SRNA REVIEW OF DAILY NEWS, April 16, 1996

Srpska Republica News Agency (SRNA) Directory

From: Mirjana Petrovic <almirja@cotton.vislab.olemiss.edu>

SARAJEVO - The president of Republika Srpska (RS) Radovan Karadzic, sent an appeal to all agricultural workers and county boards to redouble their efforts during this Spring's sowing so as to put as much land as possible to use. The RS president said that the county boards can quite easily obtain the necessary fuel, which can be paid for with defence bonds, each of which has a nominal value of 50 DM.

SARAJEVO - The chief of the IFOR joint operations centre, Andrew Cummings, stated at a press conference in Pale, that all sides in the Former B-H started to withdraw their armies and heavy weaponry into military barracks, as is consistent with the Dayton agreement. "Despite the difficult experiences, all sides remain committed to their obligations. We see a spirit of general cooperation", stated Cummings, adding that the implementation of the D+120 plan is one of the biggest and most complex military operations in history.

BERLIN - The German press published the statement RS vice president Nikola Koljevic that the Muslims and Croats who fled their homes in the RS will not be in position to return until the huge number of Serbs expelled from the CroatMuslim Federation are accommodated. While giving special emphasis to Koljevic's interview given "Nasa Borba", the "Deutche Zeitung" connects this statement with recent claims on the part of the EU administrator in Mostar, Hans Koschnik, that "a decision on the return of refuges is unrealistic and unfeasible".

LONDON - Following the RS rejection to take part in the Brussels conference under the CroatMuslim Federation, NATO is hastily training and arming the Muslim army to enable it to defeat the Serbs, claim secret diplomatic sources in London. While concluding that NATO's nervousness is growing with the approach of the deadline for the withdrawal of the multinational forces from B-H, the same source adds that this nervousness is obvious through open calls to Serbian people to overthrow presi dent Karadzic and general Mladic, if they want to get any aid from donors.

ATHENS - The Greek paper "Tanea" assesses that parallel with the approach of elections in the Former B-H, pressure is increas ing for the RS state leadership. The West claims that Radovan Karadzic and general Ratko Mladic must step down because of the Hague Tribunal indictments.

BRUSSELS - The U.S. deputy commerce secretary, Lawrence Summers, stated that the RS must deliver Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic to the Hague Tribunal if it wants to get its part of funds offered at the Donors Conference in Brussels. The partici pants of the Conference pointed out that they will not turn their back on the Serbian people, but will finance humanitarian needs, mine field clearing and public works programmes throughout the country.

BEOGRAD - The vicepresident of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), Predrag Protic, stated that the RS cannot count on the international community's sympathy, even though its presence at the Brussels Conference would mean a lot in the international aspect.

MOSCOW - The Russian president, Boris Yeltzin, stated that under no conditions he will sit at the negotiating table with the Chechen separatist Johar Dudayev. "I will not negotiate with him directly", stated Yeltzin in Kasnador where he is paying an elec tion campaign visit. He added that the Chechen war can be ended only by the use of force.

DOBOJ - While on visit to the Croat villages in the Tesanj area, the president of the CroatMuslim Federation, Kresimir Zubak, promised the creation of the Croatian municipality of Usora by the end of May, reports Croat Radio HercegBosnia. In an interview granted Croat RadioStudio-Usora, Zubak explained that he would ask the Muslim president Alija Izetbegovic to recognise the Croat municipality of Usora - to be composed of Croat commu nities from the former municipalities of Tesanj, Doboj, Sivsa, Alibegovici and Ularice.

TURIN - The Italian weekly paper "Espresso" published a commentary on the situation in Mostar following the decision of the former EU administrator Hans Koschnik to hand over his posi tion to Spaniard Ricardo Peres Casado. In a column titled "War for rebuilding", "Espresso" says that both Croats and Muslims are intending to maintain their positions through the construction of churches and mosques and not allow the unification of the city.

PODGORICA - The president of the Executive Board of the National Party of Monte Negro , Predrag Drecun, stated for SRNA that this political party will take part at the elections in the RS under the name of the National Party of Srpska.

BEOGRAD - Services will be held at the Belgrade synagogue commemorating the victims of the holocaust and the Warsaw upris ing.

BANJALUKA - The Nottingham Police Station sent 125 tonnes of humanitarian aid to BAnjaluka. The aid, worth over 1,000,000 DM, was gathered upon the initiative of Nottingham police officer Ra domir Petrovic who, together with another 24 English policemen, accompanied the aid to Banjaluka.

BIJELJINA - The German ACY Pharmaceutical Company, from Stuttgart, delivered 150,000 DM worth of medicine to the humani tarian pharmacy in Banjaluka. /end/