> >BELGRADE, 30 August 2000 YUGOSLAVIA - CUBA -CUBA'S CASTRO RECEIVES YUGOSLAV >FOREIGN MINISTER -YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER ENDS TALKS IN CUBA > >FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA -YUGOSLAV PREMIER SAYS GOVERNMENT TO >BUILD NEW HOMES IN MONTENEGRO -MATIC: YUGOSLAVIA DID NOT BREAK OFF RELATIONS >WITH EUROPEAN MEDIA -YUGOSLAV PEOPLE TRUST THEIR ARMY - COLONEL > >YUGOSLAVIA-SANCTIONS-EUROPEAN-APPEAL -COUNCIL OF EUROPE OFFICIAL URGES LIFTING >ANTI-YUGOSLAV SANCTIONS > >INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LAND MANAGEMENT IN PRAGUE -YUGOSLAV AGRICULTURAL >EXPERTS ATTEND CONFERENCE IN PRAGUE > >* * * YUGOSLAVIA - CUBA CUBA'S CASTRO RECEIVES YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER >HAVANA, Aug 29 (Tanjug) - Cuban President Fidel Castro received on Monday >Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic, who conveyed greetings and a >personal message from Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. The talks were >held in an open and frank climate and lasted for nearly 7 hours, beginning >with a formal meeting late on Monday local time, and continuing through dinner >given by Castro in honour of the Yugoslav guests. The two sides had a broad >exchange of views on a wide spectrum of subjects of common interest. Castro >showed an exceptionally good knowledge of the situation in Yugoslavia and >expressed admiration for Yugoslavia's brave resistance to last year's NATO >aggression and for the country's swift post-war reconstruction. He went on to >say that Yugoslavia, by defending its own independence and sovereignty, >defended other countries as well, which makes this struggle globally relevant. >Castro also expressed full support for the policy of the Yugoslav government, >especially its efforts to protect the country's sovereignty and independence, >as well as its status in the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement. The >two sides fully agreed on matters of further development of bilateral >relations, on the international situation, and the two countries' cooperation >in international forums, in particular in the United Nations and the >Non-Aligned Movement. According to Castro, so far from discharging their >mission in accordance with U.N. Resolution 1244, the international forces in >the U.N.-run Serbian (Yugoslav) Kosovo-Metohija province have created chaos >and complicated the situation. Kosovo-Metohija is an inseparable part of >Yugoslavia, Castro stressed. He sent his greetings and respects to Milosevic, >and promised to visit friendly Yugoslavia as soon as possible. Jovanovic, who >arrived on an official visit to Cuba on Sunday, had earlier on Monday had >talks with his host, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque. After the meeting, >Jovanovic was optimistic about further development of bilateral relations in >the political, economic, cultural, and many other fields of mutual interest. >Before the talks, Jovanovic had laid flowers at the monument commemorating >Cuba's freedom fighter and poet Jose Marti, and toured the Jose Marti memorial >complex. He also met with diplomatic mission chiefs accredited in Havana. Late >on Monday, Jovanovic and Cuban Minister Marta Lomas signed an inter-state >accord on enhancement of bilateral relations and investment protection. >Jovanovic ends his visit to Cuba on Tuesday, with talks in Parliament and in >the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee. > >YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER ENDS TALKS IN CUBA HAVANA, Aug 29 (Tanjug) - >Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic met on Tuesday with senior >officials of the Cuban parliament and the Communist Party of Cuba. Jovanovic's >partners in talks on the last day of his official visit were Parliament Deputy >Speaker Jaime Crombet and the party's Central Committee Foreign Relations >Department head Jose Ramon Baleguer. The officials conveyed the support of the >Cuban people and government for the Yugoslav people and their leaders, and >best wishes for further development of comprehensive bilateral relations. The >media coverage of Jovanovic's visit has been extensive, and the Yugoslav >minister has been interviewed by leading Cuban media. Later on Tuesday, >Jovanovic ends his official visit to Cuba, paid at the invitation of his >counterpart Felipe Perez Roque, with whom he discussed further development of >bilateral relations and the global political situation. The high-light of >Jovanovic's intensive diplomatic contacts in Cuba was his reception by Cuban >President Fidel Castro late on Monday. His talks with Castro reaffirmed >Yugoslav-Cuban traditional friendship and identical views on bilateral matters >and cooperation at international level. > >FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA YUGOSLAV PREMIER SAYS GOVERNMENT TO >BUILD NEW HOMES IN MONTENEGRO BELGRADE, Aug 29 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Prime >Minister Momir Bulatovic received on Tuesday Reconstruction Directorate chief >Milutin Mrkonjic and Defence Minister Dragoljub Ojdanic, a government >statement said. Mrkonjic briefed the prime minister on the implementation in >Serbia of a national programme for building 10,000 homes in the year 2000, and >the unfolding of a long-term project for building 100,000 homes in the first >decade of the new century. The programme is all-Yugoslav in character, so that >homes are to be built also in the other Yugoslav republic, Montenegro, it was >noted. The Reconstruction Directorate will immediately start building housing >facilities, at a fixed price and with a 6-month deadline for completion, in >the Montenegrin towns of Podgorica, Kolasin, Ulcinj, Tivat, Herceg Novi, and >Pljevlja. As in Serbia, the homes to be built in Montenegro will go to young >married couples, Yugoslav Army servicemen, and police officers. The Yugoslav >Army has already offered development land for the purpose. The Directorate, in >cooperation with the Montenegrin government and interested municipalities, is >expected to secure further locations for this all-Yugoslav development >programme, the statement said. > >MATIC: YUGOSLAVIA DID NOT BREAK OFF RELATIONS WITH EUROPEAN MEDIA BELGRADE, >Aug 30 (Tanjug).- Yugoslav Minister of Information Goran Matic said Wednesday >he agreed to the proposal of the head of the European Broadcasting Union Tony >Naets to resume cooperation with the EBU, as soon as the international >community and the EBU start treating Yugoslavia as a an equal member. Matic >also demanded that the EBU publicly condemn the war crimes committed by NATO, >the US and the European Union against Serbia and Yugoslavia during last year's >(March-June) aggression, and that it demand that the persons responsible be >taken to justice. Naets's proposal contained in his letter of August 25 was >motivated by the interest of foreign media in the forthcoming presidential and >parliamentary elections in Yugoslavia scheduled for September 24. Naets in his >letter pointed out that Yugoslavia's national broadcaster was one of the >founding members of the EBU and that they had enjoyed long-standing >cooperation. This is true, Matic said in his response, and underlined that >Yugoslavia had done nothing to break off this cooperation. After last year's >brutal and criminal NATO aggression on this sovereign state, we only refuse to >cooperate with the countries that had instigated and organized the bombings >which lasted two and a half months, killing innocent civilians and devastating >Yugoslavia's infrastructure, Matic said. Sixteen journalists and other >employees of Serbian Radio-Television (RTS) were killed on April 23, 1999, >when NATO bombed central Belgrade, Matic recalled. Leaders of NATO, the US, >Britain, France and Germany had publicly stated that the RTS had been a >legitimate target, as the RTS had been defending Serbia's and Yugoslavia's >state policy, Matic noted, underlining that that policy was in fact a policy >of defending national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national >identity. The EBU has never clearly condemned that crime committed by NATO, >nor has it demanded that the organizers and perpetrators of that crime be >taken to justice for war crimes. It has also not opposed the political >decision that the RTS satellite broadcasts be taken off the air although the >RTS had paid all its dues to that effect, Matic said. The goal of that >decision was to prevent the world from seeing authentic pictures of the NATO >and US crimes in Serbia and Yugoslavia, and to use media manipulations to get >the world public opinion to approve the unlawful and criminal aggression on >this sovereign European state, Matic said. > >YUGOSLAV PEOPLE TRUST THEIR ARMY - COLONEL BELGRADE, Aug 29 (Tanjug) - The >morale of the Yugoslav army during last year's NATO aggression was very high >and stable, and it is the same now, according to a Yugoslav army spokesman on >Tuesday. Colonel Svetozar Radisic quoted figures at a news conference from a >survey showing that 90 percent of the respondents supported the defence of >freedom at all costs. This is the result of a good training of the officers >and men, their political, mental and physical capacitation for resisting >aggression, their patriotism and experience gleaned in combat, Radisic said. >Also, he added, a contributing factor was a relatively good rear support and >good inter-army relations. The survey, made in late July, showed 98 percent of >the respondents having confidence in the Army Command, 93 percent trusting >their immediate commanding officers, and 84 percent trusting to the armament >and materiel, an improvement on the war-time figures. Radisic said the life >and work of the people and the army are interwoven, and the customary positive >attitude of the people to the army and defence was especially pronounced >during the NATO aggression. "The morale of the army is the result of the >morale of the people," he said. The people's respect for the army has grown >with their joint efforts to rebuilt the NATO-devastated country and with the >army's being ever ready to lend a hand to alleviate the consequences of >natural calamities, he added. Speaking about the situation in the U.N.-run >Serbian (Yugoslav) Kosovo-Metohija province, Radisic said that the >international force KFor has in its ranks mercenaries and criminals taken out >of prison for army service. This, according to Radisic, makes for poor >service, a high rate of desertion, suicide, self-wounding, involvement in >crime, drug and alcohol abuse. "Such a force cannot discharge its mandate >under U.N. Resolution 1244, and the international community must find a way >for the Yugoslav army and the Serbian police to re-establish the order that >Kosovo-Metohija had before the emplacement of the `new Balkan order'", Radisic >said. > >YUGOSLAVIA-SANCTIONS-EUROPEAN-APPEAL COUNCIL OF EUROPE OFFICIAL URGES LIFTING >ANTI-YUGOSLAV SANCTIONS ALBAH, Austria, Aug 30 (Tanjug) - A senior Council of >Europe official has appealed for lifting anti-Yugoslav sanctions. Addressing >an annual Europan Forum in Albah in the Austrian Tyrol region, Council >Secretary General Walter Schwimmer spoke of the disastrous consequences of the >sanctions, which he said should be lifted. Europe should have to consider the >effects of those sanctions, according to Schwimmer. He was alluding primarily >to the European Union, which has clamped the sanctions on Yugoslavia obviously >motivated solely by political considerations. The European Union has adopted >the anti-civilisational and anti-democratic measure and is maintaining it >under open pressure from the United States. The sanctions have certainly had >the worst effect on the Yugoslav people, but criticisms of their detrimental >effects on the rest of Europe are becoming more and more frequent. A case in >point is a statement by Albert Rohan of the Austrian foreign ministry, whom >Vienna's Die Presse newspaper quotes on Wednesday also as urging for lifting >the sanctions against Yugoslavia. > >INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LAND MANAGEMENT IN PRAGUE YUGOSLAV AGRICULTURAL >EXPERTS ATTEND CONFERENCE IN PRAGUE PRAGUE, Aug 30 (Tanjug).- An international >conference on land management in central and eastern Europe, central Asia and >Mongolia, which has ended in Prague, was attended on behalf of Yugoslavia by >Prof. Stanimir Kostadinov of the Belgrade University Forestry College and by >Branislav Gulan, editor of the Ekonomska Politika magazine. The participants >heard with special attention the reports and papers presented by Kostadinov >and Gulan, particularly those concerning land degradation caused by last >year's NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and by the long-term sanctions. NATO bombs >devastated 77 hectares of forests in Serbia alone (no figures are available >for its southern province of Kosovo-Metohija), four out of its five national >parks were bombed, about 100,000 birds perished and many wildlife habitats >were destroyed for ever. The overall damage caused by NATO to Yugoslavia's >natural resources, including national parks and nature reserves, has been >assessed at over 2 billion dollars. Moreover, land, air and waterways have >been polluted by leaks of oil and chemicals from industrial facilities bombed >by NATO. _______________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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