Yugoslav Daily Survey, 96-10-25

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

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND AUSTRIA TO IMPROVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION

[02] YUGOSLAVIA'S REINTEGRATION INTO WORLD ORGANISATIONS VITAL

[03] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER SEES VISIT TO AUSTRIA AS HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL

[04] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER WILL VISIT ZAGREB

[05] YUGOSLAV TRADE MINISTER URGES REACTIVATING OF AGREEMENTS WITH TURKEY

[06] TALKS ON PROMOTION OF YUGOSLAV-TURKISH COOPERATION

[07] BRITISH AND YUGOSLAV CENTRAL BANKS TO RESUME COOPERATION

[08] KRAJISNIK AND BILDT MEET IN PALE

[09] KRAJISNIK DISCUSSES BRCKO WITH OWEN

[10] CROATIAN VISAS NOT REQUIRED FOR YUGOSLAVS TRAVELLING TO UNTAES AREA

[11] COUNCIL OF EUROPE VOWS DRASTIC ACTION UNLESS ZAGREB MEETS COMMITMENTS

[12] UNTAES SPOKESMAN RULES OUT POSSIBILITY OF CROATIAN MILITARY ACTION

[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND AUSTRIA TO IMPROVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Milutinovic and Schuessel agreed that the economic cooperation between Yugoslavia and Austria should be improved.

Milutinovic also met with Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky who pointed out Austria's readiness to promote relations with Yugoslavia.

Austria is ready to make every effort as soon as possible to promote both bilateral and economic relations and raise them to a much higher level than before the Yugoslav crisis, Vranitzky said.

[02] YUGOSLAVIA'S REINTEGRATION INTO WORLD ORGANISATIONS VITAL

Addressing a joint News Conference in Vienna, the two Foreign Ministers said a concept of cooperation in the Balkans contributed to the speedy establishing of ties between Balkan states on one side, and the European Union, on the other.

Schuessel said Austria would help the Yugoslav - E.U. relations to improve and develop.

Milutinovic welcomed the fact that the two countries had held substantive talks, the first in recent years. Milutinovic said Austria had been Yugoslavia's major trade partner, saying he hoped economic cooperation would soon regain its previous level.

Schuessel said trade between the two countries amounted to 2.5 billion schillings before 1991, expressing hope that this trade level would be restored.

Milutinovic described talks with Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky and Schuessel as open, substantive and useful for future relations.

'We have agreed that much has be done in the normalisation and development of relations, which is both countries' priority, and that all formal limitations have been removed through the lifting of the U.N. sanctions against Yugoslavia and conditions created for the speedy development of overall cooperation,' he said.

'We have also agreed that mutual interests are far more important than differences and that we can compensate for all that has been missed over the past few years only by turning to the future and making jointly constructive and pragmatic efforts,' he said.

Milutinovic said agreement had been reached that a large number of Inter-state agreements be reactivated immediately and new ones reached in order to speedily develop all-round cooperation.

He also said it had been agreed that the visa regime between the two countries be liberalised to make easier traffic of people and contacts among them, and said the establishing of ties between the two countries' businessmen had been welcomed.

Milutinovic and Schuessel focused on the promotion of economic cooperation, for which they said favourable conditions existed like the complementary nature of the two countries' economies, traffic links and good results in the sphere in the past.

Milutinovic said it had been stated that the latest developments in the Balkans were characterised by the strengthening of peace and creation of conditions for a speedy economic recovery, for which the holding of elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina was crucial.

Although the International Community's support and active engagement are still necessary, Bosnia's newly-elected bodies are responsible for the implementation of the Peace Agreement, he said.

Milutinovic said the consistent implementation of an agreement for the region of Eastern Slavonia and Barania, as well as good neighbourly relations and stability in the Region, were vital for building confidence among the population and preserving its multi-ethnic composition.

He said the Vienna talks had been described as a new stage in Yugoslav-Austrian relations, and said good, stable and developed relations were in the interest of both, the two countries' citizens as well as all neighbouring states and Europe in general.

Schuessel accepted an invitation to pay a return visit to Yugoslavia next year.

[03] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER SEES VISIT TO AUSTRIA AS HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL

'A new leaf has obviously been turned over in the treatment of Yugoslavia in the Region,' Milutinovic said at the close of his official two-day visit to Vienna.

Speaking for Tanjug, Milutinovic said:

'The visit had been prepared for a long time, and it was highly successful, at moments even surprisingly so. In fact, we have not had contacts with Austria at this level for five years. This has been unknown in our dealings with Austria in the past five years'.

'A new leaf has obviously been turned over in the treatment of Yugoslavia. We could even note a great closeness of views on a series of international questions, as well as on the situation in the Region. We have agreed about a large number of bilateral questions, accords and treaties. All in all, I mean to say that I bring back very good impressions, even surprisingly good'.

'We expected the visit to go well, to bring substantial talks. The talks with Chancellor Vranitzky and Minister Schuessel were highly substantial and I must stress a great closeness of views on the crisis in former Yugoslavia, the situation in the European Union, our relations with it and with Austria as its member, and so on. All in all, we had a very, very good visit and very good talks,' Foreign Minister Milutinovic said.

FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA

[04] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER WILL VISIT ZAGREB

The Yugoslav Delegation will be headed by the Minister of trade and President of the Yugoslav side of the Committee Djordje Siradovic, Yugoslav Information Secretariat said in a statement.

The Government also defined the Platform for the talks Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic will have with his Croatian counterpart Mate Granic on October 29 in Zagreb. The bases for negotiations and the conclusion of a Consular Convention between Yugoslav and Croatian Governments were also defined, the statement says.

The Government also defined the Platform for the talks between Yugoslav Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic and his Hungarian counterpart Gyoergy Keleczi at the end of October.

The Government has approved the opening of a British Consulate in Podgorica.

Bases were defined for negotiations and the conclusion of Agreements on the promotion and protection of investments in the construction sector with Switzerland, Ukraine and Russia.

The Government referred to the Parliament a Bill on the ratification of an Agreement on scientific and technical cooperation with Bulgaria, which lays the legal framework for the establishment and development of bilateral cooperation in this field.

[05] YUGOSLAV TRADE MINISTER URGES REACTIVATING OF AGREEMENTS WITH TURKEY

The Turkish Delegation, headed by Deputy Parliament Speaker Uluc Gurkan, is paying a several-day visit to Yugoslavia at the invitation of the Yugoslav Parliament.

Siradovic informed the Parliamentarians about the Yugoslav Government foreign trade policy, explaining that the policy was based on a maximum liberalisation of the foreign trade regime, the Yugoslav Information Secretariat said in a statement.

Gurkan informed Siradovic about Turkey's plan to back Yugoslavia's reintegration into the International Community at the next meeting of the Inter-parliamentary Union Committee, the statement said.

The parliamentarians met also with Yugoslav Minister of transport and communications Zoran Vujovic, the statement said. The meeting focused on issues concerning the resumption of cooperation in the field of transport.

[06] TALKS ON PROMOTION OF YUGOSLAV-TURKISH COOPERATION

Tomic and Gurkan discussed Yugoslav-Turkish relations and the further development of parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.

The Serbian Parliament's Press Service said that Tomic and Gurkan expressed hope the Turkish parliamentarians' visit would help the development of an objective picture about the situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and underscore the Yugoslav and Serbian leaderships' firm orientation towards a lasting peace in the Balkans.

Tomic and Gurkan expressed belief that, following the lifting of the sanctions against Yugoslavia and the establishment of a lasting peace, Yugoslav-Turkish cooperation would be on the rise and that a period of better political and economic relations is expected along with mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs.

F.R. YUGOSLAVIA - INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION

[07] BRITISH AND YUGOSLAV CENTRAL BANKS TO RESUME COOPERATION

This means that good relations between the two Central Banks will resume without the signing of new agreements following the October 1. lifting of the U.N. sanctions against Yugoslavia, and that their cooperation will be based on the previous principles, Gazivoda told Tanjug.

Describing the talks as very useful and substantive, Gazivoda said the Bank of England had offered full technical support to the National Bank of Yugoslavia in returning to the world financial market.

The talks also dealt with the activity of the Anglo-Yugoslav Bank in London, the only British financial institution where the Yugoslav capital has the controlling interest.

The Bank of England has agreed that the Anglo-Yugoslav Bank resume normal activity following the lifting of the sanctions and that its Managing Board be set up in the same way as before the imposition of the sanctions.

The Anglo-Yugoslav Bank will hold its annual meeting in London on Friday, its first following the lifting of the sanctions. The meeting will rally Yugoslavia's major banks as well as Macedonian bankers who also hold shares in the Bank.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

[08] KRAJISNIK AND BILDT MEET IN PALE

After the meeting, Bildt said they had discussed an agenda for the Presidency's Session called for Friday in Sarajevo's Serb district of Lukavica, and the setting up of common bodies of power in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Krajisnik, too, said that they had discussed the Friday Session of the Presidency.

[09] KRAJISNIK DISCUSSES BRCKO WITH OWEN

Krajisnik and Owen discussed demarcation in the area of Brcko, town in the Sava River Valley (Posavina) that has been under Serb control since the outbreak of the Bosnian war and through which runs a narrow corridor linking East and West of the Republika Srpska.

After the closed-door meeting, Owen briefly said that they had discussed the arbitration process and that talks would continue.

CROATIA - SERBS

[10] CROATIAN VISAS NOT REQUIRED FOR YUGOSLAVS TRAVELLING TO UNTAES AREA

The Regional Justice Secretary Vojin Susa said in Vukovar that the 'introduction of visas, apart from the fact that it would contradict the provisions in the Erdut Agreement, would also mean a further suppression of human and humanitarian rights, because, in that case, the inhabitants of the Region could not virtually move either to the East (to the F.R.Y.) or to the West (to Croatia).'

This was also his denial of a recent announcement issued by the Croatian President's Office which said that Croatian Customs officers would as of November 1. take over control at the crossings on the border with the F.R.Y. and that all persons entering Croatia, including Yugoslav journalists, would have to have certified visas.

Director of the Regional Customs Authority Mirko Jagetic also denied on Thursday in Vukovar the Croatian announcement that Croatian Customs officers would be posted at border crossings with Yugoslavia as of November 1.

[11] COUNCIL OF EUROPE VOWS DRASTIC ACTION UNLESS ZAGREB MEETS COMMITMENTS

The Zagreb weekly Nacional quotes Vice President of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly Rene Van Der Linden as making the statement in its latest issue.

Van Der Linden said that the European Parliament would have to take drastic action if Croatia did not meet its commitments, which had been signed and guaranteed by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and Parliament Speaker Vlatko Pavletic.

Some of the consequences would be revoking the accreditation of Croatia's deputies to the Council of Europe, which might mean practically excluding Croatia from that European institution shortly after it would have joined it, according to Van Der Linden.

He said that the biggest problem in Croatia was that of the displaced Serb population, adding that the Zagreb regime must set up such a system as would make the minorities feel secure.

Van Der Linden said that Croatia would be given a deadline by which to carry out its obligations, the return of Serb refugees, settling the matter of freedom of the Press and resolving the crisis surrounding the appointment of the Mayor of Zagreb. Europe will not wait forever, Van Der Linden said.

[12] UNTAES SPOKESMAN RULES OUT POSSIBILITY OF CROATIAN MILITARY ACTION

Arnold told a News Conference in Vukovar, centre of the Region, that he did not see how any military intervention could be possible.

Arnold said activities to date in the Region clearly showed that the Peace Process had taken the right course. He said the rumours about Croatia's possible attack, placed by certain circles, had to do with internal politics.

He said if Croatia attacked the Region, UNTAES was authorised to call in aircraft participating in the NATO-led Peace Implementation Force (IFOR) in Bosnia. He said NATO aircraft had training flights over the Region twice a week.

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