Serbia Today, 97-05-05

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From: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>

Serbia Today

CONTENTS

[01] RETURN TO EUROPE

[02] COMMEMORATION SERVICE FOR SERBIAN VICTIMS

[03] MINIMUM FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF CROATIA "ETHNIC CLEANSING SERVICE"

[04] RE-TAILORING OF THE DAYTON ACCORDS

[05] JOBS FOR 165,000 WORKERS

[06] DOORS OPEN FOR EXPORTS

[07] REGISTRATION OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS BEGINS

[01] RETURN TO EUROPE

Vecernje novosti, 1997-05-05

After the decision of the European Union on the trade preferential to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav businessmen are expecting the exports to be increased and the unfavorable foreign trade balance with the European Union to be better balanced. Yugoslavia had lost its status of the trade preferential country with the European Union countries in November 1991. Only after the suspension and lifting of sanctions when the trade exchange took its natural course, it became obvious that Yugoslavia is in a much worse position than its neighboring countries. The other former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were given back much earlier the previous preferential which the former Yugoslavia was enjoying. This meant that the economy of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, from the very start, was for one fifth in a worse position in respect to its exports to the European Union in comparison with the other former republics of the SFRY.

Our country is now also being given the opportunity in this year (the decision is valid for the year 1997 but it is expected that it will be extended) to balance out its trade with the European Union countries and to decrease the present rather large trade deficit.

The decision on the trade preferential is being interpreted by many of our businessmen as a chance for the exchange to be returned to the level that it had before the sanctions.

[02] COMMEMORATION SERVICE FOR SERBIAN VICTIMS

Nasa borba, 1997-05-05

Serbian Patriarch Pavle officiated yesterday in the church of Saint Mark in Belgrade the commemoration liturgy for Serbian victims of the "The Flash" military offensive, executed in May 1995 by the Croat Army in Western Slavonia. In his address after the service was officiated, Patriarch said the following; "For me it is a true consolation that all the deceased, killed and injured, all those who were left without their land and the invalids who were left without their arms, legs or eyes, a consolation is that all of them are standing, both them and us, before the living God, before whom those that died for justice, truth and their faith shall never be dead. There is no interest, and I repeat it both to myself and to all of you, and to all the others who have eyes and ears, that even if we are to be offered the entire Europe - the entire world, but at the expense of a crime - we would never and could never accept it. Because even our ancestors were never accepting this, and no one in this our world of the Orthodox truthful and true faith, ever would. This wisdom should preserve us from returning hate for hate, crime for crime, injustice for injustice".

[03] MINIMUM FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF CROATIA "ETHNIC CLEANSING SERVICE"

Politika, 1997-05-05

The renown Croat historian and the professor at the Yale University, Ivo Banac, stated that the Croat Ministry of Reconstruction and Development "is an ethnic cleansing service which is using the money obtained from the international community for the projects of national engineering". Banac strongly criticized also the church circles in Croatia for which he said that "they are politically instrumentalized, uncritical and prone to apology of nationalism". At the same time, he said that the words which the Pope John Paul Second pronounced in Sarajevo were touching but also outside of politics and history. Banac is of the view that the rumors on the division of Bosnia which are to be heard from the ranks of the Bosnian Muslims, are not without grounds, but he warned that in that case Bosnia would become a ghetto for Bosniacs, who would be faced with the dying out and isolation. While commenting on the actual regime of the Croat President Franjo Tudjman, he said that the ruling Croat Democratic Community party is "a red-brown coalition and the remains of our reconciled totalitarianism and financial power, packed in a tree-color flag which they have soil", and that the fight for a modern and European Croatia will not be short.

[04] RE-TAILORING OF THE DAYTON ACCORDS

Nasa borba, 1997-05-05

The influential Sarajevo magazine "Dani" and the tabloid close to the Izetbegovic's SDA party (Democratic Action Party) "Dnevni avaz", have published during the month of April maps of the Muslim state which covers 60% of the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina, while according to the Dayton Accords they are entitled to some 25%. The difference would be covered at the expense of Serbian territories in Western Bosnia, which the Muslims would conquer with the aid of their allies Croats, to whom in return they would give the south-western Bosnia which the Croats wish to annex to Croatia. In this way Serbs would be left with only their territories in the Eastern Bosnia, which is less than half of what was given to them according to the Dayton Accords. The influential Muslim, Vice President of Bosnia- Herzegovina Ejup Ganic, is denying that anything is being prepared. "Whoever wishes division, gets the war", claims Ganic. The debate which is spreading throughout the country, the Bosniacs are experiencing as preparation for the division of the country. The magazine "Dani" writes that Alija Izetbegovic approved establishment of the clandestine work group which is to study the implications of the division. At the same time "Dnevni avaz" proposes to the foreign governments to accept the division, and claims that according to the surveys the number of Muslims wishing division is constantly growing. Division of the country, for whose unity the Muslims were allegedly fighting, could bring Izetbegovic in an uncomfortable position because in the early 1992 he was offered the division, which he in the beginning accepted, and then refused, and after that the war broke out.

[05] JOBS FOR 165,000 WORKERS

Borba, 1997-05-05

The Republican Labor Market Institute, in the process of the ownership transformation and economic restructuring, is having a very important and active role. This year the Institute intends to introduce standard of international quality ISO 9004 which will make it possible for the unemployed in the shortest possible time to obtain information about the available jobs.

This year some 165,000 workers will be given jobs, and also employment of some 13,000 young and talented experts is envisaged, while many will find their jobs through self-employment. It is estimated that until the end of this year some 5,000 unemployed will solve their status in this way, and it is the intention to give them assistance, because in the world self- employment is a recognized and a popular methods which is yielding excellent results.

The unemployed are investing 50 percent of the funds, while the other half of the funds is provided by the Institute. Such a form of mediation is extremely popular and profitable, as illustrated by the experiences of the developed countries. This was stated by Slobodan Drobnjakovic, M.A., director of the Republican Labor Market Institute. The Institute will be also actively engaged in employing our people abroad, in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Employment and the other institutions. The basic condition is an intergovernmental agreement with the interested countries, which will secure corresponding conditions for our workers, states magister Drobnjakovic.

[06] DOORS OPEN FOR EXPORTS

Borba, 1997-05-05

Minister Coordinator in the Government of Serbia, Dragan Tomic, stated for the Tanjug news agency that after the return of the European Union preferential to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a fast renewals of cooperation is expected with the European Union because of the high quality of our products and services and confidence in our experts and work force.

The textile, foot-wear and food industries and agricultural production have the best opportunities for a radical increase of their exports on the basis of the preferential which we have obtained by the Decree of the European Union Council, because the present-day customs duties and other limitations on our exports were actually imposed in these fields, said Tomic.

The first analysis in some of the branch coordination teams are showing that exports of meat and livestock, textiles and foot-wear industry products into the European Union must be until the end of this year alone increased for over 200 million US dollars.

"These deals are demanding a certain time for adjustment between our exporters and their partners in the Union, and it is realistic to expect full effects of increase of our exports in the second half of this year", underlined Tomic. Chances for success are great, in view of the traditional presence of our economy on the markets of the European Union countries and the forthcoming process of the ownership transformation, Tomic added.

[07] REGISTRATION OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS BEGINS

Politika, 1997-05-05

Registration of eligible voters for the elections in 182 municipal assemblies in Bosnia-Herzegovina scheduled for September 13 and 14, 1997 is to begin tomorrow in the Republic of Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation, then in the FR of Yugoslavia, Croatia and in the other countries.

Registration in Bosnia-Herzegovina will take place until June 16, 1997 and every voter must register in the closest center for registration of the municipality in which he is now living. According to the Rules of Procedure of the Transitional Electoral Commission established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (O.S.C.E.), all the voters must register again for the local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina, regardless of the fact whether they were registered for the last-year's September elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina or not. The process of registration at the last-year's elections was making a confusion, so that the O.S.C.E. this year has engaged 420 observers who are to monitor registration of eligible voters throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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