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SIGNIFICANT SLOWING DOWN OF PRICE GROWTH - YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT
A federal government session held on Thursday and chaired by Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic, discussed current economic trends, the Federal Information Secretariat has said.
The federal government concluded a significant slowing down in the growth of prices compared to the previous week adding that there are no economically valid reasons for price increases.
The federal government decided to step up efforts and continue coordinating with the Serbian government and the National Bank of Yugoslavia. The activities of inspection organs, measures for securing financial discipline and the consistent implementation of constitutional and legal authorities, will result in the full stabilization of the economy, it was said.
The federal government assessed as very important that the security organs uncovered a shipment of counterfeit Yugoslav national currency (dinar) sent to this country by those centres of power in the world which aim to continue the aggression and to create and deteriorate the economic situation. The state organs have once again demonstrated decisiveness to defend the country from all forms of aggression, the federal government said.
MONTENEGRIN PARLIAMENT PASSES LAW ON CITIZENSHIP
The rump Montenegrin parliament passed Thursday the law on Montenegrin citizenship, although it was strongly criticized by various opposition parties, albeit for different reasons
The law was passed with 40 votes in favour, which is sufficient for a quorum, parliament Speaker Svetozar Marovic said. Deputies of the Socialist National Party (SNP) and Liberal Alliance did not attend the voting.
The SNP had said during the parliamentary debate on the bill that it constituted a separatist act, a preparation for official secession of Montenegro from the Yugoslav federation.
The Liberals had said that the citizenship law meant nothing if Montenegro was not a sovereign state.
RECONSTRUCTION AND REFORMS ARE PRIORITY - SPS OFFICIAL
Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) spokesman Ivica Dacic said on Thursday that this party's priority in the coming period is the reconstruction of the country, the alleviation of the effects of the aggression and the continuation of the reforms.
Dacic told a press conference that Yugoslavia, despite the political and economic pressures, is rebuilding itself on its own and that work on more than 120 construction sites in Serbia is nearing completion.
Dacic set out that SPS primarily aims to secure the economic and social security of the people and to continue the initiated reforms.
According to Dacic, the latest incidents in Kosovo and Metohija only confirm that the UN mission is both a mute observer of the genocide conducted against the non-Albanian population and an accessory to that crime.
Dacic underscored that Yugoslavia has fulfilled all obligations stemming from UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the Military-Technical Agreement and agreed to a Kosovo and Metohija as an autonomous region within its territory.
Commenting the talks between the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of Montenegro, Dacic said that SPS views this dialogue as a way for promoting relations within the federation and achieving agreement with the Montenegrin leadership about the most important issues for the functioning of the federation.
Dacic said that Yugoslavia has always been and will continue to be a state in the interest of the Serb and Montenegrin people.
SERBIA REBUILDS NATO-DESTROYED RAILWAY BRIDGE ON THE LIM
The NATO-bombed railway bridge on the River Lim will reopen to traffic on Friday, restoring the railway service between the Yugoslav capital Belgrade and the Adriatic port of Bar after a nearly 200-day break.
The bridge at Donja Bistrica, south-west Serbia (Yugoslavia), was heavily damaged in NATO's air strikes on April 13 and 15.
Executives of the contractor, the Nis Machine-Building Industry (MIN), have told Milutin Mrkonjic of the Serbian Reconstruction Directorate that work on rebuilding the bridge would be completed by Friday.
INFORMATION SECRETARY - KFOR IS NOT IMPLEMENTING RESOLUTION 1244
Yugoslav Information Secretary Goran Matic said Thursday that the murder of Dzafer Djuka, member of the Yugoslav Left (JUL) leadership and of the Kosovo-Metohija Interim Council, a respected member of the ethnic Albanian community, father of two children and advocate of multiethnic Kosovo-Metohija, was a blow to peace, tolerance and equality.
Underlining at a press conference that JUL's program is based on peace, equality and non-violence, Matic said that Djuka had sincerely worked for these goals and that this was why he was killed by ethnic Albanian extremists and separatists.
Djuka was abducted and killed by ethnic Albanian extremists immediately after international KFOR peacekeepers arrived in Serbia's southern province. He symbolizes the numerous victims - ethnic Albanians, Serbs, Romanies, ethnic Turks and others - who were killed because they were fighting for peace and equality of all, regardless of ethnic, religious or other affiliation, Matic said.
Underlining that since KFOR and UN civilian mission UNMIK arrived in Kosovo-Metohija, over 400 people have been killed and about 600 abducted, that countless looting and irregular property transfers have been registered and that many violations of Yugoslavia's and Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity have been committed, Matic said that violence in the province was now more widespread than ever and that no one was safe any longer.
If KFOR persists in its present manner of implementing the Security Council Resolution 1244 and the military-technical agreement concluded with the Yugoslav Army last June, the only multi-ethnic community in Kosovo-Metohija will be KFOR and UNMIK, Matic said.
Yugoslavia has undertaken intensive diplomatic, political and media activities aimed at ensuring the implementation of the resolution and at getting the UN to discipline its structures and make them comply with its own documents, Matic said.
The current situation in Kosovo-Metohija benefits neither Yugoslavia, the UN nor the inhabitants of the province, who have been forced to abandon their homes by ethnic Albanian terrorists. Yugoslavia is ready to offer its help to the UN in implementing the resolution, Matic said.
Answering a question about the talks held Tuesday between JUL and the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro, Matic said they were good and constituted a basis for settling the political situation.
JUL gives priority to talks about the Yugoslav state, not about a community of independent states, Matic said.
ANNAN CALLS FOR LARGER NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL POLICEMEN IN KOSMET
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has proposed an increase in the number of international policemen of the civil mission in Kosovo and Metohija from the present 1,685 to 4,700.
Annan proposed the increase in a note sent to the Security Council Thursday and explained that the step was necessary to restore law and order in Serbia's province, but did not elaborate any further.
The UN Secretary-General failed to link the need for the move to the extremely disturbing and unsatisfactory situation in Kosovo and Metohija, where the international mission has failed to fulfil its task of insuring security for all inhabitants of the province, especially the non-Albanian, which is a target of ethnic-Albanian terrorists.
However, the proposal made by Secretary-General Annan shows that the UN is fully aware of the gravity of the situation and the hitherto failure in the implementation of the international mission's mandate.
The UN Security Council has approved a total of 3,155 international policemen as part of the civil mission in Kosovo and Metohija. Despite the decision, only 1,600 have been sent to the province so far. Secretary-General Annan now urges not only that the initially set number of international policemen be met but that a 1,500 be added.
Annan said in the note to the Security Council that the number of the international policemen would be reduced as the local police and local institutions were readied for the job.
OSCE CHIEF VOLLEBAEK BLASTS ETHNIC ALBANIAN ATTACK ON SERB CIVILIANS
Knut Vollebaek, who chairs the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on Thursday condemned Wednesday's attack on a U.N.-escorted convoy of Serb refugees by ethnic Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija.
The convoy, organised by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and escorted by the international KFOR force, was moving from Orahovac in that U.N.-secured province of the Yugoslav republic of Serbia towards the other Yugoslav republic, Montenegro.
A statement released at OSCE headquarters in Vienna, Austria, quotes Norway's Foreign Minister Vollebaek as saying that acts of violence of this kind are totally unacceptable and must not be tolerated.
The people of Kosovo-Metohija must look to the future and prevent an escalation of violence, and realise that progress is possible not through attacks on another ethnic group, but through reconciliation and peaceful coexistence, according to Vollebaek.
BOMBS ON SERB HOUSES
Two bombs exploded on Tuesday evening in the western part of Gnjilane, military sources in this town said without revealing the circumstances of the blasts just that two ethnic Albanians have been detained.
The explosions damaged considerably a Serb house and a Serb neighbour's home the evening before.
These were the latest in the series of bombs activated in different parts of Gnjilane.
On the same day, a Serb woman was beaten and then robbed in her own house.
The terrorists stoned and looted several other Serb houses and forcefully moved into the apartment of a Romany.
In the ethnic Albanian village of Dobrcane a column of Serbs came under fire on Wednesday.
On Tuesday ethnic Albanians stoned the bus passing through Dobrcane on its way towards Strpci.
On Thursday, the UN High Commissariat for Refugees (UNHCR) cancelled its busses used to transport refugees to the Serb villages near Gnjilane because the ethnic Albanian terrorists threatened to block the roads used by these busses.
These routes were established last week and are important to the local Serbs.
Also continuing are other forms of pressure and looting in Gnjilane and its vicinity.
ITALIAN POLICE DISCOVER CHANNEL FOR SMUGGLING ARMS TO KOSMET TERRORISTS
The Italian police have discovered a channel by which arms has for months been smuggled to the terrorist-separatist KLA in Kosovo and Metohija in the form of humanitarian deliveries, Trieste judicial authorities said Friday.
Various types of weapons were smuggled to the separatists in Serbia's southern province from Switzerland via Italy and Albania.
A court spokesman told a news conference that the Italian police, in cooperation with their Swiss colleagues, had arrested four persons involved in the smuggling ring.
The police had searched for the four ethnic Albanians since Feb. 9, when a large quantity of weapons were seized in the port of Trieste.
As many as 32,000 bullets, 40 rifles, automatic weapons, explosives, radio receivers for satellite communications, and complete uniforms were seized at the time, the spokesman specified.
He said that Italian police would continue the investigation, as there were indications that one of the chief organizers of the smuggling ring was at large in Switzerland.
The Italian police have issued warrants for the arrest of a number of other persons, including an Albanian official of the Mother Theresa humanitarian society of Lucerne.
KOSOVO AND METOHIJA CROATS DECIDE COLLECTIVELY TO MOVE OUT
The Croat villagers of Letnica, Vrnez and Vrnavokovo, in the Kosovo and Metohija municipality of Kosovska Vitina, have decided collectively to leave their ancestral homes and go to Croatia, fleeing the terror of ethnic-Albanian extremists, according to sources at the Church and Popular Council in Kosovska Vitina.
About 450 Kosovo and Metohija Croats have set Oct. 30 as the date for their collective migration. The only to remain will be the Letnica Catholic parish priest and several aged persons.
Croat villagers have told Serbs in the nearby village of Vrbovac that they were very sad to leave their homes and land but could not live under the constant pressure from and terror of ethnic-Albanian extremists and their leaders of the so-called KLA, who have been encouraged by the indulgent attitude of the KFOR.
The transportation expenses will be covered by the Croatian government.
The largest number of Croats, about 5,000 of them, used to live in Janjevo, but only several hundred of them are still there, as Janjevo is isolated in an ethnic-Albanian environment.
NIS JUGOPETROL HAS NOT ABANDONED KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
The NIS Jugopetrol oil complex is trying to get sufficient quantities of fuel to the Serbian and other non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija through its Kosmet Business Organization, which is now based in Nis, head of the Kosmet Commercial Service Ljubomir Radulovic set out Friday.
He said that, although ethnic-Albanian terrorists had taken over most of Kosmet's petrol stations, NIS Jugopetrol had not for a moment abandoned the province and had insured its relatively good supply with fuel.
Radulovic specified that deliveries were predominantly made to Kosovska Mitrovica, Zvecani, Zubin Potok, Brezovica, Gracanica, Obilic, Priluzje, Ranilug and other predominantly Serb populated areas.
SERB DIASPORA JOURNALISTS ADOPT DECLARATION
The first day of the conference of Serb diaspora journalists Thursday in Belgrade ended with the adoption of a Declaration on future activities.
The conference was attended by about 30 owners, editors and reporters of Serb-language media in various countries.
The goal of information and publishing activities in the mother tongue is to protect and preserve fundamental national interests and identity of Serbs throughout the world, in line with the loftiest principles set out in international documents, including the principle of reciprocity, the Declaration says.
The Declaration points to the importance of maintaining regular ties and better cooperation with the motherland in all fields, and of creating information and cultural centers, above all in countries having large Serb communities.
Preserving Serb language and alphabet, organizing summer schools in the motherland and participation of expatriate students and teachers in Slavistics workshops and conferences are other goals set out in the Declaration.
The Declaration also points to the need for founding clubs, associations, cultural, educational and humanitarian organizations, sports and folk art societies with Serbia's aid.
Conference participants proposed that similar meetings be organized regularly to discuss issues and problems encountered by the diaspora Serbs.
U.S. PEACE ACTIVIST CLARK SAYS COLLECTS EVIDENCE AGAINST U.S., NATO
A U.S. peace activist said here on Thursday his peace centre was collecting evidence to show that the United States and NATO violated three fundamental principles of the Nuremberg and UN Charters by attacking Yugoslavia earlier in 1999.
Ramsey Clark, head of the New York-based International Action Centre, said that, for the past two months, the Centre had canvassed 12 U.S. cities and 7 European cities, collecting proof of crimes committed in the March 24-June 10 aggression on Yugoslavia.
Clark, former U.S. attorney-general who is paying a two-day visit to Yugoslavia, said the violation of the three fundamental principles by the air strikes on Yugoslavia constituted a crime against peace, a war crime and a crime against humanity.
Speaking at the Belgrade-based Institute of international politics and economics, he said that on July 30, the Centre publicly indicted U.S. President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Defence Secretary William Cohen.
Also indicted were British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and other western politicians responsible for the aggression.
Clark went on to say that the Centre's activists had last week held hearings in the Netherlands and in France, and were due in Berlin on Saturday, whence they would move on to Frankfurt, and on to Rome on Monday.
He added that the Centre was a citizens' tribunal which would eventually pronounce sentence on 18 counts of violation of international law.
All evidence collected will be made public to show that the United States and NATO not only committed an act of aggression, but had long prepared it, too, according to Clark, who added that the evidence would be submitted to jurists in 15 or 20 states.
This would be a multinational panel of judges who would be unbiased and objective, he said, adding that while it would be powerless to punish the offenders, it would publish a message about the tragedy of the Yugoslav people.
He went on to say that the courage of the Yugoslav people was an example of how to survive in adversity.
He said that the Yugoslav people's unique and heroic resistance during the 79 days of air strikes was a model for the whole world.
This resistance, he said, had inspired the people in the United States and in other powerful countries to free themselves from the stranglehold of force, while the Yugoslavs' unity was a lesson in how to stop greed.
He further said that, unfortunately, there is just one strong economic centre remaining in the world today, which wants further divisions and hatred among Slavic peoples in order that it could use its force, both economic and military.
Fragmentation of the Balkans is intended to produce constant friction among the local nations, which has been well planned over a long time, with the ultimate object of destabilising a wider region to the east, according to Clark.
He expressed scepticism when asked about the chances of those responsible for the crimes being tried before their national courts in the United States, Germany, Great Britain, as the case may be, in view of the fact that it is little likely that the new prosecutor for the Hague-based war crimes court for former Yugoslavia, Carlo del Ponte, will indict Clinton, Blaire, Albright or Schroeder.
However, he stressed, one must not give up, but must continue to put pressure on the national courts in the United States, Germany, France, the Netherlands, etc.
In late March and early April, with NATO's air strikes still in full swing, Ramsey Clark visited some of the most heavily devastated localities and collected evidence of crimes and violations of international law by the United States and other NATO members.
BOOK ON NIS IN FLAMES OF NATO AGGRESSION
The book Nis in War Flames, whose author Novica Randjelovic gives a valuable and moving testimony about the city's sufferings during the 78 days of NATO air strikes, was promoted at the University of Nis Thursday evening.
The book, which analytically covers the developments from March 24 until June 11 and offers data, photos and other documentary evidence, will be invaluable for future research into the city's more recent history.
It was underscored at the promotion that 21 civilians were killed, 60 seriously wounded and 200 lightly in the 40 air strikes on the city in 29 days, during which time 324 bombs and missiles, average weight about 1,000 kilograms, fell on Nis.
During NATO aggression, Nis had 129 air-raid alerts which together lasted 1,254 hours or 52 days.
YUGOSLAV-ROMANIAN DJERDAP COMMISSION ENDS SESSION
Presidents of the Yugoslav-Romanian commission for the Djerdap power plant on the Danube, Dragan Kostic and Eugeniu Tanase said Thursday that the commission had worked well and efficiently, and that bilateral cooperation continued successfully.
After adopting the minutes of the 60th commission session, Kostic said that Yugoslavia was honouring international documents it had signed regarding the operation of the plant, and that current issues, above all the problems caused by last spring's NATO aggression on Yugoslavia, were being resolved.
The Djerdap 1 and 2 power generation and navigation project has been nearly completed, all the remains is to complete the works on the additional Djerdap 2 plant on the Yugoslav bank of the river by next September, Kostic said.
A revitalization project at Djerdap is due to start soon, for which a considerable investment is needed. Romanian investors have already started the job, Kostic said and added he expected the Serbian power industry to follow suit.
Tanase said that an ambitious program had been adopted at the last session and expressed satisfaction with the commitment by both sides to work efficiently within set deadlines.
YUGOSLAVIA, CHINA PLAN COOPERATION IN HEALTH SECTOR
Wide prospects exist for developing cooperation between Yugoslavia and China in the health sector, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Milovan Bojic and Chinese Minister of Health Zhang Vengkang noted Thursday in Beijing.
Bojic is visiting China at Zhang's invitation.
Bojic and Zhang discussed the consequences of last spring's NATO aggression on Yugoslavia, the current developments in Yugoslavia, the situation in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo-Metohija, and national reconstruction endeavours in Yugoslavia.
Bojic thanked China's leadership and people for their extraordinary support to Yugoslavia in its endeavours to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity and for their defense of the principle of non-interference in Yugoslavia's internal affairs.
Zhang reiterated China's principled stance and said his country would insist of the full implementation of the Security Council Resolution 1244.
After meeting high Chinese foreign and health ministry officials, Bojic will also meet medical researchers.
Bojic and Zhang agreed on developing bilateral cooperation, including the exchange of visits by scientists, research activities, organization of scientific conferences and medical cooperation.
The meeting was attended also by Yugoslav Ambassador to Beijing Slobodan Unkovic.
Zhang accepted an invitation by Bojic to visit Yugoslavia.
AMBITIOUS PROJECT OF MATICA SRPSKA
Vojvodina Executive Council President Bosko Perosevic delivered Thursday to the president of Matica srpska, Bozidar Kovacek, two personal computers - a gift of the Executive Council to the institution.
Kovacek said Matica srpska intended to pursue the publication of all the periodical editions of the institution and to pursue all its projects from the field of linguistics and lexicography.
Kovaeck urged the passing of a law in Serbian parliament that would speed up work on the Serbian encyclopaedia.
On the model of developed European countries, we also intend to publish a Serbian Biography Dictionary that would include all prominent Serbs.
Matica srpska library director Miro Vuksanovic said that through the institution approximately 10,000 publications in the Serbian language were sent to the world.
"Our ambition is to preserve everything that has been published in the Serbian language and about Serbs, as well as publications in the languages of national minorities," Vuksanovic said.
Perosevic noted that "apart from Matica srpska, in Vojvodina are active a dozen other similar institutions of national minorities, that make up the wealth of life in the province, based on mutual respect."