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Serbia Today, 97-03-10
Serbia Today
CONTENTS
[01] SPECIAL DECLARATION CONCERNING THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN FRY AND RS
[02] MACEDONIA - A DUMP FOR SLOVENIAN TOXIC MEDICINES
[03] THE CARDINAL SAYS ONE THING BUT FACTS SPEAK DIFFERENTLY
[04] THE CROATIAN COURTS ARE PROGRESSIVELY LOOSING INDEPENDENCE
[05] THE TRIAL FOR CRIMES IN THE CELEBICI CAMP HAS STARTED
[06] APPEAL TO THE SERBS NOT TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES
[07] SERBIAN GRAMMAR ON CD
[08] YUGOSLAVIA AT THE TOURIST FAIR IN BERLIN
[09] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT OPEN FOR CONTACTS AND COOPERATION
[10] MILUTINOVIC: JUST AND PEACEFUL SOLUTION IN THE SPIRIT OF DAYTON
[11] LEGAL GROUNDS FOR THE AGREEMENT
[01] SPECIAL DECLARATION CONCERNING THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN FRY AND RS
Reacting to the initiative prompted by Parliament the party club of the
Socialist Party of Serbia, the Serbian Government submitted a motion to the
National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia concerning the adoption of a
special Declaration on the Agreement between the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia and the Republic of Srpska. The draft Declaration texts,
stresses among other things that the Agreement embodies the continuity of
all political tendencies of the Serbian people to preserve and protect its
national interests and dignity, congregate and affirm its spiritual,
economic, cultural and political traditions and values, and to quickly take
part in contemporary international integration. "The Agreement constitutes
a direct political endorsement of building trust, cooperation and
understanding in the Balkan region and in Europe. The Agreement is based on
the principles that strengthen stability in the region and is not directed
against the interests of any nation and country. It is also the expression
of the continued Yugoslav and RS policy to rely on peace and political
means in solving problems." - states the draft Declaration submitted for
Parliament approval.
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Politika, 1997-03-08
[02] MACEDONIA - A DUMP FOR SLOVENIAN TOXIC MEDICINES
Experts of the "Alkaloid" pharmaceutical company from Skoplje (Macedonia)
publicly accused state institutions and ministries that harmful Slovenian
medicines are being freely sold in Macedonia with their blessing. The
Macedonian market has become a true "dump" for harmful and low-quality
medicines produced in Slovenia and imported without any control - these
experts say. Judging by these accusations and statements made by the owners
of private drugstores in the Macedonian capital, Slovenian pharmaceutical
"wholesalers" are being "tolerated" on the Macedonian market. The Director
of the South-Eastern Europe Sales Dept. for Slovenian drugs, Mr. Bojan
Scukovt reacted immediately and in an unusual way. Rejecting a priory the
validity of the analyses, he warned the Macedonian public that these are
"dangerous insinuations" against friendly Slovenia with "political
connotations".
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Politika, 1997-03-10
[03] THE CARDINAL SAYS ONE THING BUT FACTS SPEAK DIFFERENTLY
Cardinal Franjo Kuharic - the Archbishop of Zagreb, recently said on
Croatian state television that the religious and civil rights of the Serbs
in Croatia are not jeopardized and that no Serbs are being Catholicized. "I
ignore how are the rights of the Serbs in Croatia are being breached. The
Catholic Church is forcing no one to change their religion from Orthodox to
Roman Catholic, unless someone wants to do it of its own free will." - the
Cardinal said. Recently, a delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church -
headed by the Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana Msgr. Jovan - visited
Zagreb. During the talks with President Tudjman and Cardinal Kuharic, the
Orthodox prelates presented arguments and evidence on dire times faced by
Serbs in Croatia, and the pressure on them to become Roman Catholics. In
spite of all that, Cardinal Kuharic insists that the Serbs are becoming
Catholics willingly and that this is not influenced either by the Croatian
state or the Catholic Church. Still, facts indicate the opposite. Serbs are
becoming Catholics to save their life. For example, people bearing the name
Srboljub or Jugoslav, simply can not live and survive in Croatia - where
anything linked to Serbia and Yugoslavia is being prosecuted. Changing
religion is the only way of survival for the small number of Serbs still
living in Croatia. For example, in 1992, some 2.500 Serbs in Osijek (north-
eastern Croatia) changed their religion and identity. "Zivko" became
"Josip", "Srboljub" decided to become "Jasmin" and "Nemanja" is now
"Hrvoje"... The Catholicization of Serbs continued in Osijek and throughout
Croatia, a fact that the international community has been silent about. Why
should Cardinal Kuharic confess it then? Maybe he will eventually say that
his Church agreed to Catholicize the Serbs in order to help them, just as
his predecessors did during World War II, when Serbs were murdered, exiled
and Catholicized in the "Independent State of Croatia".
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Ekspres, 1997-03-09
[04] THE CROATIAN COURTS ARE PROGRESSIVELY LOOSING INDEPENDENCE
The latest statement issued by the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) for
human rights reveals that the recent events in Croatia indicate that the
independence of the Courts in the country is constantly diminishing. The
Committee warns about that the appointment of Milan Vukovic as Chairman of
the Supreme Court of Croatia and reminds the public of Mr. Vukovic's
statement that "Croats could not have committed war crimes because they
were merely defending themselves." Such a stand of the high magistrate is
extremely important because the Supreme Court will be deliberating on
extradition of war criminals to the Hague Court, the statement stresses.
HHO also indicates that ethnic cleansing continues in Croatia "in a violent
but sophisticated way". The personnel policy in the Croatian courts is
quoted as an example. " This comes as no surprise in view off the fact that
the political directive for such actions has been given by President Franjo
Tudjman, when he said in Karlovac that in that town seven Serbs are still
judges. After that statement, all Serbian lawyers and judges, including a
magistrate of Slovenian origin, were forced to leave the office" HHO
reveals.
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Borba, 1997-03-09
[05] THE TRIAL FOR CRIMES IN THE CELEBICI CAMP HAS STARTED
Today, the Hague International Criminal Court for war crimes, will initiate
the trial against three Moslems and one Croat (Zejnil Delalic, Zdravko
Mucic, Hazim Delic and Esad Landzo) - accused of war crimes committed by
the end of 1992 against Serbs imprisoned in the Celebici camp. The crimes
in Celebici camp, where about a thousand Serbs were detained - many of
which did not survive the tortures - are only part of the crimes that the
highest political and military figures in Bosnia and Herzegovina were well
aware of, including Moslem leader Alija Izetbegovic. During the major
Croatian-Moslem offensive, along with harassment, rapes, robberies and
destruction and burning of villages, 165 Serbian civilians were killed and
practically the entire Serbian population (7.700 persons) was exiled.
However, the Hague tribunal indicted only four persons, accusing them of
"breaching war laws and customs", whilst all the Serbs indicted in the
Hague were charged with "genocide and crimes against humanity". The most
controversial part of the indictment is the preamble itself - defining the
events in Bosnia as an international armed conflict and partial occupation.
The Association of Camp Inmates since 1991, and the Documentation Center of
the Serbian Commissioner for Refugees reacted to this qualification of the
conflict as an inadmissible one, because at that particular time Serbs and
Croats and Moslems from the Konjic area lived in a single state - former
Yugoslavia. One of the worlds greatest experts in Geneva conventions -
Prof. Dr. Thomas Fleiner, consulted by the Camp Inmates Association about
the Hague Court indictment, clearly stated that it was absolutely
unnecessary to treat the crimes in Konjic as an international conflict. The
indictment also minimizes the crime of rape. Based on evidence, the
Yugoslav side insists that the four accused are responsible of the death of
other 21 Serbian prisoners and that the indictment should include six new
names.
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Ekspres, 1997-03-10
[06] APPEAL TO THE SERBS NOT TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES
The UN Security Council adopted a Presidential Statement on Eastern
Slavonija, Baranja and Western Srem, inviting the Croatian Government to
meet its obligations and create the conditions for local elections in this
region due on April 13th. The Statement, generally endorsing the
evaluations given by Secretary General Koffi Annan, expresses "serious
concern for the fact that no progress has yet been made in ensuring the
future of displaced persons" and reaffirms the right of all refugees and
displaced persons to return to their homes in the entire Croatian territory
and to safely live there. The Security Council reiterated its firm appeal
to the Croatian Government to publicly offer strong guarantees that the
equal rights of all citizens will be respected, thus helping reduce
diffidence and insecurity of the Serbs in the Srem-Baranja Region.
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Vecernje Novosti, 1997-03-08
[07] SERBIAN GRAMMAR ON CD
The Belgrade Textbook Institute and the Serbian Society (Matica Srpska)
from Novi Sad published the first CD multimedia edition of the Serbian
grammar entitled "Pravopis srpskog jezika", and authored by professors
Mitar Pesikan, Jovan Jerkovic and Mate Picurica. This is a school edition
of the official "Pravopis" (Grammar), destined to a broad audience using
computers. Along with the visual contact with the contents, the multimedia
CD contains hundreds of voice files of correct pronunciation and
accentuation, video clips, photos and basic biographic data about the major
figures in the history of the Serbian language, providing extreme ease of
searching, cross-referencing and interpretation of various topics,
linguistic rules and individual words.
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Vecernje Novosti, 1997-03-10
[08] YUGOSLAVIA AT THE TOURIST FAIR IN BERLIN
At the international tourist fair in Berlin - the largest of its kind in
the world - Yugoslavia has its stand this year as well. Mr. Jovan Popesku -
Director of the Serbian Tourist Organizations, stated that our
representatives sent to Berlin the latest tourist offer of Serbia and
Montenegro. Serbia is promoting its mountain resorts, spas, Belgrade,
transit tourism and - with particular expectations - hunting, thus offering
a comprehensive formula for the return of foreign tourists to the country.
Last March - after an interruption between 1992 and 1995 - our tourism
returned to the international market and the Berlin fair, and a this year's
offer has been formulated with far greater ambitions.
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Borba, 1997-03-09
[09] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT OPEN FOR CONTACTS AND COOPERATION
Serbian Minister of Information - Dr. Radmila Milentijevic received the Ms.
Allison Smale - head of the Associated Press Bureau for Central Europe and
the Balkans seated in Vienna. minister Milentijevic stressed that the
Government of Serbia is open for contacts and cooperation with foreign
media, to help a more realistic representation of the republic of Serbia in
the world. Ms. Smale underscored the need for a more balanced reporting
about the events in the region.
Minister Milentijevic also talked with the head of the Reuters Belgrade
office Mr. Donald Forber and with administration head Mr. Miodrag Arsic,
stressing the willingness of the Serbian Government to maintain contacts
with foreign correspondents permanently accredited in Belgrade, and to
provide them with all relevant facts regarding the political, economic,
cultural and sports life in Serbia. Expressing major readiness for
cooperation on behalf of the Reuters news Mr. Forber particularly stressed
the importance of economic information on Serbia that could reach the world
with the help of Reuters.
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Politika, 1997-03-08
[10] MILUTINOVIC: JUST AND PEACEFUL SOLUTION IN THE SPIRIT OF DAYTON
Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic, who headed the Yugoslav
delegation at the Vienna international conference on the modalities of
implementation of the Brcko arbitration, stated that the decision made in
Rome on February 14th, constitutes good starting ground for the final just
and peaceful solution. "We firmly believe that any solution has to
acknowledge the vital interests of the Republic of Srpska in the sense of
preserving its territorial integrity and unity. That is why we have
insisted that the town of Brcko and its immediate surroundings be
permanently recognized as integral part of RS", said the head of Yugoslav
diplomacy. During the one year transition period - Mr. Milutinovic
specified - "all condition have to be ensured" to leave Brcko definitely
within RS, this being its vital objective, but also promoting "the
interests of peace, stability and prosperity not only of RS, but of entire
Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the region as well." Any other formula for
Brcko would re-ignite conflicts and de-stabilize the situation with
unforeseeable consequences" - Mr. Milutinovic remarked.
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Borba, 1997-03-08
[11] LEGAL GROUNDS FOR THE AGREEMENT
The Federal Government defined the draft Law for the confirmation of
special parallel relations between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and
the Republic of Srpska, signed on February 28, and submitted it to the
Federal Parliament for urgent approval. With the Agreement the two sides
reaffirm their determination to enhance relations on the grounds of
friendship, trust, cooperation and respect of mutual interests, and create
the preconditions for further enhancement of comprehensive relations. The
bases of this Agreement lie in the permanent and long-term interests of FRY
and RS, and it also allows greater dynamics in the overall relations and
cooperation between FRY and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federal Government
affirms. With the signing of the Agreement, FRY provided additional support
to the implementation of the Dayton-Paris Accords and to the strengthening
of the peace process, stability and neighborly relations in the region.
Serbia Today, 1997-03-10 ; Borba, 1997-03-08
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