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), February 4, 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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    MILOSEVIC REQUESTS SERBIAN GOVERNMENT TO SOLVE ELECTORAL CRISIS

    Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic sent the following letter on
    Tuesday to the Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic:

    ``Mr. Prime Minister,

    I consider that disputes over the elections, related to the local
    elections, particularly in Belgrade, has caused great internal and
    external damage to our country and it is high time to put an end
    to that problem through the highest institutions of our Republic:
    the Government and Parliament.

    I therefore suggest that you, in accordance with your
    constitutional authority, together with the Government of the
    Republic of Serbia, submit to the Parliament a proposal for the
    special law (lex specialis), which will enable the results of part
    of the local elections, in accordance with the OSCE report, be
    recognised as final.

    I want to emphasize that the interests of the state, which are the
    further improvement of relations between our country and the
    international community as a whole, far exceed the significance of
    any number of assembly seats in several cities.

    With deep conviction that this proposal is aimed at a solution by
    which legal and executive authorities will solve the current
    crisis pragmatically and with respect to the legal systems of our
    country,

    I send You my best regards,
    Slobodan Milosevic''


    FIRST OPPOSITION REACTIONS TO MILOSEVIC'S LETTER

    Opposition leader Zoran Djindjic told Radio B92 expressed
    disbelief at Mr. Milosevic's letter and said he could not comment
    on that letter until he had seen it. But Mr. Djindjic stressed
    that even if the letter was a means of recognising the November 17
    election results, the demonstrations were not over yet. Mr.
    Djindjic explained that people and the opposition wanted free
    media and democratic reform as well as an explanation of the
    recent police violence.

    Zajedno's legal advisor Dragor Hiber told Radio B92 that there was
    no legal basis for the adoption of the ``special law'' mentioned
    in Mr. Milosevic's letter. But if that law meant the recognition
    of the results of the local elections, Zajedno would accept it.


    OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN: REGIME IS MAINTAINED BY EXTREME FORCE

    Zajedno spokesman Ivan Kovacevic stated that brutal police
    violence against citizens was ``proof that Milosevic's regime had
    run out of means to preserve its power.''

    Mr. Kovacevic added that ``the only purpose of the street protests
    was the recognition of the results of the local elections and to
    establish the legal responsibility of those who ordered the brutal
    beating of citizens.''

    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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