From: malenovi@plains.NoDak.edu (Nikola V. Malenovic )
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Subject: Bozovic on the "Silk Road" (VREME NDA 13.Apr 1992)
Date: 13 Apr 92 14:35:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: plains.16728
Organization: North Dakota State University, Fargo


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     "Vreme" News Digest Agency                      No. 29, April 13 1992.
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    Bozovic on the "Silk Road"
    --------------------------


    The news  of the "conditioned"  lifting of sanctions  against Serbia has
    found the Serbian  prime minister on a quest for  new markets: he kept a
    vigilant  eye  of  the  meeting  of  the  European  Twelve  ministers in
    Luxembourg, from - Beijing.

    Bozovic  was joined  on the  "silk road"  by a  retinue of businessmen -
    around 50 of them - representing some 20 (!?) Yugoslav firms. Hence, the
    main  purpose  of  the  trip  was  the  "promotion  of  mutual  economic
    cooperation".

    After years  of trouble with commodity  lists and smooth-spoken promises
    of both sides,  the total trade between Yugoslavia  and China (Slovenian
    and Croatian participation have been excluded from the calculation since
    September), has barely reached US$ 230  million, while a year ago it was
    just under US$ 200 million. In both cases, Chinese exports to Yugoslavia
    exceeded Yugoslav  exports to China.  Although the local  "index-makers"
    have attributed a 154% increase to the Yugoslav side in 1991, in figures
    this stands  at only US$ 63.5  million worth of exports  to the "world's
    largest market" (the basis for the  calculation were the meager US$ 27.5
    million exported in 1990).

    Probably presented with these facts, pressured by the alarming isolation
    of Serbia  and its economy  within its most  immediate neighborhood, the
    Prime Minister  embarked on a  long trip, to  be a guest  of the Beijing
    regime, from which the vivid  memories of the Tienanmenh Square massacre
    keep  all foreign  statesmen, politicians  and prominent  figures as far
    away  as it  is possible.   Reliable sources  told VREME  that Vladislav
    Jovanovic, the Foreign Minister in Bozovic's government, was against the
    PM's trip to Beijing. The Foreign  Minister's discord with the PM's move
    might  be  nothing  more  than  a  transient  misunderstanding. Although
    undoubtedly popular,  the Foreign Minister  has lately been  facing more
    and more difficulties. At the last  closed session of the Parliament, he
    was  allegedly  criticized  by  some  MPs  for  not  advocating  Serbian
    interests with enough firmness. As  the well-informed further claim, Mr.
    Jovanovic has  began to "collide"  with some other  members of Bozovic's
    government as well.

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     "Vreme" News Digest Agency                      No. 29, April 13 1992.
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Xref: sparky soc.culture.yugoslavia:3931 soc.culture.europe:3803