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YUGOSLAVIA CHOOSES PRIDE, DIGNITY OVER SERVILITY - CHIEF OF STAFF
Yugoslavia's chief of staff said on Monday that Yugoslavia has chosen pride and dignity over servility and submission at the close of the century.
General Dragoljub Ojdanic was speaking at a ceremony organised by the Patriotic Alliance of Yugoslavia (PSJ) on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from German occupation.
Ojdanic received the PSJ's highest award, the Grand Charter, and gave thanks on behalf of the defenders of Yugoslavia against NATO's March 24-June 10 aggression.
He said that the world's mightiest and darkest forces attacked Yugoslavia perfidiously, in violation of all international and civilisation norms, "not to win, as is done in wars, but to destroy, devastate and bring to rack and ruin.
"But thanks to the will-power, pride and determination of the government and the people and the morale of the defenders, freedom has been defended," Ojdanic stressed.
SERBIA IS DETERMINED TO REBUILD NATO-WREAKED DEVASTATION
The head of the Serbian Reconstruction Directorate said on Monday that the state was determined to go on with the reconstruction of civilian and infrastructure facilities devastated by NATO last spring.
Inspecting the Belgrade-Pancevo section of the E-70 highway, Milutin Mrkonjic stressed that the state would continue to invest all its potential and abilities into the reconstruction and development of all of Serbia.
The contractor, the Patizanski Put civil engineering firm, informed Mrkonjic that work on this section would be completed within six months, viz. on April 4, 2000, or in half the time than originally planned.
Patrizanski Put General Manager Slavko Pantic said that, although times are hard, the Serbian government was keeping pace with the financing of the works, which was a guarantee that work would be done on time.
The European highway E-70 runs through Yugoslavia for 220 km and represents Western Europe's shortest and most economical link with the east and south-east of the continent.
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION CONTINUES GROWING IN YUGOSLAVIA
Industrial production in Yugoslavia has grown by 80 percent since last May, or 70 percent if seasonal factors are disregarded, Deputy Director of the Yugoslav Institute of Statistics Mirjana Rankovic told a press conference Monday.
Growth continued in September (14.9 percent as against August). In Montenegro, production dropped by 4.2 percent, while Serbia registered a 16 percent growth of which 28.5 percent in the northern province of Vojvodina and 11 percent in central Serbia.
The highest growth was registered by the textile, leather and rubber industry (41.4 percent), followed by chemical and paper industries (23.8 percent) metal processing and electric engineering (18.9 percent), wood processing (17.1 percent), construction materials (8.9 percent), metallurgy (7 percent) and power (4.8 percent).
Due to the NATO aggression last spring, industrial production in Yugoslavia in the first 9 months of this year was 27.1 percent lower than in the corresponding period of 1998 - 28.7 percent in Serbia and 2.6 percent in Montenegro.
The greatest drop was registered in the metallurgy sector (49.8 percent) and the smallest in the food and tobacco industries (5.5 percent).
MILO'S VISIT TO KOSOVO AND METOHIJA ANOTHER PROVOCATION
The executive board of Serbia's Socialist Party (SPS) board for Kosovo and Metohija said Monday that Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo's visit to the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's province was yet another act of arrogance by the UN civilian mission (UNMIK) in the province aimed at provoking Serbia and Yugoslavia still further.
The UN Security Council resolution on Kosovo and Metohija guarantees Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territorial integrity in this part of its territory because of which a visit by an official of Albania, which is not even included in the Kosovo and Metohija peace mission, without Yugoslavia's approval, is a gross attack on the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, said a statement issued by the board.
Albania is a major generator of ethnic Albanian separatism and secessionism in Kosovo and Metohija and, consequently, the only goal of its foreign minister's visit to the province is the continuation of support to ethnic Albanian separatists and terrorists in Kosovo, the statement said.
Kosovo and Metohija's Socialists take the stand that such a visit, no matter whether paid of one's own will or at somebody's invitation, least contributes to the stabilisation of the situation in the province, the statement said.
Milo's visit is yet another bad move by UNMIK chief Bernard Kouchner despite his cynical excuse that Milo was in the province to persuade ethnic Albanians to refrain from violence, the statement said.
ICAO SAYS KFOR'S DECISION TO TAKE OVER FLIGHT CONTROL ILLEGAL
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has warned the UN peacekeeping force (KFOR) that its decision to take over flight control in the Yugoslav airspace is illegal, reliable sources have told Tanjug.
The warning was prompted by a unilateral decision by the UN civilian mission to Kosovo and Metohija (UNMIK) to allow four foreign airlines to land at Slatina airport near Pristina, chief city of the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's southern province.
The decision, the latest in a series taken by UNMIK and its chief Bernard Kouchner, is contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and violates Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
ICAO's position is that the Yugoslav flight control alone is entitled to do the job throughout its territory.
Slovenia's Adria was the first foreign civilian air carrier to land at Slatina airport following NATO's March 24-June 10 aggression on the country and the deployment of KFOR to Kosovo and Metohija.
Switzerland's Crossair, Austria's Tirolian and Albania's ADA airlines have also been allowed to use the airport.
Apart from the Swiss airline, none of the other airlines have tried to contact authorities in Belgrade in order to be allowed to use the airport.
Moreover, Slovenia and Yugoslavia have not yet established diplomatic relations, while Albania and Yugoslavia have reached no agreement on air traffic.
Kouchner, however, intends to continue with moves of this kind and has announced that he will deal with the 'chaos' on Kosovo and Metohija's roads by issuing new number plates, which is also contrary to the Security Council resolution.
NATO AGGRESSION ON YUGOSLAVIA - MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR RUSSIA, RUSSIAN GENERAL
The aggression on a sovereign country, Yugoslavia, has opened a new stage in the development of world civilization and represents a "moment of truth for Russia," First Deputy Russian Army Chief of General Staff, General Valeri Manilov, has told Itar-Tass.
Gen. Manilov said that he had presented the Russian military leadership's position at an international conference in London attended by the representatives of the defence and foreign ministries of Great Britain, Russia, France and, separately, NATO.
Manilov set out that the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia had become a precedent in the implementation of force outside the responsibility of the Western military alliance, in violation of the UN Charter and the existing practice of international relations.
"NATO's aspiration to assume the right to apply force at any moment, can result in a global catastrophe," Manilov warned.
According to him, the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia has pushed the European policy into the trap of serious contradictions - mixed up are phrases "territorial unity" and the "right of people to self-determination."
In the Balkans, this has been pushed to the extreme and in practice has confirmed the U.S. wish to include in the Charter on the Security System the thesis on the possibility of involvement in the internal affairs of all states under the pretext of the protection of human rights, Manilov said.
RUSSIAN GAS FOR YUGOSLAVIA RECEIVES GREEN LIGHT THROUGH HUNGARY
Hungarian media confirmed Tuesday the news from Belgrade that Russian gas finally arrived Monday afternoon in Yugoslavia over Hungarian territory, but Hungarian officials are still not making any statements about that.
According to the Hungarian daily Nepszabadsag an agreement has been reached between the Hungarian oil firm, Mol, the Serbian Oil Industry and a Moscow firm over the transport of the gas.
The agreement specified that Mol will undertake to transport daily five million cubic metres of gas to Yugoslavia, which together with domestic production will meet the country's needs in the next winter season.
RUSSIAN COMPANIES WISH TO TAKE PART IN RECONSTRUCTING POWER INDUSTRY
A delegation of Russian company Tula Elektropribor and officials of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce started talks Monday on the reconstruction of Yugoslav power industry facilities destroyed or damaged in last spring's NATO aggression.
Secretary of the Chamber energy committee Radoje Zecevic said that the first stage of reconstructing oil and power industry facilities had been completed on the basis of self-reliance, and that the Novi Sad and Pancevo refineries had resumed production of crude oil, diesel and some gasoline.
The second stage will involve bringing the refineries to their pre-war capacity, for which foreign aid and equipment will be needed, and the third stage envisages the construction of new refineries.
As regards the power industry, most of its facilities are expected to be brought back to pre-war capacity shortly, and the works on expanding the 700 mw Kolubara B thermo-electric plant should then be resumed.
Head of the Russian delegation Valery Karpukhin said that Russian businessmen wished to inspect the damages at the refineries and power industry facilities, in whose reconstruction they plan to take part along with Russian private investors.
Tula Elektropribor manufactures equipment for oil, chemical and other industries, measuring instruments, pumps, turbines, pipes, transformer stations, etc.
EUROPEAN UNION PRESSURING RUSSIA OVER CHECHNYA
The European Union (E.U.) is stepping up pressure on Russia over its military action against terrorists in Chechnya, threatening to take certain other steps as well, primarily to suspend financial aid to Moscow if the conflict continues much longer.
Finnish Foreign Minister Tarja Halonen, who chairs the E.U. Council, said on Monday that the union had not given up the idea of breaking off financial support to Russia if the Chechnya conflict continues much longer.
In a statement in Helsinki, Halonen said the idea to suspend aid had not been put on the agenda yet, since the union hopes Moscow will find a political solution to end the current crisis, Brussels media said.
In an earlier statement, the European Union said it respected the territorial integrity of Russia and supported Moscow in its efforts to stop terrorist attacks.
RUSSIAN ACADEMICIAN TO OPEN BELGRADE INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR
I am pleased to have come to Serbia which has refused to capitulate before the world's biggest power, Russian Academician Alexander Zinovyev told a press conference held on the occasion of the 44th International Book Fair in Belgrade on Monday.
Zinovyev, a philosopher, scientist and author, is scheduled to open the Belgrade Book Fair on Tuesday.
The general director of the Association of Publishers and Booksellers of Yugoslavia, Ognjen Lakicevic, said that all 200 Yugoslav publishers would participate at the Book Fair, which closes on Oct. 25.
Also taking part are publishers from Republika Srpska and Prosveta from Croatia.
Vladimir Dimitrijevic, the owner of the L'Age D'Homme publishing house with offices in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Belgrade, and who printed about 20 books by Zinovyev, told the press that the Book Fair is a significant response to the force aimed against Yugoslavia.
MULTIMEDIA PROJECT ON NATO AGGRESSION ON YUGOSLAVIA PROMOTED
The multimedia project on the "NATO Aggression on Yugoslavia" on a compact disc released by the Novosti company was promoted at the Tanjug International Press Center late Monday.
Culture editor and assistant editor-in-chief Dragan Bogutovic of the Belgrade daily Vecernje novosti said the project was made according to world standards, and presented evidence on the two and a half month aggression on Yugoslavia by NATO countries last spring.
The compact disc contains over 800 photographs, dozens of video clips, and dramatic phone reports by Radio Novosti reporters from the field.
BOOK "YUGOSLAV ARMY" LAUNCHED IN BELGRADE
The book "Vojska Jugoslavije" (Yugoslav Army) by Colonel Slavoljub Radjenovic, the first book about the Yugoslav Army since its transformation, was launched in Belgrade late on Monday.
The 184-page monograph, divided into 8 chapters and illustrated with 117 colour photographs, explains the role and duties of the Yugoslav army in national defence and summarises its structure, combat training, officer training and special units.
This representative publication, a kind of "identity card" of the Yugoslav defence force, was published by the Vojska publishing house and reviewed by the chief of staff of the Yugoslav army, General Dragoljub Ojdanic.
"The text makes it clear that the Yugoslav army is well trained, equipped and staffed to answer its purpose of protecting the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity and security against all threats, both internal and external," Ojdanic writes.
He goes on to say that the book describes the units, commands and institutions of the Yugoslav army as highly professional, well trained and equipped to the best of the country's ability, of high morale and determination.
"It gives facts that bear out the view that the Yugoslav people put great trust in the Yugoslav army as the chief defence force, whose composition reflects consistent party and ideological neutrality," he adds.
Assistant chiefs of staff Lieutenant-General Milorad Simic (land forces), Air Vice-Marshall Mladen Karanovic (Air Force) and Vice Admiral Vlade Nonkovic (Navy) spoke at the book-launching ceremony.
Lieutenant-General Zlatoje Terzic (head of the Command's education, training, science and publishing department), Colonel Stanoje Jovanovic (head of the Vojska publishing house) and the author also took the floor.
PROGRAM "SOUL OF GREECE IN HEART OF SERBIA" PRESENTED IN ATHENS
The Yugoslav company Jugoimport etnoart of Kostunic which is part of the public company Jugoimport SDPR promoted an ethno project entitled "Soul of Greece in Heart of Serbia" in Athens late Monday.
The presentation was also an expression of gratitude to the Greek people for everything they had done for the Serbian people during the most difficult times. The event was attended by Yugoslav Ambassador to Greece Dragomir Vucicevic, numerous business partners, and members of the diplomatic corps.
Ambassador Vucicevic expressed confidence that this and future presentations by Yugoslav companies and products in Greece, as well as Greek companies in Yugoslavia, would continue to enhance and promote essentially and comprehensively the traditionally good economic cooperation between the two friendly countries and peoples.
The orientation to the production of health food resulted in biologically very valuable products inspired by the rich tradition and experience of the people of Serbia, Vucicevic said.
Ethno-art, a world project which is based on health food and pure water, presents the heart of Sumadija region in central Serbia and Mt. Suvobor as an endless source for the heath food program and hand-woven decorative objects and clothing.
"SERBS ARE GREAT"
by Dragos Kalajic
Italian children are delighted with children from Yugoslavia, orphans of war veterans, who are visiting Italy at the invitation of a humanitarian organization.
"We are astonished how educated Serbs are, how cultured. They know a hundred times more facts than we do, even about Italy," said Elio Fregollo, 13, of Rome, who had the opportunity to meet 40 boys and girls from Yugoslavia.
Asked how he communicated with the guests, little Fregollo said: "In English. We speak it a little, they speak it fluently."
"Not all children in the Yugoslav group are Serbs. There are several Croats, one Muslim and one Romany," said group leader Ljiljana Abusamra, whose husband is a Yugoslav citizen of Sudanese origin.
Children from Yugoslavia seem somehow more serious regarding children of their age in Rome. This is a result, at least in part, of what they have lived through in their country over the recent years. Moreover, the fact that they have lost parents has left imprints of sorrow and sadness in their faces and eyes.
And yet, these children have much that the little Italians like, either regarding knowledge or games.
Leonardo Fruscolo, 13, of the Sandro Pertini elementary school, said: "This meeting was a big surprise to us. We will never forget it and we will nurse this friendship."
Leonardo admitted he had had certain reservations ahead of the meeting with Yugoslav children, which was organized by politicians, since he believes politicians do everything for their personal advancement.
Among the delighted children of the Sandro Pertini elementary school is a Chinese, Feng Lai. Big and bold, Lai is proud that his China was and remains on the side of Yugoslavia.
What is his impression of Serbs now, I asked.
"They are great, magnificent. And they are intelligent and educated to boot. We can hardly keep up with them," the little Chinese replied.