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Serbia Today 96-07-31
Serbia Today
31 July 1996
CONTENTS
[01] WE ARE PURSUING A POLICY OF PEACE IN KOSOVO AS WELL
[02] ZAGREB WANTS THE SERBS TO LEAVE
[03] UNEQUAL TREATMENT OF THE SERBS
[04] THREATS OF SANCTIONS AGAINST CROATIA
[05] INADMISSIBLE PRECEDENTS
[06] IFOR BLIND FOR TERRORISM
[07] TALKS BETWEEN THE RS DELEGATION AND THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL
[01] WE ARE PURSUING A POLICY OF PEACE IN KOSOVO AS WELL
Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic started a tour of the
province of Kosovo yesterday by visiting the "Trepca" Mining,
Metallurgy and Chemical Combine plant for the production of car
batteries and zinc processing in Kosovska Mitrovica. Later on the
Prime Minister met in Pristina with local politicians and
businessmen and remarked: "For the past three years the Serbian
Government has been successfully promoting the program for the
rehabilitation of the national economy. Even the harshest critics
can not deny the fact that we managed to stabilize the business
environment, livened up the economic activities and greatly
increase the wages and the living standard of the population. This
year we set out to accomplish a rather ambitious objective of
preserving the stability of the dinar and of the prices and to
ensure at the same time a quicker economic growth than in the
previous years. We shall succeed. " Speaking about certain specific
characteristics of the social and economic status in Kosovo and
Metohija and the development of the province, Mr. Marjanovic
stressed that Kosovo and Metohija is a constituent, indisputable
and inalienable part of the Republic of Serbia, and consequently
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, adding that this is also the
stand assumed by the international community. "The basic guidelines
of the policy pursued by the Serbian Government are peace, the
functioning of a state of law, battle against crime and economic
prosperity. Within this framework in Kosovo and Metohija we shall
pursue a policy of peace, with Constitutional and legal rights for
all citizens regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliation -
according to the highest European and global standards.
Furthermore, we are enacting the economic revitalization Program
in this part of our republic as well" said the Premier and added
"All political issues and all controversies are to be solved
through the legal institutions. It is very important that the
ethnic Albanians have realized that the separatist leaders -
advocating self-isolation - brought them in a difficult situation
jeopardizing their basic interests. Peace in the province, equality
of all citizens and common interests create the necessary
environment for the ethnic Albanians to become involved in the
political and economic activities in Kosovo and Metohija and Serbia
as a whole. They can also take part - within the legal institutions
- in the economy, culture, education and all other aspects of civil
life." - stressed the Prime Minister of Serbia during his visit to
Pristina.
(Politika, July 31, 1996)
[02] ZAGREB WANTS THE SERBS TO LEAVE
The Zagreb based Croatian civil committee "Returning Home",
chaired by Dr. Sava Zlatic, launched an appeal to the Croatian and
international public. The statement warns that the current Croatian
authorities plan to use the peaceful reintegration of Baranja,
eastern Slavonija and Srem to complete the expatriation of Croatian
citizens of Serbian ethnic origin from their country - Croatia. The
Committee affirms that the Croatian public has not been informed
that the attitude of the government regarding the return of the
Serbs is one of the main reasons for the postponement of the
admission of Croatia to the Council of Europe. In spite of the
obligations assumed before the international community, Croatia
still pursues a reductionist policy in registering one's
citizenship and granting personal identification documents.
"Contrary to all international norms and human rights, Croatia is
rejecting part of its citizens only because they have a different
ethnic origin and religion and were born or lived in the zone of
Krajina shaped by the war" - reads the statement. The Committee
appeals to the conscience and morale of all citizens of Croatia
asking them to support equal criteria for the return of refugees
regardless of their ethnic origin. Reminding that "most of the
settlements where Croatian citizens of Serbian nationality lived
before emigrating or being expelled are demolished, bombed, burned
or razed to the ground", the civil Committee demands that "the
articles of the Law on reconstruction be applicable to these people
just as they are for Croatian refugees, that their villages be
gradually rebuilt and their return made possible".
(Politika, July 31, 1996)
[03] UNEQUAL TREATMENT OF THE SERBS
The Serbs in the Republic of Srpska and the Serbian refugees are
being discriminated in confront of the Moslems and Croats as far
as the September elections are concerned - said Mr. Slobodan Kovac
- member of the Temporary Electoral Committee in Bosnia and
Herzegovina and Judge of the Constitutional Court of the Republic
of Srpska. Serbs that found refuge in third countries have to
register with the embassies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and
thousands of expelled persons from the former Republic of Serbian
Krajina that would like to stay in the Republic of Srpska have no
right of vote. The Serbian side asked the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to find a way for the Serbian
refugees not to have to report to the embassies only in order to
be included in the electoral lists, but this has been rejected." -
said Mr. Kovac. He also reminded that there is the problem of
Croats from Bosnia now living in Croatia that have twin citizenship
and now insist on voting in the Republic of Srpska counties along
the border.
(Politika, July 31, 1996)
[04] THREATS OF SANCTIONS AGAINST CROATIA
France insists that sanctions be applied against Croatia and the
Bosnian Croats should they continue to obstruct the unification
of Mostar. This demand will be discussed today in Brussels by the
Committee for the enactment of civilian aspects of the Dayton
document. The Croatian reply to the request made by the 15 EU
countries - that the boycott of the municipal government in Mostar
be terminated - is deemed capricious and contrary to the spirit of
the Dayton Agreement. Responding to the EU threat of revoking
financial aid to Croatia, President Tudjman said that the EU is
working against the interests of Croatia and the Croatian people.
Commentators in Paris believe that the international community has
never before been faced with such a crisis of the peace process.
The spokesman of the ruling Social Democratic Party of Austria -
Mr. Hannes Svoboda stated yesterday that the EU Foreign Ministers
should make it clear to Croatia that it will face economic
sanctions should it continue to obstruct the creation of the joint
municipal government in Mostar. He also recommended that major
pressure be made on Croatia so that it may in turn convince the
Croats in Mostar to change their attitude and allow the functioning
of the combined Moslem-Croatian municipal administration. Should
the blockade in Mostar continue after August 4th, which is the
deadline that EU gave to the Croats to "think it over", the EU will
withdraw from Mostar which would "increase the danger of escalation
of conflicts" said Mr. Svoboda.
(Borba, July 31, 1996)
[05] INADMISSIBLE PRECEDENTS
The Yugoslav Foreign Ministry remarks that fact that the Turkish
aviation authorities seized JAT jet-liners is clearly a Turkish
defiance of the legal regulations, contradicting the UN Security
Council stands and Ankara's publicized policy of endorsing
cooperation and normalization of relations with Yugoslavia. The
Turkish Government Agency for Civil Aviation refused the obligation
to return two jet-liners to the Yugoslav airline company thus
demonstrating an inadmissible behavior, which is on the verge of
piracy - reads the Federal Foreign Ministry statement. Such
precedents can not be allowed. Regardless of the controversies
concerning the division of the debts and assets of former
Yugoslavia, JAT planes have never been seized for political reasons
after the suspension of the sanctions. The Turkish unfounded
seizure and deliberate obstruction of the take-off of the JAT
plane, not only caused major political damage to the normalization
of the relations between the two countries, but also damaged the
operations of the Yugoslav Airlines (JAT) - a foreign commercial
company which is now entitled to be indemnified.
(Vecernje Novosti, July 31, 1996)
[06] IFOR BLIND FOR TERRORISM
The Serbian villages of Gornja Bocinja and Donja Bocinja on Mt.
Ozren are currently inhabited by more than 200 Mujahedins that
married Bosnian Moslem women, and this is proudly stressed by the
Moslem Democratic Action Party (SDA) leaders as an example of a
successful implementation of Izetbegovic's plan to islamize the
unitary Bosnia. Allegedly these "holy warriors" do not appear in
public, and IFOR is thus unable to spot them. The officials of the
multi-national armed forces in Bosnia also affirm that they "can
not identify" the Mujahedin instructors in the Moslem army in the
zone of Bihac - in spite of the Croatian efforts to prove their
presence in the zone. Obviously IFOR tolerates and supports the
presence in Bosnia of the mercenaries from Islamic countries, even
though they represent the nucleus of Allah's terrorists in Europe.
The local IFOR commanders deceive themselves by believing that the
Mujahedins will not attack them as long as they are left alone.
According to some sources, IFOR troops from NATO countries have
been instructed to no actions except gather data on Mujahedins.
Furthermore, the western alliance believes that it can control the
Croats at least partially with the help of the Islamic terrorists.
And while the controversy between the Croats and the Moslems is
becoming more and more heated, especially regarding the Dayton
Agreement articles on freedom of movement, the leaders of both
sides - relying on the help of the religious leaders - are making
infernal plans to return to the Republic of Srpska. The future
"repatriates" are being trained to use verbal provocation,
sabotage, incidents, assassinations etc. to "demonstrate" that the
authorities in the Republic of Srpska are not functioning and that
the rights of the Moslems and Croats are allegedly threatened thus
creating and excuse for an intervention of the Moslem- Croatian
Federation and Croatian armies, naturally with IFOR support. For
the time being, such plans are being drawn fro the zones of Brcko
and Banjaluka.
(Ekspres Politika, July 31, 1996)
[07] TALKS BETWEEN THE RS DELEGATION AND THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL
The Republic of Srpska (RS) Minister of Justice - Mr. Marko
Arsovic, stated that the "most sensitive and painful issue" during
the two day talks between the RS delegation and the Hague Tribunal
was the extradition of RS citizens accused of committing war crimes
by the Hague Tribunal. In an interview for the France Press news
Agency, Mr. Arsovic remarked that extradition of RS citizens is
impossible due to "legal shortcomings" both in the Tribunal
procedures and in the laws of the Republic of Srpska. Mr. Arsovic
also remarked that no pressures have been made by the Tribunal
concerning the extradition of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.
He confirmed that he told the Tribunal officials that the Republic
of Srpska would like the Bosnian President Izetbegovic to be
indicted for crimes committed against Serbs in the camp of Celebic
in 1992. "The Tribunal replied that he is investigating the matter
but that the dossier has not yet been opened." - said Mr. Arsovic.
AFP reports that the Hague Tribunal received a set of documents
that can be used to charge Izetbegovic and that the authorities in
Pale are now awaiting the arrival of Tribunal officials that will
carry out a "field investigation".
(Ekspres, July 31, 1996)
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