Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service

    Odraz B92 vesti (by 4 PM), March 3, 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 4 PM
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    IZETBEGOVIC CONDEMNS AGREEMENT BETWEEN BELGRADE AND PALE

    Radio Sarajevo reported on Monday that President of the Presidency
    of Bosnia and Herzegovina Alija Izetbegovic had condemned the
    Agreement on Special Relations between the FR Yugoslavia and
    Republika Srpska. President Izetbegovic said the agreement was in
    breach of the Dayton Accords and would further destabilize the
    situaiton in Bosnia and Herzegovina, AFP and FoNet reported on
    Monday.

    Mr. Izetbegovic's statement, carried by the BBC, warned that the
    special military section of the Agreement implied an upset in the
    balance of power established by the Dayton Accords which could
    jeopardize peace in the entire region.


    NIN'S EDITORIAL STAFF DEMAND VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE

    Members of the editorial board of Belgrade weekly 'NIN' rejected
    on Monday the decision of the Managing Board to replace the
    weekly's Editor in Chief Dusan Velickovic. The editorial board
    demanded a vote of no confidence on the actions of the current
    Managing Board.


    SPO CONDEMNS INCREASINGLY AGGRESSIVE TONE OF GOVERNMENT MEDIA

    On Monday, the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), member of the
    Zajedno opposition coalition, condemned what they called the
    increasingly aggressive tone of the government-controlloed media
    and said that the level of disinformation had increased in recent
    weeks.

    ``The more [Serbian] Minister of Information Radmila Milentijevic
    promises to effect immediate liberalization in the media, the more
    primitive and aggressive the regime media become,'' the SPO
    statement said.


    ``POBJEDA:'' FEDERAL MEDIA ON SERBIA'S SIDE

    On Monday the Montenegrin daily 'Pobjeda' accused Belgrade media,
    in particular state the newsagency 'Tanjug' and the daily 'Borba',
    of partisan reporting in favour of Serbia, Montena-Fax and FoNet
    reported.

    Apart from the recent vehement attacks on Montenegrin Prime
    Minister Milo Djukanovic and the Montenegrin Government by the
    Serbian state-controlled media, 'Pobjeda's' editorial stressed
    that 'Tanjug' and 'Borba', both of which were founded by the
    [Yugoslav] Federal Government, had ignored important Montenegrin
    diplomatic missions to the West and other positive developments in
    the Federal partner of Serbia.


    SERBS SET FIRE TO MUSLIM HOUSES

    Stabilizaton Forces in Bosnia (SFOR) stated on Monday that a group
    of Bosnian Serbs set fire to 9 Muslim houses in the village of
    Gajevi in Republika Srpska while Russian peace forces simply stood
    by, AFP and FoNet report.

    Spokesman for SFOR Major Andrew Saddleton stated that about 150
    Serbs and 20 Russian soldiers were on the spot at the time and
    that the only way to have stopped the Serbs was to have used
    force. He said that the commander in the field had decided not to
    use force as the Serbs were unarmed and he believed that there was
    no real threat to the innocent civilians, SFOR troops or their
    equipment.

    According to Major Saddleton, more than 150 Serbs came to Gajevi
    from the neighbouring village of Koraj on Sunday evening. The
    Muslim inhabitants of Gajevi had recently returned to their
    village under the supervision of the UN High Commission for
    Refugees.


    NEWS IN BRIEF

    The International Conference on the Implementation of the Decision
    by the International Arbitration Commision for Brcko will be held
    in Vienna on March 7, Austrian Foreign Ministry announced on
    Monday.

    Canadian Ambassador to the FR Yugoslavia Dennis Sneider stated in
    Jagodina on Monday that Canadian support to the FR Yugoslavia was
    conditional on democratic reform and further privatization and
    liberalization of the media. Mr. Sneider was attending the opening
    ceremony of Jagodina City Council.

    Chairman of the Executive Council of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and
    Western Srem, Vojislav Stanimirovic, in an interview with Croatian
    independent weekly 'Feral Tribjun' on Monday, said that if Serbs
    from this region were to move to FR Yugoslavia it would be the end
    of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and his regime. Mr.
    Stanimirovic rejected the possibility of the Serbs from Eastern
    Slavonia moving to Republika Srpska, BETA reported.


    TEACHERS' PROTEST CONTINUES

    Chair of the Independent Teachers' Trade Unions Jelena Hristodulo
    told BETA newsagency on Monday that their trade union would not
    drop its demands and that their protest would continue. She added
    that the on Monday teachers would first gather in front of the
    Serbian Government before joining the protest rally of the Forum
    of Pupils' Parents in central Republic Square.


    AIDEN WHITE IN BELGRADE

    Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists
    Aiden White arrived in Belgrade on Monday. The Independent
    Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), who invited Mr.
    White, said that their guest would meet with representatives of
    the independent media, the Yugoslav Secretary for Information,
    Serbian Minister of Information and the Chair of the Yugoslav
    Association of Journalists, FoNet reported on Monday.

    Prepared by: Marija Milosavljevic
    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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