
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-------

                     B o s N e t  - Nov. 2, 1995

==========================================

Nov 2., 1995

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio

Peace Talks



	Secretary of State Warren Christopher set the tone for the talks

Wednesday with a warning to those gathered for the meeting. "If
we fail,

the war will resume and future generations will surely hold us
accountable

for the consequences that would follow," he said.

	"To the three presidents, I say to you that it's within your
power

to chart a better course for the future of the people of former

Yugoslavia," said Christopher. "The United States, the European
Union and

Russia, indeed, the entire international community will help you
succeed.

And while the world can and will help you to make peace, only
you can

ensure this process will succeed."

	The United States, its Contact Group and European Union partners

are all warning that the horrors of war will resume if the talks
fail.

	"After four years since the beginning of the tragedy in the

Balkans, we have to recognize the painful fact that this
conflict has

brought nothing but grief, suffering and destruction, " said
Russian

Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. "There have been no winners
in this

war, nor could there have been any. Everyone has lost -- the
Serbs, the

Croats, the Muslims and Europe as a whole."



	The opening session ended with a handshake between President

Milosevic and Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic and a good
mixing of

their delegations.





**********

Nov 2., 1995

WASHINGTON, United States



Clinton - US Congress - Bosnia



	A group of bipartisan Congressional leaders met with President

Clinton at the White House Wednesday to talk about Bosnia.
Republican

Senate Leader Bob Dole emerged from the meeting with the
President to say

Mr. Clinton realizes he has work to do to persuade Americans to
support

sending US troops to Bosnia.

	Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich says both Republicans and

Democrats agree that previous administration meetings with
lawmakers have

not been sufficient.

	White House Spokesman Mike Mccurry admits the President has more

work to do to convince Americans of his commitment to provide
troops to a

peacekeeping force.

	"We acknowledge that as members of Congress get deeper into the

subject, as the American people become more aware of the
challenge that we

are going to face in Bosnia, that there will be serious
questions that

have to be answered."

	Although the President says he wants Congressional support for
his

decision, he has made clear he does not need it, and would act
on his own

authority as Commander In Chief to send troops if necessary.

	Outside the White House, about a dozen demonstrators protested

against the participation of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic
in the talks.





**********

Nov 2., 1995

DAYTON, Ohio

What With Eastern Slavonia?



	Before flying back to Washington, Secretary Of State Warren

Christopher held a separate meeting with Croatian President
Franjo Tudjman

and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic about the disputed
region of

Eastern Slavonia. The two Presidents pledged to work to
normalize their

relations and to work for a peaceful resolution of the dispute.

	State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns believes the
high-level

attention will help resolve the issue.

	"I think what's important here is that the two Presidents have

committed themselves publicly in this joint statement to resolve
it

peacefully and to use Dayton to do so."

	U.S. ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith and U.N. negotiator

Thorvald Stoltenberg will travel to Eastern Slavonia late this
week. The

seeming urgency in dealing with the problem is because Tudjman
returns to

Zagreb Thursday and he has put a November 30 deadline on solving
the

issue, threatening to retake the territory by force.





**********

Nov 2., 1995

WASHINGTON, United States

Nationalist Serbs Hold "CSM" Journalist



	The UN has confirmed that nationalist Bosnian Serbs are holding

American journalist David Rohde, who has been missing since
Sunday. They

said the 28-year old reporter is alive, and they are calling for
his

release. Mr. Rohde's editor at the Christian Science Monitor,
Clayton

Jones, welcomed that news and said UN officials are keeping him
up to

date.

	"THE UN has been meeting with Serb officials in Pale and we are

using other back channels to find out about David's whereabouts
and his

condition."

	He added the reporter probably angered the Serbs when he
secretly

visited Srebrenica soon after the Serbs captured that Muslim
enclave in

July. David Rohde then wrote and talked about the mass graves he
found

there.

	US State Department officials have assured Rohde's family that

they brought up the case in talks in Dayton, Ohio, with Serbia's
President

Slobodan Milosevic.

_________________________________________________________________
_______



Opinions expressed/published on BosNews/BosNet-B do NOT
necessarily

always reflect the views of (all of the members of) Editorial
Board,

and/or moderators, nor any of their host institutions.



              Zeljko Bodulovic <ZelB@dwe.csiro.au>

              Dzevat Omeragic <Dzevat@ee.mcgill.ca>

              Davor  Wagner  <DWagner@mailbox.syr.edu>

              Nermin Zukic  <N6Zukic@sms.business.uwo.ca>







================================================================



OMRI DAILY DIGEST

No. 216, 6 November 1995



BOSNIAN SERBS DEFY U.S. DEMANDS TO DROP LEADERS. Bosnian Serb
Prime

Minister Rajko Kosagic told SRNA on 5 November that his people
"will not

permit the Americans or the Muslim authorities of Sarajevo to
dictate to

us their choice for (our) leaders. The Serb people will decide

themselves, since they alone can elect or dismiss their

representatives." He was apparently responding to suggestions by
U.S.

Secretary of State Warren Christopher that indicted war criminals

Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic are unacceptable as
postwar

leaders. Kosagic said the U.S. could demand that the two be put
on trial

for war crimes, "which would be the equivalent of putting the
entire

Serb people on trial for alleged crimes." In another
development, AFP on

5 November reported that the Bosnian Serb army has charged the
interior

minister with giving an illegal order to special police units to
pull

back from front lines. They demanded that Karadzic overrule the

minister. -- Patrick Moore



U.S., UN OFFICIALS SEE CAPTURED JOURNALIST. Officials on 5
November met

with David Rohde, a correspondent for The Christian Science
Monitor who

was apparently captured by Bosnian Serbs on 29 October. This was
the

first contact Rohde had been allowed to Western representatives,
and it

came only after vocal protests by U.S. diplomats at the Dayton
peace

talks. The officials said he was healthy but exhausted and
serving a 15-

day sentence for what SRNA on 3 November called illegal border
crossing

and falsifying documents. Rohde has spearheaded reporting on the

Srebrenica massacres of Muslims by Serbs. On 25 October, he ran
an

article quoting local Serbs as confirming the killings, for
which Rohde

said that Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic is ultimately

responsible. -- Patrick Moore



CROATIAN SERB REBELS SET NEW CONDITIONS. International media on 5

November reported that Croatian Serb negotiator Milan Milanovic
rejected

peace proposals from U.S. ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith
and UN

mediator Thorvald Stoltenberg. Milanovic represents the Serbs of
eastern

Slavonia, the last sliver of the former Krajina still in Serbian
hands.

He said that any transition to Croatian rule must be at least
three

years, while Zagreb wants two at the most. Milanovic also stated
that

supervision must be in the hands of UN troops, not those of
NATO, as

Croatia demands. The Serbian official also insisted on a
referendum by

local Serbs for autonomy, which Zagreb rejects. Croatian
President

Franjo Tudjman and his military chief, General Zvonimir
Cervenko, warned

again over the weekend that Croatia reserves the right to restore

sovereignty over eastern Slavonia by military means if talks
fail. --

Patrick Moore



NEW CROATIAN PRIME MINISTER APPOINTED. President Franjo Tudjman
has

announced his decision to relieve Prime Minister Nikica Valentic
of his

duties and to appoint Zlatko Matesa as his replacement, Novi List

reported on 6 November. Matesa will present his new government
on 7

November. In Valentic's government, Matesa was minister in
charge of

relations with the EU and other international financial and trade

institutions. He said his new cabinet is one of continuity, but
he also

underscored his determination to find new ways to improve the
economy.

-- Daria Sito Sucic



POWER STRUGGLE WITHIN SERBIAN MEDIA GIANT. Nasa Borba on 6
November

reported that a conflict within the Politika publishing house
reached a

"red-hot" pitch over the weekend. Zivorad Minovic, former editor
of the

daily Politika from 1985-1991, and Hadzi Dragan Antic, current
director

of Politika publishing, appear to be involved in a power
struggle. Nasa

Borba speculates that Antic, backed by Serbian President Slobodan

Milosevic, will likely succeed in ousting his opponent. -- Stan

Markotich



UKRAINIAN TROOPS IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIA. Ukrainian Defense Minister

Valerii Shmarov has said Ukraine is willing to contribute troops
to a

new peacekeeping force in Bosnia, but not one under NATO command,

Reuters reported. This position can be attributed to Ukraine's
non-

aligned status. Shmarov said Ukraine was looking for a way to

participate in peacekeeping operations outside of NATO's
command. --

Ustina Markus



HAVEL SUPPORTS SENDING CZECH TROOPS TO BOSNIA. President Vaclav
Havel on

5 November said it is "essential" that Czech troops take part in
any

international peacekeeping force sent to Bosnia. "We cannot be
absent

from these units if we seriously mean our statements that we
want to

take joint responsibility for the security situation in Europe
and if we

seriously want to be a member of NATO," Havel said in his weekly
radio

talk. A Czech contingent has already been serving in the
UNPROFOR units

in Croatia. Defense Minister Vilem Holan, talking to reporters
on 4

November, also supported sending Czech troops to Bosnia. --
Steve Kettle



Compiled by Jan Cleave



_________________________________________________________________
________



      This material was reprinted with permission of the Open

      Media Research Institute, a nonprofit organization with

      research offices in Prague, Czech Republic.



      For more information on OMRI publications,

      please write to:  info@omri.cz



      Copyright (C) 1995 Open Media Research Institute, Inc.

                All rights reserved. ISSN 1211-1570



_________________________________________________________________
_______



Opinions expressed/published on BosNews/BosNet-B do NOT
necessarily 

always reflect the views of (any/all of the members of)
Editorial Board, 

and/or moderators, nor any of their host institutions. No
commercial

redistribution of any materials (articles published "for fair
use only")



              Zeljko Bodulovic <ZelB@dwe.csiro.au>

              Dzevat Omeragic <Dzevat@ee.mcgill.ca>

              Davor  Wagner  <DWagner@mailbox.syr.edu>

              Nermin Zukic  <N6Zukic@sms.business.uwo.ca>



-----------------------------------------------------------------
-------

                     B o s N e t  - Nov. 7, 1995

==========================================



Tue 7 Nov 1995

DAYTON, Ohio



Bosnian talks may hinge on roles for Mladic and Karadzic



	Talks between the warring parties in the Balkan conflict are

proving more complicated than ever.  The closed door meetings,
hashing out

constitutional issues involving land and leaders, are focusing
on the

Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

	Milosevic came to the talks assuring one and all that he

represents the interests of the political and the military
leaders of the

rebel Bosnian Serbs. But it turns out that the U.S.-drafted
constitution

for a post-settlement Bosnia denies any role for those two men
-- General

Ratko Mladic and President Radovan Karadzic, both of whom are
indicted as

war criminals. The U.S. State Department claims Milosevic knew
that all

along.

	"Everything in the documents that have been passed over to the

parties on Thursday and Friday ...  had been talked about in
advance,"

said State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns. "Everything had
been

negotiated in advance, ... including the question of the makeup
of the

future government."

	Secretary of State Warren Christopher said last week that he
could

not imagine implementing peace with U.S. troops if the pact
included a

role for Mladic or Karadzic.

	"All I can say is this -- when we deploy, we want it to be to

preserve a peace that has been agreed to," Burns said. "And when
we

deploy, we do not believe that these two individuals should be in

positions of power or command positions, as Secretary
Christopher put it

last night."

	That would appear to indicate that Mladic and Karadzic gave

Milosevic a proxy to negotiate them out of jobs and into the
dock in the

Hague to stand trial for crimes against humanity -- not
considered likely.

	To this point, it's hard to see the talks succeeding given the

U.S. preconditions, unless Milosevic has secretly promised to
double-cross

Mladic and Karadzic in return for the Unite States protecting
him from

potential action by the War Crimes Tribunal.





*************

Tue 7 Nov 1995

HOHENFELS, Germany



Perry On Bosnia



	US Defense Secretary William Perry joined US forces in the field

in southern Germany to observe exercises intended to simulate
conditions

and situations they might confront in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

	The troops from the US Army's First Armored Division and Fifth

Corps will make up the bulk of the 20,000 soldier force the US
has pledged

to contribute to the NATO peacekeepers. The NATO force of about

60-thousand troops is to begin moving into Bosnia by air, sea,
and land

immediately upon the successful conclusion of Bosnian peace
talks underway

at Dayton, Ohio. The training exercises include activities as
policing

military zones, clearing mine fields and confronting urban
terrorists.

	"I plan when I return to the US to describe to Congress and to
the

public, the level of training, the level of efficiency which our
troops

have... These troops are going to be as well trained for a
military

operation as any troops in history have been.," Perry said.

	Perry meets Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev Wednesday in

Brussels for what he says will be one last attempt to resolve the

stalemate over Russian involvement in Bosnian peacekeeping. Last
month in

Kansas, Mr. Perry and his Russian counterpart agreed to create a
joint

non-combat force of military engineers and transportation
elements outside

NATO to support the Bosnia peacekeepers. But they did not devise
a formula

that would allow Russians to join peacekeeping operations.





*************

Tue 7 Nov 1995

Tuesday's Editorials



	Among Tuesday's other editorial topics is concern that the

International War Crimes proceedings in the Netherlands might
affect the

Bosnian peace talks underway in Ohio. "Newsday" on New York's
Long Island

has this to say:

	"The International Tribunal On War Crimes in Bosnia is about to

throw a giant monkey wrench in the clanking gears of the Balkan
peace

process now underway in Ohio. The absurdity of it is
breathtaking.  The

United Nations Tribunal has made a formal request ... that any
peace

accord ... be made contingent on the surrender of war-crimes
suspects. One

such suspect -- ... not yet indicted -- is Serb President
Slobodan

Milosevic, a key player in the negotiations. Without Milosevic's

cooperation, everyone may as well pack up and get the first
flight from

Dayton."



	In today's "Wall Street Journal", there is concern over another

aspect of the Bosnian talks -- the ambitions of Croatian
President Franjo

Tudjman.

	"Bolstered by military victory and near absolute control over
his

country, Mr. Tudjman's sheep's clothing is looking increasingly
frayed. He

has continually threatened to dispatch his forces to recapture
Serb-held

Eastern Slavonia and has made little effort to hide his
ambitions for

seeing a good chunk of Bosnia fall under Croatian control. No
wonder the

Bosnians don't much trust Mr. Tudjman."





*************

Tue 7 Nov 1995

ZAGREB, Croatia



Eastern Slavonia



	Mr. Galbraith, the US Ambassador to Croatia, and UN mediator

Thorvald Stoltenberg, had unsuccessful talks with the Croatian
Serbs last

weekend. Following the Croatian-Serbs rejection of the latest
peace

proposals, US mediator Peter Galbraith will fly to the US
Wednesday. The

lack of progress at the peace talks in Croatia is expected to be
discussed

at summit-level negotiations in the US about a comprehensive
peace

agreement for the former Yugoslavia.

	Croatian President Franjo Tudjman has set a November 30th
deadline

for an agreement for Serb- held Eastern Slavonia to be
reintegrated with

the rest of the country. The UN peace-keeping mandate in Croatia
expires

November 30th. International mediators take seriously Mr.
Tudjman's threat

to recapture Eastern Slavonia by force if his deadline is not
met --

negotiators fear a Croatian army attack on the region could lead
to

Yugoslav intervention.



========================================================



OMRI Daily Digest 

7.11.1995



BOSNIAN ARMY COMMANDER SAYS PEACE DEPENDS ON MILOSEVIC. General
Rasim Delic

told the Sarajevo paper Dnevni Avaz that Serbian President
Slobodan

Milosevic is the one to make "crucial decisions" for the Serbian
side. Hina

on 6 November quoted him as adding that he did "not know whether

[Milosevic] is yet willing to do so." The general stated that
his troops

will do their part to implement any peace agreement once it is
finalized.

But Mlada Fronta Dnes on 7 November noted that Delic also said
that "if the

talks do not succeed, the Bosnian army will launch a new
liberation

campaign." In another development, seven French soldiers were
lightly

wounded when three gunmen attacked them at Vrapcici, near
Mostar, on 5

November. AFP quoted a French spokesman as saying "we have no
idea who [the

attackers] were." The gunmen escaped, apparently wounded. *
Patrick Moore



SERBIAN PRESIDENT SAID TO BE "UPSET." Nasa Borba on 7 November
reported

that Serbian President Slobodan "Milosevic is upset because he
thinks the

Americans brought him to Dayton on false pretenses." Milosevic
is said to

be most concerned about the demand that his negotiating team
agree to the

ouster of Bosnian Serb civilian leader Radovan Karadzic and his
military

counterpart, General Ratko Mladic, before the implementation of
any

regional peace accord. Milosevic is reportedly not opposed to
Karadzic and

Mladic facing trial at the Hague on charges of war crimes, but
he has

stressed that both men must first be convicted in Serbia of any
wrongdoing.

He also insists that the Dayton talks are focusing only on
issues agreed to

in advance, which allegedly do not include the fate of the
Bosnian Serb

leaders, Reuters reported. * Stan Markotich



BOUTROS GHALI SAYS DUTCH DID "GOOD WORK." The Frankfurter
Allgemeine

Zeitung on 7 November quoted the UN secretary-general as saying
that the

small "Dutchbat" stationed at Srebrenica had acted within the
limits of its

mandate. He noted that UN member countries did not make
available anywhere

near the number of troops that the world body had requested for

peacekeeping in the first place. The Dutch have been widely
criticized at

home and abroad for allegedly turning a blind eye to Serbian
massacres of

thousands of Muslims, primarily civilian males, in July. Boutros
Boutros

Ghali said it was not Dutchbat's assignment "to defend the
enclave" and

that he has "no criticism [of the Dutch]. They performed good
work."

Meanwhile Nasa Borba reported that in Banja Luka, the number of
Serbian

refugees stands at 71,750. Some 60,240 of them have been moved
out of

reception points and into "individual accomodations." * Patrick
Moore



SARAJEVO GAS SUPPLIES CUT. Three weeks after natural gas again
started

flowing to the Bosnian capital, supplies have been reduced
again, Hina

reported on 6 November. A UN official said the reasons are
technical and

not political. Besides the great losses of gas due to the
makeshift

pipelines, the biggest obstacle is money. UN experts estimate
that supplies

for November will cost around $1 million, while the total for
the winter

will be $20-30 million. Meanwhile, the Russian gas supplier
Gazprom wants

to charge the Bosnian government for October gas deliveries,
while agreeing

to freeze a debt from previous years. The spokesman said that
the UN has

been looking for international donors but without results. *
Daria Sito

Sucic



BOSNIAN REFUGEE AGREEMENT NOT YET IMPLEMENTED. Implementation of
the

agreement reached in Dayton on 2 November by Bosnian President
Alija

Izetbegovic and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman to allow 600
families

inside Bosnia to return home has not yet begun. According to a 6
November

AFP report, Sarajevo accused Bosnian Croat authorities of not
allowing

several hundred Muslim families to return to Jajce, while
Tudjman blamed

"extremists" on both sides. At the same time, repatriation of
Velika

Kladusa refugees organized by the UNHCR on a voluntary basis has

successfully started, Hina reported on 6 November. * Daria Sito
Sucic



SANDZAK PARTY DEMANDS UNITY OF BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA. The Executive
Committee

of the Party of Democratic Action of Sandzak issued a
declaration saying a

"just peace" is not possible "without the unity of
Bosnia-Herzegovina [in

its internationally recognized borders; the return of refugees
to their

houses; and free, democratic elections under international
control." The

declaration, published by Montena-fax on 6 November, also states
that no

war criminals be allowed to participate in elections. * Fabian
Schmidt



CROATIA ANNOUNCES MAJOR OIL FIND. The Croatian oil company INA
has

discovered an important new oil and gas field near Bjelovar. AFP
on 6

November quoted INA spokesmen as saying it will be the
third-largest such

field in Croatia and that it is expected to yield 70 tons of oil
and 3

million cubic metres of natural gas daily. The annual revenue is
expected

to be $3 million. Plans are under way to begin operations before
the end of

the year, despite the onset of harsh winter weather. * Patrick
Moore



BALKANS HIT BY BLIZZARDS. Local and international agencies on 6
November

reported that heavy snowstorms in  the Balkans have disrupted

transportation, shut down ports and airports, and contributed to
a dozen

traffic deaths in Romania. In Sarajevo, the supply route over
Mount Igman

was blocked and there were a rash of traffic accidents, some
involving UN

vehicles. The Bulgarian Black Sea port of Varna and the Romanian
port of

Constanta were closed due to four-meter high waves. The weather
caused a

backup of trucks and buses on the main Bulgarian highway to to
Greece and

Macedonia. A large number of roads and some airports had to be
closed in

Romania. In Moldova, hundreds of villages were plunged into cold
and

darkness when heavy snow disrupted electricity supplies. *
Michael Shafir





=================================================================
====



OMRI DAILY DIGEST

No. 218, 8 November 1995



SERBIAN PRESIDENT DEFENDS KARADZIC, MLADIC. While rump Yugoslav
leaders

have sounded a note of optimism about the possible outcome of
the Dayton

peace talks, they have refused to take steps to oust indicted war

criminals and Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and his
military

counterpart, Ratko Mladic. Reuters on 7 November quoted
Montenegrin

Premier Milo Djukanovic, on a visit to Washington, as saying that

Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic "told me the negotiations
are

being done in a constructive manner and...they should be ended
by the

end of this week." Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic told
reporters

"It's goes well." But Nasa Borba on 8 November stresses that
Milosevic

remains firm in his conviction that fate of the Bosnian Serb
leaders be

decided only after a regional peace agreement is reached. U.S.
State

Department officials have said that Milosevic's position has
come close

to "endangering" the peace talks but that progress was being
made.

-- Stan Markotich



KARADZIC'S "CONTRIBUTION" TO PEACE TALKS? SRNA reported on 7
November

that Bosnian Serbs are continuing to hold David Rhode, a
correspondent

for The Christian Science Monitor, who investigated the Serbian

massacres of Muslim male civilians at Srebrenica. He was charged
with

illegal entry into Serbian territory and with falsifying
documents, but

now he is also accused of "the most serious form of espionage,"
which

carries a jail sentence of between three to 15 years. SRNA added,

however, that Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has received
an

appeal from Rhode's father and "is considering the possibility of

pardoning [the journalist] as a sign of good will and as a
contribution

to the peace talks in Dayton." Meanwhile, the rift between
Karadzic and

his military continues. Politika on 8 November reported that a
top

Bosnian Serb commander, General Manojlo Milovanovic, has
publicly called

Pale "the only government in history that attacks its own army."
--

Patrick Moore



UNHCR WORRIES ABOUT PLIGHT OF REFUGEES. A UNHCR spokesman in
Sarajevo

called the Croatian authorities' "voluntary" return of 11,000
refugees

to western and northwestern parts of Bosnia a forcible relocation

motivated by political and military reasons, AFP reported on 7
November.

Mainly Croats evicted from Serb-held northern Bosnia were
resettled to

territories recaptured by allied forces in September and
October, thus

creating "ethnically pure ghettos, which is a total mockery of
the

commitments to multiethnicity." Accusing the Croatian government
of

ignoring international criticism about human rights abuses, a
draft UN

resolution has been amended to warn the Croats, AFP reported the
next

day. The UNHCR also says that Muslims and Croats recently
evicted from

their homes around Banja Luka by the Serbs are forced to sleep
in the

open, despite heavy snow, Reuters reported on 7 November. --
Daria Sito

Sucic



SERBS IN EASTERN SLAVONIA READY TO FIGHT. Serb-held eastern
Slavonia

returns to the agenda at the Dayton peace conference following
the local

Serbs' rejection of the latest proposal by international
mediators. AFP

on 7 November said that the issue "could become the linchpin of
an

overall solution to the Balkan crisis." The Serbs wrote UN
Secretary-

General Boutros Boutros Ghali that the proposed plan offered
them only

the choice of "losing their identity or leaving the region."
Reuters

reported that the Serbs are still willing to talk, but their
demand for

a referendum is unacceptable to Zagreb. "The morale of our
soldiers is

high," Major-General Dusan Loncar, commander of Serbian forces in

eastern Slavonia, told a news conference in Vukovar. He added
that "no

one should be in any doubt about their willingness to fight."
Earlier

this year, Serbian forces in western Slavonia and in Krajina
melted away

before advancing Croatian troops. -- Patrick Moore



CROATIA GETS NEW GOVERNMENT. Croatian and international media on
7

November reported that Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa has
announced his

new cabinet, which he called "a government of continuity."
Foreign

Minister Mate Granic and Defense Minister Gojko Susak both keep
their

jobs. The only changes are at the ministries of the economy,
culture,

agriculture, and justice, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
noted the

following day. Matesa's predecessor, Nikica Valentic, reportedly

resigned mainly for personal reasons. He is credited with
bringing down

the annual inflation rate from 2,000% to 2%, as well as with
doubling

the average monthly wage from about DM 250 to DM 500. Croatia
has a

presidential system of government, and prime ministers have
changed

fairly frequently under President Franjo Tudjman. --  Patrick
Moore





===============================================================

OMRI Daily Digest 

10.11.1995



TENSIONS MOUNT IN EASTERN SLAVONIA. International media  on 10
November

reported that Croatian troops have occupied part of the buffer
zone

formerly separating them from rebel Serb forces backed by the
rump Yugoslav

army in the Vinkovci-Nustar area behind Vukovar. A UN official
told AFP

that there was no fighting and that the Croatian move did not
indicate that

an offensive was under way. Reuters added that 350 men of the
3,000-strong

elite Croatian Tiger Brigade were also seen heading toward the
area. Other

international agencies said the previous day that both Croatian
and Serbian

forces were massing and that, "in a surprise move," Belgian
peacekeepers

pulled out of their observation and control posts. Top Croatian
officials

have repeatedly said they would retake eastern Slavonia by force
if talks

fail. Serbian negotiators this week rejected international
mediators'

proposals and set conditions that Zagreb considers unacceptable.
* Patrick

Moore



CROATIAN-MUSLIM AGREEMENT IN THE OFFING. Bosnian President Alija

Izetbegovic and his Croatian counterpart Franjo Tudjman are
expected to

sign a new document in Dayton on 10 November. The pact will
strengthen the

Croat-Muslim federation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was
established with

American mediation in early 1994. The alliance has proven highly
effective

in recent months on the battlefield, but results have otherwise
been slim.

There remains much mistrust from the 1993 internecine war, and
local

kingpins on both sides are reluctant to share power.
International media

say that the new agreement is supposed to allow for the return
of some 100

refugee families from each side and for the reuniting of divided
Mostar. As

to the Dayton conference itself, the  International Herald
Tribune quoted a

diplomat as saying that the Americans are keeping up the
pressure on all

sides. The  Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung  added that "the
atmosphere at

the conference is highly geared toward getting results, and all
sides are

showing great flexibility." * Patrick Moore



KRAJINA REFUGEES SUFFER IN SERBIA. The UN Security Council on 9
November

unanimously approved a resolution condemning all violence in the
former

Yugoslavia. The bulk of the admonitions was directed at the
Bosnian Serbs,

who were urged to close detention camps and provide
international monitors

with access to suspected mass grave sites. AFP added that
Croatia was told

to respect the rights of Serbs in the former Krajina and to let
refugees go

home. The warnings to Zagreb reportedly came at the behest of
Moscow,

Paris, and London. Mlada Fronta Dnes on 10 November showed a
photo of

elderly Serbs near Knin receiving UN relief packages. Meanwhile
in

Belgrade, the Alternative Information Network said that Serbian
refugees in

Krajina who fled to Serbia live as outsiders and are terrorized
by

paramilitaries led by internationally wanted war criminal Zeljko
Raznatovic

"Arkan." Many Krajina Serbs said they would rather go home, even
if their

houses were in ruins, than stay on in Serbia under such
conditions.

* Patrick Moore



MILOSEVIC SHOWS NO DESIRE TO COMPROMISE. Reuters on 9 November
reported

that US negotiators will hand over documents to the Bosnian,
Croatian, and

Serbian delegations at the Dayton talks that, it is hoped, may
lay the

foundation for a regional peace. But Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic

has already said that he will back no plans providing for the
ouster of

Bosnian Serb leaders and indicted war criminals Radovan Karadzic
and his

military counterpart, Ratko Mladic before a peace accord is
reached. Also,

on 9 November, Vecernji list reports that Milosevic will
continue to refuse

to recognize Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, nor will he discuss
the issue

of human rights in Serbia. * Stan Markotich



BOSNIA, SERBIA TO RECEIVE GAS SUPPLIES. Following a joint
request by the

presidents of Bosnia and Serbia for domestic gas supplies to be
turned on

"as a humanitarian exception" to the embargo, agreement was
reached at the

Bosnia peace talks in Dayton on 9 November to partially lift
economic

sanctions against rump Yugoslavia, Reuters reported the same
day. A UN

committee overseeing sanctions met later in New York to discuss
the issue

but postponed talks for a day after one member said it needed
instructions.

* Daria Sito Sucic



WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL INDICTS RUMP YUGOSLAV OFFICERS. Nasa Borba
on 10

November reported that the International War Crimes Tribunal 
the previous

day indicted three Yugoslav army officers for their part in
crimes against

humanity. Colonel Mile Mrksic, Major Veselin Sljivancanin, and
Captain

Miroslav Radic have been charged in connection with the slaying
of 260

non-Serbian prisoners of war held in the Croatian town of
Vukovar. On 20

November 1991 the victims were massacred behind a local hospital
and their

bodies concealed in a mass grave. The Belgrade daily observed
this is the

first instance of the court charging rump Yugoslav nationals
with wartime

atrocities. * Stan Markotich



MACEDONIA, UKRAINE BECOME MEMBERS OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE.
Macedonia and

Ukraine on 9 November became the 37th and 38th member states of
the Council

of Europe, international agencies reported the same day. They
are the 13th

and 14th states from Central and Eastern Europe to enter the
council in the

last five years. To fulfill membership requirements, Macedonian
officials

made formal pledges to guarantee human rights, and Ukrainian
officials

agreed to suspend and eventually eliminate the death penalty
from the

country's criminal code. Ukraine is the first former Soviet
republic to

abolish capital punishment. The council's legal and human rights
committees

are currently reviewing membership applications from Russia,
Croatia, and

Bosnia-Herzegovina. * Fabian Schmidt





-----------------------------------------------------------------
-------

                     B o s N e t  -  Nov. 12, 1995

==========================================



Asked at a news conference what he thought would happen to
nationalist

Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and military commander
General Ratko

Mladic, Kofi Annan, U.N. Special Representative tosaid: "I think
in time

they will be probably put in the dock and convicted... The peace
process

must go forward. I think we will have to be guided by practical
and urgent

considerations. If we do have an agreement, we should go ahead
and settle

and these two men will be dealt with in time... If there ever
was an

opportunity for peace, then this seems to be it... I think we
are closer

to obtaining peace than we have ever been."

----------------



According to the UN and EU observers a large number of Croatian
Army troops

moved in the vicinity of occupied Eastern Slavonia region.



Doug Coffman, a spokesman for the United Nations in the area,
said several

hundred members of the elite Croatian Army First Brigade, known
as the

Tigers, moved toward Vinkovci Thursday.



"Yesterday a fairly large number of Croatian troops from the
First Brigade

were sent to the Vinkovci area... With them they had some
artillery pieces

and obviously that is contrary to the May 1994 cease-fire
agreement where

heavy artillery pieces are not supposed to be within 12.5 miles
of the zone

of separation... There have been and continue to be many
violations of the

cease-fire agreement by both sides."



He said no troop movements had been seen Friday.



Busloads of troops were also being moved, including at least 400
soldiers of

the Croatian Army's Fifth Brigade.



Another U.N. source said 750 troops was "a pretty large
amount... People

either think this is preparation for an attack or it's a bluff
to put

pressure on the Serbs," he said.



"I fought in Vukovar for a while in 1991 and we came to finish
the job,"

said Ivan, a Tiger officer.



Col. Terence Taylor of the International Institute for Strategic
Studies

in London commented: "They [Croatia] will want to go in and
claim their

territory and occupy it... It doesn't necessarily indicate an
assault but

merely getting ready to occupy the ground and the two actions
might not look

dissimilar... A little bit of a flurry like this may aid the
negotiators."



"They are ready and they are not afraid of showing they are
ready -- that

is a good negotiating tactic... They could be getting ready to
drive in

with the flags waving," Taylor also said.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
-------



Ambassador Emilio Cardenas of Argentina, chairman of the
council's sanctions

committee on Yugoslavia, stated that permission had been given
for the supply

Belgrade with just over 180 million cubic metres (6.357 billion
cubic ft) of

natural gas per month for two months. The import of 28,500 tons
of heating oil

a month for six months and 588 tons a month of liquid gas, for
six months was

also authorized.



The natural gas would flow into Yugoslavia "provided the flow of
natural

gas to Sarajevo is not interrupted," he said.

-------------------------------------------------



The new United Nations investigator into human rights violations
in former

Yugoslavia, Elisabeth Rehn accused Croatia of widespread abuses
against

minority Serbs in the Krajina, including the killing of elderly
civilians.



"More than 120 bodies have been discovered by the United Nations
and reports

of killings have been especially numerous in the Knin area...
According to

information which has been received, a common murder method was
shots in the

back of the head."



"In innumerable cases personally observed by United Nations and
other

international personnel, Croatian soldiers and civilian police
were in

direct proximity to burning buildings, in no case taking action
against

the fires and in some cases evidently setting them," she said in
her report.



She said serious allegations had been made against the Bosnian
army Fifth

Corps. Human rights abuses were committed against the followers
of renegade

Moslem leader Fikret Abdic. "The most disturbing pattern to
emerge from these

reports is the sexual abuse and harassment of women. In a number
of reported

cases the perpetrators have been identified as members of the
Fifth Corps and

in other cases the assailants were alleged to be wearing
military uniforms."



--------------------



National Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina governor Kasim Omicevic
said on

Friday he hoped political leaders of the B&H Federation would
decide soon

whether to use the existing dinar or a new currency over the
whole country.

"It is very hard to say how fast we can do it but following the
(political)

statements, I have a notion that it will be done in a couple of
months, if

not before... Our people are very very sensitive on names."



Omicevic is trying to shape a currency policy for a unified
Bosnia, embracing

the whole sovereign state. He is credited by the World Bank and
International

Monetary Fund with achieving an extraordinary degree of monetary
stability

despite the four years of war. The Bosnian dinar is fairly
stable at about

105 to the German mark, while two years ago it was trading at
300 or 400 to

the mark.



"I wouldn't like it if the dinar is replaced but if the currency
is to be

changed in the aim of finding agreement, then that has to be
discussed,"

Omicevic said. "In the last year and a half every single dinar
that has

gone out from this place had a pfennig to replace it...We have
had a very

hard, a very restrictive monetary policy... I proved that even
in war you

can make monetary policy and that even in war you can ensure a
certain level

of monetary responsibility..."

---------------



          SPECULATIONS ON KARADZIC'S SUCCESSORS

Dayton, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Nov 1O, 1995 (Press TWRA) -

Speculations continue in media and diplomatic circles about R.

Karadzic's likely successors. So far, legitimacy for representing

Serbs in Bosnia is divided - within legal system Serbs are

represented by their delegates in the Presidency and B-H Assembly

- Tatjana Ljujic-Mijatovic and Mirko Pejanovic (Presidency

members) and Miro Lazovic (President of Assembly). They and many

other Serbs and officials at some institutions gathered at the

Serb Civil Council, endorsed by B-H authorities, including

supporters of integral Bosnia abroad, some individuals and groups

to Montenegro and Serbia. On the other side, part of legitimacy,

by force of the arms and the situation on the ground is in hands

of the quisling leadership at Pale gathered around R. Karadzic.

Military balance, strong international pressure on Belgrade and

indictments of the International Tribunal have led to the demand

put in Dayton on replacement of Karadzic and Mladic. Radio B-H

reported yesterday the news of the B-H press claiming that

Milosevic had agreed to recognize Lazovic and Pejanovic as true

representatives of Serbs in B-H. B-H press refers to the sources

of the US Embassy in Zagreb. The allegations have not been

confirmed yet. Official Belgrade has made some contacts with Serb

Civil Council this year, but most observers believe that

Milosevic will try to appoint close associates of the self -

proclaimed president from Pale as a successor of discarded

Karadzic, at least those who have not been (so far) designated as

war criminals by the Tribunal. Two of them are Aleksa Buha ("head

of diplomacy" of the so-called Republika Srpska) and Nikola

Koljevic (Karadzic's "vice-president" with good links in London)

B-H authorities do not approve the option of Koljevic and Buha or

their alikes becoming the leaders of a part of Bosnian Serbs but

it is not certain if the USA will oppose to that. It will be hard

to choose gen. Mladic's successor whose replacement the USA also

demands as ultimatum ("We cannot think of any agreement to enable

Karadzic and Mladic remain on power or have any significant

influence on the events in Bosnia," said the State Department

spokesman N. Burns). The problem about Mladic's successor is

that most other high ranking officials of his para-military are

the same as he is - they committed and ordered the war crimes.

The Zagreb daily "Vecernji list' writes that Milosevic could

appoint as Karadzic's successor once communist politicians Bogic

Bogicevic and Nenad Kecmanovic. Bogicevic is for integral Bosnia

while Kecmanovic had left Bosnia for Belgrade and was reserved to

legal B-H authorities and Karadzic's group. Kecmanovic was

accused in ex-Yugoslavia by the state security service of having

links with the British intelligence officers. Kecmanovic is

believed to be close to S. Milosevic and his wife Mirjana

Markovic-Milosevic who leads "Yugoslav United Leftists", and

previosly led "Communist League Movement for Yugoslavia." There

was a news, denied afterwards, that Milosevic does not want to

give up Mladic and threatened with leaving the USA. /end/ A.S.



B-H GOVERNMENT ON HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND RETURN OF REFUGEES

Sarajevo, Nov 11, 1995 (Press TWRA) - A meeting of the Republic

and Federation of B-H with prime minister H. Silajdzic as its

president was held in Sarajevo. The conclusion is that more

attention should be paid to promotion and renewal of the health

protection system in B-H being estimated to USD 5OO million.

     The government decided that till Nov 13 this year, all

details should be settled for return of 6OO refugee families to

Bugojno, Travnik, Stolac and Jajce being in accord with the last

week's agreement between Tudjman and Izetbegovic in the USA.

Minister for refugees Muharem Cero informed that about 5,OOO

refugees were temporarily placed in recently liberated counties

of Kljuc, Sanski Most, Bosanski Petrovac and a part of once

occupied county of Bihac. Traffic to and from Sarajevo continues

followed by occasional incidents. Yesterday, Serb children in the

occupied suburb of Sarajevo, were throwing stones on two buses

driving along the "blue route" injuring one passenger. The UN

coordinator to Sarajevo William Eagleton (USA) asked for

financial support to be secured for B-H authorities to enable

them to pay high costs of Russian gas which is necessary for

survival in Sarajevo this winter. Improvisation, damages and Serb

games with Gas supply for Sarajevo caused many accidents and

explosions in the past few days when flats were destroyed and

people were killed. Flats in Sarajevo have gas every other day.

     After two-day-pause, running water was restored in Sarajevo

yesterday. Water pipes and transformer stations being damaged,

only 7O MW  can be used of 2OO MW provided for Sarajevo. With

regard to electricity, Bosnian authorities and rebel Serbs have

reached an agreement for Gorazde to be supplied with electricity

in return for increase in electricity supply for Banjaluka. /end/



         "LAST CHANCE" FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT IN EASTERN CROATIA

Zagreb, Dayton, Nov 11, 1995 (Press TWRA)- Croatian president F.

Tudjman has traveled again to join peace talks in air force base

Wright Patterson. Before leaving Zagreb, he said that Croatia

offered a peaceful solution being ready to accept peaceful option

for the remaining occupied territory in the eastern part of the

state but did not rule out military option if local Serbs were

not more cooperative. Tudjman reminded that Serbs had rejected a

proposal put forward by Th. Stoltenberg and P. Galbraith. Tudjman

was accompanied by his closest associate and leading Croatian

negotiator with Serbs Hrvoje Sarinic.

     The US State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said that

Tudjman's return to the USA meant another round of talks with

Milosevic and the international mediators in searching for

solution for Serb controlled eastern Croatia control. /end/A.S.



          ALBANIAN-TURKISH MILITARY MANEUVERS

Tirane, Nov. 11, 1995 (Press TWRA) - In the vicinity of Albanian

port of Drac, a NATO training within the program "Partnership for

Peace" including a Turkish destroyer "Patin" and six ships of

Albania's Navy is underway. Those are the second Turkish-Albanian

maneuvers. /end/ A.S.



          MACEDONIA AND UKRAINE RECEIVED TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Brussels, Strasbourg, Nov 9, 1995 (Press TWRA) - It was released

at the seat of EU that Macedonia and Ukraine were received as

full right member states to the Council of Europe. Regarding the

population in the states, Ukraine will have 52 and Macedonia 3

representatives  in the Council. Meanwhile, interparlamentary

Assembly of the Council of Europe has started a procedure for

receiving B-H as its member state. But the problem is war

situation in B-H, the fact that the central government does not

have all parts of the country under control. Yet, it seems that

after Slovenia and Macedonia, B-H will be the third state from

ex-Yugoslavia to be received to the Council of Europe. Only

Croatia and "FR Yugoslavia" (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro) would

remain outside the Council. /end/A.S.



     ELECTION OF THE NATO SECRETARY GENERAL POSTPONED

Brussels, Nov 11. 1995 (Press TWRA) - Election of new NATO Secr.

Gen. is put off as the USA announced that there is no need for

hurry. Two candidates are proposed: the Dutch Ruud Lubbers and

Uffe Elleman Jensen (Denmark). The USA do not support none. /end/

--------------



SERBS REJECTED AGREEMENT, THEIR PROPOSALS UNDER CONSIDERATION

Erdut, November 6,1995 (Press TWRA) - The representatives of

Serbs from east Slavonian occupied territories rejected the new

draft of agreement proposed by US Ambassador in Croatia Galbright

and UN negotiator Stoltenberg.  At the six hours long talks with

Stoltenberg and Galbraight Serbian side also presented their

version of agreement which negotiators did not find satisfying,

so that "no agreement was signed". According to Serbian proposal

territory of East Slavonia should be put under UN jurisdiction

for a period of three years while Croatian side does not accept

transitional period longer than a year. Besides, one of basic

Serbian demands is referendum which would be held after the end

of transitional period and would decide on the future of that

territory. Serbian side expects final answer from negotiators

about their proposal, but as head Serbian negotiator Milanovic

said "under present circumstances they will not accept it".

     Belgrade - According to "Telegraph", Belgrade's weekly which

relates to the sources close to so called "Yugoslav Army", the

Croatian Army would not be stopped on Croatian international

borders in a possible operation for reintegration of East

Slavonia but would also include some pockets of "FRY" territory.

"Telegraph" claims that the special Croatian forces, special

operation forces, commando and frog-men are deployed on the

territory of Osijek. Their task is to infiltrate on

Srijem-Baranja district territory and to by pulling down the

bridges and other vital objects, create panic among

Serbian soldiers and civilians. "Telegraph" claims that Croatian

plan for attack has three fazes and includes 8O OOO soldiers.

Only first Croatian echelon has 25O tanks, 15O armed vehicles and

2OO different caliber artillery . (end) S.K.



     DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN BOSNIAN SERBS PARAMILITARY AND POLICE

Belgrade, November 6,1995 (Press TWRA) - As AFP reported on the

disagreement between Headquarters of so called "republic

srpska's" paramilitary and police forces which last since spring

this year. The main headquarters of "republic srpska's"

paramilitary forces in their press release expressed disagreement

with the "republic srpska's" Internal Minister Tomislav Kovac's

decision who "on November 2nd ordered the withdrawal of special

police forces units which were deployed along demarcation lines

with croatian-muslim forces". Serbian paramilitary Headquarters

headed by Gen. Mladic said that it was a very "illogical

decision" and demanded from Karadjic to "prevent its

implementation" so that "army and police forces could continue

joint fight until the complete end of war". (end) S.K.



          DELIC ON PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

Sarajevo, November 6,1995 (Press TWRA) - In an interview for

Sarajevo's newspaper "Dnevni Avaz" B-H Army General Headquarters

Commander Gen.Delic expressed readiness to accept and implement

in full the future peace agreement.Delic emphasized that possible

failure of peace negotiations could lead to continuation of war

in which case B-H Army would continue to liberate country. Delic

thinks that the biggest responsibility for destiny of peace

negotiations is on Milosevic shoulders. (end) S.K.



          SARAJEVO AGAIN WITHOUT GAS AND WATER

Sarajevo, November 8,1995 (Press TWRA) - The first cold days made

the humanitarian situation in Sarajevo worse. The flow of gas, on

which the heating depends has almost been interrupted. This led

to considerable increase of electricity expenditure. The

representatives of B-H Electricity Agency warned that if the

limit of 6 kwh per day per household be exceeded, the limitation

of consumption will be introduced again  which means that this

winter in Sarajevo could again look much like the last. Sarajevo

has also been left without water again. The representatives of

the city watersupply reported that the main water veil on Bacevo

has been disconnected for unknown reasons. Since Bacevo is

located on the territory under Serbian control the  city

authorities has no way to check what is going on there.(end) S.K.



          QUALITY AND USEFULNESS OF US INFORMATION DISASTROUS

Washington, November 8,1995 (Press TWRA) - After the Head

Prosecutor of International Court for War Crimes committed on the

territory of former Yugoslavia (ICTW) Richard Goldstone send the

letter to US Embassy in The Hague in which he accuses US for not

promptly delivered the evidence on war crimes to the Tribunal

the White House spokesman McCarry tried to reject this

accusations. "Washington invested lots of time and effort in

order to collect evidences on which we always promptly informed

the international community", said McCarry rejecting the

accusations that US withholds the evidence, but he also admitted

that certain information "can not be presented to international

community on account of state security". McCarry said that

Goldstone's accusations published in "Washington Post" are

"unpleasant" but he also added that the evidences in question are

for the most of people "uninteresting" and already "known

material". In the letter to State Department ICTW Head Prosecutor

said that the quality and usefulness of the evidences

disastrous".Nicholas Burns, State Department spokesman also

estimated that the US Administration's cooperation with the

international court is "correct". When asked by the numerous

journalists weather State Department posseses the evidences which

could accuse the Serbian President Milosevic for war crimes,

Burns said that those "information can not be shared with the

press". In this way Burns avoided direct answer on whether US has

taped the telephone conversation between Serbian General Perisic

and General Mladic before taking over Srebrenica which could be

the basis for raising indictment against Milosevic.

     New York - "The complete lack of cooperation from Serbian

side and financial situation of UN threaten the work of

International Tribunal for War Crimes", said the Tribunal

President Antonio Casesse. In his speech before the UN General

Assembly he said that it is believed that "43 out of 45 accused

for the crimes in the former Yugoslavia now live in so called

"FRY" or in the parts of B-H under Serbian occupation". "Without

their presence we can not continue with the process. If at the

end of war torturer and victim will be equalized the war legacy

of hate, anger and bitterness will not disappear", said Casesse.

(end) S.K.



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and/or moderators, nor any of their host institutions.



              Zeljko Bodulovic <ZelB@dwe.csiro.au>

              Dzevat Omeragic <Dzevat@ee.mcgill.ca>

              Davor  Wagner  <DWagner@mailbox.syr.edu>

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