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Serbia Today 96-07-12Serbia Today Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>Serbia Today12 July 1996CONTENTS
[01] SUPPORTING THE PARTICIPATION OF FR IN ALL INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONSSerbian President Slobodan Milosevic received the Irish Foreign Minister and Chairman of the EU Ministerial Council - Mr. Dick Spring, who arrived on an official visit to FR Yugoslavia accompanied by the EU Foreign Affairs Secretary - Mr. Hans Van den Broek.During the talks opinions have been exchanged about the most important political issues in the region, and the importance of a continuous dialogue between our country and EU and its members has been stressed in light of the support FR Yugoslavia gives to the EU regional approach in the relations with the former Yugoslav republics. Underscoring the fact that FR Yugoslavia is pursuing a coherent peace policy and gives its full support to the strengthening of international stability, the Yugoslav side expressed expectations that Ireland as the country chairing the EU will endorse the efforts to give Yugoslavia its rightful place in the international community. (Politika July 12, 1996) [02] BUSINESS IS RETURNING"The purpose of our visit is to renew the close mutual cooperation we had before, and to reopen the trade representative offices in Yugoslavia" - said Mr. Kenzo Harada - head of a Japanese trade delegation and Chairman of the Japanese Committee for economic cooperation - during his encounter with Yugoslav businessmen.The first Japanese business delegation to come to Yugoslavia after six years, comprises renown managers from a dozen companies from the sectors of metallurgy, metal processing, electrical machinery, telecommunications and from automobile industry, but also the representatives of the largest foreign trade corporations and banks. (Politika Ekspres, July 12, 1996) [03] A DECISION DICTATED BY POLITICAL MOTIVESWith a majority of votes, the Hague Tribunal assumed yesterday the competence to rule on the alleged breach of the 1948 Geneva convention on prevention and punishment of genocide crimes, invoked in 1993 by the Moslem Government in Sarajevo accused FR Yugoslavia of being responsible of aggression, war destruction and inspiring ethnic cleansing.Responding to these accusations, a team of legal experts from FR Yugoslavia, provided evidence that our country took in no way part in the conflict in Bosnia in the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where - as the international community admitted - a civil war involving at least three sides took place: Moslem, Croatian and Serbian, and a fourth one - that of the Moslem forces loyal to Fikret Abdic. The Yugoslav jurists objected to the right of the Sarajevo Government to invoke the Geneva Convention, because it was not a signatory at the time it initiated the legal proceedings, as well as to the representative quality of Alija Izetbegovic since "he has not been legally elected president ". In fact the Moslem government in Sarajevo is directly responsible for the escalation of the civil war because it denied the Serbs in Bosnia the right of self-determination, and as such it can not invoke any judgment in its favor for things it has provoked. According to the Charge d'Affaires of the Yugoslav Embassy in the Hague - Dr. Djordje Lopicic, who was present when the Tribunal announced its decision, Yugoslavia is dissatisfied with this ruling because it has been dictated by political motives. The political background of the decision is clearly illustrated by the fact that the Tribunal disregarded completely the arguments quoted by the Yugoslav side. (Borba, July 12, 1996) [04] INTERNATIONAL APB FOR KARADZIC AND MLADICThe International Criminal tribunal for crimes of war committed in former Yugoslavia - presided by the French judge Claude Jourdas, confirmed the indictments for crimes of war against the Republic of Srpska leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander Ratko Mladic, and issued an international arrest warrant for both of them.The decision marked the end of the "public hearing" of witnesses for the indictment of Karadzic and Mladic, carried out in accordance with Art. 61 of the Tribunal Regulations - used in cases when the accused are not accessible to the Tribunal. The Tribunal session that lasted seven work days, some two dozen "expert witnesses" and "eye-witnesses" appeared before the judges, who confirmed all the points of the indictment - as planned. (Politika, July 12, 1996) [05] TIMED SPECTACLEThe international arrest warrant for two Serbian leaders in former Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been turned into a true spectacle accompanied by various manifestations and protests involving Dutch representatives but also Moslems from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dutch media and the seventh power through the world seems to have been prompted for another anti-Serbian campaign.The indictment , various organized protest rallies (posters inviting to the rallies had been pasted beforehand not only in the Hague streets but in the Tribunal corridors) and public reminiscences of "Serbian crimes", US pressure for the definite removal of Karadzic from the political scene and "exhumation of mass graves" around Srebrenica, "coincide with the anniversary of the fall of Srebrenica. It is quite obvious that the Hague Tribunal carefully selected the date and the for passing its ruling. The hearing organized beforehand without Karadzic and Mladic being present (according to Art. 61 of the Tribunal Regulations), was not a trial nor can a sentence be passed in the absence of the accused. The arrest warrant has been sent to all the countries of the world. Yugoslavia and IFOR have been cited in a special way. IFOR is expected to organize "the transport of the accused to the Hague". But, in view of the official mandate of the international forces and the danger that the troops would face in carrying out such an operation, the public opinion had to be primed. The first phase involved the investigation of the mass graves, accompanied by maximum publicity, political pressures and spontaneous "echoes" of the "international public opinion" in numerous articles published daily. (Vecernje Novosti July 11, 1996) [06] WHY ARE ONLY THE SERBS GUILTY IN BOSNIAIn an article entitled "Is the Hague Tribunal Objective", the influential Bulgarian newspaper "Duma" remarks that the International Criminal Tribunal in the Hague is trying to mark Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic as the prime culprits for the Bosnian tragedy."Alija Izetbegovic is a no lesser culprit, since he saw the war in Bosnia as a beginning of the jihad for the triumph of Islam throughout the world". "Even though he signed the Dayton Agreement, he still remains an Islamic warrior" - remarks the Bulgarian newspaper. "Not so long ago, during a visit to the Moslem enclave of Gorazde, Izetbegovic promised his supporters a new arm for the definite liberation of entire Bosnia and the final victory " - says "Duma". The same article stresses that last summer, Franjo Tudjman ordered the Croatian Army to invade Serbian Krajina. "This is how justice is done today" remarks the author, raising the question why the International Tribunal in the Hague is dealing only with the war crimes in former Yugoslavia, when many other similar wars have been fought in the recent past: Korea, Vietnam, Near East, Cyprus, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Chechnya... Seemingly no crimes were committed in any of these wars except in the one fought in the Balkans, and naturally the Serbs have to go to the Hague to be tried, and are even threatened with sanctions if they do not cooperate - concludes the Bulgarian newspaper. (Politika July 12, 1996) <B> </B> MASSACRED AFTER THEY DIED Of the 152 bodies of Serbs from the zone of Herzegovina, turned over by the Moslems and Croats, 120 are without head and other limbs - states Dr. Zoran Stankovic - medical examiner of the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade - who was involved in the identification. According to the same expert, in most of the cases the bodies were massacred after death, indicating the unusual brutality and monstrosity of the assassins. Both Dr. Stankovic and the relatives had great difficulties in identifying the dead, and many have been buried as "unknown". [07] NEW TERRORIST ATTACKS IN KOSOVOYesterday morning in Podujevo in the province of Kosovo and Metohija, an unidentified attacked and wounded Police officer Sredoje Radovic. This was yet another in a series of attacks by Albanian extremists. The last one took place on June 17 near the town of Kosovska Mitrovica when Police officer Predrag Djordjevic was killed and his patrol partner Zoran Vukojcic was heavily wounded. That same night, hand grenades and automatic weapons were used in the attack on the police precinct in the village of Lucani near Podujevo, but fortunately there were no victims. Almost at the same time Police officer Goran Mitrovic was wounded in Podujevo. (Vecernje Novosti, July 12, 1996)Serbia Today Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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