|
|
|
Serbia Today 96-08-07
Serbia Today
7 August 1996
CONTENTS
[01] MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENTS MILOSEVIC AND TUDJMAN
[02] RECOGNITION OF THE FRY PEACE POLICY
[03] THE VOTERS FOR THE BOSNIAN ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN LISTED
[04] PART OF THE GLOBAL NETWORK
[05] FORCED AGREEMENT IN MOSTAR
[06] THE TIMES: TUDJMAN IS LYING
[07] "SECRET LISTS" FOR ASSASSINATION
[08] CROATIAN WRITERS BEFORE SHAKESPEARE AND MOLIERE
[01] MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENTS MILOSEVIC AND TUDJMAN
Serbian President Milosevic and the President of the Republic of
Croatia
- Franjo Tudjman are meeting today in Athens. It is expected that they
will
discuss the enhancement of the Yugoslav -Croatian relations. Mr. Dmitris
Repas
- spokesman of the Greek Government said Milosevic and Tudjman have been
invited to Athens by the Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis. The three
leaders will also discuss the enactment of the Dayton peace document on
Bosnia. Mr. Simitis will first have talks with his two guests, and then
they
will continue separate talks on the improvement of bilateral relations.
(TANJUG, August 7, 1996)
[02] RECOGNITION OF THE FRY PEACE POLICY
Yugoslavia and Turkey have normalized the diplomatic relations that
have
been brought back to the ambassador level. In receiving the credentials
from
Mr. Darko Tanaskovic - the new Yugoslav Ambassador in Ankara, Turkish
President Suleyman Demirel expressed satisfaction for the fact that he
relations between the two countries have been brought back to embassy
level.
The approval of the Dayton Peace Agreement marked the decisive step in
the
creation of the conditions for peace in Bosnia, and this was
particularly
helped by Yugoslavia and President Slobodan Milosevic - said President
Demirel. Thus, Yugoslavia has demonstrated that it endorses peace,
stressed
the Turkish President and suggested that regional cooperation should be
pursued because this is the best option for the integration into Europe
of the
Balkan countries. Turkey started abandoning it biased policy regarding
Yugoslavia only after the adoption of the peace agreement, and before
that it
continually accused Belgrade without any arguments. (Borba, August 7,
1996)
[03] THE VOTERS FOR THE BOSNIAN ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN LISTED
The Yugoslav Government Committee established to help the refugees
exert
their voting rights in the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, revealed
at
the session held yesterday that the first and most delicate task - the
registration of the Bosnian voters in FR Yugoslavia - has been completed
as
planned. Enough time remains to verify the lists. Most of the registered
voters stated that they would like to go to Bosnia to vote, and their
transfer
will be organized by the Committee in cooperation with the corresponding
state
institutions. The Committee addressed a letter to Ambassador Robert
Frowick -
Chairman of the OSCE Temporary Elections Mission for Bosnia, inviting
him to
visit Yugoslavia and verify directly the preparations for the elections.
(Borba, August 7, 1996)
[04] PART OF THE GLOBAL NETWORK
Bulgarian Prime Minister Zhan Videnov and Yugoslav Federal Premier
- Dr.
Radoje Kontic will meet in mid-August on the border to inaugurate the
new
optical telecommunication cable linking Sofia and Belgrade - said Mr.
Ljubomir
Kolarov - Chairman of the Bulgarian Committee for postal and
telecommunication
services. The modernization of the telecommunications network will mark
a new
stage in the cooperation between Bulgaria and Yugoslavia which have
greatly
improved their relations in the past several years - for the benefit of
both
nations. This link is important not only for the economies and
communications,
but it will directly bring closer the two peoples - remarked Mr.
Kolarov. This
telecommunication backbone will be integrated into the powerful global
telecommunications network linking the Far and Near East with Central
and
Western Europe through Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. (Vecernje Novosti,
August 7, 1996)
[05] FORCED AGREEMENT IN MOSTAR
After several days of extenuating negotiations, the Mostar Croats
and
Moslems, reached yesterday an agreement on the creation of joint
municipal
administration in view of the results of the local elections held in
June,
stated the EU representative. For the time being, no details have been
revealed about the agreement, and it is expected that they will be made
public
at a later date.
London circles remark that the signing of the agreement does not
mean
that the crisis in the relations between the Croats and Moslems Mostar
has
been overcome. According to Radio BBC, this is particularly due to the
fact
that the agreement practically met all the Croatian demands and because
Mostar
will essentially remain a divided city. British commentators conclude
that the
latest crisis in Mostar, regardless of the current solutions, greatly
altered
the situation in the Moslem-Croatian Federation, and consequently in the
overall peace project for Bosnia and Herzegovina. In a broader
perspective,
this marks another defeat of the EU foreign policy and of its political
experiment in Bosnia - say analysts in London. (Borba, August 7, 1996)
[06] THE TIMES: TUDJMAN IS LYING
All along the crisis in Mostar, London used the leading media to
exert a
strong pressure on Croatian President Tudjman. After The Guardian, The
Independent, yesterday's Times joined the campaign: "President Tudjman
always
managed to "outwit" European mediators and UN representatives. Due to
his
ambitions to create a greater Croatia, he never actually accepted the
logic of
the Dayton Agreement. He refused to collaborate with the investigators
of the
international Tribunal for war crimes. He did not accept the results of
the
free elections for the Mayor of Zagreb. He refuses to allow the return
of the
Krayina Serbs. His Croats in Mostar now refuse to acknowledge the
results of
the elections held in this divided city in Bosnia, thus undermining the
general elections that are due in September." The same daily also
remarks that
Tudjman insists that he has no control over the Bosnian Croats and
continues:
"Still, President Clinton and Sir Martin Garrod - the EU Administrator
in
Mostar - know that this is a lie." (Politika, August 7, 1996)
[07] "SECRET LISTS" FOR ASSASSINATION
The United Nations Agency for refugees (UNHCR) revealed that the
lack of
cooperation by the Zagreb Government prevents the return of some 180,000
Serbs
that fled from the territory of Krayina a year ago. According to the
UNHCR
press representative - Ron Redmond, the second fact blocking the
repatriation
of the refugees is that some ten thousand Serbs - mostly elderly and
sickly-
that have stayed in Krayina faced "harassment and intimidation" during
the
past year, and that Bosnian Croats are settling in Serbian homes. A
particular
problem lies in the existence of "secret lists" of persons wanted for
questioning, having allegedly committed crimes, and used by Croatian
Police
and Border Patrols. "No one knows who is on these lists" - said Mr.
Redmond.
(Politika, August 7, 1996)
[08] CROATIAN WRITERS BEFORE SHAKESPEARE AND MOLIERE
Croatia has made "historical achievements" and "Knin has been
returned
into the bosom of mother Croatia - pure as it was at the time of King
Zvonimir", said Franjo Tudjman at the celebration of the anniversary of
the
"Operation Storm". Reminding in a pathetic tone that Knin was supposed
to
become the capital of "a Serbian republic that would rule all Croatia"
and
that "such a Serbian republic enjoyed the support of Europe and the
world",
Tudjman stressed that "Croatia has shown that it is capable of freeing
itself". According to the Croatian President, the international
community
abandoned the idea of involving Croatia in "some kind Balkan confederacy
or
union" because it was faced with "Croatian resoluteness and because it
is
aware that this stand is backed by the Croatian armed forces". He added
that
for the past 14 centuries Croatia has been part of Central Europe and
corroborated this with revelations about Croatian culture, which is - he
said
- older than many other European cultures. Reacting to the fact that
"European
countries are trying to give us lessons", Mr. Tudjman remarked that
"Croatia
had writers whose works were translated into other languages long before
Shakespeare and Moliere". Illustrating the Croatian greatness and
wisdom, Mr.
Tudjman affirmed: "Such a Croatia had the foresight to fight on both
sides in
World War II in order to secure its future." (Politika, August 7, 1996)
|
