Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-09-15

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

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND SERBIA OFFER UNCONDITIONAL DIALOGUE ON KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

[02] "JERUSALEM POST" SAYS KOSMET IS A NEW ISLAMIC BASTION

[03] TOMIC: FULLY STABLE PRICES AND DINAR EXCHANGE RATE

[04] SERBIA AND CYPRUS TO PROMOTE COOPERATION IN HEALTH CARE SPHERE

[05] FOREIGN MINISTER JOVANOVIC RECEIVED DIENSTBIR

[06] JAT CONTINUES TO FLY TO GREECE

[07] ETHNIC ALBANIANS IN DJAKOVICA MUNICIPALITY RETURN 20 TONNES OF WEAPONS

[08] TERRORIST BASE FOUND IN THE VILLAGE OF PAPRACANE

[09] CANADIAN DIPLOMATS DROVE OVER AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE

[10] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT PROPOSES A PARLIAMENT SESSION ON KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

[11] TOMIC: BATTLE FOR STABILIZATION IN KOSMET WON

[01] YUGOSLAVIA AND SERBIA OFFER UNCONDITIONAL DIALOGUE ON KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic said late on Monday that Yugoslavia and its republic of Serbia were constantly offering direct and unconditional dialogue on all political problems in Serbia's Kosovo and M etohija province.

Jovanovic met in Belgrade with diplomats accredited to the Federal R epublic of Yugoslavia. He said that the state guaranteed full equality to all peo ple living in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as equal rights to all national mi norities and ethnic communities, in conformity with the highest standards in this field prevalent in the world. He said this was the country's strategic position , and quoted Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's initiative and proposals w hich had paved the way for opening dialogue on all questions in dispute in the pro vince. The latest initiatives of President Milosevic also were aimed at resuming dialogue between the state and negotiators of ethnic Albanian political p arties led by Ibrahim Rugova, Jovanovic said, noting that ethnic Albanian offici als were still evading dialogue. He went on to say that the state was interested in dealing with all open questions by peaceful and political means, without the use of force and on the basis of the highest European and international stand ards. He evaluated as extremely harmful the sanctions in air traffic and other areas clamped on Yugoslavia by the European Union and other countries. These ki nd of measures delay the opening of dialogue and hamper the quest for a rationa l solution to the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija, according to Jovanovic. S erbian Minister Zoran Andjelkovic, who also addressed the diplomatic representat ives, said that there were no more unsheltered displaced persons in Kosovo and Metohija. This problem has been completely and successfully solved, said Andjelkovic. He quoted figures in support of the mass return of displace d persons, mostly ethnic Albanians, who had been forced from their homes by the ethnic Albanian terrorist organisation calling itself the Kosovo Liberati on Army (KLA). He thus refuted allegations being floated by some foreign media a nd politicians lately about a humanitarian disaster in Kosovo and Metohija. Andjelkovic informed the diplomats about concrete actions being taken dai ly by the Serbian Government, companies and relief agencies to ease the consequ ences of the ethnic Albanian terrorists' rampage and to guarantee the safety of the people returning to their homes.

[02] "JERUSALEM POST" SAYS KOSMET IS A NEW ISLAMIC BASTION

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

After Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and M etohija is slowly becoming another Islamic bastion in the region, according to th e Israeli daily the "Jerusalem Post". The daily said on Monday that Islami c countries had both financially and militarily assisted ethnic Albanians i n Kosovo and Metohija, and set out that hundreds of mujaheddin had crossed into th e province from neighbouring Albania. The "Jerusalem Post" quoted a Pentag on statement as saying the organization of Osama bin Laden, who is held resp onsible for the bomb attacks on the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, had backed Muslims in both Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo and Metohija. The d aily quoted Yugoslav Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic as saying Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina would pose no threat to Yugoslavia or the wider region if isolated but only if they receive support from Islamist movements or Isla mic states.

Many foreign diplomats privately link the Iran-backed Bosnian regime with the unrests in Kosovo. Iran is present in Sarajevo and has an influence t here, which induced it to support the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army.

Israeli reporter Steve Rodan said members of this so-called army had gained strength in Albania and that the crisis in this country had led Teheran q uickly to fill up this void. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard trained fighters o f the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army. Representatives from Iran and Saudi Ara bia set up foundations in order to help them. An Islamic Bank was opened in Tiran a, and a Society of the Ayatollah Khomeini in Shkoder. In Prizren, Kosovo and Me tohija, Islamic fundamentalists set up a society which was financed by the Irania n Cultural Center in Belgrade. Chosen groups of ethnic Albanians were sent to Iran to receive training in the Iranian version of militant Islam. Yugoslav o fficials and western diplomats agree that millions of dollars have been smuggled i n for arms through Bosnia and Albania. The money was collected by Islamic gover nments and Islamic communities in western Europe, in particular in Germany, the daily said. Israel and Turkey are alarmed because of Iran's success in its cam paign to gain influence in Bosnia and Albania and are speedily exchanging intel ligence information on developments in the region. "Iran actively helps the Kosovo rebels," said Efraim Kam, the Deputy Dire ctor of the Jaffa Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Tel Aviv. Ira n sees Kosovo and Albania as Muslim communities which need help and Teheran is r eady to provide that help, Kam said. Ethnic Albanian terrorists are mostly train ed in Bosnia. Mercenaries and volunteers in the separatist movement earn 3,000 D-marks monthly, the "Jerusalem Post" said. The movement also includes Iranians w ho fought in Bosnia in the early nineties and later married and remained the re, and there are also many Afghans, Algerians, Chechens, and Egyptians, said the daily.

[03] TOMIC: FULLY STABLE PRICES AND DINAR EXCHANGE RATE

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

Serbian Vice Premier Dragan Tomic said on Monday that by the end of the year the government would try to secure full stability of prices and the exchange rate of the dinar, ensure that markets are provided with all kinds of goo ds and to increase of production and exports.

Tomic told a press conference in the Serbian Government building tha t in the first eight months of 1998 a 9.7% industrial production increase had been recorded. He recalled that in 1997 the production growth was 10.1%, expor ts 28% and that the "initial effects of privatization were very good" which, he said, also provides an opportunity for a two-digit production rise in this year and for exports to repeat last year's upward trend. Tomic set out that the inter national community's position towards Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavi a, as well as the situation in the country, were a significant obstacle to the implementation of the government's economic policy and that "the results are satisfactory."

Tomic underscored the successful completion of the realization of Pr ogram 2 for the renewal of agricultural mechanization. He said that activated w ere capacities for the production of mineral fertilizers and prepared program s which should secure a successful autumn harvest. Finance Minister Borislav Mil acic said that in the first eight months of this year "positive tendencies had been achieved" and that the Serbian Government's plan had been realized. He co nceded that there exist difficulties in the further implementation of the set po licies. Speaking about the results achieved in the past period, Milacic said that they had been reached as part of a dynamic production and that the correction of the dinar's exchange rate to the German mark did not result in an uncontrolla ble inflation, as some forecast, but that "a relatively favourable stability remains present." According to Milacic, one in ten dinars stemming from budget e arnings over the past eight months, was returned to the economy to finance its pr ograms. He also announced stricter measures for curbing the grey economy. Serbia n Agriculture, Forestry and Waterworks Minister Jovan Babovic said that the republican government would this year also ensure that there is enough fo od for all, stock up strategic reserves and have sufficient quantities of agricu ltural products for export.

[04] SERBIA AND CYPRUS TO PROMOTE COOPERATION IN HEALTH CARE SPHERE

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

Serbian Vice Premier Prof. Dr. Milovan Bojic met on Monday with Cypr us Health Minister Hristos Solomos to discuss possibilities for extending an d promoting cooperation in the sphere of health care, the Serbian Informati on Ministry has said. Bojic and Solomos concluded that good conditions and a mutual interest exist for such a cooperation in the atmosphere of friendly inter state relations. Solomos expressed special interest in establishing cooperatio n with major health care institutions in Serbia, especially in the sphere of cardiovascular medicine, transplants, oncology and orthopaedics, but also in other fields of medicine not covered sufficiently by the national health care system of Cyprus.

It was agreed that a team of experts from Cyprus should visit Serbia n health care institutions to determine concrete forms of cooperation, a st atement said.

[05] FOREIGN MINISTER JOVANOVIC RECEIVED DIENSTBIR

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

Federal Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic received on Monday Yiri Dienstbir, the special rapporteur of the U.N. Human Rights Commission, wh o is in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia within a regular tour of the countries of the region. Jovanovic and Dinstbir carried out an exhaustive and open exchang e of views on the situation in the sphere of human rights. Federal Minister J ovanovic informed Mr. Dienstbir and his delegation about the policy of equality an d high degree of human rights provided by the State to all its citizen regardles s of nationality or religion. Mr. Jovanovic pointed out the need of objective stands towards the policies and results achieved by Yugoslavia in this sphere, a s well as the need for more attention by the representatives of the internationa l community to the problems of refugees from the former Yugoslav republics, who are living in the territory of Yugoslavia. He set out that the policy of impl ementing different measures and sanctions against Yugoslavia, directly violates th e basic human rights, such as the right to employment, education, freedom of trav el and others. Mr. Jovanovic said he expected the support for the efforts of th e State bodies in the renewal of the dialogue, the more efficient resolution of humanitarian issues and full normalization of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija. The cooperation between the state bodies and representative o ffices of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Belgrade, whose head, M s Barbara Davies, attended the talks, was assessed positively.

[06] JAT CONTINUES TO FLY TO GREECE

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

The Yugoslav Airlines (JAT) will continue regular flights to Greece during the next six months, the length of a termination notice according to a bi lateral agreement. The Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Greece would join it s European partners and implement the ban on JAT flights, but would also ho nour the provision of a bilateral agreement signed in 1951 which contains the six- month termination notice. This means that JAT will continue its regular flight s to Athens and Salonika until the expiration of the six-month period.

[07] ETHNIC ALBANIANS IN DJAKOVICA MUNICIPALITY RETURN 20 TONNES OF WEAPONS

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

Ethnic-Albanian inhabitants have returned to all villages in the Dja kovica municipality in Kosovo and Metohija after leaving home and taking refuge with relatives in towns under pressure from ethnic-Albanian terrorists.

Sixteen ethnic-Albanian villages in the Djakovica municipality have handed over more than 20 tonnes of weapons, and the drive continues, Djakovica m unicipal council chief Momcilo Stanojevic told Tanjug. The population is daily su pplied through a relief centre and the municipal Red Cross organization. As of Monday, buses will be running twice a day between Djakovica and Ponosevac, Batus and Junik and six times a day between Djakovica and Pec. A regular bus link Djakovica-Pristina, via Rakovina, will reopen by the end of the week.

[08] TERRORIST BASE FOUND IN THE VILLAGE OF PAPRACANE

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

A large terrorist base, where there were nearly 500 ethnic Albanian terrorists, was found in the village of Papracane near Decane, Serbian Ra dio-TV (RTS) said late on Sunday. An RTS crew was the first to find these barra cks, one of the largest in Kosovo and Metohija, and it entered it right after the terrorists had fled in panic. The barracks are surrounded by guard tower s and a line-up area. Two buildings, which used to be an elementary school, wer e turned into dormitories with about 500 beds. A lot of clothes, ammunition, grena des and rifle props were found in the buildings.

The RTS crew found plans for terrorist operations and maps of their strongholds showing the locations of bunkers, snipers and mines. In the terrorist commander's room, the crew found a manual for terrorist operati ons, which was used for training and a map of the so-called republic of Kosovo , also printed in English, where the Yugoslav state border towards Albania is er ased and Kosovo and Metohija is shown as part of Albania. Terrorists' canteen was in the farm cooperative building and a petrol station in its yard. There were la rge quantities of flour, potatoes and peppers in the food storage unit, while in two warehouses were stored mortars, mines, hand-held rocket launchers, machin e-guns, automatic rifles, bombs and ammunition. There were also targets in a room used for weapon repairs.

Terrorists in Papracani had a medical facility, which was also equip ped with a radio station and a detonator.

Two 50-metre bunkers were constructed near the camp. They were cover ed with a thick layer of earth and stone and their internal walls were covered wi th wood. Near the entrance ramp, the RTS crew found a Mercedes bearing the sign of the terrorist organisation, the o-called Liberation Army of Kosovo, used by t he commander of the base, whose members had committed numerous crimes agains civilians.

[09] CANADIAN DIPLOMATS DROVE OVER AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

Shortly before 5 p.m. local time, Serbian police forces managed to e vacuate members of a Canadian diplomatic-observer group whose car ran over an exp losive device and overturned on the road to the Drenica village of Donje Obrinje , Kosovo and Metohija province, police sources told Tanjug on Monday. Members of the ethnic Albanian separatist so-called Kosovo Liberation Army opened fire w ith automatic weapons and mortars at the police rescue teams, but the police managed safely to evacuate the Canadians from Donje Obrinje. A woman on the Cana dian three-member team received minor arm injuries, while the two diplomats we re uninjured. There were no casualties among the police who took part in the rescue operation. Before the incident, the Canadian team had visited police pos itions in the region of the village of Likovac near Drenica. At about noon, the team set off for the ethnic Albanian positions in Donje Obrinje in spite of warnin gs from the police forces that it was not safe. Representatives of a diplomatic- observer group of the United States in Kosovo and Metohija were also present at th e site of the incident.

[10] SERBIAN GOVERNMENT PROPOSES A PARLIAMENT SESSION ON KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

The Serbian Government decided at a session on Monday, chaired by Prime M inister Mirko Marjanovic, to propose to the Serbian Parliament to call a session to discuss the security and economic-social situation in Kosovo and Metohija , said the Serbian Ministry of Information. The government arrived at this deci sion after considering the overall activities undertaken by Serbia in its sout hern province. The session will also hear a report by Prime Minister Marjanov ic about the measures undertaken by the government toward the normalization of the situation in the province, the ministry said.

[11] TOMIC: BATTLE FOR STABILIZATION IN KOSMET WON

Tanjug, 1998-09-14

President of the Serbian Parliament Dragan Tomic said on Monday that the republican government had won the battle for the stabilization of the sit uation in the southern province of Kosovo and Metohija (Kosmet). Tomic said the population of Kosovo and Metohija, including ethnic Albanians, were regai ning confidence in the republican authorities. Tomic said the return of confid ence was the best proof that the people had realized where help and security was c oming from. The restored trust of the population best confirms the correctness of the policy of equality advocated primarily by Yugoslav President Slobodan Mil osevic. Only such a stand and mutual trust can restore stability in Kosovo and Me tohija, Tomic said. Pointing out that the situation in the province had much imp roved over the past 15-20 days as a result of efforts by the republican governm ent, Tomic warned that sporadic terrorist activities by ethnic Albanian terror ists were still possible even though the ethnic Albanian terrorist gangs which call themselves the Kosovo Liberation Army have been broken up. "We are deter mined, however, to deal with these bands completely and to bring to justice thos e who participated in terrorist actions," Tomic said. There is still much work for police, judicial and state bodies in Kosovo and Metohija, he said. Speak ing about the stand toward Yugoslavia, Tomic said part of the international c ommunity had failed the test. "Their absurd sanctions affect all our citizens equa lly", he said. "If they really wish to help us resolve humanitarian problems, then they should lift those sanctions, whose victims are all the citizens of o ur country," Tomic said.

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