Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-06-11

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] PROSPECTS FOR PROMOTION OF COOPERATION WITH POLAND GREAT

[02] TALKS WITH CROATIA ON SERB RETURN AND PROPERTY

[03] VICE PREMIER SEES SYRIA, JORDAN VISITS AS VERY IMPORTANT

[04] BALKANS FUTURE LIES IN UNITED EUROPE

[01] PROSPECTS FOR PROMOTION OF COOPERATION WITH POLAND GREAT

Tanjug, 1997-06-10

Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic has described prospects for the promotion of cooperation between Yugoslavia and Poland as great, saying the two countries should take advantage of favourable conditions created by the lifting of the anti-Yugoslav sanctions.

In an interview with the Warsaw Trybuna newspaper that will be published on Wednesday, Kontic said Yugoslavia thought highly of great results that Poland had achieved as a transition country. He said as a country that had had friendly relations with Poland for years, Yugoslavia was glad about Poland's success and encouraged by it, because it had also entered a new, very important phase of economic reforms. Poland's experience in that sense is of great value to Yugoslavia, he said.

Kontic, who will leave for a two-day official visit to Poland on Thursday, said he was looking forward to meeting with his Polish counterpart Wlodzimierz Czimoszewicz.

'I am confident that results of our talks as welt as other talks will contribute to a better understanding and the strengthening of friendly and stable bilateral relations and cooperation,' he said. He said he had made important contacts in Poland first as an economist and later in the capacity of Prime Minister and was well-acquainted with that country.

Commenting on reforms in Yugoslavia that have been announced, Kontic said that, 'despite certain difficulties and limitations in and outside the country, basic conditions exist for the successful realisation of radical economic and political reforms.'

He said yugoslavia had made thorough preparations for crucial economic and social reforms while it had been under the regime of UN sanctions. He said that, in early 1994, the country had begun implementing with success a stabilisation programme without any foreign financial or other assistance, explaining that in that way, healthy economic cores had been preserved that would be generators of the country's development.

He said the country's economy had been recovered to the extent possible in the existing conditions and that systemic and trade conditions had been improved and social and political stability maintained despite certain fluctuations. More importantly, peace was restored to the country's immediate neighbourhood and the region and prospects created for its remaining stable, he said.

Finally, there is consensus in the society in general that the announced reforms should be carried out, he said adding that all basic internal preconditions existed for the social and economic transformation of the country and market-economy-oriented reforms.

Referring to external conditions vital for carrying out the reforms, Kontic said, 'we are well on the road to joining fully international organisations and the world commodity and capital market.'

'There are still some limitations, however, of primarily political nature, but i expect that they will be successfully overcome,' he said.

Explaining his optimism about the success of reforms, Kontic said, 'the Federal Government has based its programme on necessary fundamental changes that represent realistic and attainable goals and tasks.'

'All democratic and overall social reforms and processes are taking place within a clear economic matrix,' he said adding that right from the start every reform was faced with certain internal problems and, possibly, external limitations.

He listed as a major issue at this point the danger of the country's return to financial and trade organisations being politicised, saying he was confident that wide consensus on economic reforms existed on the Yugoslav political scene.

In this connection, he said if Yugoslavia were denied free access to the world commodity and capital market, its development programmes and, consequently, its structural, privatisation and other efforts would be blocked.

Noting that the Yugoslav program of reforms provides for ownership transformation and the establishment of conditions for the inflow of foreign capital, Kontic stressed that this was a chance for the return of Polish firms to our market.

Even without privatisation, chances for the return of Polish firms to the Yugoslav market and vice-versa are substantial, Kontic said and stressed that very liberal conditions had been created in Yugoslavia for foreign firms and capital.

Nevertheless chances are even greater in the context of privatisation and structural changes currently underway. Legal and other conditions for foreign investments are currently being finalised. The door is wide open both for direct investments, and for stock-holder capital, Kontic said.

'Yugoslavia wants not only to make up for the lost time, but also to take a new step and meet the challenge of the future. We really have huge untapped economic potentials,' Kontic said.

Asked about the importance of the European Union's decision to restore trade privileges to the FRY, Prime Minister Kontic explained that was a significant privilege for our country which will help diversify cooperation with the European Union, strengthen the competitiveness of the Yugoslav economy and increase exports.

'The next phase on which Yugoslavia will insist is the use of EU funds, or the establishment of relations with the European Union and its admission into full EU membership,' Kontic said.

We expect, he said, it will also have positive effects on economic cooperation with Poland. This cooperation would be intensified if Poland granted to Yugoslavia preferential trade treatment similar to the European Union one. We are also making efforts for the conclusion of a state accord on free trade between our two countries. We want to attain and exceed in the shortest possible time the former level of economic cooperation.

Asked if he will discuss with his counterpart Czimoszevisz the possibility of abolishing visas between the two countries, Kontic's answer was affirmative and he recalled that the FRY was urging the abolition of visas with all countries.

'I am convinced that the gradual liberalization of the visa regime is not sufficient for a powerful development of cooperation between our two countries. That is why we will propose the conclusion of a state accord on the abolition of the visa regime between our two countries, and an accord on readmission,' the Yugoslav Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Kontic, in his interview to Trybuna stressed that the FRY, regardless of that, will continue to issue passes to foreign tourists visiting our country this year in package tours, or enable foreigners to enter our country without visas and without payment of visa taxes.

[02] TALKS WITH CROATIA ON SERB RETURN AND PROPERTY

Tanjug, 1997-06-10

The return of all Serbs to Croatia and the settlement of property in Croatia belonging to Serb refugees and citizens of Yugoslavia will be the focus of talks between representatives of Yugoslavia and Croatia. The Joint Commission of the Yugoslav and Croatian Governments for the implementation of the accord on normalization of relations is due to hold its third meeting in Belgrade later this week.

We will discuss the sale of property in the past few years, as we have data that Yugoslav citizens had sold their property for next to nothing, Yugoslav Assistant Justice Minister Radivoje Rajakovic said on Tuesday.

Rajakovic, who heads the Yugoslav delegation in the talks, said Yugoslavia would wage a battle for each and every case and added that the problem of reclaiming property should not be linked with the question of succession, which is implemented by a different working group.

'A department within the Justice Ministry has registered 70,000 individual cases for property and real estate in Croatia,' said Rajakovic.

A small number of Croatians have left Yugoslavia, selling off their property at a time when no legal transfer existed between Croatia and Yugoslavia, he said.

They enter Yugoslavia freely, as Yugoslav citizens, while meanwhile they have received Croatian citizenship, which is not the case with Serbs, citizens of Croatia, said Rajakovic.

Rajakovic said Croatia had recently formed a government agency for real estate with the aim of impeding Serb owners from reclaiming their property.

The agency is backed by the law on the temporary take-over and disposal of abandoned (Serb) property, enacted in September 1995. The law enables Croatians to purchase apartments, houses or real estate belonging to Serbs for a mere trifle, on the basis of priority.

'We want to check every sale of property, because it is our duty as a state to protect our citizens. We will therefore set up a group of experts who will stop any transfer or sale made dirt cheap,' said Rajakovic.

Yugoslavia plans at the next meeting and through the international community, to stop the implementation of laws and regulations that Croatia had passed meanwhile, impeding free disposal of property.

Rajakovic said there were 12 such regulations and all of them included clauses on priority purchasing, citing the law on woods, which forbade the sale of real estate, so Serbs who own wooded areas in Bania cannot sell their property, he added.

As far as repatriation is concerned, continued Rajakovic, Yugoslavia will insist on collective returns and will submit a list containing the towns to which 60,000 Serbs from western Krajina wish to return.

'Croatia is doing all it can to delay the return of more than 330,000 Serbs. Bozo Marendic, who heads the Croatian Commission, has reiterated that the 'spirit of Croatians is in such a state that they do not favour the return of Serbs' which speaks for itself why the talks have been deadlocked,' said Rajakovic.

Asked about the question of war damages, Rajakovic said the issue had been brought up merely to protract the question of the return of refugees and property reimbursement.

'Croatia cannot raise the question of war damages because the war was not waged between two states, and the damage by the (former) Yugoslav People's Army was done as the legal army of the former Yugoslavia, of which Croatia was a part,' said Rajakovic.

[03] VICE PREMIER SEES SYRIA, JORDAN VISITS AS VERY IMPORTANT

Tanjug, 1997-06-10

A Yugoslav Government delegation's visits to Syria and Jordan of the past few days were of great political and economic importance, according to Vice Premier Nikola Sainovic who headed the delegation.

Sainovic told Serbian Radio and Television on returning to Belgrade late on Tuesday that the delegation had met with the two countries' top-ranking officials and with them discussed the peace processes in the Balkans and the Middle East.

The partners in talks had reached a high degree of understanding for the fact that an equal treatment of all nations in the regions was crucial to regional stability, he said.

He stressed they had discussed also bilateral cooperation, noting that the ties that the Yugoslav economy had forged with Syria and Jordan over the years were still strong, and the first thing to do now was to resume them.

He said the talks had touched on a whole series of new projects that should employ the Yugoslav economy. He added it was especially encouraging that Syrian and Jordanian companies showed a desire to appear on the Yugoslav market and form joint ventures, and even to spread their activity to central European markets.

[04] BALKANS FUTURE LIES IN UNITED EUROPE

Tanjug, 1997-06-10

Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic said in Salonika on Tuesday that he was very satisfied with the results of the June 9-10 southeastern European countries' meeting.

'The meeting reflected the readiness of southeastern European countries to make the Balkans a zone of permanent peace, security and good neighbourly relations by strengthening regional cooperation.

An important step was made 'because concrete activities aimed at promoting regional cooperation in different fields of joint interests were established,' Milutinovic said in a statement to Yugoslav media.

'I would especially like to single out agreements on cooperation in the field of trade, transport, science, culture, environment protection and the fighting of organised crime,' Milutinovic said.

He said that an 'important step was made towards a further promotion of inter-governmental cooperation, which created good political preconditions for the realisation of the reached agreements.'

In this context, in addition to an agreement on continuing the positive practice of the annual meetings of Balkan countries' heads of state or government, the holding of regula meetings of the ministers of trade and transport was agreed on, he said.

'All this should help strengthen confidence and create a more favourable climate for promoting overall cooperation and constructively resolving open collateral issues,' Milutinovic said.

'I am especially glad to stress that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's proposals were fully supported at this gathering,' he said.

Milutinovic said that this referred to the Yugoslav initiative to set up a consultative assembly of the southeastern European countries' parliaments, which was made at last year's meeting in Sofia and was officially supported in the ministerial meeting document.

'This would create a possibility for parliaments to directly join the processes aimed at strengthening confidence and stimulating regional cooperation,' Milutinovic said.

'If it is well organised and led, this consultative assembly of parliaments, which will be called by our Federal Parliament, might precede some sort of a parliamentary union, i.e. a setting up of a southeastern European countries' parliament at a later date,' the Yugoslav Foreign Minister said.

'Our proposal for a free flow of goods, capital and services and creation of a free trade zone in the Balkans is no less important,' Milutinovic said and added that the Yugoslav initiative had been adopted to set up a regional environment protection centre with the seat in Yugoslavia.

The centre will have the task to stimulate and coordinate regional cooperation in this very important field, he said.

'By bringing Yugoslavia's contribution to the fore, I do not wish to reduce the value of other participants' proposal which were adopted unanimously and were included in the final document of the meeting,' Milutinovic said.

'Our participation in this meeting has given us the opportunity to make numerous bilateral contacts, which we used to exchange opinions about the most important issues of relations and cooperation,' Milutinovic said.

'We are starting from the point that good bilateral cooperation is the basic condition for the success of regional cooperation,' Milutinovic said and added that this was why the meeting in Salonika had been held.

'I wish to stress that the commitment of our countries was reaffirmed to create conditions for our region's joining of modern European integration processes as soon as possible by developing regional cooperation.

'We see the future of the Balkans as well as all European countries in a united, democratic and developed Europe,' Milutinovic said.

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