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Serbia Today, 97-04-23
Serbia Today
CONTENTS
[01] CONSTRUCTION OF 'KOLUBARA B' CONTINUES
[02] HOUSES BURNT DOWN FROM DAY TO DAY IN THE FEDERATION
[03] KLEIN OFFICIALLY VERIFIED THE ELECTORAL RESULTS IN THE SREM AND
BARANJA REGION
[04] SERBS DO NOT WISH TO LEAVE
[05] GUBERINA: THE PURPOSE IS INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE KOSMET QUESTION
[06] FOR A SAFE RETURN OF REFUGEES
[07] SUPPORT TO INITIATIVES FOR COOPERATION BETWEEN THE DANUBE RIVER
COUNTRIES
[08] FREEDOM FOR JOURNALISTS - PROTECTION FROM SLANDER FOR CITIZENS
[09] THE FAIR OF CIVIL ENGINEERING OPENED IN BELGRADE
[10] CZECH BANKS INVEST IN THE POWER PRODUCTION OF SERBIA
[01] CONSTRUCTION OF 'KOLUBARA B' CONTINUES
In the Chamber of Economy of Serbia, the agreement was signed yesterday on
the commodities credit line between Electrical Administration of Serbia and
the "Skoda" Concern. It was underlined that this is the biggest step
towards continuation of the construction of the thermo-electric power plant
- heating plant "Kolubara B". The agreement signed is in the value of 62
million US dollars, and until the end of this year another contract will be
signed in the value of 38 million US dollars, so that the total commodities
credit line extended by "Skoda" Concern to the Electrical Administration of
Serbia will reach the planned 100 million US dollars. The agreement was
signed by Slobodan Babic, director general of the Electricity
Administration of Serbia (Power Authority of Serbia) and Lubomir Soudek,
president and director general of the "Skoda" Concern. On the occasion of
signing of the agreement it was underlined that "Kolubara B" of the power
two times 350 mega Watt is the largest investment in the country and the
continuation of this project has a special importance for the economy and
for the country, especially because it will integrate the Serbian economy.
Slobodan Babic recalled that the Government of the Republic of Serbia has
given its approval for the medium-term development plan of the public
enterprise Electricity Administration of Serbia (EPS) up to the year 2000,
which prescribes the dynamics of revitalization of the existing capacities,
continuation of construction of the commenced ones and the start of
construction of the new power production plants.
Serbia Today, 1997-04-23 ; Politika, 1997-04-23
[02] HOUSES BURNT DOWN FROM DAY TO DAY IN THE FEDERATION
The spokesman of the international police forces Alun Roberts, stated at
the press conference in Banja Luka, that in Western Bosnia, in the
territory of the Muslim-Croat Federation, burning down of abandoned houses
continues. In Drvar two days ago the house was set on fire of one Serbian
woman, and when she tried to extinguish the fire, she was shot at by
persons unknown. "This is yet another form of intimidation because of the
intention of Serbs from Drvar to return to their homes", said Roberts. In
the village of Bulici near Jajce, which is under the Muslim control, even
twelve Croat houses were burnt down. Roberts mentioned also the incident
which occurred in Prnjavor during the visit of Muslims to the cemetery in
this town. In the cemetery an explosive device was placed, but none of the
Muslim refugees present were injured.
Serbia Today, 1997-04-23 ; Politika ekspres, 1997-04-23
[03] KLEIN OFFICIALLY VERIFIED THE ELECTORAL RESULTS IN THE SREM AND
BARANJA REGION
Together with expressing regrets that the Croat side did not organize
better the elections in the Srem and Baranja Region, the UN Transitional
Administrator Jacques Klein yesterday officially verified the results of
the elections held on April 13 to 15, 1997.Independent Democratic Serbian
Party of Dr. Vojislav Stanimirovic won the majority in the city of Beli
Manastir and in the municipalities of Tenje, Mirkovci, Borovo, Negoslavci,
Trpinja, Erdut, Jagodnjak, Darda, Markusica and Sodolovci. Croat parties,
headed by the ruling Croat Democratic Community (HDZ) won two cities -
Vukovar and Ilok and fifteen of the remaining municipalities. While
specifying that a total of 126,533 votes were counted, Klein said that
these were the elections of reconciliation, return and future, and that it
is now up to Serbs to form the Joint Council of Municipalities which will,
for the first time after six years, have a legitimate right to protect the
interests of Serbs. Klein on this occasion said that it depends on the UN
Security Council now in what form it will eventually extend the mandate of
his mission.
Serbia Today, 1997-04-23 ; Vecernje novosti, 1997-04-23
[04] SERBS DO NOT WISH TO LEAVE
The leadership of the Independent Democratic Serbian Party (SDSS) from
Vukovar, at the yesterday's press conference in Zagreb, informed the press
of the election results. President of the party Vojislav Stanimirovic,
stated that "the most important thing is that the elections were in order,
that they passed without incidents and in dignity, in spite of considerable
technical difficulties". SDSS in Vukovar won the relative majority in the
city council but it is still not known how will the authority be organized
in this city. When asked by journalists whether Serbs in a larger number
will leave the eastern parts, vice president of the Independent Democratic
Serbian Party Miroslav Keravica said that the exodus is not expected,
because there is no reason for it. Regarding the Serbian refugees who are
staying in the Croat houses, he explained that they have taken Croat
documents which means that they are Croat citizens, and the Croat state
must care for them equally and make possible their return to their own
homes, as it is doing for the refuged Croats. At the question whether Serbs
will move and leave towards places in which the Serbian party has won the
majority at the elections, Milorad Pupovac, the vice president of the party
said that the SDSS does not agree with such thinking, because it is
striving for an multi-ethnic society and sees no reason why everyone should
not stay in his own home.
Serbia Today, 1997-04-23 ; Politika, 1997-04-23
[05] GUBERINA: THE PURPOSE IS INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE KOSMET QUESTION
"The purpose of the meeting on Kosmet held in Vienna, which after the New
York one have organized the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace and
the Action Council for Peace in the Balkans, is internationalization of the
Kosmet question, discussion of the independence and creation of a Skypetary
(Albanian) state", reads the communique released for public by the Belgrade
defense attorney Veljko Guberina. The question is who is entitled to
negotiate in the name of all of us, and especially about the lands which
are historical, cultural and statehood roots of the Serbian people, where
Skypetary have never had their own state, says Guberina and adds that
Skypetary have the right to raise the question of human rights, but not to
demand what no other national minority is having according to the
international law - the secession from the state whose citizens they are.
"How comes that the question was not raised of the human rights of Serbs in
Croatia who are not even having a roof over their heads, while on the other
side Skypetaries are being protected who are in Kosmet in a much better
situation and who have developed such business which they never would be
able to do if their human rights were really violated", asks Veljko
Guberina.
Serbia Today, 1997-04-23 ; Politika ekspres, 1997-04-23
[06] FOR A SAFE RETURN OF REFUGEES
At today's session of the work group for humanitarian question of the
Council for Peace Implementation in Geneva, devoted to the prospects for a
lasting solution of the problem of refugees, delegations of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina will take part, as
well as the high representative of the international community for civilian
affairs in Bosnia-Herzegovina Carl Bildt, and representatives of the
Western European countries which have offered temporary refuge to the
refugees. The UN High Commissariat for refugees (UNHCR) is estimating that
from the total number of refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina, some 400,000 of
them will not return. Some 200,000 of them shall return to their homes or
to some other place in Bosnia-Herzegovina, while for the rest some solution
will be found. Regarding Croatia, according to the UNHCR estimates, there
are two crucial problems. One is in the solution of the status for 160,000
refugees now in Croatia, and the other and a much more complex one refers
to over 300,000 Serbian refugees from Krajina who are prevented by the
Croat authorities from returning to their homes. The Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia is in the most difficult situation because it is offering
shelter to some 700,000 refugees on whom it has so far spent more than one
billion US dollars. For this reason the primary solution for Yugoslavia is
the repatriation of refugees, which means also creating conditions for the
mass return of refugees. UNHCR is of the view that the solution may be
found in the so-called local integration of refugees, which means their
permanent stay in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Yugoslav authorities
are not avoiding this solution, but are insisting on the international
assistance, because due to the catastrophic consequences of sanctions,
Yugoslav economy can not create conditions for all the refugees who would
wish to stay.
Serbia Today, 1997-04-23 ; Borba, 1997-04-23
[07] SUPPORT TO INITIATIVES FOR COOPERATION BETWEEN THE DANUBE RIVER
COUNTRIES
Yugoslavia will construct its future foreign political orientation
undoubtedly as "the carrier of integration processes, multilateral programs
and cooperation in the region of the Balkans and in the Danube river basin",
said yesterday at the session of the Committee for Foreign Relations of the
Belgrade City Committee of the Socialist Party of Serbia, Dr. Predrag Simic,
director of the Institute for International Politics and Economy. While
speaking of the actual trends in the region and possibilities and
perspectives for the Danube river basin cooperation, Simic said that for
Serbia and Belgrade "Danube cooperation is the backbone of the Balkan and
European cooperation". The Commission supported the initiatives which are
instigating economic and tourist cooperation between the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia and the Danube river countries, among others also the
cooperation between the radio broadcasting organizations and the
forthcoming ninth international gathering "Danube - River of Cooperation".
It was proposed to initiate faster integration of Serbia in the activities
of the work community of the Danube river basin countries and instigate
economic, educational, scientific and cultural cooperation with the
countries in the region.
Serbia Today, 1997-04-23 ; Borba, 1997-04-23
[08] FREEDOM FOR JOURNALISTS - PROTECTION FROM SLANDER FOR CITIZENS
"This meeting concludes the public debate in Serbia on the republican Law
on Public information, and it is our intention for the presented
suggestions and criticism to be covered with the draft Law", said the
republican Minister of Information Prof.Dr. Radmila Milentijevic in
Smederevo, at the meeting with the directors and editor-in-chief of the
mass media of the Danube river valley district and representatives of the
district judiciary. "The future Law prescribes full freedom for journalists
who are guaranteed the freedom of their professional action. But we shall
also not neglect the freedom and rights of citizens in the field of public
information, because they must be protected from ungrounded slander in the
mass media", said Minister Milentijevic. While underlining that in the
drafting of this Law the models were taken from the Western European
countries, Minister Milentijevic said that the Law on Public Information
will be the result of our collective opinion at this stage of democratic
development of Serbia.
Serbia Today, 1997-04-23 ; Vecernje novosti, 1997-04-23
[09] THE FAIR OF CIVIL ENGINEERING OPENED IN BELGRADE
While inaugurating yesterday in Belgrade the 23rd International Fair "Civil
Engineering '97", republican Minister for Civil Engineering Branislav
Ivkovic pointed out that "the very fact that 412 exhibitors are exhibiting
their products at this Fair, speaks most of all of the vitality of this
economic branch which succeeded in overcoming the most difficult period and
which certainly has a good future". Minister Ivkovic stated that there are
great expectations from the Law on Ownership Transformation and announced
that the Government of the Republic of Serbia shall undertake special steps
for the most important and the most problematic enterprises, in the
implementation of the Law on Ownership Transformation. At this year's Fair
of civil engineering, further to the local companies, 50 exhibitors are
present from Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Denmark,
Hungary, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Turkey, Spain, Slovenia, Macedonia and
the Republic of Srpska. The organizers of this fair exhibition are saying
that it is characteristic for this year's exhibition that there is a large
participation of the private firms, some 80 percent of them.
Serbia Today, 1997-04-23 ; Vecernje novosti, 1997-04-23
[10] CZECH BANKS INVEST IN THE POWER PRODUCTION OF SERBIA
Prime Minister of Serbia Mirko Marjanovic received director general of the
public enterprise Electricity Administration of Serbia Slobodan Babic and
president of the Czech "Skoda" Concern Lubomir Soudek, who have signed the
commercial contracts in the value of 62 million US dollars, from the total
of 100 million US dollars of the approved credit line by the Czech partner.
Marjanovic congratulated the partners on the efficiently performed deal
which will have a great importance not only for the development and
operation of the Electricity Administration of Serbia and "Skoda", but also
for the development of the overall business relations between the two
countries. Power is one of the corner stones of the development of Serbia,
said Marjanovic, and underlined that this is an extremely important step in
its development and a concrete example of implementation of the reforms in
our country. President of "Skoda" expressed the extremely high interest
which his Concern has in engaging itself in the realization of the other
power production programs in Serbia. Czech banks have already expressed
their readiness, through credit arrangements, to invest in Yugoslavia and
take part in the process of privatization in our country.
Serbia Today, 1997-04-23 ; Politika, 1997-04-23
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