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Serbia Today, 96-09-20
Serbia Today
20 September 1996
CONTENTS
[01] FULL LIFTING OF SANCTIONS - WITHIN A FEW DAYS
[02] "KEY" TO THE FUTURE BALKANS IS THE FR OF YUGOSLAVIA
[03] WHY IS PLJAKIC REFUSING TO SELL BRANDY TO THE AMERICANS
[04] O.S.C.E.: ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA WERE CORRECT
[05] ELECTORAL RESULTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA ANNOUNCED
[06] FIVE PROJECTS FOR THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA
[07] ANXIETY BECAUSE OF HARASSMENT OF SERBS
[08] YET ANOTHER MONUMENT TO THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION STRUGGLE MINED
[09] SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEWS BRIEFS: "PREPARATIONS FOR LIFTING OF SANCTIONS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA"
[01] FULL LIFTING OF SANCTIONS - WITHIN A FEW DAYS
Already within the next few days the final and complete
lifting of sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
is to be expected, and this will be the beginning of the return
of Yugoslavia into all the international organizations, states
the headquarters of the French diplomacy. Otherwise, France is
a very active supporter of complete normalization of the
international cooperation with Belgrade. Its government and
President Jacques Chirac personally, in the western camp were
heading the efforts for normalization and intensification of the
cooperation with Belgrade. The official stand of Paris, as
expressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Herve de Charrette,
is based on the crucial principle: Belgrade and President
Milosevic are the first-rate and unavoidable partners, both in
the peace efforts in Bosnia and in the further stabilization of
the situation in the South-East of Europe. Therefore, it is not
surprising that France is of the view that the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia should be recognized as the state-successor of the
former Yugoslavia.
(Politika, September 20, 196)
[02] "KEY" TO THE FUTURE BALKANS IS THE FR OF YUGOSLAVIA
In Germany there are both will and readiness for cooperation
with Yugoslavia, so that it may venture on the path of revival
of links with the European Union and joining of this
reintegration in the perspective, stated yesterday in the Chamber
of Economy of Yugoslavia head of the delegation of the Committee
for Economics of the German Bundestag, Ernest Shwanhold. During
the talks with the President of the Chamber of Economy of
Yugoslavia, Mihailo Milojevic and representatives of the Chambers
of Serbia and Montenegro, he underlined that the key for the
future Balkans is the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, emphasizing
the wish of Germany for the FR of Yugoslavia to join as soon as
possible the European Union. Shwanhold, the envoy of the deputy
group of the Social-Democratic Party in the Parliament, pointed
out that the preconditions for this are the lifting of sanctions,
integration of the FR of Yugoslavia into the international
organizations and a free access to the market of the European
Union, and he said that he believes that these conditions can be
fulfilled as soon as possible.
(Borba, September 20, 1996)
[03] WHY IS PLJAKIC REFUSING TO SELL BRANDY TO THE AMERICANS
The export of the famous brandy "Yellow Sting" to the
American market, announced for the end of this month, will not
take place, although everything was agreed upon. The producer of
the "Yellow Sting", agricultural engineer Radisa Pljakic, who was
to have a good profit from this deal, is now refusing to sell the
brandy. For the exports into the United States of the brandy
produced in the village of Kamenica near Kragujevac, new bottles
were produced in the Glass Factory in Paracin and the labels
printed in Germany. Customs authorities of the United States,
however, did not grant their approval for the import of brandy
because on the label stating the country of origin, it is
written: Product of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia).
The American customs authorities are requesting that the name of
our country be placed under the quote-unquote marks. However, it
is not possible to write the name of a country in this way,
because our country is recognized all over the world, and even
the Americans must operate in accordance with the OUN
resolutions. "I do not accept the American stand in the interest
of Yugoslavia,", says Radisa Pljakic. Otherwise, his product was
awarded this year in Lisbon the gold medal of the International
Institute for Quality Selections, and before that the gold medal
Eureka in Brussels, the gold medal of the European Chamber and
the title of a "de luxe" drink by the World Institute for
Categorization. The other beverages also of this producer were
awarded many outstanding world awards.
(Politika, September 20, 1996)
[04] O.S.C.E.: ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA WERE CORRECT
Ministerial trio of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (O.S.C.E.), Laslo Kovach, Flavio Cotty and
Nils Helweg Petersen, announced yesterday that the elections in
Bosnia were correct. They stated that the conditions of free,
just and democratic elections, as prescribed in the Dayton
Agreement, were not satisfied, but that the elections,
nevertheless, were technically correctly carried out and without
any major incidents. It was also stated that the elections are
a first step towards a reconciliation, towards a plurality and
towards democracy. From the report of the chief of the O.S.C.E.
delegation in Bosnia, Robert Frowick, and the chief of the
international observers, the Dutch Edward van Tijne, it can be
seen that only a very small percentage of refugees had crossed
the separation line between the Bosnian entities in order to
vote, which is pointing out that the political climate in Bosnia
is still unfavorable.
(Politika ekspres, September 20, 1996)
[05] ELECTORAL RESULTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA ANNOUNCED
According to the information which was yesterday distributed
to the press in the Sarajevo headquarters of the O.S.C.E., the
voting results for the party lists for the Parliament of the
Republic of Srpska are the following: Serbian Democratic Party
obtained 58.9 percent of votes, Alliance for Peace 12 percent,
Serbian Radical Party 7.6 percent and the Party of Democratic
Action in the Republic of Srpska 7.2 percent. For Biljana Plavsic
as the President and Dragomir Mirjanic as the Vice President of
the Republic of Srpska voted 65 percent of citizens of the
Republic of Srpska, for the candidates of the Alliance for Peace
10.5 percent, and for the candidates of the SDA 10 percent of
votes.
(Vecernje novosti, September 20, 1996)
[06] FIVE PROJECTS FOR THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA
The assistance for the economic recovery should be
accelerated in the Republic of Srpska after the elections, stated
in Sarajevo the World Bank. Contrary to the Muslim-Croat
Federation, Republic of Srpska did not use the reconstruction
assistance until now. From the 5.1 billion US dollars allocated
for the reconstruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina until the year 1998,
only 1.4 billion were allocated for the Republic of Srpska.
Representative of the World Bank in Sarajevo, Rory O'Sulivan,
stated that the bank for several months now is having five
projects ready which are interesting for the Republic of Srpska
and that he is expecting progress in their realization now, after
the elections.
(Politika, September 20, 1996)
[07] ANXIETY BECAUSE OF HARASSMENT OF SERBS
The UN Security Council has decided again, for the fifth
time, to warn Croatia because of inadmissible behavior towards
the Serbian population in its territory. This was done in the
Council presidential statement, which is a document in its weight
weaker than the presidential communique and especially weaker
than a resolution. It is demanded of Zagreb to extend its program
of return of all the refugees, without hesitation and without any
conditions. It is also insisted that Croatia passes a
comprehensive law on amnesty which is a very important element
for the final termination of mandate of the UNTAS. The Security
Council is reiterating its earlier conclusions that inhabitants
of Krajina and Western Slavonia are not assured safety, because
they are exposed to harassment, threats and plunder, and that in
these unlawful acts sometimes even the uniformed persons are
taking part. Recalling also the recommendations by the UN
Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali, the Council is insisting
that the Croat authorities extend investigations into crimes
committed against Serbs in the year 1995.
(Politika, September 20, 1996)
[08] YET ANOTHER MONUMENT TO THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION STRUGGLE MINED
On Tuesday in Knin, on the Mount of Spas, the monument to
the fighters of the People's Liberation Struggle 1941-1945 was
destroyed to the ground. In a strong explosion the parts of the
monument were flying for several hundred meters in all
directions. As was the case until now, the perpetrators remain
unknown. With the exception of the region of Istria, in the other
parts of Croatia over the past few years over three thousand
memorials and monuments to the partisan struggle were destroyed.
It is expected that Serbs of Knin will file charges against the
State of Croatia for this crime to the International Criminal
Tribunal in The Hague, because of destruction of the cultural and
historical heritage.
(Vecernje novosti, September 20, 1996)
[09] SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEWS BRIEFS: "PREPARATIONS FOR LIFTING OF SANCTIONS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA"
In the Security Council, it is learnt, the preparations have
started for the session during which the economic sanctions
against Yugoslavia will be finally lifted. It is expected that
this session will be held next week. The spokesman of the UN
Secretary General Samantha Foa, stated yesterday for the press
that the only thing awaited is the report of the competent
international bodies from Bosnia stating that the elections of
Saturday last have been officially verified, i.e. that they are
proclaimed as valid, and then the procedure may commence. She
added that sanctions against Yugoslavia, nevertheless, will not
be lifted automatically, but that it will be necessary to have
for this the session of the Security Council and a special
resolution, as was done when the sanctions were imposed four
years and four months ago.
It is also learnt that the first contacts and moves
regarding the lifting of sanctions against Yugoslavia are been
undertaken these days within the Contact Group because all of its
members are also in the Security Council. Within this group these
days work is being done also on the draft resolution which will
terminate the question of sanctions. The final lifting of
sanctions against Yugoslavia was also announced on Wednesday in
Washington D.C. by the U.S. Secretary of State Warren
Christopher. He recalled that the elections in Bosnia took place
in the best order, and that the question of lifting of sanctions
on Yugoslavia is connected with these elections, i.e. for the
period of ten days after the elections are completed.
Both of these things, holding of the elections and lifting
of sanctions, were precisely specified in the Dayton Agreement,
i.e. in the Security Council Resolution of November 22, 1995,
when sanctions against Yugoslavia were suspended. It is
underlined in the observer circles in New York that the final
lifting of sanctions will also mark the beginning of the opening
of the process of reintegration of our country in the
international organizations, most of all in the UN and the
International Monetary Fund.
For the integration of Yugoslavia into the work of the UN
there should be no major obstacles, and neither serious
difficulties, because our country, as one of the founding members
of the world organization, never even ceased to be the member of
this organization. The continuity of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia is no longer been brought under the question mark even
by those countries which were created in the territory of the
former Yugoslav state and who used to be very persistent in this
respect. Slightly slower will be the Yugoslav reintegration in
the International Monetary Fund, state the same circles, but most
of all because it is previously necessary to make and agree upon
some calculations from the field of the division balance, which
is now in the making. This was discussed in the IMF two weeks ago
by the Federal Minister Tomica Raicevic, who submitted to the
officials of this international financial institution the legal
documents of the Yugoslav state connected with the renewal of
membership of our country in the Fund.
(TANJUG, September 20, 1996)
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