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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 2 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 2

Written Answers. - Developments in Former Yugoslavia.

Ivor Callely

Question:

43 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the developments in the former Yugoslavia; if he has satisfied himself with the progress and supports in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25470/99]

The situation in the successor states to the former Yugoslavia differs considerably from country to country.

In the case of Slovenia which, with Croatia, was first to break away from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, considerable progress has been made. Slovenia is stable internally with a strong democratic basis. It is the wealthiest, most developed and industrialised of the former Yugoslav republics and has a per capita GDP level close to the lower EU levels. Slovenia is expected to become an EU member state with the completion of the first round of accession negotiations in 2003.

Croatia too has made progress since the ending of its conflict with Serbia in 1995. However, concerns remain over its electoral laws and the excessive Government control of the media. The Croatian Government has also been criticised by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for its lack of co-operation with the tribunal particularly in relation to possible war crimes committed during operations Flash and Storm in 1995. These issues have recently been the subject of a high level demarche by the EU in Zagreb.
Another issue causing concern is that of refugee return. Most of the returnees are ethnic Serbs from Eastern Slavonia and the Krajina region. Croatia has verbally committed itself to implement a programme of refugee return, but the results have not met the expectations of the international community. There are continual reports that in spite of the commitments of the Croatian authorities, it is difficult to get restitution of property and in some cases there is open harassment of ethnic Serb returnees.
President Tudjman is reported to be very seriously ill. Last week the Croatian National Assembly passed new emergency legislation providing for the speaker of the assembly to become acting president in the event of the incapacity of the president. One of the first decisions of the acting president was to schedule elections to the National Assembly for 3 January. That date is a matter of concern since its proximity to both Christmas and the millennium celebrations will restrict the possibility of proper monitoring of the election campaign by international monitors.
The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a matter of international concern. The last elections were held in September 1998. While they produced gains for the hardline nationalists the international community took comfort from the fact that there were some signs of a move towards more moderate less ethnically based parties. There was particular concern about the situation in Republika Srpska – RS – where the hardline Serb nationalist candidate Nikola Poplasen won the Presidency, although moderates were able to hold a majority in the National Assembly elections.
Throughout 1999 both the Federation Government and the overall Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency have continued to function. In RS, however, the high representative has been obliged to use his powers to remove Mr. Poplasen from the presidency, owing to his attempts to circumvent the Dayton agreement. He has been replaced by his vice-president, Mirko Sarovic. Politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina concern the position of the ethnic communities in relation to each other and specifically the implementation of refugee return.
A draft election law for Bosnia and Herzegovina is under discussion in the Bosnian National Assembly and it is envisaged that it will be in force for elections to take place next year. Although the law cannot solve all the problems of the divided society, it is regarded as important in facilitating the selection of officials promoting compromise.
The prosecution of war criminals from the Bosnian war by the International Criminal Tribunal – ICTY – in the Hague is another priority for the international community. In this regard, the fact that Radivan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic remain at large is a matter for concern.
Like most of the former Yugoslav republics, Bosnia Herzegovina has a long-term aim of integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures. As a first step, Bosnia Herzegovina applied for membership of the Council of Europe earlier this year. Following a report from the team of rapporteurs sent by the council it was decided that Bosnia was not yet ready to become a member. This is an issue which is likely to be considered further during Ireland's current chairmanship of the committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
In the case of Serbia there are, unfortunately, no indications that Milosevic's hold on power is in any way diminished and demonstrations organised on various occasions in the autumn have petered out without any visible impact on the regime. The EU, the US and associated countries have been attempting to encourage greater unity in the opposition forces, but so far with limited success. The economy of the country is collapsing as a result of ten years of more or less continuous conflict and the more recent bombing campaign and economic sanctions. The Serbian people are facing into a difficult winter with shortages of energy for heating and questionable food supplies, especially in the remoter regions.
The main issue currently exercising the international community is how to maintain the pressure on Milosevic without at the same time punishing the ordinary people of Serbia. I have dealt with the issue of economic sanctions against Serbia in some detail in my reply to Question No. 124 from Deputy Bruton of 9 November.
So far as Kosovo is concerned, I refer the Deputy to my replies to separate questions on that issue in the House today.
The situation in Montenegro, the remaining republic within the Yugoslav Federation, is also very worrying. The democratically elected Government of that country is seeking to enhance its relationship with the EU and other democratic countries in the face of hostility from the Milosevic regime. As I indicated in my reply to Question No. 119 of 23 November from Deputy Bruton, the EU is in consultation with the Montenegran Government on a practical assistance programme for that country and the main economic sanctions against the FRY were recently lifted in the case of Montenegro.
The main recent development in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – FYROM – was the election for the presidency of the country. The Supreme Court in FYROM decided over the weekend that the elections should be repeated in 199 polling stations predominately in the western part of the country and areas close to Skopje on the basis that there were irregularities in those regions. The state election commission announced that the partial rerun of voting will take place on 5 December and, taking into account their earlier rulings, the rerun will cover a total of 230 polling stations. The EU recently appealed to all political forces to continue to show moderation in their democratic compe tition, to support a fair and timely conclusion to the electoral process, and to respect the final result of the elections.
Support for the process of peace, democratisation and economic development in the countries of the western Balkans is the aim of the stability pact for south-eastern Europe, an initiative of the EU, which was agreed in Cologne in June 1999, and was formally launched at the summit meeting of Heads of Government in Sarajevo at the end of July last. It represents the collective effort of the European Union, the G-8 countries, the countries of the region and the key international organisations to address the challenges of the region in a co-ordinated and strategic manner. There are currently more than 40 participants in the pact, including most European countries and such international organisations as the OSCE, OECD, international financial institutions, Council of Europe and the UN and its various humanitarian agencies. The US is a full participant and Japan and Canada have observer status. There is provision to welcome the FRY as a full participant when democratic conditions are restored to that country.
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