Yugoslav Daily Survey -------------------------------------------------------------------- (Morning edition) BELGRADE,9 March 2000 C O N T E N T S : INDONESIA - F.R.YUGOSLAVIA - TALKS IN JAKARTA FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA - YUGOSLAV ARMY CHIEF: EFFICACIOUS DEFENCE FORCE BEING BUILT - MATIC: U.S. OBJECTIVES - ECONOMIC DOMINATION AND EXPLOITATION KOSOVO AND METOHIJA - INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS - FRANCE CONDEMNED VIOLENCE IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA BUT CASTED NO BLAME ON ETHNIC ALBANIANS - GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER BLAMED ETHNIC ALBANIANS FOR TENSIONS - NATO SPOKESMAN SHEA GETS PIE IN THE FACE FOR SPREADING LIES SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA - SITUATION IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA CALM - SERB GRAVELY WOUNDED AT KOSOVSKA MITROVICA PULLS THROUGH MACEDONIA - MINISTERS - MEETING - FOREIGN MINISTERS OF MACEDONIA, GREECE, ALBANIA FOR PEACE * * * INDONESIA - F.R.YUGOSLAVIA TALKS IN JAKARTA JAKARTA, March 8 (Tanjug) - The foreign ministers of Yugoslavia and of Indonesia Zivadin Jovanovic and Alwi Abdurrahman Shihab held talks in Jakarta on Wednesday. It was mutually assessed in the talks, the first meeting of the two foreign ministers after a number of years, that regardless of some oscillations the half-a-century long friendship of the two countries had withstood the test of time, and that dialogue was maintained even in the most difficult conditions. The embassies of the two countries worked continuously, contacts were kept up between the representatives of the two ministries, and Yugoslavia was visited last year by an Indonesian parliamentary delegation. The Yugoslav foreign minister visited Jakarta on his way back to Belgrade after official visits to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Myanmar and Laos and a stop-over in China. The talks between Ministers Jovanovic and Shihab were held in a friendly atmosphere and with a constructive approach of both sides to the expansion of bilateral relations. It was agreed that dialogue be continued and promoted, and that visits be exchanged by businessmen, delegations of chambers of commerce and social organizations. It was agreed that the legal frames of cooperation be analyzed in detail with a view to streamlining and completing them. The Ministers talked about the cooperation of the two countries in international organizations, and about the need to reactivate Yugoslavia as a full-fledged member of the U.N. and of the nonaligned movement. Information was exchanged about the internal development of Yugoslavia, and Indonesia, about reform processes and economic-technological development. Jovanovic informed his counterpart about the results of renewal and reconstruction in Yugoslavia and the importance of the Yugoslav economy for integration processes in the region, and about the concerning situation in Kosovo and Metohija. He stressed that Yugoslavia insisted on the respect of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, on countering separatist and terrorist activities, and consistent compliance with Resolution 1244 on Kosovo and Metohija. Yugoslavia is interested in open cooperation on an equal footing, both with neighbouring countries and with other countries who accept us as an equal partner, Jovanovic said, and invited Shihab to visit Yugoslavia, which was accepted by the Indonesia foreign minister with pleasure. Indonesia is the largest Islamic country with a population of 214 million and as an influential member of a number of important international organizations, it is considered of key importance in southeastern Asia. As an exporter of oil it is an OPEC member and very active in ASEAN and OIC. Jovanovic gave interviews in Jakarta to the newspaper Indonesia Observer and to a popular T.V. station, Anteve. FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA YUGOSLAV ARMY CHIEF: EFFICACIOUS DEFENCE FORCE BEING BUILT BELGRADE, March 8 (Tanjug) - Reorganisation of the Yugoslav army will produce a modern, numerically smaller, mobile army, whose capacitation and combat capability will be a deterrent to aggression, the chief of staff is quoted on Wednesday as saying. Speaking for Vojska magazine in an interview due to appear on Thursday, General Nebojsa Pavkovic said this means the Yugoslav army should have a powerful and modern air defence and a significant special rapid reaction strike force. Also being considered, according to Pavkovic, are ways and means of hitting back at aggressors. Speaking about the command staff's priorities, he said the big tasks lying ahead of the army were being complicated by the current military, political and security situation in the neighbourhood. "It is up to us to monitor carefully all that is happening, to anticipate events and take the necessary measures," he said, adding the army would maintain such a level of defence alert as would allow it to carry out all tasks set to it. "The level of combat alert depends on the kind of threat to the country and is not set by the army on its own," he said, stressing that work would continue on modernising and reorganising the army in line with the country's economic and other capabilities and defence needs. He said that the job of organising life and work in the new circumstances (following NATO's aggression on Yugoslavia last spring) would soon be completed. Also, he added, the remaining military infrastructure damaged or destroyed in the air strikes and not yet repaired would be rebuilt, first of all personnel accommodation facilities, and after them the arsenals and materiel storage facilities. He stressed that "combat training will remain high on the list of priorities, with the necessary innovations and the application of the rich war experience. "In light of the results achieved in the armed struggle against the aggressors, this is the best army in our history, and analyses by foreign and domestic authorities confirm its high quality." He added that the command staff aspires for the army to be a factor of security and unity of all nations and ethnic minorities in Yugoslavia and, as such, a key factor of stability in the troubled region. He then spoke about the military-political situation in the immediate neighbourhood, which he described as "extremely complex". "The western military alliance, spearheaded by the United States, is striving to achieve global control and to this end seeks to secure permanent control of the processes in the Balkans, which is a crossroads of key strategic importance. "This is why they are keeping up the pressure on our country," he explained. He went on to say that NATO's non-military aggression, which was constantly intensifying, was taking all kinds of shapes and forms, among which efforts to economically exhaust Yugoslavia by keeping up the sanctions. Also, he added, they were deepening the crisis and trying to cause social unrest, stoking separatism in multiethnic communities, trying to weaken the morale and defence capability of the army, giving open support to the separatists, all with the purpose of dismembering Yugoslavia into a host of stateless easy to control. "The greatest threat to our country, as well as to the whole world, comes from the fact that the countries of the new world order have incorporated terrorism in their low-intensity strategies and that terrorism is the first echelon in the onslaught of the imperialist world. "This is violence more brutal than classical warfare, which takes no heed of ethics or humanism, causing internal unrest in some countries which grows into internal aggression, which is becoming the rule, with external aggression being the exception," he explained. Pavkovic assessed that the interests for the Yugoslav region never ceased and that the so-called new world order, only has new methods for accomplishing its goals. "The army, as the principal defender of the federal state, is aware of dangers, and the results of the combat capability of commands, units and institutions in the past year, and the efficient opposition to NATO's aggression, indicate that the Yugoslav Army is capable of performing complex tasks," he said. Following constant violations of UN SC Resolution 1244 on Kosovo and Metohija and the recent attempts of provoking instability also in zones close to the administrative border with the southern Serbian province, the chief of staff specified that "encouraged ethnic Albanian terrorists are pursuing activities to spill over separatist-terrorist actions, in conjunction with sympathizers, from Kosovo and Metohija to south Serbia, in municipalities with mixed populations of Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja. "Attempts to provoke in those areas conflict situations and reactions of the security forces of Serbia, are intended to create conditions for implicating the international community in the alleged protection of the rights and freedom of ethnic Albanians," Pavkovic said, pointing out that terrorists from Kosovo-Metohija are openly advocating the holding a referendum for attaching to Kosovo-Metohija municipalities with mixed populations close to the administrative boundary of Serbia, Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja. He warned that under the protection of KFOR are being piled up large quantities of arms in the vicinity of the administration border of Kosovo and Metohija with Serbia, facilities are being built for action and protection, training is underway for performing assaults, ambushes and diversions and plans are made for conflicts to spill over also to Macedonia. Pavkovic said that in Kosovo and Metohija exist a number of illegal organizations, who attempt by murders, kidnappings and other misdoings to expel Serbian residents, and to perform terrorist actions outside Kosovo-Metohija. Commenting the incapacity of the international community to bring peace to Kosovo and Metohija, Pavkovic recalled that Resolution 1244 guarantees the territorial integrity and full sovereignty of Yugoslavia in Kosovo-Metohija and that, given the time-limited mandate of the U.N. forces, it provides for the return of Yugoslav Army forces, police, customs and other state bodies. "It is our legitimate right to return to Kosovo and Metohija and to defend and preserve our state border, to protect alike all citizens, Albanians, Serbs, Montenegrins, Roma, Goranies, Turks, Croats, ethnic Egyptians and others who live there. The Yugoslav Army, in the spirit of Resolution 1244, will not return by force to Kosovo and Metohija, but will return in conformity with the Resolution," the chief of general staff said, stressing the right of Yugoslavia to fight in the long tern and persistly, in the first place by political-diplomatic means, for preserving Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia and FR Yugoslavia. On the "Partnership for Peace" program, Pavkovic said that the program should represent an expression of endeavors for the peaceful solution of international problems, but that the project had been undermined by the inclination of the sole remaining super power to resolve international problems by imposing its will and by the force of arms. "The program has been completely compromised by partnership with Albania, given that country is a haven for terrorists and that it demanded NATO's military intervention against Yugoslavia, in the same way that in WW II it relied on fascist allies," the general said, stressing that a decision on the eventual accession of Yugoslavia to the program is made by the leadership of Yugoslavia. Pavkovic said that, "The Yugoslav army general staff and commands of strategic and operation units have analyzed positive as well as negative experience gained in the engagement of our commands and units during NATO's aggression on Yugoslavia." He said that the Yugoslav army had a large number of modern combat systems. "However, there are areas in which we lag behind the latest generation of arms in the world. During the recent war, we tried to make up for this shortcoming by relying more on the Yugoslav army professional officers' inventiveness and resourcefulness," he said. Consequently, certain air defence systems, electronic and computer equipment and similar will be given priority in the modernisation of the Yugoslav army, he said. Commenting on the readiness for combat by Yugoslav army commands, units and institutions and priorities in its strengthening, Pavkovic said that "we have results of the research into the army's morale before, during and after the aggression. The defenders of our country, primarily the Yugoslav army and police units who played the main role, demonstrated a high level of military skill, combat morale, patriotism and unreserved readiness to offer resistance to the aggressor even over a long period of time," he said. He said that the Yugoslav army had not been surprised by any element of the aggression. "The Yugoslav army ensured the victory both in the military sense as well as in terms of morale. Even NATO military strategists and officials admit that today. NATO Air Force Commander Gen. Mike Short of the United States said several days ago that the alliance had proved impotent against the Yugoslav army's Third Army." Pavkovic also said that the Yugoslav army's personnel structure was much better than that of a few years ago. He said that a brain drain was no longer so high, that the army was filling up with quality cadres and that the response to conscription and recruitment was better. The reservists' response to the call-up for exercises and refresher training has also improved, he said. He said that the Yugoslav army had carried out an extremely successful mobilisation during the war, saying that Yugoslavia was one of the few countries that had a reliable mobilisation system. Pavkovic said that a large number of military installations had been damaged or destroyed during the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia. "Unable to inflict serious losses on the Yugoslav army's personnel and materiel, the aggressor demonstrated its aggressive power by targeting military and civilian facilities, not hesitating even to drop lethal loads of bombs and missiles on innocent civilians," he said. He said that about 3,000 military installations on an area of six million square metres had been damaged or destroyed, saying that the damage amounted to about 20 billion dinars. We have managed to eliminate most of the consequences of NATO's destructive mission, he said adding that priority had been given to the reconstruction and building of facilities for the accommodation of personnel. We have succeeded in ensuring that none of the army personnel should spend the winter in makeshift facilities, he said adding that of the 908 facilities planned for reconstruction, 474 had been completed. Asked to send a message to Yugoslav army members and the Yugoslav people in connection with a growing number of threats against Yugoslavia by certain foreign circles, Pavkovic said that, "World power wielders have threatened the Serbs throughout history. Our country has many times been the target of attacks by far superior enemies who have had better weapons as a rule but who have never won." "Thanks to our most powerful weapon - morale and unity - we have managed to defend our independence each and every time. The truth and justice being on our side, we shall also resist the pressure exerted by power wielders at this point," he said. "We are not afraid, the Yugoslav army and its all members are ready to make a maximum effort in defending their country," he said. MATIC: U.S. OBJECTIVES - ECONOMIC DOMINATION AND EXPLOITATION BELGRADE, March 9 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Information Minister Goran Matic said in a Serbian Radio Television RTS live broadcast late Wednesday that the so-called new world order presented the aspiration of the U.S. administration to enforce such an order on the whole world using any means possible. Speaking about media and the new world order on "Open Studio," Matic said he agreed with statements by U.S. analysts who said that the United States was using its air force to finish what its media could not accomplish in order to realize its interests through the implementation of the new world order. This situation is not new, Matic said. It has been created repeatedly in the whole 20th century. The United States always found it necessary to create new crises in the world in order to realize its imperialist and economic interests, since the U.S. interests are primarily economic domination and exploitation, he said. KOSOVO AND METOHIJA - INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS FRANCE CONDEMNED VIOLENCE IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA BUT CASTED NO BLAME ON ETHNIC ALBANIANS PARIS, March 9 (Tanjug) - France on Wednesday condemned the previous day's violence in Kosovska Mitrovica, when 16 French peacekeepers and 20 Serbs were injured, but did not mention that ethnic Albanians were responsible for this terrorist attack even though a KFOR spokesman confirmed that the fire had come from ethnic Albanians. The French news agency AFP reported that KFOR spokesman, Lt. Col. Patrick Chanliau blamed ethnic Albanians for the latest violence in this town in Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province, clearly stating that all grenades and shots had come from ethnic Albanians. The French Foreign Ministry spokesperson, however, said France condemned acts of violence in Kosovska Mitrovica regardless of the side causing them. The spokesperson said France trusts the international force KFOR and U.N. civilian mission UNMIK to step up the necessary security measures in Kosovo and Metohija. France applauds the courage of the international civilian and military personnel who are working in very difficult conditions to reestablish coexistence among the ethnic communities in the province, the spokesperson said. GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER BLAMED ETHNIC ALBANIANS FOR TENSIONS IN KOSOVO ATHENS, March 9 (Tanjug) - Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos on Wednesday blamed ethnic Albanians living in southern Serbia for the latest aggravation of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, saying they were directly responsible for the reelevation of tensions in this southern Serbian province. In a statement for Greek Radio Flash, Tsochadzopoulos asked what was behind the latest violence of ethnic Albanian secessionists, because the things that were happening were not accidental. "Who has decided to initiate new conflicts in a situation when the international community has unequivocally said NO to any changes in the borders in the Balkans, remaining firm in its stand that it is necessary to apply a political solution to resolve the crisis of Kosovo and Metohija. No-one can believe that groups of ethnic Albanians have suddenly, of their own accord, decided to expand Kosovo into Serbia proper," Tsochadzopoulos said. He asked the European Union once more to take a clear stand on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija so that the new crisis does not deepen. The minister appealed for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 on Kosovo and Metohija. "The European Union must step up its activities concerning Kosovo and Metohija and start implementing its programs for the development, reconstruction and renewal of the Balkans as soon as possible," Tsochadzopoulos said. NATO SPOKESMAN SHEA GETS PIE IN THE FACE FOR SPREADING LIES BRUSSELS, March 9 (Tanjug) - NATO spokesman Jamie Shea late Wednesday had yet another unpleasant encounter because of the lies he spread during the alliance's aggression on Yugoslavia last year in an effort to justify the bombing of civilians. This latest incident occurred in the southern Belgian town of Gent, where a debate on the role of media during the NATO aggression was organized at the local university. One of the participants in this event hurled a pie at Shea in protest against the lies launched by the NATO propaganda, the Belgian news agency Belga said. Already on entering the university building, Shea encountered about a dozen young people protesting against the NATO propaganda, of which Shea was the main mouthpiece. The protesters chanted anti-NATO slogans and shouted that NATO used lies and hypocrisy to present air strikes on civilians as some alleged humanitarian mission. SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA SITUATION IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA CALM KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 8 (Tanjug) - Head of the executive committee of the Serb National Forum for Kosovska Mitrovica Oliver Ivanovic said Wednesday that the situation in the town was calm following Tuesday's ethnic Albanian extremists' attacks in which 22 Serbs and 16 French peacekeepers were injured. Ivanovic said that Tuesday had been a critical day for local Serbs, saying that this might have been expected because of NATO Supreme Commander Europe Gen. Wesley Clark's visit to the town. Commenting on his meeting with Gen. Clark, Ivanovic said that it had been characterised by a large number of questions on the part of the general. He said that Clark had come to Kosovska Mitrovica with certain negative positions on Serbs in the north of the province. He said that this did not come as a surprise in the light of the West's policy towards Serbia. "We explained to Clark that Serbs do not intend to provoke any incidents as they have never done so and that himself and (the U.N. peacekeeping force) KFOR can be sure that this will be so," he said adding that the Serbian people would only insist on their right to remain in these lands. He said that the Serbs were entitled to this by their citizenship of this country and by history. SERB GRAVELY WOUNDED AT KOSOVSKA MITROVICA PULLS THROUGH KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 8 (Tanjug) - The Serb civilian gravely wounded in Tuesday's attack by ethnic Albanian extremists in U.N.-secured Kosovska Mitrovica is out of danger, according to local doctors on Wednesday. The Serb, Dragan Spasojevic, was wounded when ethnic Albanian extremists attacked Serbs in the Bosnjacka Mahala district in the north part of the divided city in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's U.N.- administered province of Kosovo-Metohija. Spasojevic has undergone surgery and is in intensive care, the doctors at the Kosovska Mitrovica hospital said. According to the doctors, all but four of the 22 Serb civilians wounded in Tuesday's violence were released on Wednesday after treatment. MACEDONIA - MINISTERS - MEETING FOREIGN MINISTERS OF MACEDONIA, GREECE, ALBANIA FOR PEACE SKOPJE, March 9 (Tanjug) - Foreign ministers of Macedonia, Greece and Albania met in the Macedonian town of Ohrid on Wednesday and concluded that peace in the region was a priority which cannot be achieved without a stable Kosovo and Metohija. Ministers Aleksandar Dimitrov of Macedonia, Iorgos Papandreau of Greece and Pascal Milo of Albania agreed that the first step toward peace in the southern Serbian province was respect of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. All countries of the region should cooperate in the areas of politics and economy, which will facilitate their integration into European processes, the ministers said after their meeting. In addition to these issues, the Ohrid talks also covered the problem of tackling interborder crime which has lately acquired disturbing proportions. The trilateral meeting then continued in Korce, Albania, when the ministers are expected to adopt a joint statement. __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
