Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service

    Odraz B92 vesti (by 11 PM), February 13, 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 11 PM
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    AUTHORITIES PREPARE TO SELL OUT STATE PROPERTY

    Serbia's capital assets are to be sold off cheap to enrich a
    handful of the country's elite, claimed the Zajedno leaders Vuk
    Draskovic and Zoran Djindic at their eighty-sixth protest rally on
    Thursday night. They promised that the demonstrations will
    continue until economic and democratic reforms take place: ``we
    are having half-time after our defence of the election results,
    but the second half will start very soon. Serbia is in a hurry, so
    we may be sure that democracy and freedom will win'' said
    Draskovic. The third Zajedno leader, Ms. Vesna Pesic of the Civil
    Alliance, was in Kragujevac taking part in the local protest
    rally.


    DANICA DRASKOVIC -- CANDIDATE FOR HEAD OF CITY GOVERNMENT

    Zajedno leader Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Renewal party invited Mrs.
    Danica Draskovic to be their candidate for the office of President
    of the Belgrade City Council and she is considering the idea, she
    told Radio B92. Mr. Draskovic told the newspaper ``Nasa Borba''
    that the canditure process is underway. The paper adds that Zoran
    Djindic's Democratic party have not commented about that.


    MILOSEVIC: SOCIAL REFORMS REQUIRE STABILITY

    This year will see improvements in ``Not only economic, but
    overall social life'' President Milosevic told the newly appointed
    Ministers in the Serbian Government, Belgrade media report. He
    said that the reforms will bring a better standard of living and
    better social conditions, but that they require stability. ``State
    institutions should firmly oppose criminal activities, corruption
    and all other forms of illegal behaviour'' he said.


    DRASKOVIC: NO PROBLEMS WITHIN ZAJEDNO COALITION

    Zajedno leader Vuk Draskovic has denied that there are tensions
    within the coalition, saying that formalizing of their agreement
    on the distribution of government candidacys is only delayed.
    According to the agreement Draskovic's party will nominate the
    Presidential candidate, Djindic's party the Prime Ministerial
    candidate and Vesna Pesic's party the candidate for parliamentary
    speaker. The report on BK television said that Zoran Djindic would
    be free to take office as Mayor of Belgrade once the deal is
    signed.


    MILOSEVIC'S TACTICS

    European diplomats in Brussels officially welcomed Serbian
    President Slobodan Milosevic's ``first step'' and encouraged him
    to ``keep on walking that way,'' but unofficially, they say that
    they have no illusions about it, FoNet reports. Diplomats think
    that Milosevic's law on recognition of the election results is not
    a turn towards the necessary democratization of Serbia, but a
    ``tactical move'' aimed at cheating of the opposition and the rest
    of the world. Milosevic plans to restrict the authority of local
    government and therefore prevent the opposition's electoral
    victory from having any effect. That is why some European
    Community countries are considering some kind of ``differentiated
    approach.''The French Foreign Minister has already suggested the
    possibility of giving aid to local governments in Serbia ``which
    respect and practice democratic principles.'' But, some analysts
    stress the fact that EU had already unsuccessfully tried ``that
    kind of approach'' in Mostar and Banjaluka in Bosnia.


    GERMAN PRESS ON SERBIA

    German press claims that Milosevic, in spite of his recognition of
    the election results, remains ``not dethroned, but bare naked
    emperor.'' Special law on the local elections is considered to be
    a ``parliamentary farce.''  Press comments say that Milosevic
    counts on the end of the street protests and further support from
    the West to his peace policy in the Balkans. ``That is exactly
    what the west should not do,'' says 'Ziedeutche Zeitung'.  ``It
    must be made clear to Milosevic that without real democratization,
    he will see no money from the West,'' conclude the paper.


    STUDENTS' OPEN LETTER TO MIRA MARKOVIC

    Protest Board of the School of Geography from the University of
    Belgrade sent an open letter to professor Mira Markovic (wife of
    President Slobodan Milosevic, leader of the Yugoslav Left and
    professor of te University). ``As the students of the School where
    you are (allegedly) a professor, we address you with a hope that
    you will now be into what has been happening for 11 weeks. We
    address you as 'alleged' professor, since we do not see you in the
    school, nor on the lectures, nor on the exams. Since you are
    probably occupied with much more important business, we call on
    you to make a public statement on Student Protest 96/97,'' say,
    among other things, students in their open letter to Mira
    Markovic.


    USA INCREASES AID TO INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATIONS IN SERBIA

    Thursday's issue of the ``New York Times'' says that USA are
    increasing its support to the independent press, radio stations
    and trade unions in Serbia, which oppose the policy of President
    Slobodan Milosevic. American officials stated that the planned aid
    for this year is still rather small, just two million dollars, but
    it is considerably bigger than last year's, which was $400,000.
    They also stated that the increase of aid had been direct
    consequence of the two month street protests in Serbia against
    Milosevic's authocratic rule.

    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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