Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

---

      ------------------------------------------------------------------
      ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service

      Odraz B92 vesti (by 10 PM), April 5, 1997

      E-mail: odrazb92@b92.opennet.org, beograd@siicom.com
   5  WWW:    http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/, http://www.opennet.org/b92/
      ------------------------------------------------------------------
      All texts are Copyright 1997 Radio B92. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
      ------------------------------------------------------------------


      C O N T E N T S
  10  ==================================================================


      NEWS BY 10 PM

        American Support for Democratisation in Serbia . . . . . . .  21
        Zajedno Meets Madeleine Albright . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  50
        Serb-Albanian Talks in New York  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  70
  15    Serbian Information Minister Belittles Tijanic . . . . . . .  84
        Sarinic: Serbs Have Byzantine Mentality  . . . . . . . . . . 101
        Republiks Srpska Vice President Signs Agreement  . . . . . . 110

      ==================================================================


      NEWS BY 10 PM
  20  ------------------------------------------------------------------


      AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRATISATION IN SERBIA

      The American government fully supported Zajedno demands for
      democratic reform in Serbia, US Secretary of State Madeleine
      Albright told Zajedno leaders Vuk Draskovic, Zoran Djindjic and
  25  Vesna Pesic on Friday, FoNet reported early Saturday.

      US State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns reiterated US
      government support for Serbia's democratic transition including
      reform of the electoral system and media. ``The United States
      supports the efforts of the Zajedno coalition and the other
  30  democratic forces in Serbia to lead Serbia out of the dead end it
      currently finds itself in, and to begin the process of developing
      a modern European country,'' Burns said.

      The Zajedno leaders also called on US government officials to lift
      the so called ``outer wall'' of sanctions, but were given no firm
  35  committment, FoNet reported.

      The US Administration also asked the Zajedno leaders to play a
      more active role in the Serb-Albanian round table on Kosovo
      scheduled to begin Monday in New York. However, Zoran Djindjic
      confirmed that he would return to Belgrade on Saturday as planned.
  40  Vuk Draskovic said that he would be in New York for the next
      couple of days, but for private reasons. Vesna Pesic is therefore
      the only Zajedno leader to have confirmed her participation in the
      talks.

      Commenting on the refusal of the Socialist Party of Serbia to send
  45  its representative to the talks, Nicholas Burns stated that this
      showed the unwillingness of Serbian President Milosevic's
      government to enter into discussions on the future status of
      Albanians in Kosovo, although this remained the main sticking
      point in US -- Yugoslav relations.


  50  ZAJEDNO MEETS MADELEINE ALBRIGHT

      Leaders of the Zajedno coalition held talks with US Secretary of
      State Madeleine Albright and Balkan Envoy John Kornbloom late
      Friday. After the discussions, the US State Department announced
      that the meeting was a show of American support for democratic
  55  change in Serbia.

      After the meeting with Mrs. Albright, Vuk Draskovic spoke to Radio
      B92: ``The meeting was very successful. We informed Mrs. Albright
      of our interior and foreign policy and we discussed in particular
      the government's implementation, or rather non-implementation, of
  60  the Gonzalez report. Mrs. Albright expressed her full support for
      the Gonzalez report and our proposals for a round table, calling
      them truly democratic... She condemned the government's refusal to
      hold democratic talks with the opposition and stressed that the
      opposition, as far as American public opinion was concerned, was a
  65  democratic, European force which could only improve prosperity in
      Serbia and the region.''

      Mr. Draskovic denied reports of conflict between the Zajedno
      leadership in Washington and said that such reports were shameful
      and untrue.


  70  SERB-ALBANIAN TALKS IN NEW YORK

      The list of Serb participants at the Serb-Albanian round table on
      the future of Kosovo in New York is, after days of uncertainty and
      political ping pong, now more certain. The following
      representatives have confirmed their attandence: Vesna Pesic
  75  (Zajedno), Miroljub Labus (Zajedno), Dusan Mihajlovic (New
      Democracy), Dragoljub Micunovic (Democratic Centre) and Dusan
      Janjic (director of the Belgrade Institute of the Social
      Sciences).

      Vuk Draskovic appears to have backtracked on earlier statements
  80  that he would not attend if the Socialists boycotted the talks. On
      Saturday he said the government's remark that all Serb
      participants at the talks were traitors had only increased his
      wish to take part in the talks.


      SERBIAN INFORMATION MINISTER BELITTLES TIJANIC

  85  Serbian Information Minister Radmila Milentijevic on Saturday
      dismissed her predecessor's (Alexandar Tijanic) accusation that
      the Ministry of Information had been created to disguise political
      control of the media and said that the Ministry had no influence
      on media or politicians.

  90  In the interview with student Radio Index, Ms. Milentijevic
      stressed that only her Ministry could give working licences to
      media and that they would never be given according to political
      criterion. Asked to comment on Mr. Tijanic's remark that he was
      often politically blocked from carrying out his duties, Ms.
  95  Milentijevic replied: ``Tijanic did nothing because he did not
      even try.''

      Ms. Milentijevic added that Radio Boom 93 from Pozarevac would
      have no problem getting a working licence when the competion for
      frequencies started later in April, if its technical equipment and
 100  programming were in accordance with government regulations.


      SARINIC: SERBS HAVE BYZANTINE MENTALITY

      Croatian President Franjo Tudjman's chef de cabinet Hrvoje Sarinic
      told reporters on Saturday that Serbs in Eastern Slavonia should
      accept the Croatian government's framework for the enclave's
 105  return to Croatia, BETA reported. ``The balance of power will
      convince them to accept the only possible and logical solution for
      the region's future,'' stated Mr. Sarinic, stressing that Serbs
      had a ``byzantine mindset,'' and always wanted more than was
      rightfully theirs.


 110  REPUBLIKS SRPSKA VICE PRESIDENT SIGNS AGREEMENT

      Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic has authorised her Vice
      President Dragoljub Mirjanic to sign the ratification of the
      Agreement on Special Parallel Relations between the Republika
      Srpska and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, FoNet reported on
 115  Saturday.

      The information provoked angry reactions from several MPs in the
      Republika Srpska parliament on Saturday who have insisted on
      seeing Mrs. Plavsic's official authorization for themselves.
      Parliamentary Speaker Dragan Kalinic promised to present them with
 120  her authorization as soon as it arrived from President Biljana
      Plavsic's office.

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

      ------------------------------------------------------------------
 125  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/
      ------------------------------------------------------------------