Minister Zivadin Jovanovic
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Belgrade
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Vienna, 6 August 1998

Dear Minister,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of journalists, editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organization and news agencies in over 100 countries, is deeply concerned about the reluctance of the Yugoslav authorities to grant entry visas to journalists.

In particular, we would like to highlight the case of Mr. Halim Hosny – a journalist with the German television station, ZDF. Mr. Hosny applied for a visa from the Yugoslav embassy in Vienna, Austria on July 23. Despite persistent efforts on his behalf, he has, to date, received no official response.

IPI believes that an article from the Tanjung news agency, which appeared in the newspaper Politika on August 4, may well be connected to Mr. Hosny’s visa application problems. The story in question strongly criticised foreign “journalists-manipulators” for their Serbian media coverage. The piece disparaged Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Roy Gutman for his “false reports” and charged Hosny with “deliberately overlooking real events and facts, in the aim of winning over Western public opinion in favour of the policy of violence and blackmail.” These allegations are categorically denied.

While not wishing to comment at this stage on the piece in question, IPI respectfully urges you to ensure that journalists are quickly furnished with the necessary accreditation to allow them into the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and then permitted to conduct their professional activities without harassment. Specifically, we ask you to expedite the application process of Mr. Halim Hosny and immediately grant him a visa and in so doing fulfil your country’s obligations under the various relevant international laws and covenants.

I thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director