Milutinovic-Granic

Milan Milutinovic and Mate Granic, foreign ministers of the FRY and Croatia, managed to sign a document in Zagreb on March 11 which both said was "a big step towards normalization". They reached agreement on reopening the oil pipeline (March 28), restoring rail and air traffic and telecommunications links and some postal services. They also agreed in principle to reopen the Belgrade-Zagreb highway but left the details for later. Traffic along the highway should be restored "within a month".

The existing FRY and Croatia bureaus in Belgrade and Zagreb have been raised to consulate level.

They also discussed Prevlaka and Bosnian Serb Republic access to the sea and the Srem-Baranja region but reached no specific agreement. They agreed on a visit to Belgrade by Granic in late April.

Bogdanovic Defends Jasenovac

"I will fiercely oppose Tudjman's initiative to turn the Jasenovac memorial into a joint memorial for the victims and the killers," architect and author of the Jasenovac monument Bogdan Bogdanovic told Split weekly Feral Tribune. "This is cultural genocide. If Tudjman wants to be stubborn I'll create problems wherever possible, I'll draw international organizations and the media into the game along with everyone I know."

Weekend in Cyprus

Mira Markovic, President Milosevic's wife, the JUL boss, Belgrade university professor and Russian academy member, spent last weekend in Cyprus. There was no promotion of her book (Night and Day) but she shared her thoughts with the Yugoslavs there. VREME sources in Nicosia reported that Markovic was the guest of Borka Vucic, director of the Beogradska Banka office in Cyprus and was seen in the company of Srdjan Karic who's taking care of Karic Brothers business interests on the island as well as Slobodan Unkovic, the incoming FRY ambassador to China.

High Jump Patriot

Yugoslav high jumper Dragutin Topic won first place in Stockholm at the European championship with a jump of 2.35 meters. He thanked God and his coach Svraka and recalled that he stayed in his country under the sanctions and proved that "miracles can be done here and limits moved".

By writing This is Gold For Serbia, Thank God, Topic completely ignored Montenegro along with the rest of the world which was left without gold: "I felt a debt to my people. I was sports ambassador in Stockholm and I wanted to show the world that we exist and reach heights to admire."

Galeb

The Montenegrin government is repeating the auction for the Tito's ship Galeb and nine other vessels it got from the FRY navy in exchange for the Pinjes suburb of Ulcinj. Starting bids for Galeb stand at three million DEM for foreigners or 10 million dinars for Yugoslavs.

Galeb is probably too big to be bought by someone rich in a bought of extravagance, feelings for Tito also don't affect the demand. Chances of turning the ship into an economically viable venture are smaller than they were 15 years ago.

The ship is anchored in Tivat harbor.

Marlboro

Petar Ivanovic, a well known businessman and host to Vladimir Zhirinovsky during his tour of Serbia and Montenegro, will repay a loan of 2.7 million USD that cause a scandal at the Podgorica offices of Jugobanka last year, VREME was told by very reliable sources. The bank signed a deal on importing Marlboro with Ivanovic two years ago and gave him the 2.7 million in cash. Since the imports were difficult because of the sanctions and Ivanovic wasn't paying back the loan, the police arrested bank director Radmila Kalezic who spent almost a year in jail waiting for trial. She was charged with not getting guarantees from Ivanovic.

The court ruled that Ivanovic could be questioned in Vienna where he lives now but that ruling is meeting with unexplained difficulties. The Jugobanka Podgorica management board decided to sue Ivanovic but that decision isn't being implemented either. VREME learned that Ivanovic will pay up thanks to the mediation of the Montenegrin government. Jugobanka owes the government about a million USD and the government recently signed a deal with Ivanovic under which he has to supply water purification equipment to the value of his debt. VREME sources said the decision has been taken already and added that the equipment will cover the whole debt. The sources also said Kalezic will go on trial in April and receive a sentence of a year in prison which is exactly the time she spent there.

Strike

Teachers and staff at the Nis university school of philosophy started a strike on March 11 demanding immediate improvements in working conditions, a minimum wage of 300 dinars (around 85 DEM) instead of the current 160 and 500 dinars in damages for the salaries they received late or did not get at all. If their demands aren't met by April 20 all classes will be stopped. The school actually includes three university schools which teach math, chemistry, physics, philosophy, sociology, English, Serbian and physical education operates under difficult conditions. The funds it gets from the state are lower than for an average university school. Two thirds of the staff of 250 signed a demand for the strike including 106 doctors of science.

In their search for support and solidarity, they sent letters to all university centers in Serbia, expert associations, their own rector's office, the education ministry even the Serbian academy of sciences. The only support they got was from the Serbian chemistry association Nis branch and republican University staff union.

The strike committee said the pressure they are undergoing is fierce. The dean was given carte blanche by the authorities and there have been threats of dismissal and suspension.

Natives

The organization that has called itself the Serbian Native Organization was accused by Vecernje Novosti daily of "dabbling in fascism". The accusation came after a poster by the organization calling for "our own authorities, army and police" which Novosti said was "an invitation into darkness". The daily would be worthy of praise if memory didn't serve. The organization published a poster last summer in the midst of the hunt for Krajina Serb men of army age. The poster was titled Deserters to the Front and said "our children won't die for the homes of deserters". The poster and the several thousand Krajina Serbs refugees who were hunted down didn't attract the attention of the daily.