Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service

    Odraz B92 vesti (by 11 PM), February 1, 1997

    E-mail: odrazb92@b92.opennet.org, beograd@siicom.com
    WWW:    http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/, http://www.opennet.org/b92/
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    All texts are Copyright 1997 Radio B92. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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    NEWS BY 8 PM
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    SATURDAY'S STUDENT PROTEST

    More than 30,000 students banged drums and blew whistles and
    kazoos as they marched from central Belgrade to the Sava centre on
    Saturday night.

    The centre is currently hosting FEST 97 -- the largest Yugoslav
    cinema festival. Belgrade mayor Nebojsa Covic had earlier declined
    to open the FEST, saying that if the people's will had been
    observed it would have been opened by a new mayor of Belgrade
    instead.

    Leaders of the protesting students said it was insensitive to
    proceed with FEST in light of the current situation in Serbia.
    Riot police stood guard as the students arrived at the Sava
    Centre, but the protest ended without incident.


    AMERICAN OFFICIALS PLEDGE ASSISTANCE TO DEMOCRATIZATION IN SERBIA

    Members of the Student Protest delegation to the US stated on
    Saturday that American officials had promised to help those
    organizations fighting for the democratization of Serbia.

    Student Protest spokesman Dusan Vasiljevic told reporters: ``We
    feel responsible for those students who have been demonstrating
    for months. When the protests finish, we will continue to protect
    their interests.''


    DRASKOVIC: DEMOCRATIC SPRING SOONER THAN CALENDAR ONE

    More than 60,000 protestors attended Saturday's opposition rally
    in central Belgrade. At that rally opposition leader Vuk Draskovic
    told demonstrators that he hoped the ``democratic spring would
    come sooner than the real calendar one.'' The crowd then heard
    opposition leader Zoran Djindjic accuse Serbian President Slobodan
    Milosevic of selling Yugoslav Post for 1.2 billion marks in a
    secret deal with an Italian telecommmunications company and
    pocketing the profits.


    EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF SATIRICAL PAPER DETAINED

    New pressure on the media came on Saturday in Belgrade when police
    detianed Petar Lazic, editor in chief of the satirical weekly
    'Nasa Krmaca'. Police said the arrest was part of investigations
    into photos published of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic with
    Saddam Hussian.


    KOSOVO INFORMATION CENTRE: TEN ALBANIANS DETAINED

    The Kosovo Information Centre (KIC) said that ten Albanians were
    detained by the police in the towns of Pristina, Urosevac and
    Decani on Saturday.

    Police have also reportedly been searching the homes of Albanians,
    looking for the members of the National Movement for Liberation of
    Kosovo, the statement said.


    IVANOV CRITICISE SERBIAN AUTHORITIES

    Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov criticised Serbian
    authorities for not recognising the results of the disputed
    November 17 elections on Saturday. Asked when the current election
    dispute might end, Mr. Ivanov said that he had expecetd it to be
    concluded by Friday. During his visit to Belgrade last week,
    Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic had reportedly promised Mr.
    Ivanov that a solution would be found by the end of that week.

    Prepared by: Goran Dimitrijevic
    Edited by: Julia Glyn-Pickett

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service
    E-mail: odrazb92@b92.opennet.org, beograd@siicom.com
    WWW:    http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/, http://www.opennet.org/b92/
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