Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service

    Odraz B92 vesti (by 3 PM), February 7, 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 3 PM
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    ``BLIC:'' 8 MINISTERS TO LEAVE GOVERNMENT

    Tuesday' session of the Serbian Parliament, apart from discussing
    the Bill on election results, will announce a reshuffle of the
    Serbian Government, the Belgrade daily 'Blic' reported on Friday.

    ``Blic'' said that the Ministers of Education, Industry and
    Private Enterprise were expected to leave the Government following
    their resignations last week. The Ministers of Finance and Justice
    are also expected to be replaced.

    In that reshuffled government, Miodrag Popovic, a journalist with
    Radio Television Serbia, will take up the post of Government
    Spokesman, replacing the current Minister of Information.

    Both the Ministries for Religion and for Relations with Serbs
    outside Serbia will be abolished, and the Ministry for Private
    Enterprise will become the Ministry for Transformation of the
    Economy and Ownership Rights.

    The Ministry for Education will cease to be responsible for higher
    education, and will focus solely on primary and secondary
    education. The new Education Minister will be Milos Aleksic,
    Yugoslav United Left party member and former best-man at Serbian
    President Slobodan Milosevic's wedding to Mirjana Markovic. The
    Ministry for Science will take over responsibility for university
    education.


    MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT PROPOSES KONTIC AS FUTURE YUGOSLAV PRIME
    MINISTER

    Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic stated in Belgrade on Friday
    that he had proposed Radoje Kontic as the next Yugoslav Prime
    Minister. Mr. Bulatovic gave his statement after consulting
    current Yugoslav President Zoran Lilic.

    The meeting between Montenegrin President Bulatovic and Yugoslav
    President Lilic, followed earlier discussions between Mr.
    Bulatovic and representatives of his party. President Lilic had
    also met with members of the Socialist Party of Serbia.

    President Lilic is also to hold discussions with the Serbian
    Radical Party on Monday, BETA newsagency reported on Friday.


    ``TRAGIC-COMIC ATTEMPT TO SOLVE CRISIS''

    On Friday, the Yugoslav Association for Constitutional Rights
    reacted to Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's demand that the
    government propose a special law to resolve the dispute over local
    election results.

    The Association expressed ``deep concern at such a tragic-comic
    attempt to solve the current crisis.'' They then condemned the
    bill for a 'lex specialis' and said if passed it would represent a
    grave breach of judicial authority.

    The statement added:

    ``This law, which supposedly represents 'an act of supreme mercy',
    is an attempt to disguise electoral theft and allow those guilty
    of that theft to duck their criminal responsibility. That law also
    denies any right of appeal. Our Association is concerned that by
    passing the 'lex specialis'... new avenues for the endless
    continuation of an unconstitutional state will be opened. This law
    represents the gravest breach of the [Serbian] Constitution to
    date and sets a dangerous precedent for further breaches of the
    basic principles of the constitutional order,'' FoNet reported on
    Friday.

    The Association also stressed that crushing the peaceful student
    and civil protests, and recent police brutality, represented gross
    breaches of the Serbian Constitution and the rule of law. The
    Association strongly condemned the Serbian government for
    introducing a de facto state of emergency.


    ``ZAJEDNO:'' POLICE MUST STOP ATTACKS ON PEACEFUL CITIZENS

    On Friday, the Smederevo branch of the Zajedno opposition
    coalition demanded that the local Police Department stop attacking
    peaceful citizens and cease to arrest Zajedno activists and
    supporters for non-criminal acts, BETA newsagency reported.

    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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