BELGRADE, 6 August 2000 YUGOSLAVIA - DIASPORA - CONVENTION PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES PARTICIPANTS IN DIASPORA CONVENTION UNITY AND SOLIDARITY BETWEEN MOTHER COUNTRY AND DIASPORA SERB DIASPORA ELECTS NEW COUNCIL KOSOVO-METOHIJA - TERRORISM ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS KILL SERB ELDER a.. * * YUGOSLAVIA - DIASPORA - CONVENTION PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES PARTICIPANTS IN DIASPORA CONVENTION BELGRADE, August 6 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic received late on Saturday 260 representatives of the Serb diaspora from 40 countries of all continents - participants in the 2nd Diaspora Convention in Belgrade from August 3-5, 2000. The visitors informed the President about the agreements reached at this year's assembly and actions that have been realized toward providing material assistance to the homeland. They said they were very grateful that Yugoslavia was constantly making efforts to strengthen ties between the mother country and the diaspora. This has enabled several million Serbs abroad to establish ties through joint efforts to help protect vital national interests and preserve the national identity, they said. Addressing the guests, Milosevic greeted four million compatriots and their offspring who live all over the world. He emphasized that the unity of the people were the key and the solution in the difficult past times which befell Yugoslavia under international sanctions and the NATO aggression. Milosevic stressed freedom and independence as the main objectives of the national policy. He said it was necessary to strengthen Yugoslavia, a state of equal citizens, equal nations and the equal republics of Serbia and Montenegro. Milosevic consistently advocated a political settlement of problems in Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province, an end to the unsuccessful missions KFOR and UNMIK, and that the authorities of the home state organs take over responsibility and that all Yugoslav citizens return to Kosovo and Metohija, and all those who entered the Province illegally depart. The Yugoslav President said it was necessary to step up production standards, fortify social and general security and development. He also stressed the development of democratic institutions and free media, and the development of international relations on the principles of equality with respect for the principles of international law. "These objectives of our policy are in the interests of all our people and our state, and they are not against the interests of any nation, any state, not even those whose governments want to play the role of new colonizers in the modern world," Milosevic said, underscoring that Yugoslavia was now a country with the biggest rate of economic growth in Europe. "The new colonizers should ask themselves why their favourites, in spite of all their help, are unable to realize even half the growth rate which Yugoslavia is realizing in such a situation," Milosevic said. Slobodan Lazovic, the president of the Montenegrin cultural-artistic society "Njegos" of Sydney, Australia, thanked the Yugoslav President on behalf of the diaspora representatives. Lazovic said he wished that the decisions of this patriotic meeting would be realized "with brotherly love at all future conventions as well." "We wish Yugoslavia full success and its people progress and development in the very near future," Lazovic said. The youngest participant in Convention Diaspora 2000, Jelena Mrdovic of Switzerland, greeted President Milosevic, conveying to him the admiration of other young people from the diaspora "for the heroic resistance of the people under your leadership." Milosevic then spoke with his guests. In cordial talks, the President learned about their interests and proposals in connection with launching business deals and investments in Yugoslavia. The reception was attended also by Yugoslav Deputy Premier Nikola Sainovic, Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic, Yugoslav Army Chief of General Staff Gen. Nebojsa Pavkovic, Serbian Parliament President Dragan Tomic, and other political and cultural figures. b.. c.. d.. UNITY AND SOLIDARITY BETWEEN MOTHER COUNTRY AND DIASPORA BELGRADE, August 6 (Tanjug) - At the closing session late Saturday, participants in Convention Diaspora 2000, a meeting of the Serb diaspora held in Belgrade from Aug 3-5, greeted by acclamation a proposal from participants from Switzerland to back Slobodan Milosevic's nomination for the office of Yugoslav President at the upcoming elections. After three days of work, the assembly closed in an atmosphere of unity and solidarity between the mother country and the diaspora, and expressed pride in the preservation of national freedom and independence and speedy reconstruction, to which Serbs and Montenegrins living abroad have contributed greatly. This was emphasized in a closing speech delivered by Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic, who is also co-president of the Diaspora Council. The wish to continue helping Yugoslavia's development was transformed into an assembly decision that participants will launch an initiative that every diaspora citizen of voting age contribute 100 D-marks annually toward this noble cause. In addition to this decision, participants also adopted a Declaration, as well as a special Statement on Kosovo and Metohija province of the Yugoslav Republic of Serbia. In the Statement on Kosovo and Metohija, the participants in the assembly of the Yugoslav diaspora urged the United Nations Security Council consistently to implement Resolution 1244, fully to respect Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territorial integrity in Kosovo and Metohija, and to annul all UNMIK provisions which are in violation of this resolution and aimed at the secession of Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia and Yugoslavia. The Statement warns that UNMIK and its chief Bernard Kouchner, with their decisions aimed at severing all ties between Kosovo and Metohija and Serbia and Yugoslavia, are drastically violating Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that they are trying to legalize the ethnic cleansing of Serbs and other non-Albanians from the province by preparing illegal and illegitimate elections in Kosovo and Metohija, thus creating conditions for its secession. Among other things, the Statement demands also the full disarming and demilitarization of the terrorist organization, the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army, an efficient end to terrorism and ethnic cleansing, as well as the safe return of 350,000 expelled Serbs and other non-Albanians to the province. The Declaration adopted by Convention Diaspora 2000 said that a vast national and patriotic energy has been released since the first meeting in August 1999. Vital progress has been achieved in strengthening ties and cooperation between the mother country and the diaspora, the Declaration said. The diaspora has cemented its unity with the homeland, demonstrated high morale, patriotism, and brotherly solidarity in the most difficult period of Yugoslavia's struggle for freedom, sovereignty and integrity, and defense of national honour and dignity, said the Declaration. With this document, participants pledged that they would also contribute toward affirming the policy of openness of the mother country to equal cooperation with all countries and nations, and spreading the truth in the world about Yugoslavia and the situation in Kosovo and Metohija. The Declaration also underscored that the Yugoslav diaspora would back programs by respective state organs in Yugoslavia which are aimed at promoting education and the upbringing of young generations in the diaspora in the mother tongue. Convention Diaspora 2000 also decided to set up a "Serb House" in Belgrade, as a unique place for meetings, communication and cooperation between the mother country and the diaspora, and a symbol of their unbreakable bonds. The assembly participants also elected a new Council which comprises 11 members each from the diaspora and the mother country. Closing the three-day meeting, Minister Jovanovic said it had been constructive, comprehensive and had provided new energy for strengthening patriotism, unity and solidarity. Speaking about the results achieved since the first assembly, Jovanovic said new directions had been set and new ideas for strengthening the mother country and the diaspora, so that the Yugoslav people could get their rightful place in Europe and in the world, the one they have held for millenniums. "The goals and objectives of our country are peace, understanding, openness and cooperation with all other nations and countries," Jovanovic reiterated. Jovanovic also spoke about the importance of the adopted documents and pointed out the concrete obligations facing diaspora Councils in every respective country. These obligations are to spread the truth and present the real face of Yugoslavia, its Government and people, who have a rich history and are today at the ramparts of the noblest legacies of civilization, history and culture, Jovanovic said. e.. f.. SERB DIASPORA ELECTS NEW COUNCIL BELGRADE, Aug 6 (Tanjug) - Convention Diaspora 2000 elected a new Council at its closing session in Belgrade on Saturday, comprising 11 members each from the mother country and the diaspora. Council members from Yugoslavia are: Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts President Dejan Medakovic, Bishop Irinej of Backa, Federal Minister Borka Vucic, Serbian Deputy Premier Ratko Markovic, Directorate for National Renewal Director Milutin Mrkonjic, Serbian Cultural-Educational Community President Milisav Milenkovic, Radio Belgrade Director Milivoje Pavlovic, good-will ambassador, athlete Dragutin Topic, and Federal Assistant Minister Slavko Vejinovic. One seat has been reserved for a representative of the Montenegrin Government. Council members from the diaspora are: Milivoje Milicevic from Germany, Stanislav Gasparovski from Great Britain, Cedomir Nestorovic from France, Miroslav Mlinar from Australia, Dusan Vasiljevic from South Africa, Gojko Slijepcevic from Sweden, Djurica Golomejic from the United States, Mihajlo Mike Milicevic from Canada, Slavko Mrdovic from Switzerland, Vera Vidovic from Austria, and Slobodan Uzelac from Croatia. g.. h.. KOSOVO-METOHIJA - TERRORISM ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS KILL SERB ELDER LIPLJAN, August 6 (Tanjug) - Ethnic Albanian terrorists killed an elderly Serb shepherd, Milorad Milic of Skulanevo village, municipality of Lipljan, southwest of Pristina, with automatic fire on Saturday afternoon, amateur radio operators said. Milic was killed while tending his cattle near the village, at the very moment when international force KFOR members were giving a lecture to Serbs in the village about the dangers of anti-personnel mines, the sources said. When the bursts of fire were heard, the KFOR troops dispersed. After many hours, at about 7.30 p.m. local time, the UNMIK police and KFOR organized a search for the terrorists, but to no avail. An investigation is under way, but there are no reports yet that the criminals have been apprehended, the radio operators reported from the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija. __________________________________ 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] ___________________________________
