Tanjug Daily News Review, 96-06-22
From: Tanjug, Yugoslavia, via Serbian Unity Congress <http://www.suc.org/>
Jun 22, 1996
NEWS AGENCY - TANJUG
DAILY NEWS REVIEW
CONTENTS
[01] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES HEAD OF IFOR HEADQUARTERS
[02] FIVE BOSNIAN MUSLIMS CONVICTED OF PLOTTING TO MURDER LEADER ABDIC
[03] CROATIAN TENNIS PLAYER CRITICIZED FOR DOUBLING WITH YUGOSLAV PARTNER
[04] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT GIVES POSITIVE ASSESSMENT TO TALKS WITH IMF
[05] ECONOMISTS: SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS DID NOT RESULT IN ECONOMIC RISE
[06] OSCE PREPARES PLAN FOR BIH REFUGEES TO VOTE
[07] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT URGES STRENGTHENING OF PEACE PROCESS IN BOSNIA
[08] DOCUMENT ON CROATIAN CRIMES AGAINST SERB FIGHTERS IN KRAJINA
[09] 48 PARTIES, 33 INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES REGISTER FOR BOSNIA ELECTIONS
[10] SERBS EXPELLED FROM CROATIA, ASSERTS SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
PARISH-RECTOR IN ZAGREB
[11] U.N.: SERBS ARE LEAVING SARAJEVO BECAUSE OF HARASSMENT
[12] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA PRIME MINISTER CONFERS WITH INTERNATIONAL OFFICIAL
[13] GEN. SCHOUPS SAYS ANYONE WHO ENTERS SEPARATION ZONE IS ENEMY
[14] BUSES WITH VOTERS IN MOSTAR UNDER E.U. POLICE ESCORT
[15] E.U. DOCUMENT ON FORMER YUGOSLAVIA ADOPTED
[01] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES HEAD OF IFOR HEADQUARTERS
belgrade, june 21 (tanjug) - yugoslav foreign minister milan
milutinovic on friday received head of the bosnia peace
implementation force (ifor) headquarters gen. v.g. carter.
the yugoslav foreign ministry said in a statement that
milutinovic and carter had discussed the implementation of the bosnia
peace agreement and ifor's activities and engagement in it.
[02] FIVE BOSNIAN MUSLIMS CONVICTED OF PLOTTING TO MURDER LEADER ABDIC
belgrade, june 21 (tanjug) - five bosnian muslims were sentenced
to prison terms in the croatian port town of rijeka on friday for
plotting to assassinate bosnian muslim politician fikret abdic.
according to a croatian radio report, as quoted by associated
press, a 20-year-old woman, arrested with the five in april, was
acquitted, while her co-defendants were sentenced to jail terms
ranging from four months to two years.
sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that the woman
had been the main witness for the prosecution.
moderate muslim politician fikret abdic rose against hard-liner
alija izetbegovic in the early days of the crisis in former
yugoslavia, in an effort to avoid war with the bosnian serbs and
croats.
abdic set up an unrecognised republic of west bosnia, and his
army successfully resisted the onslaught of izetbegovic's loyalists
for a time, but eventually capitulated.
abdic has taken refuge in rijeka, on the northern adriatic coast,
where he had lived before the outbreak of the bosnian civil war, and
plunto run for president of the prospective bosnian union.
[03] CROATIAN TENNIS PLAYER CRITICIZED FOR DOUBLING WITH YUGOSLAV PARTNER
zagreb, june 22 (tanjug) - croatian tennis player maja muric has
been sharply criticized by croatian tennis association leaders and
papers for doubling with yugoslav tennis player tatjana jecmenica at
the tennis tournament in eastbourne, england.
croatian tennis association president suad rizvanbegovic said he
would look into the 'reasons that led maja muric to this act,' the
split daily slobodna dalmacija said on saturday.
'i would not like to judge in advance, but i personally believe
there is not a single justified reason which she could present,'
rizvanbegovic said.
the daily of this croatian port-city criticized muric for picking
a yugoslav among all tennis players in the world for her doubles
partner.
the daily commentator said muric won the first match at the
tournament in a double with jecmenica, but 'lost crucial moral
points.'
along the same nationalist-chauvinist lines, the daily praised
'top croatian athletes who have been refusing for a full five years
to play at sports events attended by yugoslav athletes,' and who even
today 'unwillingly play with them.'
these events are an 'evil which has to be borne and in which we
must always show that we are better - in everything,' the daily said.
with this tennis match, the split daily said, thanks to maja
muric, the croatian and yugoslav flags 'are flown together again' and
their best athletes 'fight alongside each other.'
observers in zagreb do not rule out the possibility that croatian
sports officials might punish muric by leaving her out of the olympic
team, where she was to have played with best croatian tennis player
iva majoli.
[04] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT GIVES POSITIVE ASSESSMENT TO TALKS WITH IMF
belgrade, june 21 (tanjug) - the yugoslav government on friday
gave a positive assessment to yugoslav delegations' talks with the
international monetary fund and paris club of creditor countries.
a delegation, headed by belgrade university professor oskar
kovac, met with the international monetary fund in geneva on june
13-14. another delegation, headed by yugoslav deputy finance minister
dragutin vucinic, met with the paris club in paris on june 4.
at a session presided by prime minister radoje kontic, the
yugoslav government adopted reports on the talks, the yugoslav
information secretariat said in a statement.
the government said that the talks with the imf had been held in
a constructive atmosphere and that significant progress had been made
in the talks on legal and other issues connected with the regulation
of yugoslavia's relations with the imf.
the government said that intensive contacts and talks with imf
representatives should continue in order to prepare for talks on
coordinating acts which are needed in order to normalize bilateral
relations.
the government also said that the talks with the paris club
represented a good step in the mutual informing and preparation of
talks on the contractual regulation of the consolidation of
yugoslavia's debt with creditor governments.
the government described as important that yugoslavia's stand to
divide the resolution of economic from political issues was supported
in the talks.
the government also adopted a report on talks which yugoslav
assistant trade minister borislav vukovic had in geneva, where he
delivered kontic's letter on the regulation of yugoslavia's
membership in the world trade organization to the wto director
general.
the government said that competent ministries should intensify
diplomatic and political action in order to secure support to this
demand, the statement said.
[05] ECONOMISTS: SUSPENSION OF SANCTIONS DID NOT RESULT IN ECONOMIC RISE
milocer, june 21 (tanjug) - yugoslav economists said on friday
that the suspension of sanctions against yugoslavia had not resulted
in an economic rise.
the most important economic processes either grew very slowly or
even dropped in the first five months of 1996, said the participants
in a three-day symposium in the adriatic seaside resort of milocer,
attended by about 300 experts.
the economists said that the international economic factors still
gave no necessary stimuli to the yugoslav economy and that it was not
realistic to expect an influx of foreign capital in the near future.
the economists said that the existing ownership structure, which
clashes with the market mechanism, was the main reason for the lack
of foreign capital.
yugoslavia's economic system, in which socially- and state-owned
capital dominates with more than 80 percent, is the main source of
economic difficulties, they said.
the economists believe that the latest institutional solutions
postpone the privatization, taking yugoslavia farther away from the
market-based economic system.
the existing ownership structure leaves much space for a state
intervention in different fields of economy, while limited, or maybe
even exhausted, ranges of the economic and primarily monetary policy
mean that an efficient economic policy can hardly be pursued,
regardless of how well conceived, the economists warned.
they said that the degree to which trust in the banks, financial
system and many other institutions which rely on the state were lost
gave grounds to concern.
[06] OSCE PREPARES PLAN FOR BIH REFUGEES TO VOTE
belgrade, june 21 (tanjug) - at the forthcoming elections in
bosnia and herzegovina (bih), every citizen older than 18 years of
age and covered by the 1991 census will be able to vote, the belgrade
office of the united nations high commissioner for refugees (unuhcr)
announced on friday.
the announcement said that 3.8 million u.s. dollars had already
been earmarked for the refugee voting plan prepared by the
organization for security and cooperation in europe (osce), which is
in charge of implementing and controlling the elections.
the host states are expected to secure the necessary conditions,
personnel, equipment, space and public information media, as well as
telephone and telefax lines, the announcement said.
provisional voters lists, to be made by a central electoral body
in each country, would be communicated to the central electoral
commission, while names from the lists could be checked by telephone
or mail.
the refugee who intends to vote will have to submit his personal
number and address from the year 1991 for verification.
every citizen willing to vote will receive a special form
enabling him to vote while the secrecy of data about his present
address will be fully guaranteed.
ballots will be mailed back to the same electoral body which
would proceed them to the provisional electoral commission in
sarajevo for classification by municipalities so that on the election
day these ballots would be counted together with the other ballots,
said the unhcr announcement.
[07] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT URGES STRENGTHENING OF PEACE PROCESS IN BOSNIA
by vladimir holovka
strasbourg, june 21 (tanjug) - european commissioner for foreign
affairs hans van den broek has said the european union (e.u.) sent a
demarche to croatian president franjo tudjman because of the
re-establishment of the government of the croat republic of
herzeg-bosnia within the muslim-croat federation.
van den broek informed the mps in strasbourg that the demarche to
tudjman, as one of the signatories of the dayton peace accords, had
been sent through the croatian ambassador in brussels.
european parliament deputies on friday ended their june session
with an appeal to all factors in charge of implementing the peace
process in bosnia-herzegovina to step up efforts to strengthen peace
and strictly to continue all begun actions, primarily the program for
the revival of the war-torn economies of countries formed from the
former yugoslav federation.
in the past two days, european parliamentarians considered
several reports on the latest developments in bosnia-herzegovina.
very negative opinions on the forming of the herzeg-bosna government
were voiced in the debate.
deputies said the most important task in the summer period in
bosnia-herzegovina was to prepare the elections.
it was evident from a report from the field by a group of
deputies headed by jose maria mendiluce of spain that there were
still no conditions for their successful holding. the return of
refugees to their homes has not been secured, nor is there an
atmosphere of reconciliation among the ethnic groups.
participants in debates especially pointed out that it was
necessary to eliminate from public office, already in the election
campaign, the current senior leaders of republika srpska indicted for
alleged war crimes.
regarding future relations between the european union and
countries former in the territory of former yugoslavia,
parliamentarians gave their support to the policy of a regional
approach.
they underscored the need for a policy of good-neighbor relations
in the balkans and closer mutual linking of the economies of these
countries so as to enable their speedier engagement in trade
relations and cooperation in the continent.
deputies adopted four resolutions in which the european
parliament gives support to the program of reconstruction, continued
humanitarian aid to countries of former yugoslavia, and actions by
the international community in connection with the implementation of
the dayton accords.
local observers said debates on these issues had been much calmer
than those during previous sessions when similar topics had been
discussed. deputies demonstrated much more objectivity toward the
pitted sides in bosnia-herzegovina than earlier in this forum, the
observers said.
[08] DOCUMENT ON CROATIAN CRIMES AGAINST SERB FIGHTERS IN KRAJINA
belgrade, june 21 (tanjug) - forty serb fighters were murdered
and thrown into a pit during the croatian army's 1992 aggression on
the miljevac plateau, northwest of the croatian port-city of sibenik,
said a publication issued by the serb association veritas and
presented in belgrade on friday.
it was not possible to identify 12 of the 40 bodies exhumed from
the pit bezdanka because they had been mutilated, and some were even
headless, said the publication on croatia's first aggression on these
serb-populated united nations-protected areas on june 21, 1992.
the publication contains original reports of obductions and
photographs of serb victims and also croatian reports on the
exhumation of bodies in which forensic experts-pathologists from
sibenic state the bodies of serb fighters had been mutilated prior to
being thrown into the pit, in violation of international humanitarian
laws.
the document also contains statements by a number of the few
captured serb fighters. they testify about war crimes of murders of
serb captives and wounded serbs, and many forms of abuse in croatian
prisons in sibenik and the neighboring port-city of split.
[09] 48 PARTIES, 33 INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES REGISTER FOR BOSNIA ELECTIONS
banja luka, june 21 (tanjug) - organization for security and
cooperation in europe bosnia mission deputy head kenneth scott said
on friday that the provisional electoral commission had registered 48
parties and 33 independent candidates for bosnia elections.
scott was speaking in the western bosnian serb city of banja
luka, where he presided a meeting of the consultative council of
bosnia's political parties.
the meeting was attended by representatives of parties and media
from the (bosnian serb) republika srpska and the muslim-croat
federation.
the deadline for the registration of coalitions to the osce
regional centre in banja luka expired at 5 p.m. local time (1500 gmt)
on friday.
under the november 1995 dayton accords, bosnia-wide elections
should be held by mid-september.
scott said that the commission had not registered two parties,
whose names were identical to those of some previously founded
parties, but did not refer to them by their names.
he said that one party had not collected enough signatures for
elections in bosnia-herzegovina or in an entity and that it could
therefore participate only in local elections.
all independent candidates who registered have been given the
possibility to participate in the elections, scott said.
the fact that so many parties and candidates have registered is
encouraging, scott said and added that this gave the voters a
possibility to choose from a vide variety.
[10] SERBS EXPELLED FROM CROATIA, ASSERTS SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
PARISH-RECTOR IN ZAGREB
zagreb, june 21 (tanjug) - the zagreb parish-rector of the
serbian orthodox church, milenko popovic, has stated in an open
letter to cardinal kuharic of zagreb that the 'serbs were fleeing
croatia because croatia has not wanted them' and not because it was
them who had not wanted croatia as cardinal kuharic said recently.
'today, it is clear to all that croatian president tudjman's call
to the serbs not to run away, invoked by kuharic in his report to the
european bishops conference in the austrian town of mariazell early
this month, was the most ordinary tactical feint for propaganda
purposes,' said rector popovic.
had tudjman sincerely wanted the serbs to stay, he would have
ordered his army to prevent massacres of serbs which were committed
during and after operations 'flash' and 'storm' in may and august,
1995, when the croatian army drove out more than 250,000 serbs from
their ancestral homes in krajina and western slavonia, rector popovic
said.
in recalling that '200,000 croatian soldiers, armed to the teeth
and imbued with hatred, set off against krajina in 1995,' popovic
asks kuharic 'what reasonable man would have stayed to wait for this
kind of liberator.' at the same time popovic voices hope that the
spirit of greater mutual understanding between croats and serbs in
croatia will nonetheless begin to reign.
speaking about kuharic's assertion that the serbs had
deliberately destroyed roman catholic churches, popovic emphasized
that it had been croats, precisely, who 'in fact were burning down
entire settlements' together with churches, while publicly
advertising the 'preservation of orthodox churches, but only as a
propaganda move.'
according to the data by the serbian orthodx church, in croatia
and bosnia and herzegovina (bih) since the outbreak of the war and
the forcible secession of these former yugoslav republics, 311
churches had been turned down or destroyed, and 346 other sacred
orthodox buildings damaged.
[11] U.N.: SERBS ARE LEAVING SARAJEVO BECAUSE OF HARASSMENT
sarajevo, june 21 (tanjug) - more than 70 serbs have left
sarajevo lately after being eviced from their homes and harassed in
other ways, and many others are planning to follow suit, a u.n.
spokesman told a news briefing here on friday.
spokesman alexander ivanko said that there was tension in the
parts of the city that have until recently been under serb control,
and are now controlled by the muslims.
he said that -2 serbs have moved out of the city's blazuj
district, 50 have fled vogosca and many others are getting ready to
leave ilidza unless something is changed soon.
ivanko criticised the muslim authorities for not having done much
to improve the situation, and urged them to do their utmost to
protect the serbs.
he said that the police of the muslim-croat federation would not
find it hard to put a stop to the rampage of wild gangs sowing terror
and disorder in the serb districts.
the serbs have accused the federation's police of involvement in
the violence, ivanko said.
he added that the members of the democratic initiative of
sarajevo, the only organisation that protects the rights of the serbs
in the city, are also being harassed.
the international community's high representative in bosnia carl
bildt, too, has condemned the muslims for harassing the serbs in
sarajevo, and his deputy michael steiner said on wednesday he felt
shamed by the harassment of sarajevo's serbs.
according to the figures of the u.n. high commissioner for
refugees (unhcr), there are about 8,000 serbs still living in
sarajevo, and 60,000 have moved out. meanwhile, about 25,000 muslims
have moved into sarajevo, mostly from eastern bosnia.
[12] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA PRIME MINISTER CONFERS WITH INTERNATIONAL OFFICIAL
pale, june 22 (tanjug) - (bosnian serb republic) republika srpska
prime minister gojko klickovic conferred in pale on saturday with
louis sell, the deputy for political affairs of the high
representative of the internationl community for bosnia carl bildt.
the meeting was brief and there were no official statements.
reporters were told that it had been a working meeting on the
forthcoming activities on the implementation of the dayton accords.
it is believed that klickovic and sell considered preparations
within republika srpska for the general elections in
bosnia-herzegovina set for mid-september.
[13] GEN. SCHOUPS SAYS ANYONE WHO ENTERS SEPARATION ZONE IS ENEMY
belgrade, june 22 (tanjug) - united nations forces in eastern
slavonija are as of today the army of that region and they will
consider an enemy anyone who poses a threat to them, untaes
commander, belgian gen. jozef schoups has said.
in a statement to the belgrade dialy politika published on
saturday, the commander of the united nations transitional
administration for eastern slavonija (untaes) said the untaes forces
would deal with anyone who posed a threat to this region.
he gave friday noon as the official deadline for the end of
demilitarization in eastern slavonija, baranja and west srem, the
only serb-populated region in croatia which has not been overran by
the forces of that country.
the two sides agreed that the region be temporarily placed under
u.n. civilian and military administration, and serbs have asked that
the region be given special status within croatia after the
administration mandate expires.
the last meeting of a joint commission for military issues will
be held on the border between eastern slavonija and croatia on
saturday. gen. schoups and commanders gen. loncar of the serb army
and gen. decak of the croatian army will meet.
politika also quoted gen. schoups as saying that the serb side
had fulfilled its promises and had professinally carried out the
demilitarization of the region.
according to untaes figures, 118 tanks, 41 anti-aircraft systems,
111 artillery pieces, 139 mortars, and 51 anti-aircraft cannon have
been removed from the region.
the end of demlitarization means that as of friday noon no-one is
allowed to enter the 2 km-wide zone of separation with croatia, gen.
schoups said as quoted by the belgrade daily politika.
[14] BUSES WITH VOTERS IN MOSTAR UNDER E.U. POLICE ESCORT
belgrade, june 22 (tanjug) - voters in mostar will be taken to
and from polling stations on june 30 from the croat into the muslim
parts of this bosnian city by buses which will escorted by european
police, croatian radio said on saturday.
martin garrot, a deputy of the e.u. administrator for mostar
advized voters not to cross the separation lines on foot at the time
of the elections.
e.u. administrator for mostar ricardo peres casado told a press
conference that 77 polling stations would be opened in this divided
city in southern bosnia-herzegovina.
the polling stations will be secured by european police in
cooperation with local policemen, and strong ifor forces will
supervize and control all developments.
the croatian radio correspondent from mostar said it was not
known yet how many buses with voters would arrive from abroad.
mostar was one of the heaviest battlefields in the one-year
conflicts betwen muslims and croats. before this fighting, the two
nations had expelled more than 40,000 serbs from the wider area of
the city.
after the muslim-croat conflicts, mostar was divided into croat
and muslim mostar and placed under a two-year administration of the
european union.
[15] E.U. DOCUMENT ON FORMER YUGOSLAVIA ADOPTED
rome, june 22 (tanjug) - the european union (e.u.) gives full
support to the strengthening of the peace process and holding of
elections in bosnia-herzegovina on sept. 14, said a declaration on
former yugoslavia which was adopted by e.u. heads of state or
government on saturday.
backing the conclusions of the ministerial conference held in
florence recently on the holding of elections in bosnia-herzegovina,
the council of europe asks all sides to secure the necessary
conditions for the holding of elections.
the council gives freedom of movement and access to public media,
including independent tv stations, as some of these conditions which
should guarantee that elections will be free and correct.
the council of europe said (bosnian serb republic) republika
srpska president radovan karadzic should leave the political stage
and pointed out that the dayton accords ruled out the possibility of
persons indicted for war crimes taking part in the elections.
the declaration asks all sides to cooperate with the hague war
crimes tribunal, underscoring that the council of europe joins the
international community in urging strict control in this area.
the european leaders welcomed the signing of the agreement on
subregional arms control in florence on june 14 and called on all
sides which signed that agreement to take the necessary steps to
facilitate the signing of an agreement on regional arms control.
the declaration underscores that the reconstruction of
bosnia-herzegovina presents a key element for reconciliation and
normal life in bosnia-herzegovina and sets out that none of the sides
would be discriminated against if they fully respected the articles
of the dayton peace accords.
Copyright © Tanjug, Yugoslavia, 1996
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