BETA DAILY NEWS March 7
Narrowing of Buffer Zone Matter of Days Says Covic -- Southern Serbia and Macedonian Border Calmer, Skopje Warns Extremists -- Mixed Reactions to U.S. Criticism of Montenegro Referendum Act -- Djindjic: By Taking Over Oil Import Government Begins Fight against Organized Crime -- Yugoslavia, U.S. Sign Agreement on Technical and Economic Cooperation
COVIC: NARROWING OF BUFFER ZONE BEGINS BETWEEN MARCH 10 AND MARCH 12. On March 6, Serbian Deputy Premier Nebojsa Covic ruled out a possibility for the army and police to withdraw from southern Serbia.
At a press conference of the Democratic Alternative party, whose leader he is, he said that such "talk and manipulation" is launched by the "advocates of war".
In an interview with the Belgrade Radio B92, Covic said that the "narrowing of the ground security zone" should begin between March 10 and March 12, adding that the first phase of this operation will include the villages of Lucane and Veliki Trnovac.
According to Covic, after the last, sixth phase in the narrowing of the buffer zone "there will be no more extremists and armed groups, and there will be no need for special engagement of the Yugoslav security forces."
Covic confirmed that authorities in Belgrade and Albanians from southern Serbia, with NATO guarantees, "will sign a ceasefire agreement around March 10," after which a dialogue should begin with political representatives of the Albanian population from the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.
NATO CONSIDERING ALLOWING YUGOSLAV SOLDERS INTO BUFFER ZONE. NATO Secretary General George Robertson said on March 6 in New York that NATO was considering a possibility of allowing the deployment of Yugoslav forces in the border region between the southern Serbian province and Macedonia.
"We are looking very closely now at the possible decision to allow Yugoslav forces into the ground safety zone along the border with the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia," Robertson told the press after a meeting with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in connection with the crisis in Macedonia. Earlier, Robertson met with representatives of 15 countries members of the U.N. Security Council.
"I hope a decision on that will be taken this week," Robertson added.
BELGRADE: BEGINNING OF THE END OF SECURITY ZONE. Yugoslav Interior Minister Zoran Zivkovic said that NATO's pledge to consider allowing Yugoslav security forces to patrol the border with Macedonia in the Ground Safety Zone could mean the beginning of the end of the buffer zone. "I hope that this is the beginning of the abolition of this zone in southern Serbia and that would mean that Serbia's south will soon become a peaceful area," Zivkovic said on Radio B92.
Serbian Vice Premier Nebojsa Covic welcomed NATO's announced review of the zone. Covic, who heads the Serbia and Yugoslav governments' coordinating body for southern Serbia, told BETA that statements made by NATO officials in New York meant that "we are together going towards stability for the entire region," by exercising patience in resolving the crisis in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac, and Medvedja.
YUGOSLAV PM MEETS WITH ANNAN
HALIMI: WE WANT LAPBM TO LEAD US IN NEGOTIATIONS
RUGOVA URGES MACEDONIAN AUTHORITIES TO BE MORE MODERATE
DINSTBIER IN SOUTHERN SERBIA
DJINDJIC: U.S. HAS NOT MADE DEMANDS BUT RECOMMENDATIONS
U.S. OBJECTS TO MONTENEGRIN REFERENDUM ACT
MONTENEGRIN FOREIGN MINISTRY REJECTS U.S. CRITICISM
MIXED REACTIONS IN PODGORICA
BRITISH DIPLOMAT: WE WILL NOT DICTATE SOLUTIONS TO MONTENEGRO
PLENTY OF EVIDENCE AGAINST RADE MARKOVIC SAYS JUDICIARY OFFICIAL
DRASKOVIC TO TESTIFY IN PROCEEDINGS AGAINST RADE MARKOVIC
ARKAN'S WIFE ASKS THAT HER HUSBAND MURDERERS BE GIVEN DEATH SENTENCE
PROSECUTOR IN MILANOVIC CASE ASKS THAT DEL PONTE AND DINSTBIER TESTIFY
SOME 70 PEOPLE STILL GUARDING MILOSEVIC
Macedonia
MACEDONIA: NO MAJOR CLASHES, BORDER STILL CLOSED
KFOR ARRESTS THREE ALBANIANS WHO CROSSED FROM MACEDONIA ILLEGALLY
MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY SAYS CONFLICT COULD SPREAD
TRAJKOVSKI RULES OUT TALKS WITH TERRORISTS
Bosnia-Herzegovina
PRESS: CARLA DEL PONTE TO BRING 35 INDICTMENTS TO SARAJEVO
CROATIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY REJECTS U.S. ACCUSATIONS
PETRITSCH SAYS WILL TAKE ACTION AGAINST RADICAL CROATS
Croatia
ZAGREB PRESS: SUSPECTS IN AHMICI CASE ARRESTED AND THEN RELEASED
MESIC SAYS SPECIAL TIES AGREEMENT DANGEROUS TO BOSNIAN ENTITIES
Business
LABUS, MONTGOMERY SIGN AGREEMENT ON ECONOMIC, TECHNICAL COOPERATION
DJINDJIC: STATE TAKES MONOPOLY ON OIL IMPORTS
CORRIDOR 10: JOINTLY TO FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF EU
FRONT PAGE REVIEW
PRESS REVIEW
VECERNJE NOVOSTI -- TAPUSKOVIC PLAVSIC'S NEW LAWYER
POLITIKA -- YUGOSLAV LEFT SECRETARY GENERAL RESIGNS
EVENTS OF THE DAY -- MARCH 7
BELGRADE - 11:00 a.m. - Democratic Center press conference.
BELGRADE - 11:00 a.m. - Yugoslav National Bank - Press conference about the first 100 days of office of new central bank officials.
BELGRADE - 11:00 a.m. - G17 Plus group press conference.
BELGRADE - Noon - Movement for Democratic Serbia press conference.
BELGRADE - Noon - Serbian legislature - Press conference of the opposition Socialist Party of Serbia's caucus.
BELGRADE - 12:30 p.m. - Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce - Meeting of representatives of Croatian and Yugoslav transportation companies.
BELGRADE - 1:00 p.m. - Federation Palace - Press conference of Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica.
POZAREVAC - 11:00 a.m. - Representatives of Serbian Justice Ministry and local authorities to visit the Pozarevac prison.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR MARCH 7.
The weather in Yugoslavia on March 7 will be cold and mostly sunny, with the lowest temperature from -3 to 1 degrees Celsius, and from 6 to 9 degrees at the Montenegrin coast. The highest daily temperature will range from 8 to 12 degrees, and up to 16 degrees at the Montenegrin coast.
The weather in Belgrade is expected to be mostly sunny. The temperature will be around zero in the morning, and up to 9 degrees during the day.
(Kraj)