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), March 10, 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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    NUNS CONDEMNS SACKING

    The Independent Association of Serbian Journalists (NUNS) on
    Monday condemned Radio Television Politika's General Manager and
    Editor-In-Chief Dragan Kozic for the sacking of Eleonora Prohic.
    Ms Prohic was a journalist at the Politika Company and until
    recently the Editor of its Satellite Programme. She resigned from
    the post of editor because of the way in which the Politika
    Company reported on the demonstrations in Belgrade. NUNS expressed
    concern that the alleged reasons for the sacking were a
    smokescreen for a purge of dissenting journalists for political
    reasons, according to FoNet.


    OPINION POLL BY MARK-PLAN

    Opinion pollsters Mark-Plan carried out an survey from January
    27-February 5,1997. The sample group including citizens of all
    Yugoslav regions except Kosovo. According to the poll's results,
    more than a third of the Yugoslav population does not trust any
    politician. More than 14% trust Belgrade Mayor Zoran Djindjic;
    13.5% trust Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and almost 9%
    trust Serbian Radicals leader Vojislav Seselj.

    In Montenegro, over two-fifths of the sample did not have
    confidence in any politician, while Montenegrin Prime Minister
    Milo Djukanovic increased his September 1996 score to 16.3%.
    Montegegrin President Momir Bulatovic scored over 10%, while
    leader of the opposition Liberal Union, Slavko Perovic scored
    7.2%.

    The poll also showed that Yugoslav citizens harboured enormous
    distrust in the media. Over the last 3 months 52.5% of those
    polled claimed not to believe any television station. Over 18%
    trusted BK Telecom, while Radio Television Serbia mustered 11.5%.
    55% of Montenegrins mistrusted all TV stations, Radio Television
    Montenegro was trusted by 28.2%, and the local stations by almost
    9%.

    More than half of the sample was mistrustful of radio reportages.
    Radio B92 was the most trusted in this cathegory with 12.5%,
    although it transmits in Belgrade only. Radio Index was trusted by
    almost 7%, while Radio Belgrade's First Channel and the local
    radio stations scored over 6% each. The mistrust of radio in
    Montenegro is somewhat less: 34.5%. The most trusted Montenegrin
    radio is Elmag with 17%. Radio Niksic scored almost 14%, and
    Antenna M over 12%.  30% Yugoslavs mistrust the daily press. Blic
    is trusted by 17%, Dnevni Telegraf by 13.5% and Nasa Borba by
    almost 9% (all independent press). The daily press in Montenegro
    is fared worse: 47% Montenegrins do not trust it. 17% trust the
    state-controlled Pobjeda, over 9% trusts Dnevni Telegraf and
    almost 9% trusts Vecernje Novosti, according to FoNet.


    NEWS FROM NIS

    Nis Mayor Zoran Zivkovic said on Monday that the Zajedno coalition
    had filed offence suits against all members of the Nis Electoral
    Commission suspected of compliance in the falsification of
    electoral results in the November local elections. He also said
    that Zajedno would insist that the investigation be professional
    and fair, so that the culprits would appear in court and be
    charged as they deserved

    Nevenka Stojkovic, Secretary of the Nis City Council, stated on
    Monday that over 400 people had been tricked by an employment
    program carried out by the Socialists in the city just before the
    local elections last year. She said that company managers, members
    of the Socialist Party, had employed workers illegally, hoping to
    improve their standing with the electorate. She said the worst
    case was the city management where over 300 people were hastily
    employed by the Socialists. Ms Stojkovic said that the unjustified
    employment continued into December and January, until it was
    obvious that the Socialists had been defeated in the local
    elections in thecity. She said that the Socialists were now using
    this labour surplus they hade brought about to accuse the new Nis
    city government of political purges, according to FoNet.


    SERBIA GETS TOUGH ON SMUGGLERS

    The Yugoslav and Serbian Governments are preparing an action
    against smuggling in order to protect the tobacco and agricultural
    industry, the Serbian Vice-President Nedeljko Sipovac announced on
    Monday. Mr Sipovac also said that the Serbian Government would pay
    out the remaining amount of last year's debt to state farmers by
    March 15. He added that the government would demand that the
    Yugoslav Government and Yugoslav National Bank reprogram the
    agriculture sector's debt on a 5 year term with a year's grace
    period. At a joint session of the Serbian and Regional Councils of
    the Agricultural Trade Unions, Mr. Sipovac said that there was
    about 200 million dinars to be paid to farmes, as 110 miilion
    dinars in cash and 103 million dinars in goods had been paid
    already.


    BANKS FACE BANKRUPTCY

    The Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), one of the Zajedno parties,
    said on Monday that the Serbian banking system was facing the most
    critical crisis ever seen by modern banking. The SPO warned that
    all finance institutions in Serbia would go bankrupt unless
    radical changes were introduced and the inflow of foreign capital
    achieved. The SPO emphasised that the citizens of Serbia and the
    private sector would pay the price for this, as in the case of the
    pyramid banks of Yugoscandic and the Dafiment banks in 1993. The
    SPO claimed that the Serbian regime's reluctance to embark on
    changes and return to the international community was tantamount
    to national treason.


    NEWS IN BRIEF

    Leader of the Democratic Party of Republika Srpska and MP in the
    Republika Sprska Parliament for the Democratic-Patriotic Block,
    Ljubisa Savic Mauzer told the independent Republika Srpska review
    'Panorama' on Monday that the recently signed Agreement on Special
    Parallel Relations between FR Yugoslavia and Republika Srpska did
    not change anything. According to Mr. Savic, this was a political
    marketing move of two shaken ruling parties.

    The Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina's Interior Minister, Mehmed
    Zilic, has accused the Stabilisation Forces of possible
    concealment of the accomplices of Frenchman Lionel Dimont who was
    arrested on Sunday on suspicion of murdering a Bosnian policeman
    in Zenica on February 15.

    Prepared by: Marija Milosavljevic
    Edited by: Steve Agnew

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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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