Yugoslav Daily Survey, 97-09-23

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Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL MEETS RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATION

[02] KINKEL, MILUTINOVIC TO MEET IN NEW YORK SOON

[03] U.N. ADMINISTRATOR WALKER SAYS CROATIA MUST MEET ALL ITS OBLIGATIONS

[04] LONDON CLUB URGES RESUMPTION OF TALKS WITH YUGOSLAVIA

[05] SERBIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION REPORTS MASSIVE ELECTION TURNOUT

[06] OSCE OBSERVER WELCH PLEASED WITH SERBIAN ELECTION PROCESS

[07] MILOSEVIC SAYS ELECTIONS VITAL FOR SERBIA'S FUTURE

[08] OSCE SPOKESMAN SAYS SERBIAN ELECTIONS PEACEFUL, ORDERLY

[09] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT, GREEK CONSORTIUM SIGN ACCORD ON JOINT VENTURE

[10] U.S. PAPER SAYS OSCE SUPPRESSED REPORT ON CROATIA

[11] EUROFIMA GRANTS LOAN OF 10 MILLION SWISS FRANCS TO YUGOSLAV RAILWAYS

[12] INDIAN BUSINESSMEN INTERESTED FOR COOPERATION

[13] YUGOSLAV MINISTER SAYS DEVALUATION OF DINAR OUT OF THE QUESTION

[14] PARLIAMENTARY, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN SERBIA SUNDAY

[15] FROWICK EXPECTS OSCE WILL APPROVE SENDING OF OBSERVERS TO REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

[16] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA OFFICIAL MEETS INTERNATIONAL HIGH REPRESENTATIVE

[17] SFOR WILL NOT ARREST PERSONS CHARGED WITH WAR CRIMES

[18] BRCKO SUPERVISOR: NO OBSTACLES TO FINANCING TOWN'S RECOVERY EXIST

[19] FEDERAL VICE-PRIME MINISTER DJUNIC RECEIVES AUSTRIAN BANKERS

[20] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC: WE CAN BELIEVE IN SERBIA'S SPEEDY DEVELOPMENT

[01] YUGOSLAV PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL MEETS RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATION

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

Yugoslav Upper House Deputy Speaker Radmilo Bogdanovic met on Friday with a Russian delegation headed by State Duma National Defense Commission official Nikolai Maksimovich Bezborodov. The officials stressed the traditionally friendly relations between Serbia and Yugoslavia and Russia and the intensive bilateral parliamentary cooperation. Bogdanovic informed the Russian delegation of the efforts Yugoslavia was making to ease the consequences of the war waged in former Yugoslavia and of the international sanctions. Speaking of privatization, Bogdanovic said the process should be intensified so as to be conducive to more successful implementation of economic and social reforms that are under way.

The Russian delegation includes commission member for security Gennady Ivanovich Raikov, members of the Commission for labor and social issues Vladimir Fyodorovich Grigoriev and members of the deputy groups for cooperation with former Yugoslav republics Nina Adreyevna Zatsepina.

[02] KINKEL, MILUTINOVIC TO MEET IN NEW YORK SOON

Tanjug, 1997-09-20

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel will meet with his Yugoslav opposite Milan Milutinovic in New York next week, the German Foreign Ministry said Saturday. A statement issued by the Ministry said the meeting would take place during a session of the U.N. General Assembly and that Kinkel would meet also with the U.S., Russian and Chinese Foreign Ministers.

[03] U.N. ADMINISTRATOR WALKER SAYS CROATIA MUST MEET ALL ITS OBLIGATIONS

Tanjug, 1997-09-20

U.N. Administrator for Eastern Slavonia William Walker said here on Saturday that he expected the Croatian Government to fulfil all obligations it had assumed under relevant international documents.

Commenting on a Presidential statement issued by the U.N. Security Council late Thursday, Walker said he agreed with that cited in the statement, saying the Croatian Government should act in keeping with it, specificially in keeping with Paragraph Three of the Statement. He said he could understand Croatian officials' negative response to the statement, reminding Croatia that there was still enough time to take concrete measures.

In the statement, the Security Council called on Croatia to meet its obligations and take immediate measures to make it easier for Serbs to return home.

Refusing to comment on his next report to the U.N. Secretary-General, Walker said much of what he was going to put in it depended on events that were to take place in the next few days.

He said he hoped that the Croatian Government's announcements were directed at dealing with all that had not been dealt with so far, adding that things would become much clearer to him after his meeting with the Croatian Prime Minister in Zagreb on Tuesday.

[04] LONDON CLUB URGES RESUMPTION OF TALKS WITH YUGOSLAVIA

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

London Club Chairman Robert Gueng has invited Yugoslavia to resume talks with the Club in New York in mid-October, following Yugoslav Vice-Premier Danko Djunic and Minister Nebojsa Maljkovic's talks with the Club in Belgrade in late August. A statement issued by the Yugoslav Information Secretariat quoted Gueng as saying in a letter which he sent on behalf of the International Coordination Committee that considerable headway had been made in the Belgrade talks in reviewing the Yugoslav economy's ability to pay debts to its creditors in the coming years.

Gueng, chairman of the Chase Bank, expressed confidence that this would make possible to reach a financial agreement to the mutual satisfaction. He also said he hoped that the New York talks would be yet another step towards creating an acceptable framework for the restructuring of Yugoslavia's debt to the London Club.

The statement also said the resumption of talks with commercial banks in London in June 1997 reflected the Yugoslav Government's readiness to contribute to a speedier implementation of reforms, specifically in the sphere of finance and in improving the status of banks and companies, through the reorganisation and restructuring of its obligations stemming from loans in line with real possibilities of its economy, the statement said.

Government and National Bank of Yugoslavia experts and consultants from Belgrade's Economic Institute have therefore undertaken thorough preparations for the New York talks, the statement said.

[05] SERBIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION REPORTS MASSIVE ELECTION TURNOUT

Tanjug, 1997-09-21

The Serbian Central Electoral Commission said late on Sunday that Serbia's parliamentary and presidential elections held earlier in the day had been successful and that most people had exercised their right to vote. Commission Secretary Nebojsa Rodic told domestic and foreign reporters in the Serbian Parliament that the Commission could not yet give specific information about the number of people who had voted in the polls, but could say that the turnout had been massive.

Rodic said that information obtained through day-long contacts with the 29 constituencies in this Yugoslav republic showed that the polls had been fair and held in a climate of tolerance, and that no particular complaints had been reported about the procedure.

He went on to say that the closing of the polling stations at 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) had ended the process of direct and secret ballotting for the election of deputies to the Serbian Parliament and of a new Serbian President. He said that these had been the fourth multi-party parliamentary elections and third presidential elections held in Serbia since 1990.

The fact that there had been individual complaints showed the seriousness with which all political subjects had approached the polls and the efforts of the competent bodies to ensure that they should be carried out in strict accordance with the law, he said.

This fact clearly shows that all contenders in the elections were accorded equal treatment, according to Rodic.

He said that all polling stations were in the process of counting ballots.

The returns would be entered in the minutes of the proceedings, which would, for the first time, be made out in six identical copies, he said. One of the copies would go to the relevant local electoral commission, another would be posted on the bill-board outside the polling station, and the rest would go to the political parties and independent candidates with the largest number of votes, he added.

He said that the Serbian Central Electoral Commission was currently holding an enlarged session to review the results of the polls.

[06] OSCE OBSERVER WELCH PLEASED WITH SERBIAN ELECTION PROCESS

Tanjug, 1997-09-21

The Chief of the observer mission of the OSCE to Serbia's elections said in Belgrade on Sunday he was pleased with the way the elections were proceeding. After touring polling stations 9 and 61 in New Belgrade, OSCE Mission Chief Anthony Welch told Belgrade's BK Television reporter that local electoral commission officers knew their duty and the election law.

Welch, who had wanted to see at first hand the voting process, the turnout, the electoral commission invigilators at work and problems, if there were any, said that the polling station he had toured were very well organised.

He had learned from electoral commission members that the voting was proceeding in good order, that the turnout was satisfactory and that there were no problems.

Asked by the reporter if he thought this was democracy in action, Welch said that things were moving in the right direction at the particular polling stations he had visited.

On his tour of New Belgrade polling stations, Welch was accompanied by OSCE spokesman Melissa Fleming.

[07] MILOSEVIC SAYS ELECTIONS VITAL FOR SERBIA'S FUTURE

Tanjug, 1997-09-21

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic told reporters after voting in Serbia's parliamentary and presidential elections early on Sunday that "these elections are crucial to the future of Serbia." Milosevic said what "Serbia needs is to preserve its stability, continue the process of economic recovery and economic development and, which is doubtless very important, remain true to the course of reforms." "I hope and expect these elections to confirm this," he said.

Milosevic was accompanied by his wife Mira and son Marko.

[08] OSCE SPOKESMAN SAYS SERBIAN ELECTIONS PEACEFUL, ORDERLY

Tanjug, 1997-09-21

A Spokesman for the OSCE in Belgrade said on Sunday that the current presidential and parliamentary elections in Serbia were proceeding peacefully and in an orderly fashion. Spokesman Melissa Fleming told TANJUG that only a few minor incidents had been reported, and that everything was normal and going well on the whole.

Fleming said she could not comment in any great detail on the course of the elections until the polling stations closed at 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) and until the monitors had sent in their reports.

Elections in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia are being monitored by 345 foreign observers, 203 of them OSCE observers, as well as parliamentarians from 22 countries.

OSCE monitors are expected to give a news conference on Monday, and to submit their final report, substantiated with facts, some weeks later.

[09] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT, GREEK CONSORTIUM SIGN ACCORD ON JOINT VENTURE

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

The Serbian Government and a Greek consortium signed an accord in Belgrade on Friday setting up a joint venture that should provide foreign investment for completing an international highway through this Yugoslav Republic. The Yugo-Hellas Road Company will glean the necessary financing for the building of the remaining sections of highway E75 from the southern Serbian town of Nis to the Macedonian border.

On the Serbian side, the Accord was signed by the Construction Ministry, and on the side of the Greek Construction Consortium, by Paskalis Paskalidis and Leonidas Bobolas.

The signing ceremony was attended by Greek Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Panayotis Vlasopoulos, a Government statement said.

[10] U.S. PAPER SAYS OSCE SUPPRESSED REPORT ON CROATIA

Tanjug, 1997-09-20

The Croatian Government is undermining the Dayton Accord and the OSCE and international monitors in Bosnia are well aware of this, according to a U.S. newspaper on Saturday. The New York Times is referring to a classified report which an OSCE mission member wrote some months ago, and adds that the document has never seen the light of day. The report, which allegedly condemns the Croatian Government, reached the offices of the New York Times through anonymous channels, through persons who want the public to know the truth, the daily says.

The report gives concrete facts and evidence to show that the Bosnian Croat state of Herceg-Bosna is practically a part of Croatia, a state of affairs which is completely at odds with the Dayton Peace Accord for Bosnia- Herzegovina.

The Croatian Government directly finances the Bosnian Croat Army with 30 million dollars a month, and Zagreb arms the Bosnian Croats with weapons obtained from other countries, organising a whole chain of illegal arms trade, it is claimed in the report.

Organised crime which has its roots in Zagreb has diversified to dealing drugs, trafficking in stolen cars and marketeering, and is using the proceeds to arm the Bosnian Croats, the secret OSCE report claims. Speaking about close ties between Herceg-Bosna and Croatia, the report adds that Zagreb has assumed administrative, financial, logistic and strategic authority over the Herceg-Bosnia army, which is under the direct command of the Croatian Defence Ministry.

According to the report, all this goes to show that Croatia considers the Dayton accord a dead letter that has little to do with reality.

Views presented in the report were little to the liking of OSCE officials, who promptly branded it as too sensitive, and decided to repudiate it, according to the New York Times.

The newspaper quotes OSCE official David Fowley as saying that the document in no way belongs to the OSCE.

It is a fact, however, that the report was written by an OSCE mission member stationed in the divided city of Mostar in the Muslim-Croat Federation, whose contract with the OSCE expired in May.

In order to avoid any further unpleasantness, the former OSCE member in Bosnia-Herzegovina would not furnish the New York Times with any further information.

The 70-page report is doubtless objective, a European diplomat has told the New York Times. The diplomat is quoted by the newspaper as saying that conclusions put forth in the report absolutely correspond to the views and knowledge of the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the behaviour of Croatia.

[11] EUROFIMA GRANTS LOAN OF 10 MILLION SWISS FRANCS TO YUGOSLAV RAILWAYS

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

The European Company for the Financing of Railway Rolling Stock (EUROFIMA) aprroved on Friday a loan of 10 million Swiss francs to Yugoslav Railways, a statement issued by the Belgrade transport company press section said. The loan is to be used for the modernisation of the railway network in Yugoslavia, the statement said.

[12] INDIAN BUSINESSMEN INTERESTED FOR COOPERATION

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce President Mihailo Milojevic talked here today with Indian businessmen about the promotion of all forms of bilateral cooperation and the creation of conditions for increasing trade.

Milojevic pointed to the long-standing friendship between the two countries, assessing that the visit of representatives of 15 Indian firms from almost all fields should help promote cooperation and the conclusion of arrangements with firms, mutually interested in establishing business links.

Head of the Indian business delegation Dirubai Kapadia, who is president of one of the Indian companies interested in imports of iron and steel, oil industry equipment and mineral fertilizers, said that the visit was "a sign of great interest for promoting cooperation which will culminate in the economic prosperity of the two countries."

[13] YUGOSLAV MINISTER SAYS DEVALUATION OF DINAR OUT OF THE QUESTION

Tanjug, 1997-09-19

Yugoslav Internal Trade Minister Milorad Miskovic told the Novi Sad weekly Nedeljni Dnevnik that there was no reason to change the exchange rate of the national currency, the dinar. Miskovic said that an increase of money supply in July and August had its real sources in the hard currency inflow from the sale of Serbian Telecom.

"The budget and expenditure will be financed only from real sources. This policy has been pursued throughout the year and will continue. The printing of money should not be expected by the end of the year. On the contrary, a bigger foreign currency inflow, bigger foreign investments are expected, which will create possibilities for increasing the money supply, but in order to follow the production," Miskovic said.

Asked whether the planned 10-percent inflation rate would be achieved by the end of the year, Miskovic said that "we had deflation in August" and that he believed that there was no objective reason for the recurrence of inflation.

"We expect that the production and offer will increase and that the citizens' standard of living would be proportional to the increase of offer. This means that we will have a stable market and reduced inflation. In some sectors, primarily in agriculture and food processing industry, we can expect a further reduction of prices in view of good harvest," Miskovic said.

[14] PARLIAMENTARY, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN SERBIA SUNDAY

Tanjug, 1997-09-20

The Serbian parliamentary and presidential elections will be held on Sunday.

The 9,827 polling stations will open at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and close at 8 p.m. Voters will elect 250 MPs and Serbian president. A total of 344 lists with the names of 2,533 candidates for parliamentary elections, were submitted in Serbia's 29 constituencies.

There are 17 presidential candidates.

The elections will be monitored by electoral commissions and electorate boards as well as monitors sent by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

A total of 455 journalists, 250 of them from Yugoslav and 196 others from 95 foreign media, were accredited to report from the elections. Germany has the largest number (34) of accredited reporters and it is followed by the United States (30) and Great Britain (22).

[15] FROWICK EXPECTS OSCE WILL APPROVE SENDING OF OBSERVERS TO REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

Tanjug, 1997-09-18

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Bosnia mission chief Robert Frowick said in Vienna on Thursday that he was satisfied with the good turnout and peaceful proceeding of the local elections in Bosnia- Herzegovina, assessing they would contribute to the progress of the peace process.

The U.S. Ambassador said bigger problems and irregularities had been registered in the territory of the Muslim-Croat federation in Drvar and Zepca, and that there had been fewer problems in Mostar than expected.

Regarding Republika Srpska, there were some problems in Brcko, said Frowick, who today took part in the work of the OSCE Standing Council.

Frowick told an unscheduled press briefing also why he had annulled a decision of the OSCE Elections Subcommission to disqualify the Serb Democratic Party (SDS). He said he had not wanted to risk the safety of members of international institutions and that such a decision could have been adopted before the elections and not after.

Frowick said the most important thing was to rule out the influence of former R.S. President Radovan Karadzic on political life. He said the people had this time voted for others as well, not just nationalist parties. The Standing Council today considered a decision to send observers to the parliamentary elections in Republika Srpska, acting on an invitation from R.S. President Biljana Plavsic sent in mid-July this year, he said, adding that he expected approval would be given later in the day.

Frowick was asked to comment initiatives in Republika Srpska for solving the political crisis - simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections. He said there were also proposals to appoint a new R.S. representative on the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency and that all these options were open.

Frowick said it was above all necessary to respect the constitutional procedure in Republika Srpska.

Diplomatic sources of the OSCE said Russian representatives were against any decisions being adopted at this time on sending observers to the parliamentary elections in Republika Srpska, before the local authorities agree if elections will be held only for the Parliament or for President as well.

[16] REPUBLIKA SRPSKA OFFICIAL MEETS INTERNATIONAL HIGH REPRESENTATIVE

Tanjug, 1997-09-18

Republika Srpska President in the three-man Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Momcilo Krajisnik met on Thursday afternoon with international community's High Representative for Bosnia Carlos Westendorp.

No details were released after the talks held behind closed doors.

It is believed that Krajisnik and Westendorp discussed the situation following the September 13-14 local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

[17] SFOR WILL NOT ARREST PERSONS CHARGED WITH WAR CRIMES

Tanjug, 1997-09-18

Deputy Commander of the SFOR North Division Press Centre, Dutch Major Bjern Soerensen, said on Thursday that SFOR had not changed its mandate concerning the arrest of persons charged with war crimes.

Soerensen told a regular press conference that SFOR would arrest these persons only if it came upon them during its regular duties.

Commenting the removal of the SFOR checkpoint on the bridge in Brcko, Soerensen said SFOR believed that patrols were more efficient than permanent checkpoints and that this was the only reason for the removal of the Brcko bridge checkpoint.

"Control of the bridge is under the jurisdiction of the local police, and SFOR will re-establish a regular checkpoint if the situation in the region requires it," Soerensen said.

He announced the rotation in the U.S. SFOR contingent and the arrival by the first week of November of the Second Armed Regiment to replace the First U.S. Infantry division. Soerensen added that the size of the troops would not be increased.

Polish Major Arthur Bilski said that in the zone controlled by the Nordic- Polish brigade, 27 minefields had been cleared in the past week and that, since early March, when the minesweeping operation began, 7.762 mines and other explosive devices had been destroyed.

"Despite that, SFOR is not satisfied with the dynamics of the minesweeping operation," Bilski said.

[18] BRCKO SUPERVISOR: NO OBSTACLES TO FINANCING TOWN'S RECOVERY EXIST

Tanjug, 1997-09-18

Brcko supervisor Robert Farand told Tanjug late on Wednesday that a memorandum of understanding had "finally" been signed with the Republika Srpska Government.

He said that the Republika Srpska would finally be able to use the funds which the international community had pledged to allocate for the economic prosperity of Brcko.

Farand said he was not satisfied with the Republika Srpska Government's cooperativeness and added that the elections in Brcko had passed surprisingly well.

Farand said he believed that the possibility for a feeling of pluralism would appear in the future, which was very good. He said that he aimed at helping implement economic goals as soon as possible to be able to revive the economy of Brcko.

Farand expressed deep regret over the SFOR helicopter crash in which Assistant International High Representative Gerd Wagner and his associates were killed and said that this would make them implement the Dayton agreement in Bosnia even better.

Farand said that he had not been informed about rumours that the helicopter had carried the ballots of absentee voters.

[19] FEDERAL VICE-PRIME MINISTER DJUNIC RECEIVES AUSTRIAN BANKERS

Tanjug, 1997-09-18

Yugoslav Vice-Prime Minister Danko Djunic received on Thursday a delegation of the Bank Austria Handelsbank of Vienna headed by Helmut Bohunovski, the Director and member of the Board of directors.

Bohunovski on Wednesday signed an agreement with Sartid on the renewal of a financial loan amounting to 80 million dollars.

The Austrian delegation informed Djunic about the provisions of the agreement, i.e. its short term revolving credit line for pre-financing Sartid exports approved by a consortium of several world banks, and the bank's future plans for Yugoslavia, Djunic's cabinet said.

Djunic said that the Federal Government supported such mutually useful financial arrangements. He positively assessed the readiness of European banks to invest in arrangements with Yugoslav firms. Djunic emphasised that, in the future, foreign banks should be expected to step up engagements in Yugoslavia, especially since talks on the regulation of obligations towards commercial banks within the London Club are under way and positive results are expected, the statement said.

[20] PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC: WE CAN BELIEVE IN SERBIA'S SPEEDY DEVELOPMENT

Tanjug, 1997-09-18

Serbia is on the move and striding towards its goals of reconstruction and reform, according to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade late on Thursday.

Milosevic, who is heading the joint Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) - Yugoslav Left (JUL) - New Democracy (ND) ticket, was speaking at a closing election campaign convention of the leftist coalition and of presidential candidate Zoran Lilic.

Milosevic said that the leftist coalition was a champion of peace and progress in Serbia and its victory was in the vital interest of this Yugoslav republic. "The elections before us are of historic importance to the future of Serbia.

"Whether Serbia manages to keep the peace and stay on the reform course and in the reconstruction process will depend on whether the people support those who have managed, in the past seven years of difficulties, to protect the peace and to get reform and restoration off to a good start, or whether they will support those who have spent the seven years alternating between war and peace - urging war for three months and peace for fifteen days - who have urged both a Serbian state and a community of nations, both a monarchy and a democracy, now something new, now something old, without knowing what the new should be, nor having understood the old.

"This coalition is a champion of peace and progress for Serbia. This is why its victory in the elections is in the vital interest of Serbia," Milosevic said.

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