Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

---

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

    Odraz B92 vesti (by 4 PM), March 6, 1997

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



    NEWS BY 4 PM
    ------------------------------------------------------------------


    STUDENT TO KEEP UP PROTEST

    On Thursday representatives of Student Protest 96/97 on Thursday
    stated that, although they would return to lectures on Friday,
    their protest would continue until the University Chancellor
    resigns. The Teaching Council, Council of Deans and acting
    Chancellor, Dragan Kuburovic, gave the students their full
    backing.

    One member of the Main Board of the Student Protest said: ``I hope
    that the man who calls himself Chancellor has at least enough
    honour to respect his own promises, and resign when we return to
    the classrooms.''


    JACQUES KLEIN MEETS MILOSEVIC

    UN Transitional Administrator for Eastern Slavonia Jacques Klein
    met on Thursday in Belgrade with Serbian President Slobodan
    Milosevic. After the talks, Mr. Klein told journalists that their
    discussions had focused on the forthcoming elections in Croatia
    scheduled to take place on April 13.

    Mr. Klein added that he had outlined to President Milosevic
    Croatia's plans for the territorial re-organisation of
    municipalities which should give Serbian citizens five Deputy
    Ministers in the Croatian government.

    Mr. Klein also confirmed that after the April elections, a Council
    of Serbian Municipalities would be established as a lobbying
    mechanism for the Serb community for central government in Zagreb.

    In return Mr. Klein requested the Serbian President give his full
    support to the elections in Croatia and ensure that Croatian
    documents be accepted by local Serbs in Eastern Slavonia.

    Mr. Klein also said he intended to send a similar message to
    Croatian President Franjo Tudjman when he visits Zagreb next week.
    The key issues for all people in Slavonia remain dual citizenship,
    open borders, and regional demilitarization, said Mr. Klein.


    OPPOSITION RALLY ON MARCH 9 NOT A CONTINUATION OF PROTESTS

    Spokesman of Zajedno member the Civic Alliance of Serbia (GSS)
    Konstantin Obradovic told reporters on Thursday that: ``the rally
    on March 9 will be symbolic and not a protest in its own right;
    rather the Zajedno leadership will focus on their political
    platform for the forthcoming elections. Any possible continuation
    of the protests depends on the fate of the Round Table discussions
    (one of the the OSCE recommendations on the electoral crisis).''


    YUGOSLAV AUTHORITIES SLATE RHEN REPORT

    The Yugoslav government has underlined a number of ommissions and
    errors in UN Special Envoy for Human Rights Elisabeth Rhen's most
    recent reports. In a reaction sent to the UN Human Rights Centre
    in Geneva, the Yugoslav government also contradicted Rehn's report
    on media, saying that the ``information system in Yugoslavia has
    been greatly enriched by a proliferation of daily papers, radio
    and TV stations of various political profiles,'' BETA reported on
    Thursday.

    The government also denied Rehn's claim that non-Serb people were
    not given political asylum in Yugoslavia and that refugees were
    obliged to do military service.

    Commenting on Kosovo, the Yugoslav government denied that the
    cause of the current situation was rooted in events between 1989
    and 1991. ``We insist that the problem of Kosovo is not a question
    of the violation of human rights, but rather the consquence of a
    flagrant, continuous and aggressive separatist movement,'' the
    government reaction to Rehn's report said.


    DNEVNI TELEGRAF: SOCIALISTS TO PLAY NATIONALIST CARD

    Belgrade 'Dnevni Telegraf' reported on Thursday that the governing
    Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) were preparing to play the
    nationalist card during the forthcoming election campaign.

    Reportedly, a number of SPS officials have already met with
    Vojislav Seselj, leader of the Serbian (nationalist) Radical
    Party, and many have travelled to Republika Srpska (Serbian entity
    in Bosnia and Herzegovina) to talk with local officials, among
    whom may be war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic.

    The SPS coalition partner the Yugoslav Left (JUL), led by the
    Serbian President's wife Mirjana Markovic is expected to take a
    back seat for the meanwhile but is also expected to adopt a
    nationalist stance as the elections draw nearer.

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

    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    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/
    ------------------------------------------------------------------