Tanjug Daily News Review, 96-06-26

Tanjug Directory - Previous Article

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

Jun 26, 1996
NEWS AGENCY - TANJUG
DAILY NEWS REVIEW

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR RELATIONS WITH PEACE COUNCIL

[02] YUGOSLAV ASSISTANT CHIEF OF STAFF ZUGIC DIES IN CHOPPER CRASH

[03] SILAJDZIC'S PARTY FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST IZETBEGOVIC'S PARTY

[04] PROSECUTION IN NAPLES SENDS OUT APBS FOR SLOVENIANS AND CROATIANS

[05] WASHINGTON, BILDT WELCOME ANNOUNCED SEPT. 14 ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA

[06] INTEGRATION ONLY SOLUTION TO BALKAN DISPUTES

[07] COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONDEMNS POLICY BRUTALITY IN SLOVENIA

[08] FORMER STATE BETTER THAN NEW SLOVENIA

[09] YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL: ATTACKS ON KOSOVO POLICE ACTS OF TERRORISM

[10] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT INSISTS ON FIRM DINAR RATE OF EXCHANGE

[11] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER ON NEW MEASURES IN LIBERALIZATION OF TRADE

[12] YUGOSLAVIA SHOULD CARRY OUT EXISTING REFORM PROGRAMMES

[13] YUGOSLAV ASSETS STILL BLOCKED IN TURKEY

[14] YUGOSLAVIA DEMANDS URGENT APPOINTMENT OF KARADZIC'S SUCCESSOR

[15] U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS ENVOY VISITS SERBIAN PROVINCE OF VOJVODINA

[16] GHASTLY VOLUME OF POLITICAL ABUSE OF SPORTS IN CROATIA

[17] BRITISH AMBASSADOR: KARADZIC MUST BE REMOVED FROM POLITICAL LIFE

[18] BILDT, KRAJISNIK DISCUSS KARADZIC'S NOMINATION

[19] BOSNIAN SERBS FILE CHARGES AGAINST MUSLIMS IZETBEGOVIC, GANIC

[20] BRITISH EXPERT SAYS TRIBUNAL FOR BOSNIA IS NOT UP TO LEGAL STANDARDS

[21] COTTI CALLS BOSNIAN ELECTIONS FOR SEPT. 14

[22] BRITISH AMBASSADOR: KOSOVO-METOHIJA PROVINCE IS PART OF SERBIA

[23] BANJALUKA MAYOR EXPELLED FROM REPUBLIKA SRPSKA RULING PARTY

[24] U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS RAPPORTEUR VISITS EASTERN SLAVONIA

[25] INTERNATIONAL POLICE TO GET FREE ACCESS TO PRISONS IN BOSNIA

[26] SOLANA SAYS NEW PEACE MISSION POSSIBLE IN BOSNIA

[27] MILOSEVIC ARRIVES IN ATHENS

[28] BOUTROS-GHALI ACCUSES CROATIA OF VIOLATING SERBS' HUMAN RIGHTS

[29] BALKAN FOREIGN MINISTERS TO MEET IN SOFIA

[30] APPOINTMENT OF ACTING R.S. PRESIDENT- A VITAL ISSUE

[31] RUSSIAN RADIO: BEHAVIOUR OF ALL BOSNIAN LEADERS SHOULD BE EXAMINED

[32] FOREIGN MEDIA SUPPORT ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA

[33] MOSTAR SERB REFUGEES TO VOTE AT COMING LOCAL ELECTIONS

[01] YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR RELATIONS WITH PEACE COUNCIL

the government appointed yugoslav vice-prime minister nikola sainovic vice-president of the commission, the yugoslav ministry of information said.

[02] YUGOSLAV ASSISTANT CHIEF OF STAFF ZUGIC DIES IN CHOPPER CRASH

vice marshall mihailo djordja zugic, aged 53, was assistant chief of staff for liaison, information and electronics.

flight engineer milan senic, 46, warrant officer first class, died from injuries sustained in the crash, the yugoslav armed forces command said in a statement.

pilot radovan vuckovic, flight lieutenant first class, and pilot goran milekic, flight lieutenant, have sustained injuries and have been hospitalised in nis.

army investigators and an air force command commission are investigating the causes of the crash, the statement said.

the scene of the accident and the injured officers have been visited by chief of staff gen. momcilo perisic and his aides.

[03] SILAJDZIC'S PARTY FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST IZETBEGOVIC'S PARTY

the complaint is the first to be filed ahead of the election campaign in bosnia-herzegovina.

silajdzic's party for bosnia-herzegovina has accused izetbegovic's party of democratic action of organizing an attack against silajdzic at a preelection rally in cazin, northern bosnia-herzegovina, on june 15, the afp reported.

silajdzic was hit in the head by a metal bar. muslim authorities have arrested seven persons in connection with the attack.

afp said that the complaint had been transmitted to the osce appeal subcommittee which should decide whether regulations on election behaviour have been violated.

the sanctions may be a call to order or a fine. the party may even be banned.

an osce representative is currently in cazin investigating the circumstances of the attack against silajdzic.

[04] PROSECUTION IN NAPLES SENDS OUT APBS FOR SLOVENIANS AND CROATIANS

among the twelve is slovenian nikolas oman, mentioned in connection with smuggling arms and other war equipment.

other names on the list are janez ravnik and goran misic from slovenia and ivan ruskovic from croatia, who have been charged with smuggling, money laundering and dubious mediation deals.

rodolfo meroni, a lawyer from zurich, franz helm, a lawyer from vienna, and canadian denis murby are also on the list.

the list includes another name, russian liberal democratic party leader vladimir zhirinovsky, for arms smuggling and alleged contacts with oman at bled lake in slovenia.

zhirinovsky has sent a 'letter of warning' to the prosecutor's office in naples.

[05] WASHINGTON, BILDT WELCOME ANNOUNCED SEPT. 14 ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA

washington sees it as one of the most signifiant steps in the implementation of the dayton peace agreement.

state department spokesman glyne davis said that the elections could not be organized in perfect conditions but t at it would be the first significant step in implementing the dayton agreement in the civilian sector.

the elections will build multi-ethnic structures for the whole of bosnia, he said.

the u.s. side was categorical in the stand that perfect conditions for organizing elections must not be waited for, as u.s. political circles and the media demanded.

if waiting for perfect conditions delayed elections, they would never take place at all, u.s. secretary of state warren christopher said recently.

high representative of the international community for civilian affairs in bosnia carl bildt also expressed satisfaction at the news that the organization for security and cooperation in europe has called the bosnian elections for september 14.

the elections will help create joint institutions and avoid the country's division, the agence france-presse news agency quoted bildt as saying.

unless the elections are organized soon, it seems that a division of the country is inevitable, bildt said, stressing that efforts should be made to improve the conditions required for their holding.

bildt voiced special concern over bosnian television, saying that it should provide equal treatment of all political parties and give the voters a chance to get an objective picture and all relevant information.

bildt's office plans to found an independent television station in bosnia, but funds for the purpose have not yet been provided.

[06] INTEGRATION ONLY SOLUTION TO BALKAN DISPUTES

'i believe the process should be completed in the balkans first because balkan peoples have closer ties than the other european peoples,' she said in an interview in pristina on tuesday evening.

an integration of balkan peoples into a single community willprecede an european integration because there is no other region like the balkans where peoples are so closely intertwined, markovic said.

'perhaps, that is the only solution for tensions existing in the balkans,' she said.

referring to serbia's southern province of kosovo-metohija, markovic said that life in dignity could be achieved only through equality of all peoples 'absolutely in everything.'

she said that the national interest of kosovo's serbs and ethnic albanians alike was 'to be able to work, live decently on what they earn, send their children to modern sc ooools, build clean, big cities, get information from objective and civil newspapers and go to university if they have the desire and ability.'

[07] COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONDEMNS POLICY BRUTALITY IN SLOVENIA

a report by the committee for the prevention of tortue published on tuesday said several people had stated to being subjected to excessive force, particularly baton blows from police when they had been arrested, said reuters.

the report said witnesses had complained of being slapped and punched during investigation. a medical report said 25 out of 299 persons questioned in 1994 showed signs of having been punched.

the committee called on the slovenian authorities to make it clear to members of the police that maltreatment of suspects was not acceptable.

a group of experts visited slovenia in february last year to ascertain human rights conditions.

[08] FORMER STATE BETTER THAN NEW SLOVENIA

ljubljana, june 26 (tanjug) - more and more slovenians believe they live less well in the new state of slovenia than in the former common state - the former yugoslav federation.

almost 40 percent of participants in the latest poll conducted by the daily ljubljana dnevnik ahead of the 5th anniversary of slovenia's secession said they now lived less well than in former yugoslavia.

slightly more than 30 percent pollees said they lived the same, while only one-fifth of the about 500 polled slovenians said they lived better.

every third pollee today openly admits that the former demos bloc, which spearheaded the closing open stage of secession in 1990 under the supervision of current slovenian president milan kucan, is not capable enough to continue governing slovenia.

it is evident that slovenians have turned their backs on the secession leaders also in the fact that voters for the christian democrat party, vatican's protege and an advocate of so-called reconciliation, which hails nazis and local fascists as alleged liberators in world war ii, are most pleased with the new slovenia.

the most displeased pollees were members of the joint list, the former communists, a leftist-oriented party which recently stepped out of the governing coalition of prime minister janez drnovsek and is increasingly popular in slovenia.

a recent poll conducted by the public opinion studies center of the university of ljubljana showed that as many as 80 percent of 1,000 pollees believe life had been good in the former common yugoslav state.

almost every second pollee denied claims presented by the dogmatic political propaganda that 'the former yugoslavia was a dungeon of peoples.'

only 12 percent agreed with the phrases of secessionist leaders from slovenia, croatia, and the former bosnia-herzegovina that the last decades of the former yugoslavia had been a '(5945743d 03489d 9! !3-4 -,d '7?7&-589,.'

slvenia marked the 5th anniversary of its secession on june 25 to the joy and delight of its political leadership, but with an increasingly openly sceptical public.

the public is most concerned with the disintegration of the national economy, the political nightmare, the rise in unemployment, and the country's inevitable crushing under the weights on t e interest scales of the so-called new political order.

while slovenia's leadership is trying to prove that its decisions had been right with fake assurances that the country had abandoned the former federation to run into the folds of europe, the public is increasingly openly listening to balkan rock, as young slovenians call the southern part of the former common state.

[09] YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL: ATTACKS ON KOSOVO POLICE ACTS OF TERRORISM

igic, who is member of the defence and security committee of the yugoslav parliament's chamber of citizens, said that organized terrorism had existed in the region since the creation of albania in 1912.

in the period between albania's creation and world war two, terrorism became organized and its executors were either domestic units or terrorist groups infiltrated from albania.

during world war two, when a fascist puppet state of greater albania was formed and stretched to the kosovo-metohija region, albanian terrorism flared up again, igic said.

although there had been no classical confrontation between the yugoslav liberation forces and albanian quisling groups in the three and a half years of the existance of the greater albanian state, over 10,000 serbs and montenegrins were killed.

ethnic albanian terrorists are using the strategy of intimidation and persecution of serbs, aiming to create an ethnically-pure kosovo, which is one of the most important preconditions for seceding the province from serbia and joining it to albania.

[10] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT INSISTS ON FIRM DINAR RATE OF EXCHANGE

vlatkovic told a news conference that the 'issue of money by the central bank will be relied solely upon the foreign exchange coverage, although what is constantly sought are the ways to spur on export-oriented production.'

in noting that economic results in the first half of this year failed to live up to expectations, vlatkovic pointed also to the weak collection of taxes and duties which resulted in an adverse balance in the state treasury and a debt of one billion dinars, the bulk of which being owed to the retirement-disabled fund, to the social institutions, health and medical services, and education.

vlatkovic made it clear that the public spending expenditures in january-may equalled around 41 per cent of the 'social product' (approximately gnp) and that the budgetary receipts varied at between 26 and 36 per cent of the annual plan.

stresing that the burden on the economy would soon boil down to one-to-one ratio, vlatkovic held that the commercial banks and the courts of the economy would have to decide what would happen to those enterprises which are unable to meet their obligations to the state.

vlatkovic said that as of 1997, the value added system would begin to be introduced at all the stages of the production and trade processes.

among the efficient measures aimed at shunting illegal economic operations to the regular tracks, vlatkovic mentioned the introduction of standard excise control stamps on alcoholic drinks and cigarettes.

director of the republican revenues administration mirko kulic pointed out that during the last five months the finance police recovered 1.1 billion dinars (5 dinars to the dollar) from the different smugglers and traffickers.

[11] YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER ON NEW MEASURES IN LIBERALIZATION OF TRADE

during a meeting with representatives of yugoslav farmers' associations, kontic said that agriculture was a strategic sector in yugoslavia's economy, the yugoslav ministry of information said.

both sides agreed that moves for dealing with upcoming harvest should not trigger off inflation but that prices and the national currency should remain stable and agriculture be allowed to remain a factor of stabilization on the yugoslav market.

[12] YUGOSLAVIA SHOULD CARRY OUT EXISTING REFORM PROGRAMMES

the elaboration of a new programme would be a loss of time and it would suit those who fear or reject structural changes of the economic system, savic said.

without structural changes, primarily in the field of ownership and production, yugoslavia risks to remain isolated even after the lifting of the sanctions, savic said.

he said that it was vital for f.r. yugoslavia, as a small-scale market, to be integrated into world business activities. that is possible only if adequate structural reforms are carried out, he said.

privatizaion is among these reforms, which should transform the yugoslav economy into a free market model and make it complementary with the rest of the world, he said.

the forthcoming reforms should abolish social ownership, he said, adding that a deadline for carrying out privatization should be clearly defined.

any attempt to achieve economic self-sufficiency or postpone essential reforms, will revive the policy of state subsidies and selective credits in the negative sense of the word, he said.

the period before the year is out should be used for paving the way for foreign investments, not only by passing adequate bills but by preparing profitable projects as well, savic said.

[13] YUGOSLAV ASSETS STILL BLOCKED IN TURKEY

turkish officials have eschewed any answer, although the government suspended the economic sanctions against f.r. yugoslavia in mid-january, in line with u.n. security council resolutions.

in the meantime, a communique on a normalization of trade exchange and bilateral economic cooperation has been adopted.

yugoslav businessmen feel uneasiness because the assets are still blocked but they are willing to renew cooperation with turkish businessmen.

before the outbreak of war in bosnia, the overall trade exchange between yugoslavia and turkey stood at 400 milliion dollars. according to forecasts in early 80's, their trade exchange was expected to reach one billion dollars.

many firms have showed interest for economic cooperation with yugoslavia. these companies, however, are mainly owned by people from former yugoslavia or by businessmen who had contacts with yugoslav firms before the war.

[14] YUGOSLAVIA DEMANDS URGENT APPOINTMENT OF KARADZIC'S SUCCESSOR

condemned was republika srpska's refusal to take part in the international conference of donors, held in brussels in april, the ousting of republika srpska prime minister rajko kasagic in may, hesitations to halt all activities to limit the freedom of movement, the selfwill of the bosnian serb authorities towards the citizens and violence against political parties which oppose the policy of the ruling serbian democratic party (sds).

such activities which directly prevent the implementation of the dayton agreement threaten the vital interests of the entire serb nation, republika srpska and the federal republic of yugoslavia, which is the guarrantor of the implementation of the agreement, the statement said.

the statement said that there is no other explanation other than personal interests for the obstruction of the implementation of the dayton agreement since this document is in the interest of all citizens of republika srpska and the entire serb nation.

during the talks the yugoslav leaders found out that the republika srpska leadership had concealed from its associates and the bosnian serb parliament and government that the high representative of the international community, carl bildt, had on june 12 warned them that if they continued to ignore the agreement, sanctions would once again be imposed on republika srpska in keeping with u.n. security council resolution 1022. this would threaten the vital interests of republika srpska and all its citizens, and indirectly of yugoslavia, the statement said.

the statement said that the disregarding of the dayton agreement and the failure to fulfill earlier commitments, as well as obligations agreed with bildt, represent a direct attack on republika srpska, the entire peace process and the entire safety structure built in the region in accordance with the peace document.

this is why it has been demanded from the repub ika srpska representatives, the statement said, to warn their parliament about all the elements of this decisive stage in the realization of the peace agreement, especially the preparations for holding the elections in republika srpska, in order to prevent the further threats to the interests of its citizens in the implementation of the dayton agreement. this is why the parliament should immediately adoit decisions whih would secure the realization of all undertaken committments.

the statement said that the yugoslav leadership underscored that the realization of all aspects of the dayton agreement fully protects the interests of the serb people and the citizens of republika srpska and that the ignoring of the documents leads towards the disintegration of republika srpska and the destabilization of the entire region.

the statement said that the republika srpska delegation had at the peace talks in dayton last november demanded in writing from the yugoslav delegation to guarrantee that they would honour the agreement, which would not have existed without such guarrantees from yugoslavia.

[15] U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS ENVOY VISITS SERBIAN PROVINCE OF VOJVODINA

rehn met in subotica, northern vojvodina, with representatives of hungarian and croatian minorities, non-government organizations and local officials.

she said that a lack of harmony between republican and federal laws was creating difficulties in their implementation.

rehn told a news conference that representatives of minorities and local self-rule had complained about the exercize of rights but she declined to disclose details on their objections.

we must check everything, collect additional information, and only then write reports and announce facts, she said, adding that for the time being she did not have a stand on demands made by ethnic hungarian parties for territorial or personal autonomy.

asked by journalists about her stand on refugees and a claim by local authorities that the refugees have disturbed the ethnic structure of the population, she said that there was no proof that the refugees had been accommodated in the area to that effect but that she believed that they were in a dire position.

vojvodina is inhabited by two-million people and has many ethnic minorities. according to a census conducted in 1991, over 1,140,000 serbs (57 percent) and 340,000 hungarians (17 percent) live in the province.

[16] GHASTLY VOLUME OF POLITICAL ABUSE OF SPORTS IN CROATIA

the radio said that the politicization of sports in croatia was taking on the size once known in east germany, while some were remembering a still earlier germany.

the radio stressed that in croatia, the powers in elite and most popular sports were being held by senior officials of the ruling croatian democratic union (hdz), officers of the croatian army (hv) and businessmen close to the hdz. they also might have some share in this treatment of sports and in the formation of croatia's 'new man,' the radio said.

the radio said that the social democrats of croatia in a statement for the general public warned against the fatal effects of the politicization of sports typical of totalitarian regimes.

these days, the radio said, a horrible image was taking shape in croatia about an ideal sportsman of this country. before leaving for england, the croatian soccer team selector ciro blazevic used to say that when he called his team members 'under the flag, they all fix their bayonets,' stressing that it was precisely in this way how national teams had been trained, as if for a battle -- for the nation, the state, the president, the radio said.

in explaining germany's recent triumph over russia at the european soccer championship in england, blazevic said that this was taking vengeance for stalingrad and that he was 'preferring the germans in armoured tanks.'

the radio said that the total control over sports was inevitably leading into the totalitarian control over society.

germany was the first member of the european union which recognized the western republics of the former yugoslav federation, croatia and slovenia, when they forcibly seceeded from it towards the end of june, 1991.

[17] BRITISH AMBASSADOR: KARADZIC MUST BE REMOVED FROM POLITICAL LIFE

speaking in the southern serbian city of nis, roberts underscored that the international community expects the immediate ousting of karadzic. he told a joint press conference with the head of the nis branch of the socialist party of serbia (sps), mile ilic, that the peace agreement prohibts people suspected of war crimes from taking part in political activities.

according to roberts, karadzic inflicted huge damage on the bosnian serb state republic srpska because the international community does not want to invest into a country whose leader has been said to be a war criminal.

'karadzic's departure is not a question of months, but rather days, because he is destroying republika srpska which is considered a genuine achievement of the dayton agreement,' roberts said. he added that 'time is running out for karadzic and the international community is becoming impatient.'

roberts said that the elections would be very important and would enable bosnia-herzegovina to turn a new page in its history and turn its back on political leaders who have made use of the crisis in this ex-yugoslav republic.

the leadership of the federal republic of yugoslavia demanded on monday from the bosnian serb parliament to immediately appoint an acting president of the republic with full powers and prevent further threats to the interests of its citizens.

republika srpska speaker momcilo krajisnik said on tuesday that karadzic would do everything not to jeopardize bosnian serb interests and the interests of the serb people, but that the people would react if he is not president.

roberts also said that the international community attaches importance to serbia's integration into international trends and the resolution of the issue of its southern kosovo and metohija province.

a strong separatist ethnic albanian movement has for decades been rife in kosovo. the separatist leaders demand secession from yugoslavia and serbia and annexation to neighboring albania.

ilic said that the implementation of the dayton agreement had been positively assessed and that this created a favourable atmosphere for foreign investments in yugoslavia.

ilic underscored that it had been said that kosovo can be discussed only as an integral part of serbia and yugoslavia, that the local ethnic albanians have been called to take part in a dialogue and that they are expected to take part in the elections at which all political parties will have equal conditions. end rg/bk/mb

[18] BILDT, KRAJISNIK DISCUSS KARADZIC'S NOMINATION

krajisnik was speaking to reporters after a meeting in pale with international community's high representative for bosnia carl bildt. their meeting dealt with the implementation of the dayton peace accords and preconditions for holding upcoming elections.

krajisnik said that the international community was exerting pressure regarding karadzic's nomination for elections.

we are trying to find a compromise in line with the dayton agreement, krajisnik said, stressing that 'pressure is so counterproductive that we wonder whether someone in the international community wants the peace agreement to fail.'

the serb side wants the accords to be implemented and peace to be preserved, karadzic is the most popular figure and a reaction of the people will be triggered if his is not the president, krajisnik said.

bildt said that the international community would implement the dayton agreement in its totality and that those who fail to implement it will pay the price. he said that the agreement was quite clear regarding karadzic and that he could not remain president, bildt said.

bildt did not exclude the possibility of an introduction of sanctions against the republika srpska and the muslim-croat federation if they fail to release prisoners.

the leadership of f.r. yugoslavia urged the rs parliament on monday to appoint an acting rs president with full powers and avoid any threat to the interests of citizens of the serb entity in the implementation of the dayton accords.

karadzic handed over part of his powers to rs vice-president biljana plavsic over a month ago.

[19] BOSNIAN SERBS FILE CHARGES AGAINST MUSLIMS IZETBEGOVIC, GANIC

the republika srpska's state news agency srna quoted a lawyers' association statement as saying that muslim leader izetbegovic and bosnian muslim-croat federation vice president ganic had already been indicted by the relevant court in banja luka, republika srpska.

the charges before this court have been filed by the republika srpska's interior ministry, the lawyers' association statement said.

it further said that charges had been filed also against others for war crimes against bosnian serbs.

[20] BRITISH EXPERT SAYS TRIBUNAL FOR BOSNIA IS NOT UP TO LEGAL STANDARDS

robertson writes in the london times newspaper on tuesday that recent statements by the tribunal's president antonio cassese of italy show a complete politicisation and bias of the hague-based tribunal.

cassese's statements, according to robertson, show that the tribunal is under the influence of the media. the italian judge and professor of law, just as the press, has condemned bosnian serbs radovan kardzic and gen. ratko mladic without a trial.

a judge is required to uphold the law and not swim in the political currents of the day and gratify the expectations of the u.n. security council and the world community, as cassese has admitted doing, robertson says.

furthermore, he adds, there are purely legal irregularities in the court procedure that detract from the legal status of the hague-based court.

according to robertson, this is particularly true in the case of the trial of bosnia serb dusan tadic, the first bosnian serb indicted by the tribunal.

robertson says that tadic's counsel have been denied all information about the witnesses, even their names or aliases.

it might even happen that the defendant is sentenced to long years in prison on the basis of a single statement by a witness whom his defence counsel were not even allowed to see, he adds.

robertson sees shortcomings also in the presentation of evidence and in the court files.

in terms of procedure, the tribunal resembles more a court martial, and court martials are notorious for their problems with law and justice, he says and adds that in these circumstances, the hague court is certain to fail in its mission.

failure of the tribunal is much more of a consideration than trials for war crimes in former yugoslavia, robertson says.

this is because the tribunal has been conceived as a model on which to fashion a standing international court for crimes against humanity and for the protection of human rights on the world scale, he explains.

as things are now, such a world court will have to wait for the 21st century to be set up, robertson says.

[21] COTTI CALLS BOSNIAN ELECTIONS FOR SEPT. 14

in his report to the osce standing council in vienna on his return from a visit to bosnia-herzegovina, the osce president, swiss foreign minister flavio cotti, said however that the conditions for holding the elections had not been met.

cotti mentioned a restricted freedom of movement, a slow repatriation of refugees and an unequal accessibility of the media to the political parties as some of the problems.

in a clear reference to (bosnian serb) republika srpska president radovan karadzic, he said that one of the most important conditions for holding free and fair elections was to neutralise the direct and indirect influence of war crime suspects on the political life.

cotti confessed that it had been very difficult to take the decision to call the elections, as the pros and cons were pretty evenly balanced.

[22] BRITISH AMBASSADOR: KOSOVO-METOHIJA PROVINCE IS PART OF SERBIA

ambassador ivor roberts told a news conference at the end of a day's visit to nis, southern serbia, that the british government and other countries wanted to help rebuild trust between the province's ethnic albanians and serbs and make their coexistence possible.

kosovo-metohija is a province in serbia. serbia, together with montenegro, makes up the federal republic of yugoslavia.

roberts said that what he had seen of the economy of that part of serbia confirmed him in the belief that yugoslavia offered advantages for cooperation with the world, because of a highly trained labour force, competitive prices and a rich industrial experience.

[23] BANJALUKA MAYOR EXPELLED FROM REPUBLIKA SRPSKA RULING PARTY

meanwhile, the procedure has been set in motion to remove radic from the office of mayor of this biggest city in the republika srpska.

the republika srpska democratic patriotic bloc announced sunday that it would nominate radic as its candidate in the coming presidential elections in bosnia-herzegovina.

radic, for his part, said over the weekend that he was not a member of any party, implying that he was no longer a member of the serbian democratic party.

[24] U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS RAPPORTEUR VISITS EASTERN SLAVONIA

more than 250,000 serbs were driven out of serb krajina in a croatian offensive of 1995, leaving the area practically 'ethnically cleansed' of its serbs, apart from a small number of old people who could not flee before the onslaught of the invading croatian army.

rapporteur elisabeth rhen was speaking to delegates who have arrived in vukovar to attend a seminar on human rights, due to open here on wednesday.

rhen said she hoped that u.n. administrator for eastern slavonia jacques klain would be given at least another year to complete his mission of creating conditions for the serbs and croatians to live side by side.

croatia has laws, but those laws are not being applied, said rhen and added she would discuss this with croatian foreign minister mate granic when they meet in zagreb on friday.

she said she had not forgotten serb krajina, and would go there again in august to gather evidence for her report about the situation there and the harassment of mostly elderly and disabled serbs who have stayed behind.

the vukovar seminar will be attended by representatives of non-governmental organizations from the federal republic of yugoslavia, croatia and the eastern slavonia, baranya and western srem region.

[25] INTERNATIONAL POLICE TO GET FREE ACCESS TO PRISONS IN BOSNIA

michael steiner, first deputy to high representative carl bildt, told a news conference in the (bosnian serb) republika srpska's city of banja luka that a meeting of serb, croat and muslim officials would be called in sarajevo later this week in this connection.

the purpose of the meeting is to get them to honour their undertaking under the dayton accords to release all prisoners, steiner said.

he said that the prisoner exchange commissions and associations of families of missing persons of the republika srpska and the bosnian muslim-croat federation had agreed on tuesday to compile priority lists for exhumations and tracing of the dead.

steiner said that bildt's office would ask the authorities in croatia and the federal republic of yugoslavia to help solve the problem of prisoners, missing persons and exhumations.

[26] SOLANA SAYS NEW PEACE MISSION POSSIBLE IN BOSNIA

he said a decision would be taken later on in the fall, after the elections in bosnia, and probably after the u.s. elections.

solana declined to give any details, but said the alliance would maintain the peace operation if the international community decided that peace could not hold in bosnia.

a state department spokesman said the peace implementation force (ifor) would be completing its mission on dec. 20 this year, as president bill clinton had promised to the public.

the white house recently denied a statement by defense secretary william perry who had said the mission in bosnia would continue into the next year.

perry said two weeks ago that nato would not allow its achievements in the peace mission to fail and would maintain its forces next year, if deemed necessary.

he said the u.s. would keep its ground troops, should nato reach such a decision.

later on, however, perry said he had only been thinking aloud, adding that a decision would be taken next fall, when the annual balance of ifor's peace operation would have been made.

[27] MILOSEVIC ARRIVES IN ATHENS

milosevic is accompanied by yugoslav foreign minister milan milutinovic.

president milosevic said to reporters at athens airport: 'we regret to have gathered here on such a sad occasion, but we are proud to be here to condole upon (the loss of) our great friend and great european politician andreas papendreou.'

milosevic went streight to the hotel where prominent foreign figures are gathering before the funeral ceremony.

milosevic expressed deep condolences to greek prime minister kostas simitis, who received world dignitaries at a commemorative meeting.

television reporters covering milosevic's arrival in athens stressed the traditional friendship and close ties between greece and yugoslavia.

television stations also showed the film made at the last meeting between papendreou and milosevic.

[28] BOUTROS-GHALI ACCUSES CROATIA OF VIOLATING SERBS' HUMAN RIGHTS

boutros-ghali said this in a report submitted to the u.n. security council on tuesday. the security council has put the issue on its agenda for the fourth time since last summer but nothing has changed in croatia's treatment of serbs, which means that the council's resolutions and statements failed to produce any effects.

the report said that marauding gangs, including uniformed croatian soldiers, were terrorizing serbs civilians.

'international observers have described the prevailing atmosphere as one of lawlessness. the continuing looting and intimidation in the knin area is often described as being the work of marauding gangs, frequently including uniformed croatian soldiers,' the report said, adding that croatian policemen have been either unwilling or afraid to exercize their professional duties.

boutros-ghali said that there were still cases of looting and intimidation in the area of knin and that serbs were being killed and their houses looted.

knin was the capital of the former republic of serb krajina, whose western, northern and southern parts were seized by the croatian army in may and august last year. the croatian army expelled about 300,000 serbs from from their ancestral homes.

in his report, boutros-ghali said that croatian authorities have done almost nothing to prosecute the perpetratorrs of crimes against serbs and that they have have ignored a demand by the u.n. security council to guarantee security to serbs who have stayed in their houses and an unhindered return of refugees.

it is clear from the report, although boutros-ghali prefers not to say it unequivocally, that croatian authorities are pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing against the serbs in an effort to create an ethnically pure croatia.

the report said that croatian authorities ignored many demands by croat serbs who wanted to return to their homes and that zagreb was practicing discrimination against those who had been repatriated.

boutros-ghali said that the serbs were denied the right to work, even doctors and nurses who were badly needed. the serbs are denied the right to pensions. international humanitarian assistance is mainly distributed to croatians.

boutros-ghali quoted croatian authorities as saying that about 7,000 serbs had returned to their homes but international observers maintain that the figures are much lower. even if the figure is exact it is not of too great importance because about 200,000 serbs from the rsk have found refuge in f.r. yugoslavia alone.

croatia is settling croatians in areas which were previously inhabited by the serbs, boutros-ghali said, adding that some 50,000 croats had settled in serb houses.

boutros-ghali said that croatian authorities had ignored a demand by the u.n. security council to proclaim general amnesty for serbs still detained in croatian prisons. he said that there were still 200 serbs in croatian prisons.

all in all, there is a lack of initiative to help or facilitate the return of serb refugees to their homes. it is clear that croatia does not want a significant presence of serbs in its territory, the report said.

[29] BALKAN FOREIGN MINISTERS TO MEET IN SOFIA

the conference on regional stability build-up and economic prosperity would be attended by the foreign ministers of albania, greece, romania, f.r. yugoslavia, turkey, macedonia, bosnia and herzegovina, and bulgaria. slovenia and croatia would be observers.

on july 5, directors of the foreign ministry political departments would meet to draw up a draft resolution for the ministers conference.

[30] APPOINTMENT OF ACTING R.S. PRESIDENT- A VITAL ISSUE

speaking at a press conference in the montenegrin capital of podgorica devoted to the realization of the dayton accords, bulatovic said the state was much more important than any individual.

that is why karadzic is obliged to respect the articles of the dayton accords, under which he cannot be an active participant in politics, bulatovic said.

he said the limits on his possible nomination for reelection under the dayton accords was valid only for the elections in september.

'karadzic should have done only that to which he obliged himself before yugoslavia and the international community,' bulatovic said.

speaking about the talks of the yugoslav leaders and r.s. representatives in belgrade, bulatovic said 'yugoslavia has the right to interfere in republika srpska's internal affairs, because sanctions against it were imposed because of the very war in bosnia-herzegovina' and because 'republika srpska has asked yugoslavia to negotiate on its behalf and take over guarantees for fulfilling obligations stemming from the peace accords.'

bulatovic said the problem of karadzic's walking off the public political stage had 'appeared suddenly' because there had been strong guarantees until recently that republika srpska would meet all its obligations of the peace accords.

'when we realized that there were dilemmas in this sense in part of the r.s. leadership, presidents (zoran) lilic (of yugoslavia) and (slobodan) milosevic (of serbia), together with me, openly appealed that there should be no stepping away from obligations undertaken earlier,' bulatovic said.

he said 'any decision contrary to the one demanded by the federal republic of yugoslavia could be an introduction to a wider destabilization of the situation in the region.'

that is why yugoslavia's demand that republika srpska act in compliance with its options is both legal and legitimate, bulatovic said.

the reimposition of sanctions against republika srpska would seriouly threaten its existence, and in such circumstances, it would increase the risk of a new cycle of senseless armed conflicts in the territory of bosnia-herzegovina, the president of the yugoslav republic of montenegro warned.

bulatovic said the yugoslav leadership had been given guarantees that the international community highly appreciated and fully supported its devotion to the policy of peace and construction of new relations in the balkans.

that is why 'there is not a single reason, in the political or diplomatic sense, which would justify a possible termination of the suspension of sanctions against our country,' bulatovic said.

answering questions put to him be reporters, bulatovic said karadzic still could not enter montenegro officially and legally. he denied the bosnian serb leader had visited this yugoslav republic this spring.

asked about prevlaka, a strategically important premontory at the border between croatia and yugoslavia, bulatovic said the stand remained that relations with croatia could not be normalized until this problem was definitely resolved.

[31] RUSSIAN RADIO: BEHAVIOUR OF ALL BOSNIAN LEADERS SHOULD BE EXAMINED

the radio said in its serbian-language broadcast that the international criminal tribunal for the former yugoslavia had indicted bosnian serb leaders radovan karadzic and ratko mladic in a certain political atmosphere, when only serbs were blamed for all tragic events in bosnia.

the anti-serb campaign is being artificially flared up with threats of punitive measures, the commentator said and added that this just complicated the situation in bosnia and hampered the complex preparations for the elections.

[32] FOREIGN MEDIA SUPPORT ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA

the head of the organization for security and cooperation in europe (osce), flavio cotti, who is swiss foreign minister, announced on tuesday that the first democratic post-war elections in bosnia would be held on septmeber 14.

paris described cotti's decision as brave and necessary.

french president jacques chirac said on wednesday that the elections 'should be held at all costs' and foreign minister herve de charette said that the fate of the dayton agreement depends on this.

french political circles believe that the basic problems are the limiting of the freedom of movement of the population, the return of the refugees and the economic reconstruction of bosnia.

wednesday's paris dailies hailed the yugoslav leadership's demand on tuesday to the leaders of the bosnian serb state republika srpska to immediately elect an acting president of the republic.

the dailies said that 'belgrade openly demands the replacement of the bosnian serb president,' while the manoeuvring in pale, bosnian serb administrative centre, is being described as 'contrary to the implementation of the dayton agreement.'

the swiss media said on wednesday that the scheduling of the elections in bosnia reflects the wishes of the contact group (germany, united states, russia, france, great britain), and primarily the united states.

the swiss dailies and the geneva diplomats view as 'encouraging' belgrade's demand that radovan karadzic is replaced as republika srpska president.

in brussels, institutions in charge of implementing the dayton agreement, described the confirmation of the bosnia elections as a necessity and warned that the peace process is still lagging.

this caution stems from reports by international mediators from the field who said that bosnia has been divided into three entities, rather than two as stipulated by the dayton agreement.

wednesday's la libre belgique said that this could be to the advantage of republika srpska which has a homogenous territory, and not the bosnian federation which has been set up as a joint state of the bosnian muslims and croats and which, the paper said, seems to be definitively splitting up.

la libre belgique said that the last elections in bosnia were held in 1990 when triumphant were politicians responsible for the war in that country. the paper warned that these same leaders, with the exception of karadzic, have good chances of being re-elected.

austrian commentators and analysts criticized on wednesday cotti's scheduling the elections for sept. 14,this date was set by the dayton agreement.

prominent vienna daily die presse said that all warnings about unfavourable conditions for the elections have 'fallen on deaf ears.'

der standard said that important conditions for the elections have not been fulfilled.

the paper said that additional international pressure on all sides on bosnia aims to remove the main obstacles for the elections but that many reasons would remain for scepticism in their final success. end zn/dd/mb

[33] MOSTAR SERB REFUGEES TO VOTE AT COMING LOCAL ELECTIONS

president of the association for assisting refugees and displaced persons in yugoslavia milorad muratovic told a press conference in belgrade on wednesday that he had received this promise last week, when a delegation of mostar refugees in yugoslavia visited mostar.

muratovic said that although the e.u. decision to help the expelled mostar serbs was late, it was a chance to secure that 'nationalist parties -- the croatian democratic union and the (muslim) party of democratic action' are not the only ones to win the elections.

about 40,000 serbs, or one-third of the electorate, were expelled from mostar before march 1994, when muslims and croats set up a joint federation.

about 3,000 mostar refugees who have the right to vote are in yugoslavia, according to a list of refugee voters which the office of the u.n. high commissioner for refugees communicated to the association.

Copyright © Tanjug, Yugoslavia, 1996

Tanjug Directory - Previous Article