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Serbia Today, 97-02-05
Serbia Today
CONTENTS
[01] MOSLEM PART OF MOSTAR SHELLED
[02] CROATIA DISCIPLINED BY NATO
[03] SERBIAN DEMANDS IGNORED
[04] SERBS ARE LEAVING EASTERN SLAVONIJA
[05] LEGAL WAY OUT OF THE CRISIS
[06] ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORK - THE SUPREME PATRIOTIC TASK
[07] INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS TO PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC'S INITIATIVE
[08] A DECISION MAKING POSSIBLE THE REALIZATION OF STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
[09] THE GOVERNMENT WILL DISCUSS THE SPECIAL LAW TODAY AND PASS IT ON TO
THE PARLIAMENT
[10] RESULTS OF PART OF LOCAL ELECTIONS IN SERBIA SHOULD BE PASSED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE OSCE MISSION FINDINGS
[01] MOSLEM PART OF MOSTAR SHELLED
Two nights ago, terrorists positioned in the Franciscan monastery in the
eastern - Croatian controlled - part of Mostar fired two grenades on the
Moslem quarters - Radio Sarajevo reports. The explosions greatly alarmed
the population and damaged apartment buildings. The Mostar corespondent
observes that the attack occurred only few hours after the meting of the
Moslem-Croatian Federation Forum in Sarajevo, which also discussed the
situation in Mostar.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-05 ; Politika, 1997-02-05
[02] CROATIA DISCIPLINED BY NATO
Brussels informed Zagreb that NATO officially warns Croatia that it will
not become part of the global European military-strategic project
"Partnership for Peace" until it solves numerous issues affecting the
stability in the region. At the last meeting of highest NATO
representatives, Secretary General Xavier Solana listed a number of demands,
that have been received with great surprise in Zagreb. In fact, with this
latest development, Croatia has been sent to the candidates' waiting room,
and thus lost any priority status or military predominance in the former
Yugoslav area - already publicly promoted by its leaders. NATO conclusions
submitted to Zagreb, unequivocally indicate that Croatia is considered to
be one of the prime causes of war said Mr. Solana. The surprising slap in
the face NATO gave to the Croatian military and strategic presumption and
to its self-proclaimed importance in the region, undoubtedly marks the
beginning of a new strategy of pressure and discipline, observe analysts in
Zagreb. Along with Croatian constant exaggerations on military supremacy,
NATO seems to disapprove of Zagreb's refusal of any initiative for regional
collaboration, and of it's hesitation concerning the fate of the Moslem-
Croatian Federation in Bosnia - which is progressively tearing at the seams,
and finally by the recent presence of Croatia on the weapons market.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-05 ; Ekspres, 1997-02-05
[03] SERBIAN DEMANDS IGNORED
The Assembly of the Srem-Baranja Region will convene today in Vukovar to
assume a stand concerning the Presidential Statement of the UN Security
Council - confirming all the Croatian demands for the future arrangement of
the Region and ignoring all suggestions made by the Serbian side. Ever
since this Statement became public - the atmosphere in the Region is
extremely tense and last weekend alone, 47 Serbian families left the
Region. "The Erdut Agreement offered a number of good solutions for the
Serbs living in the Region. The Croatian Letter of Intentions is well below
the standards set by the previous Agreement. We reacted with a letter to
the United Nations, but not a single word we said was taken into
consideration", says Vojin Susa, Srem-Baranja Region Secretary of Justice
and Administration. The key demand made by the Serbs is that the Region be
preserved as a single entity and not divided into two counties as Zagreb
suggested. The Croatian proposal, endorsed by the international community,
aims at preventing the Serbian majority rule in the Region, and thus
precluding any chance of their victory in. Once they are split into two
counties, the Serbs will be disintegrated, and will have much more
difficulties in rising to power in one of the counties. This will make more
effective the ethnocide perpetrated against them, and will render their
exodus more certain, says Mr. Susa. One should bear in mind that because of
a similar status (that the Serbs in Srem-Baranja Region are to face) the
Serbs in Zagreb suffered a national catastrophe three years ago. Now the
people here are faced with the dilemma should they stay or should they go,
observed Mr. Susa, adding that they have nowhere to go to, and no
guarantees whatsoever if they decide to stay. "This is why the
international community will have to offer guarantees to the Serbian
population, namely that there will be not be discriminated compared to the
citizens who are Croats. This is the only way for Croatia to reintegrate
the Region according to European - democratic standards, and also the only
solution preserving at least to some extent the honor of the international
community." - stressed Mr. Vojin Susa.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-05 ; Vecernje Novosti, 1997-02-05
[04] SERBS ARE LEAVING EASTERN SLAVONIJA
"This week-end 47 Serbian families have left the region of Eastern
Slavonija, Barring and Western SRAM." said UNTAES spokesman Douglas
Koffman. Speaking in a UNTAES Radio program, Mr. Koffman said that there is
a possibility that these families left the zone under UNTAES control
because of fear and insecurity and added that the population is alarmed by
recent incidents. "UNTAES will do everything possible to prevent similar
incidents in future, and also appeals to the population to do everything to
avoid incidents", said the UN Transitional Administration Spokesman.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-05 ; Vecernje Novosti, 1997-02-05
[05] LEGAL WAY OUT OF THE CRISIS
Serbian Parliament Speaker - Mr. Dragan Tomic, met yesterday with the
delegation of the European Socialist Democratic Party of the European
Parliament, headed by Mr. Pierre Shorie. Commenting the situation arisen
after the local elections in Serbia, Mr. Tomic confirmed that the Serbian
authorities support the report prepared by Felippe Gonsales for OSCE and
that the crisis can be overcome only with legal means. Delegation head -
Mr. Pierre Shorie, underscored that Serbia, i.e. Yugoslavia, are a
constituent part of Europe and that they play an important role in
preserving the peace in the region. We fully endorse the Gonsales Report
and we believe that dialogue is the only way out of the current situation -
said Mr. Shorie.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-05 ; Borba, 1997-02-05
[06] ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORK - THE SUPREME PATRIOTIC TASK
Yesterday, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic received the presidency of
the Serbian Unions, headed by Mr. Tomislav Banovic. Union representatives
informed the President about the latest developments and problems in the
national economy and illustrated the social and financial status of the
workers. In Serbia - where we have initiated the economic reconstruction
after the international sanctions - the supreme patriotic task is the
attitude toward one's work: everyone should work the best he can and as
much as he can - stressed Mr. Milosevic. In his opinion strikes are only
debilitating our economy and making more difficult the economic
revitalization of the country, already quite worn down by the years of
sanctions and the intense aid to the Serbs across the river Drina.
Presently a lot of people still have a hard life. This is why the justified
dissatisfaction should be the concern of the Government and of all the
bodies in charge of solving problems, not only of the workers, but of all
citizens, providing them with material and moral aid - primarily to those
that have been most seriously stricken by the sanctions - said President
Milosevic. Commenting the ownership and structural changes and the polemics
in this regard, President Milosevic said that ownership and structural
changes that will accelerate the development, increase the living standard
and boost wages are certainly in the interest of the workers. The President
also observed that we must seek solutions within a realistic framework and
that no problem should be solved by printing more money, since this would
topple the national economy.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-05 ; Politika, 1997-02-05
[07] INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS TO PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC'S INITIATIVE
All leading international news agencies and electronic media diffused the
information that Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic launched the
initiative to overcome the crisis generated by elections controversies in
Serbia. Quoting the letter Mr. Milosevic sent to Prime Minister Marjanovic,
CNN and other American networks, stress that the proposal made by the
Serbian President is a step towards the settlement of the crisis that has
been affecting Serbia for more than two months. The reports by Russian
correspondents in Belgrade stress Mr. Milosevic's stand that the objective
of improving the relations with the international community greatly
outweighs the importance of any number of delegate seats in several cities.
Russian circles comment President Milosevic's proposal with special
approval, because ever since the beginning of the elections controversies
in Serbia, official Moscow advocated the political settlement of the issue
within - as it was repeatedly stressed - a Serbian-Serbian dialogue and
without any foreign interference. French and German media circulated the
news on President Milosevic's letter as urgent and front-page, giving it
priority over other information concerning international politics. The
first media reactions in London indicate that President Milosevic's
initiative is a decisive step in the search for a way out of the crisis
lasting several weeks now. Radio BBC especially stresses that the decision
and the initiative made by Mr. Milosevic are aimed not only at overcoming
the crisis, but also preserving the stability of Serbia and FR Yugoslavia.
"The Greek Government gives great importance to President Milosevic's
decision to promote a process for the recognition of the results of
municipal elections in Serbia in accordance with the Gonsales Report." -
reads the communiqu issued by the Greek Foreign Ministry on behalf of the
Government. The same document indicates further that "...it's the
opposition's turn to react in accordance with its obligations." In Vienna,
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe hailed President
Milosevic's letter in which he endorses the recognition of part of the
results if municipal elections in Serbia.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-05 ; Tanjug, 1997-02-05
[08] A DECISION MAKING POSSIBLE THE REALIZATION OF STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
Commenting the letter President Milosevic addressed to Prime Minister
Marjanovic, Federal President Zoran Lilic said: "The realization of this
decision will practically create the conditions allowing us to start
implementing our strategic objectives, such as - and above all - preserving
the peace, economic reconstruction and affirmation of the international
position of FR Yugoslavia. I am deeply convinced that this decision creates
the conditions to bring back peace to the streets of Belgrade and all
Serbian cities, that we may go back to our work. I also believe that the
implementation of this decision will be immediate and that it will allow
all remaining controversies to be transferred within the framework of state
institutions, where they should be discussed, so that dialogue may be used
to find solutions that favor the interests of both Serbia and Yugoslavia."
Serbia Today, 1997-02-05 ; Borba, 1997-02-05
[09] THE GOVERNMENT WILL DISCUSS THE SPECIAL LAW TODAY AND PASS IT ON TO
THE PARLIAMENT
Having confirmed that he received President Milosevic's letter, Serbian
Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic, stressed that he fully endorses Mr.
Milosevic's initiative and that the draft special law, proclaiming final
the results of part of November 17th local elections in Serbia - in
compliance with the OSCE Mission findings, will probably be submitted to
the Serbian Parliament today.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-05 ; Politika, 1997-02-05
[10] RESULTS OF PART OF LOCAL ELECTIONS IN SERBIA SHOULD BE PASSED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE OSCE MISSION FINDINGS
Yesterday Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic addressed the following
letter to Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic: "I believe that the elections
controversies, concerning part of the local elections, especially in
Belgrade, greatly damaged our country both on the internal and the
international level, and that it is high time to cut across this problem,
primarily with the effort of the highest institutions of our Republic: the
Government and the National Parliament. Therefore, I would like to suggest
that the Government should use the Constitutional prerogatives and submit
to the Parliament a special draft law (lex specialis), that would proclaim
final the results of part of local elections in Serbia, according to the
OSCE Mission findings. I would like to stress that the state interests of
enhancing our relations with OSCE and the international community in
general, greatly outweighs the importance of any number of deputy seats in
the administration of several towns. Firmly believing that this suggestion
favors a solution with which the executive and the legislative authorities
will solve the crisis respecting both pragmatism and legal order, I remain
yours sincerely...." - reads the letter that President Milosevic addressed
to Prime Minister Marjanovic.
Serbia Today, 1997-02-05 ; Politika, 1997-02-05
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