Tanjug Daily News Review, 96-05-11

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From: Tanjug, Yugoslavia, via Serbian Unity Congress <http://www.suc.org/>

May 11, 1996
NEWS AGENCY - TANJUG
DAILY NEWS REVIEW

CONTENTS

[01] BOSNIAN MUSLIMS REJECT PROPOSED ELECTORAL RULES

[02] PLANS FOR REPATRIATION OF REFUGEES IN BOSNIA TO BE MODIFIED

[03] MAIL SERVICE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN SERB REGION, CROATIA

[04] AGREEMENT SIGNED ON USE OF CROATIAN PORT OF PLOCE

[05] IFOR SURROUNDS MUSLIM PART OF SARAJEVO'S DOBRINJA DISTRICT

[06] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL: SUCCESSFUL VISIT TO POLAND

[07] JOINT ELECTIONS COMMISSION FOR NORTHEASTERN BOSNIA FORMED

[08] SERBIAN ECONOMISTS FAVOUR OWNERSHIP TRANSFORMATION

[09] EXCHANGE OF VISITS ANOTHER STEP IN SERB-CROAT RELATIONS IN SLAVONIA

[10] BOSNIAN SERB POLICE ARREST MUSLIM SUBVERSIVE-TERRORIST GROUP

[11] U.N. OFFICIAL SAYS INCIDENTS IN BOSNIA TEST PEACE FORCE

[12] BOSNIAN MUSLIM TERRORISTS CONFESS THEY KILLED SERB CIVILIANS

[13] EUROPE 'CLOSES DOOR' TO CROATIA

[14] PORTILLO SAYS NO PLANS FOR BRITISH TROOPS TO STAY ON IN BOSNIA

[15] AYALA-LASSO: YUGOSLAVIA CONTINUES COOPERATION WITH HAGUE TRIBUNAL

[16] NEW DETAILS ON DELIVERIES OF IRANIAN ARMS TO BOSNIAN MUSLIMS

[17] INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON YUGOSLAV-E.U. COOPERATION CLOSES IN BELGRADE

[18] SLOVENIA ACCUSED OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

[01] BOSNIAN MUSLIMS REJECT PROPOSED ELECTORAL RULES

'we must make sure that everybody votes in his environment, where he or she resided at the time of the 1991 census (before the outbreak of the war),' ganic said at a political meeting in central bosnia.

he said that there would be no peace in bosnia-herzegovina until all muslim refugees and displaced persons returned home.

croat officials have more than once this week criticized the federation partner for rejecting the proposed electoral rules.

mutual recriminations over the issue have especially been sharp between the croat and muslim authorities in the divided city of mostar.

bosnian croats, just as bosnian serbs, maintain that elections must be held by the set deadline and according to the proposed rules, which will enable voters to vote also where they are currently residing.

[02] PLANS FOR REPATRIATION OF REFUGEES IN BOSNIA TO BE MODIFIED

geneva, may 10 (tanjug).- the u.n. high commissioner for refugees will propose to the forthcoming session of the working group for humanitarian issues in the former yugoslavia monday in geneva a modification of its operational plan for the repatriation of refugees in bosnia-herzegovina, informed sources in geneva said friday.

according to the plan adopted on march 8 this year in oslo, 370,000 refugees were to be repatriated to bosnia in 1996 from federal republic of yugoslavia, croatia, slovenia and western europe.

in addition, 500,000 displaced persons inside bosnia-herzegovina were due to return home.

unhcr has however assessed that the necessary conditions for repatriation have not been met.

reconstruction of damaged houses and buildings in bosnia has not even started, basic infrastructure has been largely destroyed, and conditions for employment of repatriates are practically nil.

additional problems are four million mines throughout bosnia, freedom of movement which has not been ensured in full yet, and money.

the present rate of repatriation is another proof that plans must be modified.

according to latest unhcr figures, only about 60,000 people have returned home in bosnia so far.

as for 'real' repatriation, results achieved so far are negligible. with the assistance of unhcr and the international migrations organization, 57 muslim refugees have returned from hungary, 77 from slovakia and 224 from federal republic of yugoslavia.

how the unhcr plan will be modified remains to be seen, but the principal changes will concern displaced persons.

according to unhcr figures, there are one million displaced persons in bosnia, of whom 500,000 were to return home this year. plans are however now being drawn up for the return of between 200,000 and 300,000 diplaced persons.

[03] MAIL SERVICE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN SERB REGION, CROATIA

in the presence of u.n. administrator jacques klein, the mail bags were exchanged by serb region president goran hadzic and head of the office for setting up croatia's authority in the region ivica vrkic.

the mail service will cover the deliveries of letters and also printed matter weighing up to two kilos.

klein said the mail service was another important step toward the opening of the region and the establishment of communication among people, which he said was one of the u.n. mission's most important tasks.

the oil pipeline between the croatian island of krk and pancevo near belgrade and the zagreb-belgrade motorway were reopened on tuesday.

hadzic said 'the creation of conditions for lasting peace should be the basic idea of all activities of the participants in the peace process.'

vrkic said the establishemtn of the mail service was greatly helped by the activities of the u.n. transitional administration (untaes) and the cooperation of the serb side and it was another sign that the war was over.

the serb region is the only part of the republic of serb krajina on which croatia has not carried out aggression.

croatia and the serb region reached in november 1995 accords on a peaceful solution to the dispute and a year- or possibly two-year long international administration of the region.

[04] AGREEMENT SIGNED ON USE OF CROATIAN PORT OF PLOCE

the agreement was signed following a meeting of the joint council for cooperation between the federation and croatia, a statement said. croatian president franjo tudjman and bosnian muslim leader alija izetbeogovic attended the ceremony.

after the meeting, tudjman told reporters that the talks had demonstrated the resolve of both the muslim and croat sides duly to implement the washington and dayton accords in the interest of fortifying peace and creating a new international order in the area.

following a year of heavy armed conflicts, bosnian muslims and croats formed a federation in march 1994 under u.s. pressure. the binational federation, however, has not started functioning to this day.

izetbegovic said in his statement to the press that the atmosphere at the meeting had been constructive and that accord had been reached to secure the return of refugees to the muslim-croat federation.

izetbegovic said agreement had been reached with croatia on securing one seat in the croatian assembly for the muslim minority in croatia.

during the meeting, it was also agreed to step up the coordination of defense laws in the federation and that elections in bosnia-herzegovina should be held as planned -- by the end of september.

[05] IFOR SURROUNDS MUSLIM PART OF SARAJEVO'S DOBRINJA DISTRICT

the british news agency reuter said quoting u.n. and nato sources that a muslim was gravely injured (shot in the chest) and one serb received minor injuries when three grenades were hurled at his vehicle in these clashes on friday night.

the line of separation between the two entities in dobrinja literally runs through buildings and even apartments.

according to reuters, one building in the muslim part is surrounded by at least two tanks, eight armored transporters, and about 50 french troops.

french col. bertrand madoux told reuters that their task was only to see that no-one escaped, and that they would pass the case on to the bosnian and international police as soon as they arrived.

members of the two police forces should search the building for hidden weaponry.

[06] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL: SUCCESSFUL VISIT TO POLAND

he said it had confirmed readiness for restoring and improving relations between the two states.

bozovic said the talks with the polish president and prime minister had been highly beneficial, and added that there was a positive attitute toward the federal republic of yugoslavia and its efforts in implementing the dayton agreement.

bozovic said that the polish leadership was prepared to back yugoslavia in the process of its reintegration into international financial institutions.

[07] JOINT ELECTIONS COMMISSION FOR NORTHEASTERN BOSNIA FORMED

representatives of seven municipalities of both entities in bosnia-herzegovina took part in the meeting which was chaired by deputy high representative of the international community for bosnia-herzegovina michael steiner.

the meeting was attended by representatives of the municipalities of banjua luka, mrkonjic grad, prijedor, and gradiska of the serb entity of republika srpska, and the municipalities of kljuc, sanski most, and drvar of the muslim-croat entity, the federation of bosnia-herzegovina.

after the meeting, which was held behind closed doors, steiner said the representatives had realized time was running out and that local elections commissions should be formed as soon as possible.

he said freedom of movement was a precondition for this very important job. movement must not be obstructed in any way, he said. the u.n. high commissioner for refugees will take special care about this, he said.

this is why bus lines between banja luka and zenica, and banja luka and drvar will be opened soon, and telecommunication links established between the two entities.

steiner said regional economic commissions would also soon be formed. he said they would know best where and what should be repaired and built. he warned that the peace accords must be successful in all areas.

asked why the serb entity had so far received only two million and the federation more than 200 million dollars, steiner said this was on no account a mistake of the international community, but of the republika srpska authorities.

[08] SERBIAN ECONOMISTS FAVOUR OWNERSHIP TRANSFORMATION

in a message adopted at the end of the two-day symposium, the participants demanded an urgent improvement of business banking and parallel ownership transformation.

the economists said that the banks had to be enabled for deals on the financial market and helping the recovery and sale of small- and middle-sized companies.

they believe that the ownership transformation, including privatization, is a necessity.

'ownership transformation should secure an economic model based on the concept of integral market, with the money and capital market in its centre,' the message said.

it said that the ownership transformation could not be carried out through a single model and that a combined approach should be used.

[09] EXCHANGE OF VISITS ANOTHER STEP IN SERB-CROAT RELATIONS IN SLAVONIA

chizik said at a press conference that in addition to reuniting families separated by war, the exchange of visits was an important, if not dramatic, step towards normalizing serb-croat relations in the region.

the region located between croatia and federal republic of yugoslavia was placed under one-year u.n. administration in line with the agreement signed in november 1995, until a definite settlement is found. the term can be extended by another year if necessary.

chizik said mail deliveries would continue to be exchanged three times a week at two border crossings.

[10] BOSNIAN SERB POLICE ARREST MUSLIM SUBVERSIVE-TERRORIST GROUP

the police station of zvornik, a town in eastern republika srpska bordering with yugoslavia, said the muslim terrorists were discovered and arrested in the village of planinka, between the zvornik districts of orahovac and caparda.

all the detainees are from srebrenica, the former muslim so-called safe area in eastern bosnia, which the dayton peace accords placed under serb control.

the zvornik police station said there was grounds to suspect that the muslim terrorists had carried out a number of crimes against serb civilians in the area of srebrenica and nearby places.

the sources said the muslims could also be involved in the disappearance of four serb civilian residents of srebrenica. the serbs went missing in krusev dol, 40 km east of milici on may 2 this year.

[11] U.N. OFFICIAL SAYS INCIDENTS IN BOSNIA TEST PEACE FORCE

manuel told a news conference it was possible that incidents resume on the line of separation between the (bosnian serb) republika srpska and the bosnian muslim-croat federation.

she said that this was a test for the bosnia peace implementation force (ifor) and the international community.

manuel said that there were no problems with individual crossings of serbs into the muslim-croat federation but that incidents occurred during attempts at organized visits.

the international police force work at removing all obstacles to the freedom of movement, manuel said and added that the freedom of movement was built into the peace accords.

manuel said that international police would be reorganized by summer and that they just monitored the implementation of the peace agreement.

international policemen are unarmed and cannot make arrests, but they cooperate with the local police forces, she said.

the two bosnia's police forces -- that of the republika srpska and of the muslim-croat federation -- will wear grey uniforms and their insignia are still being discussed, manuel said.

[12] BOSNIAN MUSLIM TERRORISTS CONFESS THEY KILLED SERB CIVILIANS

according to the terrorists, ahmo harbas, behudin husic and nedzad hasic committed the murder, while their accomplices enver harbas, vahdet avdic, mujo mehic and muharem hasanovic helped drag the bodies to a pit and cover them with ground.

according to the terrorists, the serb civilians were killed in the village of stublic and transported to the adjacent village of krusev do, where they were burried in an old muslim cemetery.

zvornik public security centre teams are investigating the terrorists' claims on the ground, srna said and added that pathologists from belgrade's military academy of medicine were expected to arrive.

all terrorists originate from the former muslim enclave of srebrenica which belongs to the republika srpska under the dayton agreement.

[13] EUROPE 'CLOSES DOOR' TO CROATIA

the immediate cause for the latest concern is the state of the freedom of the press in croatia and especially attempts to cancel the results of local elections in zagreb.

in the last few days, the croatian authorities accused journalists of the croatian satirical weekly feral tribune of insulting tudjman, and threatened them with three years in prison.

at the same time, president tudjman and his ruling party are refusing to put into effect the results of local elections in zagreb at which voters showed they had confidence in the opposition.

diplomatic circles in london are, also, pointing to the visible dissatisfaction with the state of human rights in croatia, especially for barring the return of serbs expelled form their homes in krajina, and for inciting separatist forces among bosnian croats.

although croatia was admitted last month to the council of europe the guardian said, citing eu foreign ministerial circles, that the european union was considering the possibility of reviewing the decision.

[14] PORTILLO SAYS NO PLANS FOR BRITISH TROOPS TO STAY ON IN BOSNIA

portillo said he could not imagine a british operation in bosnia and that the bosnian operation had been successful because it has been a nato operation.

'i can't imagine european operations or british operations or single state operations,' he added.

portillo however allowed for longer military presence in bosnia, but only within a nato operation.

british analyst circles claim that the international community was seriously considering the possibility of longer military presence in bosnia and that what remained to be done now was to find a model to carry that out.

the assessment in britain is that the situation is still very 'fragile' and despite several months of peace brought by the dayton agreement, the danger of war had not been eliminated.

radio bbc pointed saturday to the threats, reported by the ifor command, leveled at the multinational forces by foreign islamic fighters, the mudjahedin.

the mudjahedin threatened to launch 'suicide attacks'.

under the dayton peace agreement, islamic fighters had to leave bosnia by mid-january, and according to ifor commander amiral leighton smith there are at least 150 of them ramaining in bosnia.

bosnian muslim leader alija izetbegovic said in gorazde last weekend that the war will be continued be 'muslim children, until they get to the drina river'.

[15] AYALA-LASSO: YUGOSLAVIA CONTINUES COOPERATION WITH HAGUE TRIBUNAL

the yugoslav constitution, however, prohibits the extradition of its citizens, ayala-lasso told a press conference in belgrade at the close of his one-week visit to former yugoslavia.

in addition to belgrade, the commissioner's tour included zagreb and sarajevo.

respect and implementation of human rights is a basis for creating peaceful and stable societies in the new states formed in this region, ayala-lasso said. he said he had pointed out to the respective authorities the importance of the implementation of all the articles of the dayton accords.

in talks with yugoslav government representatives, ayala-lasso said he had indicated that it was necessery to step up the protection of national minority rights in kosovo, sandzak and vojvodina, extend support to the efforts of u.n. special rapporteur on human rights elisabeth rehn and the expert group in discovering missing persons, and that it was necessary to enable freedom of expression of the media and press.

however, ayala-lasso declined to comment when he was asked by tanjug whether he knew members of some 20 nations living in serbia's northern province of vojvodina had the right to education in their native language and full freedom to practice their cultural and national traditions.

the u.n. human rights commissioner had no comments either when he was asked if the latin american minority in the united states had such standards.

[16] NEW DETAILS ON DELIVERIES OF IRANIAN ARMS TO BOSNIAN MUSLIMS

lake said the secret arms deliveries to bosnian muslims did not begin in the spring of 1994, when the white house gave its tacit qpproval for their continuation, but much earlier, in 1992.

lake said the u.s. already at that time had films of iranian planes transporting arms from iran to bosnia via turkey.

however, he did not deny that the white house had given tacit approval for the continuation and stepping up of these shipments in the spring of 1994 at the request of croatia.

like other u.s. officials, lake said this move by washington had allegedly been necessary because the muslim-croat coalition in bosnia had at the time been facing what he called a grave military defeat and that it had been very important to approve these secret arms shipments.

[17] INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON YUGOSLAV-E.U. COOPERATION CLOSES IN BELGRADE

this is the conclusion of a two-day international meeting on economic cooperation between yugoslavia and the e.u. which closed in belgrade on saturday. some 40 experts from yugoslavia and 12 from abroad attended the meeting.

the degree of mutual cooperation between countries of southeastern europe will determine the content, dynamics and quality of their institutional links with the e.u., it was heard at the meeting.

experts believe that it seems to be easier for the e.u. to establish instititutional ties with one coherent regional entity than a series of smaller states with specific problems and specific solutions.

it was pointed out that the federal republic of yugoslavia could hardly expect to have a cooperation agreement with the e.u. such as the one that the former yugoslav federation had concluded in 1980. that agreement had given the six-member federation standing such as no other state had received either before or since.

the current institutional relations of the e.u. with countries in transition from central and eastern europe are behind the solutions of that 1980 agreement with the former yugoslav federation in almost all areas, it was heard at the meeting.

the belgrade meeting was organized by the european movement of serbia, the institute of economic sciences of belgrade, and the ekonomska politika magazine within a celebration of days of europe '96. the meeting was the first in a cycle of international meetings on yugoslavia after the sanctions.

[18] SLOVENIA ACCUSED OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

the organization, which monitors the respect of human rights, said in the report that about 11,000 persons born in other republics of the former yugoslav federation and residing in slovenia at the time of its secession in 1991 were deprived of elementary human rights.

they are denied the slovenian citizenship and cannot work, vote, travel, open bank accounts, own immovables, have social welfare and health insurance, merry, devorce or be buried, the organization said in the report quoted by the italian semi-official news agnecy ansa from trieste.

those persons are a part of a community of 170,000 former yugoslavs born in other republics of the former yugoslav federation who had lived for a long time in slovenia before the disintegration of the former federation.

while 'pure' slovenians were automatically granted citizenship of the new slovenian state, people with serb, montenegrin, macedonian or some other non-slovenian blood had to submit official requests to be granted citizenship.

this very fact was described by helsinki monitor as a violation of fundamental human rights.

the situation is all the more difficult as the group of 11,000 have also been deprived of all their documents, including driver's licences.

the report came after the slovenian constitutional court, three years after the official request, refused to grant citizenship to a taxi driver originating from the yugoslav republic of montenegro who had lived in slovenia for the past 17 years.

Copyright © Tanjug, Yugoslavia, 1996

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