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Serbia Today 96-08-19
Serbia Today
19 August 1996
CONTENTS
[01] PROCESS OF NORMALIZATION OF THE YUGOSLAV-CROAT RELATIONS SO FAR YIELDED POSITIVE RESULTS
[02] SANCTIONS AND THE POLICY OF THE LAW OF THE STRONGER HAVE CAUSED ENORMOUS DAMAGES TO YUGOSLAVIA
[03] TIRANA IS NOT CHOOSING MEANS
[04] CARRIERS OF THE IDEA OF PEACE
[05] DISAPPOINTING RESULTS OF REFUGEE REPATRIATION
[06] GERMAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATS PROTEST AGAINST DISCRIMINATION OF SERBS
[07] "SUNDAY TELEGRAPH" ON ISLAMIZATION OF BOSNIA
[08] DOUBLE GAME BY TUDJMAN
[09] ILLEGAL SEIZURE OF SERBIAN APARTMENTS IN CROATIA
[10] A TERRORIST ACT
[11] PRIEST PERSECUTES SERBS
[01] PROCESS OF NORMALIZATION OF THE YUGOSLAV-CROAT RELATIONS SO FAR YIELDED POSITIVE RESULTS
President of the Republic of Serbia Slobodan Milosevic received
the UN Administrator for the Srem and Baranja Region, Jacques Klein
with his associates. Administrator Klein informed President
Milosevic about the most important aspects of the implementation
of the Erdut Agreement, and especially about the efforts made for
purpose of resolving the most significant issues of interest for
the normal life and work of population in these areas. It was a
joint view that the process of normalization so far of the
Yugoslav-Croat relations, and especially the firm Yugoslav-Croat
support to the respect of the Erdut Agreement, contained in the
Athens Declaration, has an undoubtedly positive influence on the
solution of issues pertaining to the Srem and Baranja Region. At
the same time, this is an important factor of strengthening of
peace and stability in the areas of former Yugoslavia.
(Politika, August 17, 1996)
[02] SANCTIONS AND THE POLICY OF THE LAW OF THE STRONGER HAVE CAUSED ENORMOUS DAMAGES TO YUGOSLAVIA
China is striving for Yugoslavia to take again its place which
rightfully belongs to it in the international community and will
assist her in accordance with its possibilities, stated the Vice
President of the Permanent Committee of the All-Chinese People's
Congress Vu Djieping, who is heading the parliamentary delegation
of his country during its several-day visit to the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia. In a special statement given for the TANJUG news
agency, Vu Djieping underlined that China, since the imposing of
the UN sanctions against Yugoslavia, was opposed to such politics
of the international community and that Beijing was firmly adhering
to its principled stand. "Sanctions, hegemonism and the policy of
the law of the stronger have caused enormous damages to Yugoslavia
and its people", stated Vu Djieping, pointing out that the Yugoslav
people, headed by its leadership, was not afraid of pressures.
"Yugoslavia and its people have endured this historical test", said
the Chinese guest and emphasized that mutual support between China
and Yugoslavia is important for our countries but also for this
region and for the entire world.
(TANJUG, August 18, 1996)
[03] TIRANA IS NOT CHOOSING MEANS
Charge d'affaires of the permanent mission of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia at the UN in Geneva, Miroslav Milosevic, has
sent a letter to the Chairman of the UN Sub-Commission for
Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. In the
letter there is a warning that raising of questions of human rights
of members of the Albanian minority in Yugoslavia, in the manner
in which it was done by the Albanian President, "is an open support
to the separatist demands of the Kosmet Albanians and their extreme
terrorist wing". These extremists, underlines the letter, over the
past few months, have executed a number of armed and terrorist
attacks on the members of civilian Serbian population and official
bodies. Albania has once again abused one international forum and
this time the said Sub-Commission, whose annual session in Geneva
is now taking place, for dissemination of falsehoods,
disinformation and interference into the interior affairs of the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
(Politika, August 17, 1996)
[04] CARRIERS OF THE IDEA OF PEACE
"President of Serbia Slobodan Milosevic, as it is seen in the
media of the Czech Republic, is the leading personality in all the
peace negotiations and achieved agreements. Yugoslavia is
conducting peaceful policy and is the initiator of the
international ideas on establishment of peace in the south of
Europe". This was stated by the Yugoslav Ambassador to the Czech
Republic Djoko Stojcic during his talk with the Czech journalists,
editors of the Prague political daily "Pravce", who is increasingly
being invited by the media to talk about our country. In his eighth
interview given over a short time, Stojcic has underlined that the
media war conducted against Yugoslavia, has created a false picture
about our country. This war, dictated from the great world centers,
is obviously subsiding and slowly in the world media and in the
world public opinion a true picture of Yugoslavia is emerging.
(Vecernje novosti, August 19, 1996)
[05] DISAPPOINTING RESULTS OF REFUGEE REPATRIATION
Since the signing of the Dayton Agreement on December 14, 1995,
until today only 100,000 persons have returned to Bosnia. At the
same time, reports the UN High Commissariat for Refugees (UNHCR),
some 90,000 persons in Bosnia were forced to leave their homes, so
the balance of repatriation is at "a positive zero". In the latest
report of the UNHCR this balance is estimated to be very
disappointing, because according to the plan of this organization,
this year some 870,000 refugees and displaced persons were
scheduled to return to Bosnia. It is speculated that the main
obstacle to the return of refugees is the lack of the freedom of
movement in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the destroyed infrastructure,
which will also be one of the main obstacles for the forthcoming
elections.
Difficulties in the implementation of the Dayton Agreement and
the policy of Croatia towards repatriation of Serbs, are giving
less and less hopes to the refugees in the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia that they will return soon to their homes. This year is
practically already lost for the repatriation of refugees, who are
some 700,000 of them living in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
From January to August this year the UN High Commissariat for
Refugees (UNHCR) has assisted in the return of 252 refugees to
Bosnia-Herzegovina and 68 to Croatia. From some 30,000 request of
Serbs for the return, submitted to the Bureau of the Government of
the Republic of Croatia in Belgrade, until now the return was
granted to only several thousands of individual returnees. Warnings
given by the Yugoslav side at the beginning of this year that the
program of mass repatriation is "too stretched" and not realistic,
international humanitarian officials did not take seriously,
hoping, probably, that everyone will respect the provisions of the
Dayton Agreement.
(Borba, August 19, 1996)
[06] GERMAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATS PROTEST AGAINST DISCRIMINATION OF SERBS
Vice President of the fraction of the Social-Democratic Party
(SPD) in the Federal German Parliament, Gunter Ferhoigen, has sent
a strong protest to the Vienna headquarters of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (O.S.C.E.) because of many
shortcomings of this international organization in the preparation
for written participation at the elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
He says that, thanks to the efforts of the Yugoslav ambassador in
Bonn, he learnt that 100,000 Bosnian Serbs living in Germany,
because of the mistakes by the O.S.C.E., have lost the possibility
to take part at the elections in Bosnia in a written way and from
Germany. In spite of many protests by the Yugoslav ambassador,
Bureau of the O.S.C.E. in Bonn did not comply with the requests for
correction of the procedure for registration at the elections. The
community of the Bosnian Serbs in Germany believes that it is a
question of deliberate manipulation, reads the protect by
Ferhoigen. Although a considerable part of mistakes could be
ascribed to negligence, the main thing is that because of such
behavior, most of all the voters of the Serbian entity in Germany
are deprived, protests Ferhoigen.
(Vecernje novosti, August 18, 1996)
[07] "SUNDAY TELEGRAPH" ON ISLAMIZATION OF BOSNIA
In the Muslim part of Bosnia-Herzegovina, "an intolerable
Islamism is catching roots", warns yesterday the London "Sunday
Telegraph". This newspaper especially points out at the pre-electoral
slogan of Alija Izetbegovic: "In our country, with our
religion", and suggests that such a message is not only a problem
for people of different faith but also for the majority of Bosnian
Muslims who were before the civil war inclined rather towards a
secular and not a religious type of life. Muslim leaders, recalls
the newspaper, at the beginning of crisis and war in Bosnia
succeeded in serving to the West the story of Bosnia as a multi-ethnic
community, but they are now "creating a state in which one
nationality and one religious are in front of all the others".
Islamization of the life in Bosnia, with its main carrier the Party
of Democratic Action, according to "The Sunday Telegraph" is
especially manifested in Sarajevo. Among the symbols of the growing
Islamization of this city the newspaper is quoting that blue boards
with names of streets have been replaced with the green ones, that
the mujezins are becoming more and more louder and ardent, that
women covered with hegab are a frequent sight and that pork is
almost impossible to be found in the city.
(Politika ekspres, August 19, 1996)
[08] DOUBLE GAME BY TUDJMAN
Just at the time when experts of Yugoslavia and Croatia are
drafting documents on normalization of the relations between the
two countries, which are to be signed on August 23, 1996 by the
Ministers of Foreign affairs, in Croatia yesterday some other
preparations have started. Namely, the Croat Government has
announced open bidding for settlement in the areas from which Serbs
have been exiled. Settling of "the areas of special state interest"
by Croat population, with various benefits, ranging from free of
charge apartments, free of charge arable land and salaries fifty
percent higher than in the other parts of Croatia, is in
contradiction with the official Croat attempts to establish good
relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. At the earlier
complaints because of the announced re-settling, from the Croat
Government one could hear the replies that only socially owned
buildings will be populated and socially owned property
distributed, but not the private property of exiled Serbs. Let us
recall that in Krajina there is almost no socially owned property
any more. Furthermore, the exiled Serbs did not have the right to
participate in the legal distribution or purchase of social
ownership. According to the logic of things, they should also be
entitled to as much of the socially owned property as they
participated in the total number of inhabitants of Croatia.
(Vecernje novosti, August 18, 1996)
[09] ILLEGAL SEIZURE OF SERBIAN APARTMENTS IN CROATIA
President of the Association "Dom" ("Home") in Croatia Slavko
Kuljanac, has informed the Croat public about the illegal seizure
of Serbian apartments in Kutina and Popovaca. In the area of these
municipalities over the last four years in an illegal manner over
150 apartments were seized and the majority of people evicted from
them are of Serbian nationality. Municipal commissions were
seizing these apartments justifying that by saying that they are
abandoned, but 'the real reason is that these apartments were
inhabited with Serbs", says Kuljanac. The state authorities, who
have received many complaints, did not undertake any steps to
protect the legality and human rights, so the Association "Dom"
("Home") will demand judicial revision of these cases.
(Politika, August 18, 1996)
[10] A TERRORIST ACT
Croat Helsinki Board (HHO) strongly condemned the assassination
of the retired General Milorad Miscevic, who died from the
explosive device placed in the courtyard of his house in the
hamlet of Vrebec near Gospic. In the communique issued by the HHO
it is underlined that "it is obvious that the mine was placed
recently" and that it is an intended assassination and an act of
terrorism. "The intention of the terrorists was probably to prevent
the return of original inhabitants of this hamlet, but also of the
entire region", reads the communique and adds that the police was
officially informed that Miscevic died of explosion of an unknown
explosive device. This 'act of terrorism' was most strongly
condemned also by the League of Anti-Fascist Fighters of Croatia,
underlining that General Miscevic participated in the anti-Fascist
struggle from 1041-1945 and that he was a loyal citizen of Croatia.
(Vecernje novosti, August 19, 1996)
[11] PRIEST PERSECUTES SERBS
Priest in the Rijeka suburb of Gornja Drenova and professor at
the Faculty of Theology of Rijeka, Dr. Milan Djpehar has sent a
letter to the leadership of Rijeka, to the construction department
inspection, to the Bureau of the President of Croatia and the
leadership of the ruling party, in which he is disseminating
religious and national hatred and demanding expulsion of Serbs from
these areas. His request for the members of the Hara Krishna sect
to be expelled from Drenova is in fact only a pretext for demanding
that Serbs be also expelled from Drenova because they are dangerous
for their surroundings. While stating by name all the Serbs in
Drenova who are "dangerous for the security of his parishioners",
he is without any arguments, claiming that Serbs were and are spies
and people who do not like Croatia. The priest is also stating that
it is unbearable to see the Orthodox Serbs building their houses
close to the Catholics. "Creating of neighborhood with us seems to
me to be as violent as it would be a violence to conclude new
alliance between Croatia and Yugoslavia and blend us into some new
state", says the priest. The letter of professor of the Rijeka
Faculty of Theology is not just an individual paranoia of the
Catholic engineering. After the letter has reached the construction
inspectorate in Rijeka, one Serbian family was prohibited from
constructing a house, although it had a proper permit and all the
construction and building documents.
(Vecernje novosti, August 18, 1996)
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