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SERBIAN GOVERNMENT GIVES PRIORITY TO RECOVERY - MINISTER
The Serbian government has taken market measures to ensure price and exchange rate stability, and will take administrative measures too if necessary, Serbian Minister of Labor, Social and Veterans' Issues Tomislav Milenkovic said Tuesday in Velika Plana.
A danger of hyperinflation and a race between prices and wages is always present, even in more stable economies, but the government can take measures to stabilise the market and the monetary situation, Milenkovic said.
A strong psychological, economic and political battle is being fought today to preserve price stability and prevent GNP and income redistribution, Milenkovic said.
The end of the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia last spring has not meant an end to economic and political sanctions. The war continues by different means, including ties of some political forces with individuals in the country, Milenkovic said.
VISITING CHINESE OFFICIALS ADMIRE YUGOSLAV PEOPLE'S COURAGE
Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) main board executive committee members Goran Percevic, Zoran Vujovic and Aleksandar Rastovic received Tuesday a delegation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute for east European, Russian and central Asian studies headed by its Director Xing Guancheng, the SPS said in a statement.
The guests expressed their admiration for the people of Yugoslavia for the courage and dignity they demonstrated during the criminal NATO aggression last spring. They also expressed the solidarity of the People's Republic of China and its people with Yugoslavia and the principled policy followed by its leadership headed by President Slobodan Milosevic.
The SPS officials expressed their conviction that the good and friendly relations between the Chinese Communist Party and the SPS would continue contributing to the all-round relations between the two countries and peoples.
DIASPORA CONVENTION COUNCIL MEETS
The Diaspora Convention Council held a session Tuesday in Belgrade, attended by representatives of Serb communities in European and overseas countries and by Yugoslav officials.
The session heard a report on the implementation of decisions taken at the Convention last August and discussed future activities aimed at developing ties and cooperation in all important sectors.
The participants welcomed the participation of Yugoslav nationals living abroad in the national recovery and reconstruction endeavours and urged for mobilising all patriotic forces and available resources to that end.
Several initiatives were proposed to enable Yugoslav expatriates to take part in Yugoslavia's development and to strengthen ties between the homeland and the diaspora.
The expatriates have done much to tell the world the truth about Yugoslavia, the Serb people and its legitimate interests, and have played a positive role in developing cooperation on the basis of equality with other countries and peoples, it was noted at the session.
KOUCHNER FAVOURS ETHNIC-ALBANIAN SEPARATISTS, TERRORISTS IN KOSMET
Member of the Kosovo and Metohija provisional government and leader of the Kosovo Democratic Initiative (KDI) Faik Jasari Wednesday most sharply condemned the ethnic-Albanian separatism and terrorism in Serbia's southern province and the crimes which the terrorist ethnic-Albanian KLA continues to commit there against the non-Albanian population.
Since the arrival of the peace forces, the UN has done nothing to build multiethnic life in Kosovo and Metohija, but, instead, encourages the ethnic cleansing pursued by ethnic-Albanian terrorists with a view to subsequently trying to achieve independence for the province and create "Greater Albania," Jasari said in a released statement.
ETHNIC-ALBANIAN TERRORISTS SERIOUSLY INJURE SERB IN KOSOVO POLJE
Serb Ratibor Rajko Masulovic of Kosovo Polje was beaten up and seriously injured by four ethnic-Albanian terrorists in his courtyard Wednesday morning.
The four assailants, who said they were members of the ethnic-Albanian terrorist KLA organisation, insisted that Masulovic give them a car and arms. On telling them that he had neither a car nor arms, Masulovic was attacked by the four ethnic Albanians, who seriously injured him by hitting him with metal bars.
Another Serb, Zoran Djukic, a driver of a pig farm in Dobrevo near Kosovo Polje, disappeared on the Gracanica-Suvi Do road in the Lipljan municipality at around 2 p.m. Tuesday.
According to eyewitness accounts, Djukic was abducted and his truck taken by ethnic Albanians.
YUGOSLAVS LIVING IN SWITZERLAND HELP REBUILD CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Yugoslavs living in Switzerland Monday launched a collection drive for the rebuilding of the Dr. Dragisa Misovic Clinical-Hospital Centre in Belgrade, which was heavily damaged during NATO aggression, Yugoslav Consul General in Zurich Radovan Milovanovic said Tuesday.
Milovanovic heads a delegation that Tuesday visited the Dr. Dragisa Misovic Centre and informed the Centre Director Radisav Scepanovic about the drive.
In NATO aggression, four facilities of the Dr. Dragisa Misovic Centre were so heavily damaged that they had to be evacuated. The most heavily damaged was the Centre for Children's Lung Diseases and Tuberculosis, which had 150 beds and all necessary apparatuses and equipment for diagnosing and treating the little patients, Scepanovic said.
The Centre's Tuberculosis Ward, the only specialised institution of its kind in Yugoslavia and Republika Spska, was destroyed in NATO air strikes.
The Neurology Centre was razed, and the Centre for Gynaecology and Obstetrics and the Urology Centre, including the Dialysis Ward, were so heavily damaged that they could no longer be used.
Memorial plaques will be put up on the facilities which will be reconstructed through donations, Scepanovic said.
President of the Council of Yugoslav Citizens in Switzerland Slobodan Stojanovic said that Yugoslavs in the diaspora had been urged to monthly donate 100 Swiss francs, so that the needed funds would be collected in a year's time.
Swiss and international humanitarian and health organizations will also be urged to join the drive, but the bulk of the donations are expected from Yugoslavs abroad, Stojanovic set out.
ONE CHILD IN TEN IN YUGOSLAVIA TRAUMATIZED BY NATO AGGRESSION
UNICEF has determined that one child in ten in Yugoslavia has been traumatised by last spring's NATO aggression and needs psychological help, President of the Yugoslav committee for cooperation with UNICEF Margit Savovic said Tuesday.
Addressing a conference of the Serbian Psychological Society on psychology and social upheavals, Savovic said that the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia had violated the fundamental children's right to life. Despite statements by NATO leaders that the strikes were directed against military targets, they were in fact directed against the civilian population, Savovic said.
Children in Yugoslavia were subjected to daily trauma and stress during the NATO strikes last spring. Of the 5,000 civilians killed in the aggression, 30 percent were children, who also accounted for 40 percent of the 10,000 wounded, she said.
The aggression also deprived children of their right to education. About 1.3 million children did not attend classes, over 300 schools and nurseries were destroyed, and 120,000 pregnant women did not receive proper medical care, Savovic said.
The war has brought about an increase in the numbers of handicapped children and orphans and in the incidence of delinquency, suicide and psychological troubles, she said.
As a signatory of the convention on children's rights and the world declaration on the survival, development and protection of children adopted at the World Children's Summit in 1990 in New York, Yugoslavia made a commitment to ensure a better future for all children, Savovic said.
However, the war that was imposed on Yugoslavia and the earlier wars in its neighbourhood and years of economic sanctions have made the children of Yugoslavia the most endangered children in Europe, according to UNICEF evaluations, Savovic said.
WHITE BOOK ON NATO AGGRESSION ON YUGOSLAVIA PRESENTED TO RUSSIAN DUMA
Despite all West's pressures, Russia will never forgo its principled stance on the inviolability of Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Avdeyev said Tuesday in Moscow.
He was speaking at the presentation of the first volume of the Russian translation of the White Book on the NATO crimes in Yugoslavia held at the Russian State Duma.
The Russian translation of the volume titled NATO Crimes in Yugoslavia - Documented Testimonies March 24 - April 24, 1999, published by the Yugoslav foreign ministry, was issued at the initiative of the Yugoslav embassy in Moscow with the help of Russia-based Yugoslav companies and nationals.
Avdeyev said that the White Book constituted an extraordinary and lasting testimony on the horrors and sufferings caused by the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia, which continues even today through attempts at undermining its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Russia is not closing its eyes to this situation and will use all legal and political means to foil such attempts, and the White Book will be a great help in this regard, Avdeyev said.
Russian Duma has created a special commission for gathering and processing evidence on the NATO crimes in Yugoslavia.
Addressing many politicians, scientists and journalists who attended the presentation, Yugoslav Ambassador to Moscow Borislav Milosevic thanked the Russian people for their support to the people of Yugoslavia and especially thanked the Duma for its cooperation and endeavours.
The testimonies on the resistance and the suffering of the people of Yugoslavia are very striking as they are based on facts and have been made public in countries which were not afraid to publish them. They remain unknown only in countries whose leaderships were afraid above all for their own future should the public be informed of their accountability for the crimes committed in Yugoslavia, Milosevic said.
Under the pretext of humanness, they caused a real humanitarian disaster in their attempts to bring the people of Yugoslavia to their knees. But the people stood fast on bridges and squares and national reconstruction is now being carried out speedily. The western public is not aware of this, as economic and information blockade is still in force and western media continue spreading lies, Milosevic said.
We feel and know that the Russian people understand this very well, especially now that Russia is fighting against a similar evil on its own soil. Like Russia is doing now, we defended our people from bandits and terrorists and we are glad to see the Russian army acting so wisely in this situation, Milosevic said.
Expressing Yugoslavia's full support to Russia in its fight against terrorism in the northern Caucasus, Milosevic underlined that Yugoslavia was Russia's ally.
President of the Duma commission for NATO crimes Nikolai Ryzhkov spoke of the plans for creating a fund for aid to Yugoslavia's recovery.
Duma Vice-President Sergei Baburin said the aggression was not only an assault on civilian targets in Yugoslavia, but also a violation of the UN Charter and international law.
OSCE CONDEMNS ATTACK ON KOSOVO-METOHIJA SERB LEADER
Chairman of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek condemned Tuesday the Monday attack on the leader of the Serb Resistance Movement of Serbia's southern province of Kosovo-Metohija.
A statement issued by the OSCE headquarters in Vienna urges provincial ethnic Albanian leaders to publicly condemn the attack and to take decisive measures to halt violence and the persecution of other ethnic communities in the province.
Trajkovic was shot and wounded by two ethnic Albanians at his home in provincial capital Pristina.
BRITISH NATIONAL DESA TREVISAN RELEASED IN BELGRADE
British national Desa Trevisan, who was sentenced to ten days in prison by a Belgrade magistrate Monday, was released at 2.30 p.m. local time Tuesday, the Serbia Justice Ministry said.
A Ministry statement said that Trevisan had been sentenced for a violation of Item 1 of Paragraph 1 of Article 106 of the Law on the Movement and Stay of Foreigners.
It was established that Trevisan crossed into Yugoslavia from Croatia at the Debeli Breg crossing on Oct. 20 without offering her travel papers for inspection and getting them stamped, which constitutes an illegal entry into Yugoslavia.
Late Monday, after the sentence was passed, Trevisan was taken to the District Prison in Belgrade.
The statement said that bearing in mind that Trevisan was of an advanced age, had undergone treatment in Igalo, Montenegro, and had health problems, the Serbia Justice Ministry had decided, in keeping with existing regulations, that her prison term be cut short, after which Trevisan was released.
GERMAN MARK - YUGOSLAV DINAR 1 - 17 IN MONTENEGRO
The Montenegrin monetary council at its first session Tuesday set the exchange rate of the German mark against the Yugoslav dinar at 1 - 17, effective as of Wednesday, the Montenegrin information secretariat said.
The council was appointed by the Montenegrin government following its decision to take over some of the prerogatives of the Yugoslav National Bank in order to protect Montenegro's economic interests.
The council comprises former National Bank deputy governor Bozidar Gazivoda, Director of the National Bank Podgorica office Petar Vujovic, Director of the Montenegrin Payments Institute Dimitrije Vesovic, former National Bank deputy governor Ljubisa Krgovic and Montenegrin Assistant Minister of Finance Ratomir Jovicevic.
YOUNG YUGOSLAV PIANIST TRIUMPHS IN PRAGUE
Yugoslav Sanja Bizjak, 11, of the Kosta Manojlovic Music School of Belgrade's Zemun municipality won first prize at the Karl Cerni International Piano Competition in Prague.
Over 60 pianists from 18 countries took part in the competition, which was held in late October. Bizjak triumphed in the under-13 category and won a special award for a compulsory program in addition to the first prize which entitles her to a solo concert in Prague's Hradcany Grand Hall early next year.
Radio Prague recorded Bizjak's performance at the competition, and the Besendorfer Company pledged to organize a solo concert for her in Vienna early next year.