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), April 10, 1997

      E-mail: odrazb92@b92.opennet.org, beograd@siicom.com
   5  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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      C O N T E N T S
  10  ==================================================================


      NEWS BY 4 PM

        Mayor Djindjic Questions Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . .  22
        New York Serb-Albanian Talks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  42
        Djukanovic Postpones News Conference . . . . . . . . . . . .  62
  15    Constitutional Court to Recognise Appeals Against 'Lex
        Specialis' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  77
        Tudjman Calls for Reconciliation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  88
        Pope Supports Reconcilliation in Sarajevo  . . . . . . . . .  99

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  20  NEWS BY 4 PM
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      MAYOR DJINDJIC QUESTIONS ELECTIONS

      Belgrade Mayor, and Zajedno leader, Zoran Djindjic told 'Blic'
      daily on Thursday that the opposition should boycot forthcoming
  25  republican and presidential elections if conditions remained
      unfair.

      Mr. Djindjic tried to play down media hype surrounding conflicts
      within the Zajedno coalition and blamed the dispute on, what he
      called, the divisive political tactics of Serbian President
  30  Slobodan Milosevic. Mr. Djindjic said that President Milosevic's
      divide and rule strategy was aimed at political opponents in
      Republika Srpska (RS), Montenegro and Serbia and that the only way
      to counteract it was for all democrats in Serbia and Montenegro to
      join forces with RS President Biljana Plavsic.

  35  Mr. Djindjic denied that he had ever opposed Vuk Draskovic's
      nomination for the presidential elections and that he had any wish
      to run himself for president. However, he added that the identity
      of the Zajedno presidential candidate should only be announced
      when media in Serbia had been freed of government control. Mr.
  40  Djindjic said this was necessary to stop the smear campaign that
      state media would run against Zajedno's candidate.


      NEW YORK SERB-ALBANIAN TALKS

      Two joint statements came out of the New York Serb-Albanian talks
      on Wednesday, Slobodan Pavlovic reported for FoNet.

  45  The first called for an urgent continuation to dialogue between
      the two sides, possibly in Belgrade, and stressed that it should
      be joined by the governing Socialist Party of Serbia.

      The second, called for the dialogue to be used as a starting point
      for all future talks and for the Kosovo issue to be solved
  50  urgently. The statement also stressed the importance of the
      international community as a mediator between the two sides and
      that all agreements should include the Helsinki principle of the
      inviobility of borders and the need for democratic reform in
      Kosovo and Serbia.

  55  Goran Svilanovic, spokesman for the Civil Alliance of Serbia
      (member of the Zajedno coalition), confirmed on Thursday that
      Albanian representatives had stated during the unofficial talks in
      New York that the ruling leftist coalition (SPS and JUL) had
      offered the status of republic to Kosovo. He said that this was
  60  the reason why Albanian representatives at the New York talks
      believed ``Milosevic was offering more.''


      DJUKANOVIC POSTPONES NEWS CONFERENCE

      Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic's news conference,
      originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed at the last
  65  minute on Thursday morning. The Montenegrin Information Minister
      stated that this was becuase the governing Democratic Party of
      Socialists (DPS) wanted further discussions with the Prime
      Minister, Montena Fax and FoNet reported on Thursday.

      Montena Fax commented that the news conference was most likely
  70  postponed at the request of the DPS Managing Board who are set to
      meet next Friday to purge the party of critics of Serbian
      President Slobodan Milosevic.

      Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic is expected to use this as
      an opportunity to sanction Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo
  75  Djukanvic for his refusal to carry out an earlier purge at the
      President's request.


      CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TO RECOGNISE APPEALS AGAINST 'LEX SPECIALIS'

      The Constitutional Court of Serbia ruled on Thursday that it had
      the authority to hear adminstrative appeals against the
  80  implementation of the 'Lex Specialis', the law introduced to
      reinstate opposition wins at the November local elections.

      Although the 'Lex Specialis' did not itself provide for such
      appeals, the Constitution of Serbia states that the Constitutional
      Court is authorised to rule where no other legal protection is
  85  provided. So far, 4 appeals have been sent to the Constitutional
      Court, one by the Foundation for the Development of Democracy in
      Belgrade and 3 by opposition parties, BETA reported on Thursday.


      TUDJMAN CALLS FOR RECONCILIATION

      Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Thursday advised Serbs in
  90  Eastern Slavonia to cast their votes in this weekend's local
      elections. Mr. Tudjman said it was time to heal old wounds and
      pledged to allow all those Serbs ready to accept the Croatian
      Constituion, and abide by its laws, to stay in Croatia, AFP and
      FoNet reported.

  95  President Tudjman described the elections as a historic moment
      that would allow for the repatriation of Croation reugees and
      peaceful co-existance between Croats and local Serbs who would now
      become fully fledged citizens of Croatia, BETA reported.


      POPE SUPPORTS RECONCILLIATION IN SARAJEVO

 100  Pope John Paul II is to deliver a strong message encouraging peace
      and reconcilliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina throughout his visit
      to Sarajevo this weekend, Reuters and FoNet 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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