Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-02-24

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION VISITS SOUTH AFRICA

[02] MUSLIM POPULACE ANGERED OVER TUDJMAN'S STATEMENT

[03] MORINA AND STANIMIROVIC ON THE PROBLEM OF REFUGEES

[04] SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT MET WITH THE GERMAN AMBASSADOR

[05] TERRORISM IN KOSMET IS A DANGER FOR ALL CITIZENS

[01] YUGOSLAV DELEGATION VISITS SOUTH AFRICA

Tanjug, 1998-02-23

A Yugoslav Labour, Health and Social Policy Ministry delegation has recently paid a working visit to South Africa.

Deputy Yugoslav Minister Mirjana Dragas, who headed the delegation, described as very useful talks with officials of the South African Ministries of Labour, Health, Internal Affairs and Finance and Federation of Trade Unions representatives. She said that the talks would serve as a basis for agreements on the engagement of Yugoslav experts in South Africa.

A delegation of several South African ministries is expected to visit Yugoslavia in order to resume consultations on this issue.

[02] MUSLIM POPULACE ANGERED OVER TUDJMAN'S STATEMENT

Tanjug, 1998-02-23

Croatian President Franjo Tudjman has stirred anger among Muslims after accusing its leaders of planning to create an Islamic state in Bosnia based on the laws of the Koran.

In an address to the Congress of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in Zagreb last Saturday, Tudjman asked for a revision of the Dayton Accord that would enable Bosnia-Herzegovina to become a confederation of three nations.

He said Croatia had consented to the terms of the accord on condition that the Muslim-Croat Federation be linked with Croatia, arguing that only thus could Croats survive in Bosnia and only thus could the strategic interests of Croatia be protected.

The Muslims reacted by rejecting a draft agreement offered by Croatia on special ties between Croatia and the Federation.

Tudjman acknowledged that Croatia had supported the creation of the Croat republic of Herzeg-Bosna only to protect Croats and Croatian strategic interests in Bosnia.

Speaking of plans for the construction of a highway linking Zagreb with the Adriatic city Dubrovnik, via Bosnia, Tudjman said Croatia was returning to the origins of its king Tomislav. This ensures the survival of Croatianism and Croatian strategic interests in Bosnia, he said.

Muslims assessed Tudjman's statement as inappropriate and unacceptable.

Bosnian Ambassador to Croatia, Muslim Kasim Trnka, has been ordered to lodge a protect with the Croatian Foreign Ministry, said a statement issued by the Bosnian Presidential Office.

Bosnian Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic, a Croat, said however that he was not acquainted with the contents of the note.

Prlic said only the collective Bosnian Presidency was authorized to initiate a diplomatic note to another country, and at the proposal of the Foreign Ministry. "(Muslim leader) Alija Izetbegovic is only one of the three members of the Bosnian Presidency," said Prlic.

Muslim Radio Sarajevo reports that Tudjman's speech provoked strong reactions among opposition parties in Croatia.

[03] MORINA AND STANIMIROVIC ON THE PROBLEM OF REFUGEES

Tanjug, 1998-02-23

Serbian Commissioner for Refugees Bratislava Morina said there was great interest among refugees and expelled persons in Serbia to return to their homes in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The heightened interest for return surprised even the Belgrade office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), she said on Sunday evening in a Jagodina television program.

Taking part in the program together with Independent Serbian Democratic Party (SSDS) President Vojislav Stanimirovic, Morina said conditions "have not been created yet for a large-scale return as the economies of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have been devastated by war."

Stanimirovic said that two essential reasons for the current departure of Serbs from Eastern Slavonia were "security and social-economic ones - both extremely difficult." He said that in Eastern Slavonia industry was not working and people, mostly young, can not envision a future for themselves there.

He said that there can be no large-scale return of refugees into Croatia before Croats from Bosnia currently occupying Serb houses in Western Slavonia, Bania, Kordun, Lika return to their homeland. Stanimirovic cited the example of Plasko where "700 people with Croatian state papers have been waiting over one month to enter their houses." He said that around 11, 000 refugees with papers and 12,000 without papers have returned so far to Croatia, mostly elderly people.

Stanimirovic indicated that Croatian President Franjo Tudjman said that he wanted to see an improved position for Serbs but that almost half of government ministers, right hardliners, were obstructing the process.

Stanimirovic announced that the Croatian Foreign Ministry would soon open an office in Serbia which will issue necessary papers to refugees for realizing their rights in Croatia.

[04] SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT MET WITH THE GERMAN AMBASSADOR

Tanjug, 1998-02-23

Serbian Chamber of Commerce President Momir Pavlicevic and German Ambassador in Belgrade Wilfried Gruber on Monday conferred about possibilities for the promotion of bilateral economic relations, problems and Yugoslavia's economic cooperation with the European Union.

Gruber said that neither Germany nor the E.U. wanted Yugoslavia to be economically weak and stressed the need for strengthening all forms of cooperation between German and Yugoslav companies and positive resolution of business problems in concrete cases.

He said that the German Chamber of Commerce President and businessmen would visit Yugoslavia in May.

Gruber said that in April the E.U. Council of Ministers would discuss autonomous measures towards Yugoslavia and that Yugoslavia should meet some political expectations to secure a positive solution to these issues. The E.U. has the same attitude towards all countries which emerged from the former Yugoslavia, he said.

Pavlicevic said that the German Embassy in Belgrade was expected to inform its Government about positive changes in Yugoslavia in the past few years and that the linking of economic cooperation with the E.U. to political issues would not bring about improvements.

He said that Germany was the strongest E.U. member in the field of economy and that he could not see a way to improve the country's economic relations with the E.U. without Germany's active participation.

As for economic cooperation with Germany, it was described as good, primarily because the country was Yugoslavia's most important partner in long-term production cooperation, joint investments and the setting up of mixed companies.

In order to promote economic cooperation with Germany, it is necessary to renew the Agreement on detachment and the employment of Yugoslav workers in Germany in keeping with the Yugoslav companies' business there.

[05] TERRORISM IN KOSMET IS A DANGER FOR ALL CITIZENS

Tanjug, 1998-02-23

Ethnic Albanian political party leaders must unequivocally condemn terrorism in Kosovo and Metohija, which constitutes a danger for all the citizens of the province, it was said at the talks Swedish Ambassador to Yugoslavia Mats Staffansson held on Monday with the Kosovo District Deputy Chief Veljko Odalovic and provincial Information Secretary Bosko Drobnjak, the provincial Information Secretariat said in a statement.

It was mutually stressed that Kosovo and Metohija was an inalienable part of Serbia and FR Yugoslavia, and that the international community does not support any form of secession of that part of Serbia, the statement said.

It was stressed at the talks that the situation in Kosmet was complex, especially as of late, and that at the same time greater efforts should be made to carry out the Agreement on Education, which is the only way that can and must lead to a final solution, the statement said.

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