Yugoslav Daily Survey, 96-12-30

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT DELIVERS NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO NATION

[02] OSCE REPORT DENIES FALSE ACCUSATION AGAINST SERBIA

[03] MOSCOW CALLS FOR DIALOGUE IN SERBIA

[04] SERBIAN MINISTRY: NIS ELECTORAL COMMISSION'S DECISION NOT CORRECT

[01] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT DELIVERS NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO NATION

The message, carried by the President's General Secretariat, said Yugoslavia did not receive as a gift peace in the neighbourhood and the lifting of the sanctions, during the hard times of transition, disintegration of the former state, with war in proximity and hundreds of thousands of refugees.

'This is the fruit of our consistent peaceful policy, of which yugoslavia is a guarantor, and our pledge to the stabilization of political circumstances in the Balkans and Europe and their overall development,' said Lilic.

Never should come the time, least of all now, when individual and group interests are above the interests of the entire nation, above the reinforcement of a state that has just emerged from a period of unseen foreign pressures and extortions, said Lilic.

He said the will of the people was above every authority, and added that Yugoslavia needed stable internal and foreign conditions in order for work on economic recovery and better living to grow into a real national movement.

Political questions and differences in opinion can be resolved successfully only where they are resolved in all democratic, parliamentary and multi- party states - in institutions set up by the will of the people', said Lilic and added that the authority of such institutions could be strengthened through political dialogue only.

This is, at the same time, the real way for citizens to acquire the dignity of equal participants in political life, to control the respect of their political will by openly taking part in political activities, developing a sense of belonging, unity and pride in their own state and its participation in the efforts of the progressive part of mankind for more solidarity and a more humane world.

Lilic said state organs had to execute their constitutional and legal obligations more efficaciously and without delay.

'Whoever fails to do so, must bear the consequences. It is the right of the citizens of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to live in a state without street and economic crime, a grey economy, wealth acquired without labour, without blackmail, corruption and protection.'

He said those aims were achievable by respecting the institutions of the system, enforcing laws and with individual accountability.

We hold most responsibility for the younger generation. We are the ones who have to improve the prospects, said Lilic.

Serbia and Montenegro are old states with experience, said Lilic. They have preserved their statehood through stormy periods in history, and with the will of the people, are resolved to build up their strength through Yugoslavia.

'They are nations with long democratic traditions and peculiar ethics, where treason and inhumanity deserve scathing condemnation. Solidarity and unity have always been a prerequisite for survival in these parts,' said Lilic.

'Some wish even now, after all that we have successfully come through, to bring us to another turn point in history, to try to induce us to a gradual 'sell-out' of the large capital we have acquired. That is: an independent state, peace and a realistically optimistic prospect for development into a well-organized, medium-developed European state. Our prospect lies in unity, democracy and prosperity,' said Lilic.

'History never repeats itself in the same way, but a nation with a long and rich history retains in its collective memory a treasure of wisdom on the path of survival and national and state self-preservation.'

No one has yet completed every national task, but everyone who has had the privilege to be elected by a nation, is obliged to carry out his tasks honourably, as best he can, to the best interests of his people, and render an account of his actions to the nation, said Lilic.

Concluding his message, Lilic said it was imperative to democratically implement the political program for peace, unity, economic recovery, social justice, independence and equal inclusion into European and world integration processes.

'There is enough room for everyone in such a Yugoslavia, for members of all nations and national minorities, all religions, political parties and views of the world,' concluded Lilic.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1996-12-30 ; Tanjug, 1996-12-29

[02] OSCE REPORT DENIES FALSE ACCUSATION AGAINST SERBIA

'There had been allegations, namely, that the opposition had won the local elections in Serbia and that the authorities had therefore annulled the local elections,' Tomic said speaking at a Panel hosted by "Tanjug".

'Anyway, such an accusation had been voiced in the letter from U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, and the answer was given in the reply from Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic,' Tomic said.

Pointing out that Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic had assessed the OSCE report as 'quite balanced'. Tomic said the report was a preliminary one and that its organs had yet to make the definite decision about it.

'The report presented to us is in fact a recommendation or information for this international organization, which, as Mr. Felipe Gonzales said, can not be arbiter,' Tomic said.

In Tomic's opinion, three things in this report are very important: that Election Laws in Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are democratic and in coordination with OSCE principles, moreover, that the victory of the alliance of the Socialist Party of Serbia, Yugoslav Left, and New Democracy was not in question, and, finally, that opposition parties won the majority at elections for municipal assemblies in several smaller and bigger towns in Serbia.'

'In Belgrade, authorities are being constituted without any pressures or obstacles in the municipalities where opposition parties won and such authorities are already functioning in Zemun, Stari Grad, Vracar, Rakovica, Zvezdara. This is also the case with the towns of Kragujevac, Novi Sad, Cacak, Novi Pazar,' Tomic was specific.

'Anyway, I must point out that this is no news since the opposition won in more municipalities in Serbia at the 1992 elections than in the 1996 elections,' he added.

The decision to open Panel discussions at the Republican Parliament is very important and will certainly help ease the tensions which have appeared on Serbia's political stage in the recent weeks, Tomic said.

'Certainly, this will be so, if all parliamentary parties want passions to cool down and possible problems to be resolved within the institutions of the system,' Tomic said, specifying that the assembly majority had doubtlessly supported this desire when it voted for opening the Panel debates.

'It now remains for technical issues to be agreed on, for rules of work to be made and the procedure established,' Tomic said.

'At the very onset of work, the participants in the first debate, on that occasion only from the Socialist Party, New Democracy and December 1. Deputy Clubs, opted for live television coverage of the Panel debates on Serbian Radio-TV's Channel Two.

Therefore, Tomic said, all participants will thus be able to present their political ideas, programs and stands on the most vital developments before the entire public.

'I hope that this will be in a tolerant and peaceful atmosphere in the spirit of democracy and to the benefit of all citizens of Serbia.'

Speaking about the developments in the streets of Belgrade, Tomic mentioned militant and profascist groups and abuse of children in a recent interview to Serbian Radio-TV.

Asked to clarify this statement, he replied briefly that he 'was not speaking about students as the coalition Zajedno leaders and some news media had attributed' to him. 'But I certainly was thinking of the leaders and violent persons of the coalition Zajedno,' Tomic was adamant.

In reaction to the observation that the events that followed had confirmed his words, Tomic said 'this could be seen especially clearly when the rally 'For Serbia' was held (the rally of support to the policy of the Serbian President).

Members of the coalition Zajedno used violence against people who peacefully came for the rally to show their political opinion, to which they have the right like all the citizens of our Republic, they were obstructed when they arrived, insulted and humiliated in the most brutal way, and finally, to make the absurd situation complete, they were obstructed when they tried to return home, Tomic explained his stand.

He added that the insulting and vulgar speech of the main chief of the coalition Zajedno Zoran Djindjic, the day before the rally 'For Serbia'(held on Tuesday, Dec. 24) had especially contributed to this. Speaking about the means used by the coalition Zajedno, including foreign flags, Tomic said that 'two complete antipodes such as the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) and the Democratic Party (DS) united around a common denominator.'

'That denominator is abroad and it connects them. But their activities, which only confuse and occasionally amuse citizens, confirm that this is actually an unnatural marriage between totally opposed political options.'

'In these unusual activities they have the selfless help of media which claim to be independent. Unfortunately, they are increasingly independent only from the truth,' Tomic said.

'All this that we are experiencing has less and less to do with the local elections, and the real objective - that, at least, is clear - is the destabilization of Serbia and Yugoslavia with a long-term objective, actually to jeopardize the results achieved in Dayton, Ohio.

A strong Yugoslavia is a guarantor of peace in the Balkans, and those who can not accept that war has ended in Bosnia are still inciting unrests.

Citizens of Serbia still clearly remember the picture of the coalition Zajedno leader, with a roast ox, awaiting NATO pact airplanes at Pale,' Tomic said.

Summing up this year's results, President Tomic said 'last year was difficult, but successful.'

'Sanctions were lifted definitely, which is a great victory of the policy of President Milosevic and the confirmation of his great prestige in the international public. We also had Federal elections which were very successfully completed and local ones which will also quite certainly end successfully, after this brief crisis.'

'The victory of the leftist forces will enable the continuity of the policy of peace, cooperation with the world on an equal basis, and the country's progress in all spheres of life,' Tomic pointed out and said he was certain 'next year will be better than this one. Citizens will have better prospects for work and earnings and to build their lives which will be better and nicer in a safe and prosperous country, turned to the future, primarily of children and young people.'

At the end of the talks at the Panel hosted by "Tanjug", Serbian Assembly President Dragan Tomic availed himself of the opportunity to wish citizens a happy New Year and the coming holiday season and to wish them much happiness, health, and success in the New Year 1997.'

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1996-12-30 ; Tanjug, 1996-12-29

[03] MOSCOW CALLS FOR DIALOGUE IN SERBIA

At the moment, the diplomat did not wish to comment on the conclusions published by a Commission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Friday because the Russian Ministry had still not received the official text of the document.

However, he made it clear that OSCE's opinion did not influence Moscow and that a call for dialogue stayed in force regardless of the Commission's conclusions.

An alternative to the dialogue is unacceptable, since it can mean only confrontation, i.e. cause damage to Serbia, the diplomat said.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1996-12-30 ; Tanjug, 1996-12-28

[04] SERBIAN MINISTRY: NIS ELECTORAL COMMISSION'S DECISION NOT CORRECT

The Ministry said that this was all the more so since the Nis Electoral Commission President had given assurances that the Commission, consisting of all parties which had nominated candidates, would determine the real state of affairs after reviewing all election documents, including lists of voters, local electoral commissions' records, another counting of ballots and complaints.

The Serbian Justice Ministry said that the City Electoral Commission's decision, whatever it might be, could not stop the carrying out of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's instructions to determine the truth about the records submitted to him recently by Nis University students and results of the local elections in Nis.

The Ministry said that the interested sides, the Zajedno (Together) political organisation and the Socialist Party of Serbia, had voted against this decision, demanding the establishing of truth about the November local elections in Nis.

Yugoslav Daily Survey, 1996-12-30 ; Tanjug, 1996-12-28

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