • [03] ALBANIANS ARE ENTITLED TO MINORITY RIGHTS
  • [04] BRIDGES OF COOPERATION
  • [05] KARADZIC WITHDRAWS FROM OFFICE
  • [06] SERBS WHO CAME TO VOTE - ATTACKED
  • [07] CLINTON: EXISTENCE OF HERZEG-BOSNIA IS OPPOSED TO THE DAYTON AGREEMENT
  • [08] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL PREPARES AN INDICTMENT OF TUDJMAN
  • [09] TERRORISTS ON A PEDESTAL

  • [01] LILIC: MOST IMPORTANT IS CONSISTENT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE AGREEMENT

    The crucial positive development for the foreign political position of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia since it was constituted as a state-successor of former Yugoslavia, is the reaching of the peace agreement for Bosnia-Herzegovina, stated the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zoran Lilic in his interview for the "Politika ekspres" daily. "The most important thing now is a consistent implementation of the Dayton-Paris peace agreement, which we shall decisively continue to support", stated the President. Regarding the occasional threats of an eventual imposition of sanctions again on Yugoslavia, Lilic underlined that all the key factors in the international community have confirmed that the FR of Yugoslavia has fulfilled and is continuing to fulfil all of its obligations deriving from the Dayton Agreement and that it is closely cooperating with the representatives of the institutions entrusted with the mandate to instigate its implementation. "In the Balkans and in Europe the understanding prevails that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is the most meritorious for the progress of the peace process, that it is a factor of peace, of good neighborly relations, of economic linkage and other integration processes", said Lilic. While qualifying the present-day place and role of the FR of Yugoslavia in the international community, Lilic emphasized that "the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is now accepted as a partner in the solution of regional matters and in developing of such forms of bilateral cooperation which are based on principles of mutual benefit and interest". (Politika ekspres, June 29, 1996)

    [02] NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS WITH THE LONDON CLUB

    Federal Minister Vuk Ognjanovic who was heading the Yugoslav delegation at the negotiations with the London Club, stated yesterday that he is satisfied with the negotiations and that the first serious step was made in the normalization of the relations. "This was our first meeting after five years with the representatives of the London Club which is gathering over 400 of the world commercial banks. This is a part of the global strategy of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia towards normalization of the relations with the international financial organizations and commercial banks, and towards presenting in a right way our role and significance on the international market", stated Ognjanovic. "The fact that the first important step was made and that new term was scheduled for the second round of negotiations, speaks in favor of the fact that mutual interest was confirmed for normalization of the relations. In the London Club of deputies, and even broader, in the London financial circles, there was an excellent reception of our decision to engage a distinguished English bank National Westminster ("Nat West") for our consultant which is to assist us in the negotiations with the Club and in representing Yugoslavia on the international market of capital", said the Federal Minister. (Politika, July 1, 1996)

    [03] ALBANIANS ARE ENTITLED TO MINORITY RIGHTS

    "It would be a limitation of the constitutional authority of the state, and thus of Serbia, if the international community is to prescribe for it its state set-up because the national minorities are existing in it", stated the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Prof.Dr. Ratko Markovic. This would be a very dangerous precedent for the entire international community, he added. The basic question which must be classified is whether the Albanians in the state of Serbia, regardless of their number, are a constituent people like Serbs are, or are they a national minority. In this it is necessary to bear in mind that Albanians as a nation already have realized their statehood in a separate state of Albania. Serbs as a nation, are having only one state, in which they have realized their statehood, and it is the Republic of Serbia. Therefore, the question regarding the status of Serbia is absolutely clear. Serbia, historically speaking, is a state in which the Serbian people has realized its collective right to self-determination, but it is also functioning as a civil state. Albanians in Serbia are a national minority, because they already have a state of their own, and they, as well as all the other minorities, should have "a catalogue of minority rights" in the composition of which the international community should also take part. (Borba, July 1, 1996)

    [04] BRIDGES OF COOPERATION

    Radio Belgrade and Radio Bucharest have broadcasted on Saturday their first joint two-hour program of actual events entitled "Radio Bridge". In this program about the relations between the two neighboring and friendly countries, Prime Ministers of Yugoslavia and of Romania were speaking, Radoje Kontic and Nikolae Vakaroju. Both prime ministers stated that the Yugoslav-Rumanian relations are traditionally good and stable, based on good neighborly relations, non-interference in the internal affairs, mutual respect and understanding. "Between our countries there are no open issues whatsoever. We have identical or close views on almost all of the most important international and regional issues", said Kontic. Romania by its principled and constructive policy had significantly contributed to the peaceful solution of the Yugoslav crisis and had undertaken and supported actions for lifting of sanctions and the return of the FR of Yugoslavia to the international community, underlined the Yugoslav Prime Minister. Rumanian Prime Minister especially emphasized the importance of the Yugoslav-Rumanian cooperation in all the fields and expressed hope that the trade exchange already by the end of next year will reach the value of one billion US dollars. (Politika ekspres, June 30, 1996)

    [05] KARADZIC WITHDRAWS FROM OFFICE

    High representative of the international community for civilian matters in Bosnia, Carl Bildt, confirmed yesterday that the President of the Republic of Srpska Radovan Karadzic has handed over his office to the Vice President of the Presidency Biljana Plavsic. In the communique published in Sarajevo, Bildt states that he had received a document in which it is stated that Karadzic was replaced in the office of the President by Biljana Plavsic, and that this decision has come into force immediately. "As of today, Karadzic has no authority and can not perform any official function", stated Carl Bildt. Karadzic over the past weeks was under an extreme pressure from the international community to withdraw from office, and two days ago Bildt made an ultimatum deadline for his withdrawal (July 1, 1996), threatening by imposing again economic sanctions. (Politika, July 1, 1996)

    [06] SERBS WHO CAME TO VOTE - ATTACKED

    Muslims in Mostar have attacked Serbs who arrived from Belgrade to vote at yesterday's local elections. Foreign news agencies are reporting that a number of Serbs were beaten up. From some 40,000 Serbs who were already during the first year expelled from Mostar, only 160 of them came to vote, and in the city there is barely another few hundreds of them. Serbian refugees have arrived from Belgrade to vote because, contrary to the Muslims and Croats who are allowed to vote abroad, it was not permitted to them to give their vote in the FR of Yugoslavia and in the Republic of Srpska. The reporter of Radio Zagreb, who was reporting about this incident, did not mention the incident which in the opinion of the foreign news agencies, had happened in the Croat part of Mostar, where the Muslims were attacked. The enraged Croats stoned at least two buses with Muslims from the eastern part of Mostar, who came to vote in the western Croat part of the city, where they were living before the eruption of conflict between the present-day allies. (Vecernje novosti, July 1, 1996)

    [07] CLINTON: EXISTENCE OF HERZEG-BOSNIA IS OPPOSED TO THE DAYTON AGREEMENT

    The United States President Bill Clinton had sent a letter to the Croat President Tudjman in which he is expressing his concern because of the political events taking place in the Muslim-Croat federation, regarding the creation of federal units, and especially because of the existence of Herzeg-Bosnia, which is opposed to the Dayton Agreement. Clinton is warning that such authorities "should be disbanded at once" and qualified the recent nomination of the new ministers of Herzeg-Bosnia as "diminishing of efforts for construction of the federation". Clinton in his letter also stated that he had expressed his concerns to the leader of the Bosnian Muslims Alija Izetbegovic because of the resistance of certain Muslims structures to the process of implementation of the Dayton Agreement. In response to Clinton, it is reported in Zagreb, Tudjman said that Croatia is supporting Dayton Agreement and that it will gradually disband structures of the Croat republic of Herzeg-Bosnia. However, said Tudjman, giving of 'further concessions' to the Muslim side would certainly influence "the frustration of Bosnian-Herzegovian Croats and would be counter-productive for the entire process". (Politika, June 30, 1996)

    [08] THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL PREPARES AN INDICTMENT OF TUDJMAN

    International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague is preparing an indictment against the Croat President Franjo Tudjman and six of his generals, reports the German news agency DPA from Stockholm, quoting the writing of a Swedish newspaper "Dagens niheter". This Stockholm newspaper has published a report from The Hague, quoting "reliable sources from the Tribunal Prosecution". According to the writings of this newspaper, an indictment should be filed within six months and Tudjman and his generals will be indicted as persons responsible for war crimes committed against Serbs during the attack on Krajina. (Borba, June 29-30, 1996)

    [09] TERRORISTS ON A PEDESTAL

    What are the political winds blowing these days in Croatia is best illustrated by the fact that over the past several years several thousands of monuments from the People's Liberation War were either destroyed or removed, the monuments bearing witness of the anti-Fascist struggle. At the same time monuments are being erected and homage paid to the Ustashi terrorists, and this label is not forced upon them because they themselves were admitting at being the Ustashi and that they are fighting for these aims. The latest examples are erecting of a monument near Omis to the members of the Ustashi terrorist group which in 1972 was infiltrated in Yugoslavia in order "to start rebellion" - a monument to Ambrozije, Andrija and Pavle Vegar, as well as the construction of "a memorial center" to the Ustashi terrorist and the assassin of the Yugoslav ambassador to Sweden, Miro Barisic. All this is being done under the auspices of the present-day Minster of Defense Gojko Susak who was also boasting of his Ustashi roots. These days even from the very Parliament (Sabor) of Croatia the initiative has arrived for the 19 Ustashi terrorists - the so-called Bugojno group - infiltrated in the summer of 1972, to be proclaimed "Ustashi unit - the predecessors of the Croat volunteers of the motherland war". The proposal has not been adopted as yet, because there is an obvious search for the best solution, because the main part of this terrorist story was taking place in the preset-day foreign state. However, the general atmosphere is best shown by an open support to this initiative voiced on the pages on the "Vjesnik" daily. This newspaper is presenting "the Bugojno group" as "Croat idealists who have arrived 20 years too early for the rebellion to be raised". While stating that "Bugojno group" was only "bearing witness of the never forgotten or discontinued strives of Croats for the renewals of their own state", the newspaper also states that it should not be allowed to continue in newspaper files and official state documents for them to be filed in the official archives under the label "Action of terrorists in Bosnia-Herzegovina". (Politika, June 30, 1996)
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