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 9, 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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    SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC: DEMONSTRATIONS WERE INITIATED FROM ABROAD

    Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic has blamed ``foreign
    influences'' for starting the anti-government demonstrations in
    Belgrade. In an interview with Greek weekly 'Ta Vima' he said:
    ``There is a misuse of the discontent of the citizens.''  Asked
    about curbs on the media, Mr Milosevic said: ``For many years now,
    there have been independent radio and TV stations in Yugoslavia.''
    On Serbia's relations with Montenegro, he said: ``There will
    always be some disputes on this and that, but I hope that the two
    Republics will find best possible way of mutual living.'' People
    of the two Republics have many similarities based on their
    history, culture and nationality. Answering a question concerning
    his wife's influence on his decisions, Milosevic said that the
    influence of his wife was reflected in ``all good things that he
    had done so far.''


    DRAGAN TOMIC: MILOSEVIC'S PROPOSAL SIGN OF GOOD WILL TOWARDS WORLD

    Serbian Parliament Speaker, Dragan Tomic, stated on Sunday that
    Milosevic's proposed special law on the recognition of the results
    of the local elections was a sign of a good will towards the
    international community and that it was not a capitulation as the
    opposition had claimed. ``The proposal of the President is nothing
    but an answer to the OSCE recommendation. It shows our strength
    and the strength of our policy, for we have shown that we have the
    ability to fulfill the demands of the international community even
    in these circumstances.'' Tomic also said that ``the law on local
    elections was a bit complicated, so it took too much time to
    settle all this. But our President, who is a lawyer by profession
    himself, realized that process lasted too long and he decided to
    end the crisis by a special law.'' Tomic said that the Serbian
    authorities are not weakened and that they had already overcome
    even bigger crises. Asked why he branded demonstrations ``fascist
    rallies,'' Tomic responded that his statement had been correct
    because the demonstrations, at that time, were ``destructive, with
    protesters who vandalized shop-windows and cars... But my
    statement had its effect, because the demonstrations became more
    peaceful, until a few days ago, when some groups again caused
    disturbances in the streets. The militant core of these groups are
    refugees from Bosnia and Croatia who are discontented because they
    have lost their homeland. They blame others for that, although
    they left their homeland of their own will,'' said Tomic.


    RADMILA MILENTIJEVIC, NEW MINISTER OF INFORMATION

    The New Serbian Minister for Information is Radmila Milentijevic
    (66), a professor at the City University in New York, Belgrade
    media report. She was also a Minister without a portfolio in Milan
    Panic's government in 1992.


    RADICALS WILL NOT ENTER SERBIAN GOVERNMENT

    President of the Serbian Radical Party, Vojislav Seselj, stated
    that his party will not join the Serbian government. ``The Prime
    Minister did not call me, and if he did, I would not accept,''
    said Seselj. He emphasized that the Radicals want a Serbia without
    autonomous regions, and that the problem of Kosovo would be solved
    when ``300,000 Albanians who do not have Yugoslav citizenship
    leave the country.'' He also said that Serbia should develop
    economic relations with Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, because
    they are ``the countries without ideological predjudices.'' ``We
    should keep good relations with our neighbour countries, and for
    the rest we just should not care,'' said Seselj.

    Prepared by: Goran Dimitrijevic
    Edited by: Mary Anne Wood

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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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