Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-05-14

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES SECURITY SERVICES DELEGATION

[02] SERB LEADER BLAMES ABSENCE FROM PARLIAMENT ON PRESIDENT TUDJMAN

[03] SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTER RECEIVES GREEK NEWS AGENCY DIRECTOR

[04] PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE CHIEF RECEIVES IRANIAN CHARGE D'AFFAIRES

[05] E.U. TRADE PREFERENTIALS FOR YUGOSLAVIA COME INTO EFFECT

[06] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER ARRIVES IN BRUSSELS

[07] MONTENEGRIN PREMIER ANNOUNCES GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE

[08] MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENT EXAMINES MECHANISMS FOR SECURITY CONTROL

[09] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS BILL ON CONCESSIONS

[01] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES SECURITY SERVICES DELEGATION

Tanjug, 1997-05-13

On the occasion of May 13 - Security Services Day, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic received representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Security Services, headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Internal Affairs Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic, National Security Chief Jovica Stanisic and Yugoslav Army Security Chief General Aleksandar Dimitrijevic.

Congratulating them, President Milosevic wished his guests success in performing responsible duties of ensuring the security of the country and its citizens, protecting their civil rights and liberties from any kind of violence, and determination and perseverance in the fight against crime.

Attending the reception were Parliament Speaker Dragan Tomic, Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic, Deputy Prime Minister Ratko Markovic, Minister of Justice Arandjel Markicevic.

[02] SERB LEADER BLAMES ABSENCE FROM PARLIAMENT ON PRESIDENT TUDJMAN

Tanjug, 1997-05-13

A Serb leader said in Vukovar on Tuesday said that his non-attendance of a Croatian Parliament House constitutive session was due to President Tudjman's not honouring Croatia's obligations and U.N. recommendations.

Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) leader Vojislav Stanimirovic was speaking for Tanjug, explaining the reasons why he had not attended the House of Counties constitutive session.

Stanimirovic said that the Zagreb Government's letter of intent and the U.N. Secretary General's statement calling for two Serb deputies from the Serb Srem-Baranya region to be appointed to the House of Counties had not been honoured.

'The letter of intent which relates only to the region says that the President of the Republic shall appoint two Serb deputies, which is specifically confirmed in U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's letter of January 21, 1997,' Stanimirovic said.

He said that, on the basis of these documents and guarantees by the U.N. Transitional Authority (UNTAES) that this should be so, the SDSS had proposed two candidates: one Serb from the region and himself (Stanimirovic). However, the nomination of Stanimirovic was confirmed, but instead of the other candidate, Tudjman appointed Jovan Bamburac from Zagreb.

Stanimirovic said that Bamburac was welcome to stay on as one of five deputies appointed by the Croatian President and as a prominent researcher and a Serb, but that the SDSS insisted that two deputies must be from the region itself.

'Since our candidate from Baranya was not accepted, we agreed that I should not attend the constitutive session either,' Stanimirovic explained.

He added that letters of protest were lodged with President Tudjman and UNTAES immediately on the announcement by Croatian Television of the appointment of the two deputies to the House of Counties. Tudjman replied that the letter of intent referred in this section to the entire Serb ethnic community in Croatia and not just to the region, whereas UNTAES insists that the two deputies should actually come from the region. 'This is the verbal answer we received from Administrator Klein's deputy Sorren Seraderian and Political Adviser Jacques Gruenberg,' Stanimirovic said.

He added that, after receiving UNTAES's official reply, the SDSS would take a position on the matter and publish its official response.

[03] SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTER RECEIVES GREEK NEWS AGENCY DIRECTOR

Tanjug, 1997-05-13

Serbian Information Minister Radmila Milentijevic met on Tuesday with Spiros Kuzinopoulos, Director of the Macedonian Press Agency (MPA) of Salonika, Greece, Serbian Information Ministry said in a statement.

Kuzinopoulos informed Milentijevic in detail of the plans for establishing in Salonika a Balkan Information Exchange Centre of the Association of the Balkan News Agencies (ABNA), and of the Balkan Net and Diavlos Projects, the former being backed by European Union, the Ministry said.

After the meeting, Milentijevic said it was in the interest of the Serbian Government that information about Serbia be presented as effectively as possible and that possibilities be created for a more detailed informing of the world public about developments in Serbia.

She noted that the Serbian Government was ready to participate in both projects and that the traditionally good relations between Serbia and Greece were especially important for developing bilateral cooperation in the field of information.

Milentijevic accepted Kuzinopoulos' invitation to visit Greece officially in the near future, the Ministry said.

[04] PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE CHIEF RECEIVES IRANIAN CHARGE D'AFFAIRES

Tanjug, 1997-05-13

President of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Lower House of the Yugoslav Parliament Ljubisa Ristic met on Tuesday the Iranian Charge d'Affaires in Belgrade Seyed Ahmed Hedayat.

They pointed to the need for intensifying bilateral parliamentary cooperation and for resuming and strengthening political, economic, trade, cultural and other forms of cooperation.

Hedayat underlined Yugoslavia's positive role and correct policy in resolving the situation in Bosnia and the region and said that Iran advocated normalization of Yugoslavia's relations with islamic countries. Referring to concrete steps planned by Iran to this effect, Hedayat said his country would support Yugoslavia's reintegration in the United Nations and the Nonaligned Movement.

The meeting also focused on the preparations for the forthcoming visit of Yugoslav Foreign Trade Minister to Iran, aimed at accelerating the establishment of economic and trade cooperation. Before international sanctions were imposed on Yugoslavia, bilateral trade with Iran used to total 600 million dollars. The Iranian official invited a delegation of the Yugoslav Parliament to visit Iran.

[05] E.U. TRADE PREFERENTIALS FOR YUGOSLAVIA COME INTO EFFECT

Tanjug, 1997-05-13

The European Union's trade preferentials for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have officially come into effect, according to a report on Tuesday.

Serbian State Radio and Television said that the relevant decision was taken by the E.U. Ministerial Council in Luxembourg on April 29 and became operational with the publication in the E.U. Gazette. The decision is seen in Brussels as extremely important for promoting Yugoslav - E.U. economic cooperation. The E.U. trade preferences give Yugoslav industrial and agricultural goods duty-free access to the E.U. market, and their annual financial effect is expected to come to one hundred million dollars.

[06] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER ARRIVES IN BRUSSELS

Tanjug, 1997-05-13

Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic arrived late on Tuesday to Brussels, where he will on Wednesday have talks with his Belgian counterpart Eric Deryck.

The dialogue during the one-day working visit is expected to focus on the promotion of bilateral relations, to which both sides attach great importance, Yugoslavia's ties with the European Union and the situation in former Yugoslavia. This will be Milutinovic's second meeting with Deryck in five months, indicating an intensification of political dialogue which is conducive to better mutual understanding and paves the way for promoting historically good relations between Yugoslavia and Belgium.

[07] MONTENEGRIN PREMIER ANNOUNCES GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE

Tanjug, 1997-05-13

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said late on Monday that he would soon submit a proposal to Parliament for a Cabinet reshuffle.

Djukanovic said in a special television program that political tensions in the country over the past two months had compelled him to make the decision, which he said he hoped would stabilize the political situation in Montenegro. Djukanovic said he would submit a draft Cabinet reshuffle to Parliament on Thursday, 'the way I think it should be done,' but added he would take into consideration any objections raised by Parliament. He said he would strive to reconstruct the new Government so as to make it more efficacious.

[08] MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENT EXAMINES MECHANISMS FOR SECURITY CONTROL

Tanjug, 1997-05-13

The Montenegrin Parliament is expected to debate on a draft mechanisms for State Security control in a session on May 15. The motion was put on the agenda at the request of the Main Board of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, with the approval of competent commissions and working bodies in the Republican Government.

The draft envisages a State Council to control the work of the State Security Service, which is headed by the Montenegrin President. Its members would be Parliament Speakers, Premiers, Supreme Court Presidents and Chairmen of a parliamentary Board for the control of State Security. The Council would examine issues pertaining to State Security and coordinate its work.

The parliamentary Board would examine implementation of constitutional rights and freedoms, bills and other acts relating to security. It would request information and reports from the Council, if it assessed that civic freedoms and rights have been threatened.

[09] SERBIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS BILL ON CONCESSIONS

Tanjug, 1997-05-13

The Serbian Government adopted on Tuesday a Bill on concessions, that envisages the conditions and procedures for granting concessions for the use of natural resources and lands to locals and foreigners. The subject of a concession may vary, but the contract must be based only on property owned by the Republic of Serbia. Concessions will be granted for research, exploitation or both, of minerals, for construction, maintenance and use of water supply systems, irrigation and drainage.

Concessioners will be entrusted with the construction, maintenance and use of roads, power supply structures, railway and airway structures, including airports, oil and gas pipelines, utilities, telecommunications, the arrangement and use of river banks and lakes, spas, and activities of general interest. Concessions will be granted only on the condition that the natural resources are used reasonably, and technological advancement and environmental protection ensured. A special form of concession, by the system build-use-sell, will be based on a special contract for the construction and financing of a building that would then be transferred to the Republic. The longest term for such a contract is 30 years.

The Law envisages for agencies to be set up to implement activities linked to the concession grants and to follow their implementation. Requests for obtaining concessions are to be submitted to the Serbian Government. Before an arrangement is approved, a bidding will be organized.

The Law guarantees concessioners the rights as defined in local legislation and contract on concession, whereas foreigners have further guarantees under international contracts on the encouragement and protection of foreign investments.

Serbian Construction Minister Branislav Ivkovic said the Law was framed on the basis of experiences from developed countries and countries in transition.

Its application will provide fresh monies for investment in the economy, with a view to avoiding certain negative effects of foreign investments, said Ivkovic.

He said the Government had excluded forests and hunting grounds, lands and waters (unless they include construction), from the concessionary subjects, at the request of parliamentary deputies.

Opposition deputies said the grants should be restrictive, so that Serbia would not one day find itself reduced to vassalage.

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