Serbia Today, 97-05-23

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

Serbia Today

CONTENTS

[01] NEW GENERAL COLLECTIVE CONTRACT SIGNED

[02] AFTER THE APPROVAL OF THE LAW ON CONCESSIONS

[03] REFUGEE COMMISSIONER BRATISLAVA MORINA RECEIVED THE DELEGATION OF THE EU HUMANITARIAN BUREAU

[04] AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SERBIAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND THE AUSTRIAN "BIORENA" CO.

[05] YESTERDAY PRIME MINISTER MIRKO MARJANOVIC DISCUSSED THE NEW LAW ON LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT WITH THE REPRESENTATIVES OF SERBIAN PARLIAMENTARY PARTIES

[06] BELGRADE BANKING GROUP ESTABLISHED

[07] EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS COMPLETELY REGULATED

[08] THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC RECEIVED THE GREEK MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE

[09] THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC VISITED YESTERDAY THE SUMADIJA-KOLUBARA REGION

[01] NEW GENERAL COLLECTIVE CONTRACT SIGNED

Tanjug, 1997-05-23

Yesterday at the Government Building, a new General Collective Contract has been signed. The document has been signed by Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic, the President of the Serbian Unions League Tomislav Banovic and the Vice President of the Serbian Chamber of Economy Momir Pavlicevic.

The signing of the General Collective Contract which defines the rights, duties and responsibilities in the sphere of employment in accordance with the Law on Employment, completes the legal framework on the republican level and allows the formulation of branch-industry and specific collective contracts.

This will greatly help the implementation of the economic policy objectives, primarily the increase of production and improvement of working and living conditions of the workers and all citizens.

[02] AFTER THE APPROVAL OF THE LAW ON CONCESSIONS

Tanjug, 1997-05-23

In an interview for the Belgrade "Blic" daily (May 23rd), Serbian Minister of Construction Branislav Ivkovic stated that "...major interest of investors from America, France, Italy, Greece and Germany already exists to invest in the domestic road network. However, no arrangements will be signed without a public auction. Until that time, the Serbian Government is to prepare the complete procedure in direct relation to the republican laws on concessions and foreign investments. Domestic companies that intend to take part in the auction - and some have already shown interest - will be treated just like foreign parties. Along with the construction of the land communications that will improve the connections with Europe, major interest has already been displayed to invest in waterworks, electricity and use of mineral resources."

[03] REFUGEE COMMISSIONER BRATISLAVA MORINA RECEIVED THE DELEGATION OF THE EU HUMANITARIAN BUREAU

Tanjug, 1997-05-23

Yesterday at the Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia, Refugee Commissioner Bratislava Morina receive the delegation of the EU Humanitarian Bureau headed by Mr. Antoine E. d'Haulleville. During the talks, Ms. Morina informed the EU Humanitarian Bureau officials about the present humanitarian situation faced by over 700.000 refugees in FR Yugoslavia. She also illustrated the options for a lasting solution of the refugee question, namely voluntary repatriation, emigration to third countries or integration in FR Yugoslavia.

Commissioner Morina underscored that it is indispensable to continue providing aid to the most needy categories: elderly, sick, invalids, children without parent care, and single mothers until the conditions for implementing lasting solutions are met. During the meeting imminent visits by other EU development organizations have been anticipated.

[04] AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SERBIAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND THE AUSTRIAN "BIORENA" CO.

Tanjug, 1997-05-23

Dr. Leposava Milicevic - representing the Serbian Ministry of Health, signed an agreement on cooperation in the public health sphere with the Biorena-Handelsgesellschaft mbH from Vienna, represented by Mr. Martin Sturzeis.

The document specifies that this renown Austrian company is to supply medicines, pharmaceutical raw materials and medical supplies worth 100 million dollars payable without interest within a year.

The medicines will be delivered in phases and distributed through Belgrade based companies: Velefarm and Holywell-Neopren.

The agreement represents the first result of the negotiations recently conducted in Vienna by the Yugoslav delegation headed by Ms. Milicevic with Austrian businessmen, bankers and politicians.

Reporting about the event "Ekspres Politika" (May 23rd) quotes the statement made by Dr. Leposlava Milicevic - Serbian Minister of Health, that "...this is the beginning of cooperation between Serbian public health sector and the Austrian companies. The agreement and the extremely favorable loan arrangement are very important for us at this moment. The credit will help us overcome the liquidity crisis in the public health sector."

[05] YESTERDAY PRIME MINISTER MIRKO MARJANOVIC DISCUSSED THE NEW LAW ON LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT WITH THE REPRESENTATIVES OF SERBIAN PARLIAMENTARY PARTIES

Tanjug, 1997-05-23

Yesterday at the Government Building, a meeting chaired by Serbian Premier Mirko Marjanovic was held with the representatives of the parliamentary parties to discuss the draft version of the Law on Local Self-Government.

Along with Mr. Marjanovic - the Government side was represented by Deputy Premier Prof. Dr. Ratko Markovic, and the Minister of Local Self-Government Mr. Zoran Modrinic. The invited political parties were represented by: Milorad Vucelic - Vice-President of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Vojislav Andric - Chairman of the Executive Board of New Democracy (ND), Dr. Vojislav Seselj - President of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), Dr. Zoran Djindjic - President of the Democratic Party (DS), Dr. Sandor Pal - President of the Democratic Community of Hungarians from Vojvodina (DZVM), Dr. Vesna Rakic-Vodinelic, legal advisor of the President of the Civic League (GS).

In spite of the invitation, the meeting was not attended by Mr. Vuk Draskovic, President of the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) and Dr. Vojislav Kostunica - President of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS). All those figures that attended the meeting endorsed this form of exchange of opinion between parliamentary parties and the Government of Serbia, and expressed the conviction that the dialogue on all important issues affecting the enhancement and evolution of democratization of political life in Serbia will continue in future.

Working in a constructive and tolerant atmosphere, the parties present expressed their conceptual objections, and offered a number of remarks, suggestions, and concrete solutions concerning the draft Law on Local Self- Government. It has been particularly stressed that the criteria for the constitution of municipalities must be specified, as well as the range of activities and competencies of local self-government bodies and their funding. Other observations made regarded the need to pin-point the electoral procedure the number of constituencies, the place and role of local community bodies etc.

Special attention was dedicated to the provisions concerning the electoral system for the election of municipal council deputies and the functioning of local self-government bodies in municipalities with ethnically mixed population. Most of the speakers endorsed the Government proposal to introduce a proportional electoral mechanism in the election of municipal deputies and suggested that the number i.e. the size of constituencies be altered, and that the electoral procedure has to be defined strictly. The determination of the Government to find a formula that will allow the functioning of local self-government in mixed ethnic communities was also supported and a number of ideas on how to improve the proposed solutions have been given.

Party representatives stressed the need to organize a debate in order to define the suffrage conditions for the forthcoming elections. Government representatives indicated readiness to promptly organize talks concerning these issues, as well as the regulations on media presentation of the parties and their financing. The Dialogue on Further Democratization of Political Life will Continue

In an ample report on yesterday's meeting between the Government and representatives of the parliamentary parties - chaired by Prime Minister Marjanovic, "Politika" (May 23rd) quotes the statement made by Deputy Premier Dr. Ratko Markovic after the meeting.

"The political parties criticized the proposed solutions and institutions from different angles. However, the Government - proposing the law - must bear in mind the maneuvering space allowed by the Constitution. This Law can not turn local self-government into something which it is not, granting it state competencies. When we opted for this concept of local self- government numerous questions have arisen: what kid of organization should be set up, what is the relationship between the state and the local self- government to be, how are we to shape the protection of the right to local self-government. On the other hand, the political parties focus on individual issues, because they do not have the same obligation as the government - to harmonize al these different things into an non- contradictory legal form." specified Mr. Markovic adding that all this is actually helping and will be integrated in the draft law.

"Independently of this meeting and other future ones concerning other issues, the Government is prepared to study all remarks that might be submitted and include them in the revised version of the draft Law on Local Self-Government -- said Prof. Dr. Markovic underscoring that the Government is really determined to regulate this particular issue - which does not involve excessive political controversies - in the best possible manner, primarily abiding to the constitutional concept of local self-government.

[06] BELGRADE BANKING GROUP ESTABLISHED

Tanjug, 1997-05-23

Many serious and complex operations with foreign partners lie ahead of us: primarily with the creditors, the IMF and the World Bank, and we can no longer face the world unprepared, especially if we expect it not only to reprogram the maturity of previous loans to Yugoslavia, but also to grant us fresh capital to recover the Yugoslav economy and banking sector. This was the prime observation at the inauguration of the "Belgrade Banking Group" held yesterday at the Sava Congress Center in Belgrade in the presence of numerous guests including the Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic, reads the "Ekspres Politika" article (May 23rd). Praising the founding of the "Belgrade Banking Group" Prime Minister Marjanovic underscored that he is impressed by the fact that the extensive preparations have been done so quickly and thoroughly and that BBG will give a major contribution to the implementation of economic reforms in Serbia, especially to the much expected privatization of the companies and banks and the recovery of the national financial system.

[07] EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS COMPLETELY REGULATED

Tanjug, 1997-05-23

A "Politika" article (May 23rd) on the signing of the new General Collective Contract stresses that according to Serbian Deputy Premier Slobodan Radulovic this constitutes an important document which will give the possibility to companies and unions - as employment market counterparties - to independently define the level of wages as a free market category. Furthermore, by adopting a new social care program (the compulsory vacation formula will be abolished as of June 30th) the government will relieve the companies of their present social security role, and allow them to do what they are meant to - produce and make profit.

"Politika" also quotes Serbian Unions League President Tomislav Banovic, who said that the Contract primarily defines the criteria for surplus work- force, but also offers guidelines for negotiations, i.e. formulas for determining wages in branch-industry and specific collective contracts. He also added that the document binds the undersigning sides of the General Collective Contract - acting as social partners - to meet at the end of each year and adopt recommendations for determining wages on the metropolitan level as well as within companies and institutions. An important novelty lies in the fact that the wages defined by the specific collective contracts must be used as the minimum offer for wage negotiations in stipulating individual contracts, although the employer has the opportunity to temporarily give such wages as a down-payment - pending union permission, and to subsequently settle difference up to the full wages defined by the collective contract.

[08] THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC RECEIVED THE GREEK MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE

Tanjug, 1997-05-23

All leading media report that Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic received yesterday afternoon the Greek Minister of National Defense - Mr. Akis Tzohadzopulos accompanied by his Yugoslav host - Federal Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic.

During the meeting it has been stressed that the highly developed bilateral relations and the mutual closeness of the two countries and nations greatly contribute to the stability in the region and constitute an example for building trust, mutual respect, equality and ties among Balkan nations.

The mutual interest in continuing and enhancing the successful cooperation between FR Yugoslavia and Greece has been also underscored.

After the talks, the Greek Minister of National Defense - Mr. Akis Tzohadzopulos stated that he believes that the meeting reaffirms the determination of the peoples of Greece and Yugoslavia to broaden their cooperation. He stressed that the situation in Europe was discussed, with particular attention to the Balkan region, where - in his view - new perspectives are being opened for strengthening democracy, peace and stability, as well as the forthcoming meting of Balkan foreign ministers, and the possibility of staging a similar meeting of defense ministers of the Balkan countries.

[09] THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC VISITED YESTERDAY THE SUMADIJA-KOLUBARA REGION

Tanjug, 1997-05-23

During his visit to the town of Arandjelovac yesterday, Serbian President Milosevic congratulated the workers of the "Knjaz Milos" company on the opening of a new bottling plant for mineral water and soft drinks - all daily papers report. During the visit President Milosevic said: "A little while ago, when we attended a brief presentation of the business results, we could see that they practically mirror the trends in Yugoslav economy over the past few years. First the dramatic downfall during the greatest international pressure on our country and the hyper-inflation in 1993, and then results in 1994, 1995, 1996. Now, at the beginning of 1997, we have a successful economic growth. I would like to say here - to you and the entire public: this year our country will have the greatest growth rate in Europe, for it will be doubled.

Now that we are free of pressure, we are determined to catch up with what was denied to us. In the first four months we have had an 8 per cent growth rate in spite of the attempts to destabilize our country at the beginning of this year. As far as these attempts are concerned, they were neither new nor the first, and certainly not the last. We are now aware that because it pursued a coherent policy and strived to preserve peace defending at the same time the national interests of the Serbian people, our country was sentenced to enormous pressure - unprecedented in history. These attempts made by foreign factors with the help of given internal factors tried to topple the present Serbian Government for a very simple reason - because it is a government of the people."

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