Macedonia: Air-traffic

The partial suspension of the sanctions got things going at Belgrade airport. Many old lines were restored and seemingly only the Belgrade-Skoplje line can't get started. Since the number of people traveling between Serbia and Macedonia is growing daily and interest in air travel is rising we asked Macedonian traffic minister Dimitar Buzlevski about developing air traffic between Serbia and Macedonia and Macedonia's investment and development plans.

BUZLEVSKI: "In terms of traffic inside the country I have to say everything is characterized by the blockade on the north and south which burdens already difficult traffic conditions and obstructs our economy.

As for passenger traffic between Serbia and Macedonia, it is being normalized but that is still far from what it was and what we want it to be.

In terms of air traffic, our priority is gaining control of flights over our state, i.e. taking over traffic control and registration of flights over Macedonia. That would give us significant funds to plan the development and modernization of our air traffic and airport services.

As for the Belgrade-Skoplje line, I see no serious problems. There are some technical details to be defined, but that will be solved soon. We reached agreement with JAT and the line will open soon."

Macedonia's oldest and largest travel agency, Palas Turist, including Palair, flies regularly to Belgrade and has offices at Belgrade airport. Buzlevski said that was Palair's private affair, and that they had not reached an agreement with anyone and probably wished to influence the government's decision.

The second largest airline MAT, which many say has the Belgrade line reserved for itself, was formed by former JAT flying crews and staff, with most of the capital in it known to belong to high ranking officials, former ruling circles and politician's children.

The third largest airline Avioimpeks is believed to be a complete outsider in this game.

 

Croatia: Government factions

Tudjman is unhappy with the radicals in his party and the party as a whole. So he wants Croatia's ruling HDZ to give up on modeling official policies and adopt a package of laws which will strengthen his personal power.

In a few days, Croatian prime minister Nikica Valentic will have been on the job for two years and that is also the longest running government under Tudjman's rule. The widely spread belief is that it is the most successful Croatian government in the past five years but still it won't be a surprise if it resigns soon.

The government curbed inflation and introduced elementary financial order into the economy but that is perhaps the only point in its favor.

Valentic's cabinet is under great pressure from the radical right in the HDZ to replace its Zero Inflation policies with a policy of Zero Chetniks, i.e. to turn into a government that will efficiently end the war and disregard everything else. The government has resisted that demand so far but the price it paid is so high that it's reformist and democratic wrapping dropped off in other places.

Valentic had to accept the fact that some important government posts were held by people he disagreed with politically and did not control (Seks, Susak, Skegro...). He also had to agree to hand over some secondary posts which are important to the country's prestige to outsiders of Tudjman's choice such as education and culture minister Vesna Girardi-Jurkic or her replacement Zlatko Vitez.

It's completely different with the ministers Valentic picked himself. They are under constant pressure that no one is curbing and the prime minister is unable to deflect it. Justice minister Ivica Crnic who recently resigned over political interference in the judiciary, saw his close friend Valentic refuse to accept his resignation but hurry to add that the resignation would be discussed. Valentic also accepted the departure of his friend Mladen Vedris from the HDZ and indications are that the third man he is close to, INA oil refinery director Franjo Greguric, could be ousted soon.

There are also some indications that doubts were fanned to allow HDZ radicals to get their financial paws on INA and turn it into their financier. As a symbolic sign that exactly this was done, one of the directorial posts of that oil giant was given to former Herzeg-Bosnia leader Mate Boban. He is generally believed to have no idea about the job but that makes the message clearer. Probably so he won't talk about what goes in INA, Greguric was allegedly told that he has to go because he was the Astra company representative in Moscow under the previous regime and "everyone knows" that those posts were given only to people who worked for the secret police.

 

Banja Luka: Catholic Bishop Franjo Komarica

In the past four years of war, Banja Luka's Catholic Bishop Franjo Komarica witnessed a silent ethnic cleansing. The 26,000 Croats remaining under the Bosnian Serb authorities are an oppressed minority with no guaranteed rights, exposed to abuse and torture or surveillance, most of them without jobs or salaries. Non-Serb residents live off the humanitarian aid that comes to Banja Luka through Caritas and their movements are limited. Although far from the front lines, life for Croats in Banja Luka is not easy. In an effort to protect people and make their lives easier, Bishop Komarica often spoke to the authorities which some of the Croatian media said means he's getting too close to the Serbs.

KOMARICA: I would like to bring the people who said that to Banja Luka. What right do they have to say anything about me! My conscience is clear because I know I have the support of my brethren bishops, nuncios and the Holy Father himself. I am not a politician, nor do I want to be one; I am a priest and I have to work for others. My job is to protect people who are down, not inflict more suffering.

The situation Croats face here is extremely difficult, tragic. The best illustration are the 40,000 Catholics who fled the diocese since the war broke out. Most of them left the Banja Luka region where there were 16,000 Croats once. People forget that 18,000 Catholics were expelled from Jajce and Kotor Varos, and that Sanski Most, Mrkonjic Grad and other places were cleansed.

That is just one stage in the ethnic cleansing plan. There is increasingly more panic among non-Serbs, people leave their homes, property and try to go anywhere. There was no real fighting in this area which is just proof that this is a crime against peaceful people. The situation is hard and uncertain for most people, especially for the non-Serb population. Almost all of them lost their jobs long ago which means they have no incomes or social security. The economy has been practically destroyed and poverty has engulfed even the Serbs. We are trying to make things easier for our faithful through Caritas, but also for Moslems and Serbs who ask us for food, medicine and medical assistance every day.

Our relations with representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church are very good. Thanks to the good relations between our churches Banja Luka parishioner Jefrem intervened with his people on several occasions to protect our people. I speak to the Orthodox Bishop often on the telephone and the Mufti. We wrote several appeals for peace and we have no difficulties on that side. But even the good relations with the Orthodox church couldn't save the lives of a number of Catholic priests who were killed. Add to that, the fact some of our priests spent months in jail and still feel the consequences, and the position of the Catholic church becomes clear.

 

Slovenia: Expulsions

Slovenia's defence ministry has proved it has a feeling for successful business moves. If things keep going as smoothly as they are now the ministry will get its hands on eight million German marks worth of a total of 28.6 million in former Yugoslav army property. Recent expulsions from apartments are just an introduction to a flood of expulsions of around 300 families from army owned apartments, which can be expected. That is the number of law suits the defence ministry won against a total of 1,060 families it sued to take possession of former Yugoslav army housing.

The new wave of expulsions is accompanied by sharp public protests this time. Last week the Slovenian parliament saw demonstrations by a large group of people who are about to be thrown out of their homes; the most desperate among them even threatened hunger strikes. The Helsinki monitor in Slovenia sharply protested to the Council of Europe. Inside parliament, several deputies asked for a delay in the expulsions because of damage to Slovenia's reputation. They warned that Croatia had given up those expulsions after protests from Europe. The final word is expected from the Drnovsek government and constitutional court.

In the meantime, the people in the apartments in question are facing hasty law suits. Many lawyers and the Helsinki Monitor testified that those hearings take up to five minutes to rule in favor of the defence ministry.