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Serbia Today 96-07-05
Serbia Today
5 July 1996
CONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES BILDT AND KLEIN
[02] DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA ARE IN THE BEST
INTEREST OF ALL OF ITS CITIZENS
[03] TRANSFORMATION OF THE BALKANS INTO A ZONE OF PEACE IS THE PRIORITY
INTEREST OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
[04] WORLD PROMOTION OF 'EUROPOLIS'
[05] PERSECUTION OF SERBS REMAIN UNOBSERVED
[06] NO SANCTIONS AT ANY COST
[07] NEW MASS GRAVES DISCOVERED
[08] PERRY 'MENDS' THE FEDERATION
[09] SECURITY COUNCIL 'DEEPLY REGRETS'
[10] CRIMES AGAINST SERBS IN KRAJINA CONTINUE
[01] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES BILDT AND KLEIN
President of the Republic Slobodan Milosevic received yesterday high
representative of the international community for Bosnia-Herzegovina Carl
Bildt and had talks with him about implementation of the peace agreement, and
especially about preparations for the forthcoming elections. The efforts so
far have made possible for the process of an overall normalization of
relations and fulfillment of undertaken obligations to take place in the
positive direction, was stated during the talks. The final phase is now
forthcoming in which the elections are to be prepared with full freedom of
movement of citizens and an unobstructed presentation of the political forces
which will take part in the elections.
The UN Administrator for Srem and Baranja Region Jacques Klein informed
President Milosevic of the process of implementation of the Erdut Agreement
and expressed satisfaction with the results achieved so far in its
implementation. Demilitarization was successfully completed in the planed
time, the joint police forces have been made functional and the key focus is
now on the revitalization of the economic life. According to Klein, the
contracting parties to the agreement are showing the necessary readiness for
cooperation with his team, which is a significant contribution to a continuous
progress of the process of stabilization of the situation in these areas.
(Politika, July 4, 1996)
[02] DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA ARE IN THE BEST
INTEREST OF ALL OF ITS CITIZENS
President of the Republic Slobodan Milosevic received yesterday acting
president of the Republic of Srpska Biljana Plavsic, who had on June 30, 1996
taken over the competencies of the President of the Republic of Srpska. She
stated her firm belief that the Republic of Srpska and all of its bodies as a
whole and successfully will continue with the implementation of the Dayton
Agreement. President Milosevic has emphasized the importance of the
comprehensive cooperation of the Republic of Srpska leadership with all the
engaged factors in successful realization of the peace process, and especially
in the preparations for the elections. According to President Milosevic,
democratic elections of the legitimate institutions in the Republic of Srpska
are in the best interest of all of its citizens and will contribute to an
undoubted affirmation of the Republic of Srpska, whose legally elected
institutions should ensure to all of its citizens a free and peaceful life,
full equality and economic and cultural progress. (Politika, July 4, 1996)
[03] TRANSFORMATION OF THE BALKANS INTO A ZONE OF PEACE IS THE PRIORITY
INTEREST OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
At Cakor Mount, which is linking Serbia and Montenegro, the central
celebration was held yesterday of the Veterans Day and 55th anniversary of the
national resurrection against the Fascist occupiers. Recalling enormous
contribution of the Serbian and Montenegrin people to the joint struggle of
the great anti-Fascist coalition in the World War Two, President of the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zoran Lilic, at a large people's rally, spoke
also of the events which have taken place over the last several years. "The
history in these regions has again taken its toll, the secessionist policy of
the former republics had caused war conflicts and caused enormous human
sacrifice and material destruction", said Lilic. "Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia with its policy succeeded in preserving peace in our country, in
preserving human lives and economic capacities. At the same time the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia has played an important role in the peace process which
is being recognized today by the entire progressive world". President Lilic
especially underlined that "transforming Balkans into a zone of peace,
stability and good neighborly cooperation is the vital interest and priority
foreign political task of the FR of Yugoslavia, where we do not only have in
mind the interests of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the Balkans, but
above all, of the Balkans in Europe". (Borba, July 5, 1996)
[04] WORLD PROMOTION OF 'EUROPOLIS'
At the World Congress of Architecture in Barcelona yesterday a promotion
was held of the program "Europolis-Belgrade on Sava River". The first
reactions among experts to the new architectural concept of the capital city
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia, are extremely favorable, and
special interest was caused by the announcement of an international
competition for the
architectural solution of the "Europolis". Dragan Tomic, president of the
Assembly of Serbia, Nada Popovic-Perisic Minister of Culture, Branislav
Ivkovic Minister of Construction and Nebojsa Covic Lord Mayor of Belgrade,
informed the audience of the history of Belgrade, its geographic, cultural,
economic specific features and advantages, of a city on the cross-roads of
international routes and civilizations. (Politika ekspres, July 5, 1996)
[05] PERSECUTION OF SERBS REMAIN UNOBSERVED
In the latest report of the International Federation of the Red Cross
and the Red Half-Moon about world catastrophes for the first time it is
admitted that persecution and sufferings of Serbs in former Yugoslavia have
remained mostly unobserved. This conclusion is supported by the facts about
the exodus of Serbs from Krajina and Western Slavonia, who in spite of the UN
mandate, were attacked by the forces of the Republic of Croatia. World media
have recorded the beginning of the exodus of Serbs, but their further fate did
not seem to interest anyone in the world. Such an exodus, Europe has not seen
since World War Two, underline the authors of the report and state that Serbs
from these areas have lost everything and that "their roots were eradicated".
"When the Croat offensive began some 200,000 Serbs abandoned their homes and
started towards Yugoslavia, which was under the sanctions, with a limited
international aid and consequences felt on its economy. Under such
circumstances, Yugoslavia had to accept several hundreds of thousands of
refugees", reads the report. This statement about the hypocrisy and unjust
attitude of the international community and the world media towards the
sufferings of Serbs, the authors are supporting also by the writings of some
newspapers in Europe and in the United States. (Politika, July 4, 1996)
[06] NO SANCTIONS AT ANY COST
In the policy of the international community towards Bosnia-Herzegovina
there is again a great confusion, underline the British analysts and state
that the situation begins to resemble the time of engagement of the UNPROFOR
in Bosnia. The commentator of "The Guardian" states that at the top of the
coordination team for civilian affairs in Bosnia there are differences which
are best illustrated by contradictory statements and actions of Carl Bildt and
his deputy Michael Steiner. Therefore, the question is who is actually
representing whom and in whose name who is speaking. The official Britain,
Foreign office confirms, is giving its full support to the Bildt's mission and
his agreements with the Republic of Srpska leadership. Contrary to the other
western media, "The Financial Times" is of the view that any punitive measures
against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia because of the Bosnian
developments, are out of the question, because so many times the policy of
peace of Belgrade has been confirmed. (Vecernje novosti, July 4, 1996)
[07] NEW MASS GRAVES DISCOVERED
The Commission of the Republic of Srpska for collecting data on the
crimes committed against humanity and international law, has submitted to the
Government of the Republic of Srpska an official information about the crimes
committed by the members of the Croat Army against Serbs during the occupation
of Mrkonjic Grad. At the local Orthodox cemetery corpses of 181 persons of
Serbian nationality were discovered, which is so far the largest mass grave
found in former Yugoslavia. The team of the forensic medical experts has so
far identified 143 persons, among them the oldest being Jovan Lazendic who was
at the time of killing 91 years old. Information was also submitted to the
International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague.
Chief of the investigation service at the Crisis Headquarters of the
former Republic of Serbian Krajina with the seat in Banja Luka, Boro
Martinovic, stated that in six mass graves in the area of Croatia, there are
600 killed Serbian civilians during the operation "Storm". According to the
data of this service, the largest number of killed Serbs, mostly aged, is to
be found in Glina cemetery, then in Petrinja city cemetery, Nosica kricu near
Glina, Vanici near Dvor na Uni, Novo Seliste near Petrinja and Matijevici near
Dvor. It is feared, however, that there is a much larger number of Serbs
hidden in the mass graves which were registered in Zamlace near Dvor, Strmen
near Kostajnica, Gvozdenjsko along the route Cesta-Glina-Dvor, between Brezovo
Polje and Gvozd. These massacres were committed during the military operation
"Storm" in Krajina in which, further to the Croat army and police forces, also
took part the members of the Fifth Corps of the Army of Bosnia-Herzegovina
from Bihac, said Martinovic. (Politika, Borba, July 5, 1996)
[08] PERRY 'MENDS' THE FEDERATION
The United States Defense Secretary William Perry arrived in Sarajevo in
order to accelerate the formation of a joint army of the Muslim-Croat
federation. He will ask of the Muslims and Croats to adopt as soon as possible
the law on defense of the federation, so that finally the Muslim and the Croat
army could be united into a joint armed forces. While the Muslims are wishing
to create a unitarian Bosnia, in which would even be integrated the Serbian
entity, Croats are not accepting the dissolution of the Republic of Herzeg-
Bosnia and its merger into the centralized federation. Dayton Agreement,
however, prescribes the creation of the joint defense of the federation and
Perry's aim is to force "the allies" to do so. (Vecernje novosti, July 4, 1996)
[09] SECURITY COUNCIL 'DEEPLY REGRETS'
One of the key sentences in the yesterday's adopted presidential
communique of the UN Security Council, devoted to the situation in Croatia,
was amended in the last minute. Zagreb is not being condemned because of "the
failure of the Croat authorities to protect the rights of local Serbian
population and of securing their safety", and neither because of "the failure
to realize conditions for the return of the exiled Serbs who are willing to
return", but the Security Council is only "deeply regretting" the failure.
After a dramatic warning by Boutros Ghali that Zagreb is avoiding to fulfil
three provisions of the Council resolution, this one and the same executive UN
body, at the pressure from Germany, responded only by adopting an unbinding
document - the presidential communique in which the key sentence about
condemnation of the Croat behaviors by being attenuated, has lost its sting.
Nevertheless, Croatia has suffered so far the strongest criticism because of
its behavior towards the Serbian side. It was clearly stated that Croat
Government has not shown its good will to provide for protection of Serbs.
Also the Croat Government was warned that protection of these rights can not
be either linked with or conditioned by other issues, including the political
negotiations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. (Borba, July 4, 1996)
[10] CRIMES AGAINST SERBS IN KRAJINA CONTINUE
Assassinations of the remaining population of Serbian nationality,
mining of their houses, looting and other forms of violation of the basic
human rights in the area of former Krajina are still continuing, without any
attempts by the Croat authorities to put a stop to them or punish
perpetrators. This was reported by the activists of the Croat Helsinki Board
(HHO) for human rights in Zagreb, who have these days visited the areas of
former Krajina. In their report many facts are stated and cases which are
supporting these claims. Ever since the last-year's Croat military action in
these areas no one in Croatia has been tried for any of the criminal acts
committed against Serbian population, which is only confirming the belief that
it is a question of a well planned policy of revenge and ethnic cleansing,
states the report. After the discovery of many mass graves with killed Serbs,
president of the Croat Helsinki Board Ivan Zvonimir Cicak says the following:
"If the exhumations are to be done in Krajina, the number of killed will shock
the Croat public". Cicak warned also at the behavior of some Catholic priests
in Krajina who are persuading the Croats from Bosnia-Herzegovina who have
relocated and settled in Krajina not to leave the possessed Serbian houses
even if the exiled owners are to return. (Politika, July 5, 1996)
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