>BELGRADE, 28 May 2000 C O N T E N T S : YUGOSLAVIA - > >RUSSIA - RYZHKOV LAUDS YUGOSLAV RENEWAL, DEPLORES KOSOVO WORSENING YUGOSLAVIA >- MOZAMBIQUE - MEMORANDUM ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO >AND METOHIJA - FIRE IN TREPCA WAS WELL PLANNED - U.N. ADMINISTRATORS LIFT >CURFEW IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - ETHNIC ALBANIANS BOMB SERB HOME IN OBILIC * * * >YUGOSLAVIA - RUSSIA RYZHKOV LAUDS YUGOSLAV RENEWAL, DEPLORES KOSOVO WORSENING > > > >BELGRADE, May 28 (Tanjug) - The head of a Russian State Duma (lower house) >delegation said in Belgrade on Saturday Yugoslavia had achieved impressive >results in rebuilding NATO-wreaked damage, but the situation in U.N.-ruled >Kosovo-Metohija had deteriorated. Nikolai Ryzhkov was speaking in the Yugoslav >Parliament after a four-day visit by the delegation of the State Duma's >commission for helping Yugoslavia overcome the consequences of last year's >NATO aggression. Ryzhkov told the press that, in a very short time since the >78-day aggression ended last June, Yugoslavia had achieved great results in >rebuilding the most important industrial facilities, roads and bridges. This >is impressive, in view of a tight western economic and political blockade of >the country, according to Ryzhkov, praising the government and the people for >mustering the strength to do it. Speaking about his visit to the >U.N.-administered Serbian (Yugoslav) Kosovo-Metohija province, he said that, >so far from improving, the situation there was actually deteriorating. There >was some order and method from the military point of view, but no civilian >administration, he said. U.N. civilian mission (UNMIK) chief Bernard Kuchner >seems to be implementing the West's policy in order to torpedo the U.N. >Security Council's Resolution 1244 on Kosovo-Metohija, according to Ryzhkov. >Ryzhkov said Kosovo-Metohija had no administration and was ruled by bandits, >with 250,000 of less than excellent Albanians from Albania having settled in >the province, doing as they pleased. He added it was especially surprising >that Kouchner was preparing elections in this situation, when between 250,000 >and 300,000 Serbs had fled the province. He vowed Russia would not stand idly >by, and promised to bring the situation to the attention of the Russian >government and the global public. > >YUGOSLAVIA - MOZAMBIQUE MEMORANDUM ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION BELGRADE, May 28 >(Tanjug) - Yugoslav Economy Minister Milan Beko and Mozambique's Minister of >Energy and the Environment John Kachamill signed in Belgrade on Sunday a >Memorandum on bilateral economic cooperation. Both sides expect the Memorandum >to help increase the volume of trade and promote overall economic ties. Beko >told reporters the document was a good foundation for promoting bilateral >economic cooperation which should result from years of good political and >friendly relations and mutual support between the two countries. According to >Beko, Yugoslav economy officials and businessmen had four days of highly >constructive and successful talks with the Mozambique representative. He said >the Memorandum envisages for reactivating the two countries' joint committee >as a higher form of organisation of bilateral cooperation. He went on to >announce a speedy signing of an accord on avoiding double taxation and an >inter-state treaty on cooperation in practically all industries. Kachamill, in >turn, said he expects much from future economic cooperation, stressing that >Yugoslav businessmen should be more aggressive in their approach in >Mozambique, there being wide scope for promoting all forms of cooperation. >Kachamill has met also with Vice Premier Nikola Sainovic, Ministers Zivadin >Jovanovic (foreign affairs), Nada Sljapic (development, science and the >environment) and Nedeljko Sipovac (agriculture), and with numerous >businessmen. > >SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA FIRE IN TREPCA WAS WELL PLANNED >KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, May 28 (Tanjug) - Friday's large fire that swept through >the Trepca zinc electrolysis plant in U.N.-ruled Kosovo-Metohija was a >well-prepared sabotage, according to Trepca executives in the company's >offices in Zvecan on Saturday. They told a news conference this was a >senseless sabotage, whose only purpose could be to cause damage and cripple >the plant which had at one time employed a large number of Serbs and ethnic >Albanians. The blaze gutted the production hall of the zinc plant, situated in >the south, solely ethnic Albanian-populated part of divided Kosovska >Mitrovica, despite its being guarded by the international police (KFor) and >the U.N. civilian mission (UNMIK). The fire was planted very carefully and >shows that the saboteurs knew their business. The plant was not working at the >time, which means the electricity was out and the electrolysis equipment was >not in operation, the executives said. Lazar Jovanovic, top executive of the >Trepca processing equipment factory, said the equipment had been worth >hundreds of millions of dollars, and the plant had been overhauled two years >ago at an investment of 11 million German marks. Jovanovic said the plant, >covering an area 100 metres wide and 140 metres long and built from >overstressed concrete, had been one of three biggest in the world. Zinc Plant >Director Radisa Jakovljevic said the plant had made zinc, cadmium, sulphuric >acid, two kinds of alloys, zinc oxide, zinc powder, and copper sulphate. >Jakovljevic said nobody from UNMIK had informed the management of the Trepca >metallurgical complex of the fire in the south Kosovska Mitrovica plant. Kfor >troops had tried to put out the flame, which broke out at 3:30 a.m. on Friday, >but their efforts were not strenuous enough to contain the blaze before 8 >a.m., two hours after fire-fighters from Pristina had arrived on the scene. >The fire was eventually put out in the afternoon. Jakovljevic said the zinc >plant had a quantity of unprocessed zinc concentrate left in store and enough >sulphuric acid and other commodities for two months' production. KFor had shut >out the plant's Serb and Montenegrin workers on Nov. 15 last and so >effectively stopped production, Jakovljevic said. Trepca Co. shareholders have >requested an emergency meeting of the Board of Directors and shareholders, >which has been called for May 29. > >U.N. ADMINISTRATORS LIFT CURFEW IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA KOSOVSKA MITROVICA May >28 (Tanjug) - The international KFor force and the U.N. civilian mission >(UNMIK) lifted as of Saturday a curfew which had been in force in divided >Kosovska Mitrovica since Feb.3. The curfew, which had been alternately >lengthened and shortened as circumstances dictated, was lifted after KFor >decided the security situation in this town in the U.N.-ruled Serbian >(Yugoslav) Kosovo-Metohija province has improved. The midnight-to-6 a.m. >curfew remains in force only in the "confidence zone" along the River Ibar >which splits Kosovska Mitrovica along ethnic lines into a north, predominantly >Serb-populated part, and an ethnic Albanian south. Only civilians living in >the zone will be allowed to move about in it during the curfew hours. > >ETHNIC ALBANIANS BOMB SERB HOME IN OBILIC OBILIC, May 28 (Tanjug) - Ethnic >Albanian terrorists threw grenades at the home of a Serb in a village north of >Pristina in U.N.-ruled Kosovo-Metohija late on Saturday, but nobody was hurt. >According to amateur radio operators' reports, two hand grenades were pitched >at the house of Natasa Todorovic in Obilic, 30 km north of the Serbian >(Yugoslav) province's city of Pristina. One of the devices exploded near the >door into the house, and the other went in through the window, causing >extensive damage, but no casualties. The outrage was reported to the >international force KFor and the U.N. civilian mission (UNMIK), who >immediately came out to the scene to investigate. Serb eye-witnesses told >UNMIK police the attackers were two ethnic Albanians, Natasa Todorovic's >neighbours Gazmend Sulejmani and Kadrija Sulejmani. __________________________________ 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] ___________________________________
