Serbian Prime Minister accused opposition of terrorism

Serbian Prime Minister, Mirko Marjanovic, accused the leaders of Alliance for Change of being "terrorists organization" and "the paid killers employed by NATO". "The greatest evil for every country is the its citizen who supports the enemy from within the country. Therefore, our biggest enemies in Serbia and Yugoslavia are those who NATO killers found as allies for violence against our people," Marjanovic said for the state-controlled Politika daily.

Marjanovic cited a speech at an anti-Milosevic rally Thursday, in which Alliance activist Vesna Pesic warned that the Yugoslav people may use the "Romanian method," if the president refuses to step down. The remark referred to the bloody 1989 uprising in which Romanian dictator Nicolae Causescu was executed.

Alliance coordinator, Vladan Batic said Marjanovic's comments indicate the government intends to use force against its opponents. "The Alliance has no armed forces, paramilitary troops or criminal gangs -- all of which the regime has," Batic said. "Mirko Marjanovic personally is paradigm for terrorism. The most terrifying acts of terrorism happened during his government's mandate - killings, beatings of the peaceful demonstrators, and the escalation of the terrorism in Kosovo and armament of Kosovo Liberation Army," Batic said at the press conference.

Anti-government protests continue around Serbia

At the main City Square in Trstenik around 3.000 people gather at the rally organized by the Alliance for Change. The rally had motto "Freedom [Sloboda - in Serbian] is spelled without N". Among others, Vladan Batic, the coordinator of the Alliance addressed the crowd and replied to the accusations of Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic. Later Sunday rally was held in Krusevac before around 7.000 people.

President of the Veterans' Association, Miodrag Stankovic, who ended his hunger strike yesterday, after the Serbian Orthodox Church appealed on him to stop, said today that he will continue the strike "at least till the August 19." He began the strike along with nine other Yugoslav Army reservists, demanding the payment of allowances and wages for service during the Kosovo war. Stankovic said to the reporters today that he would continue, with the blessing of Father Ilija, in the Monastery Sveti Jovan, around 20 kilometers from Nis. "My demands are still the same. I just changed the location, because I didn't feel comfortable in front the Home of the Army in Nis," Stankovic said. Other reservists ended the strike a week ago, following the doctors' orders.

Source: Free Serbia

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