Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service

    Odraz B92 vesti (by 9 PM), February 20, 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 9 PM
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    SPO REJECTS CELEBRATION PROGRAMME

    On Thursday Zajedno coalition member The Serbian Renewal Movement
    rejected on principle the programme for Friday's celebration of
    the Zajedno electoral victories. The SPO said that their
    suggestions for the programme had been ignored and that if the
    programme were not changed SPO leader Vuk Draskovic would boycott
    Friday's celebration.

    The SPO was calling for a modest celebration, the stars of which
    would be the thousands of citizens who had protesteed in wind,
    rain, sleet and freezing temperatures and who had defied riot
    police cordons.

    Zajedno coalition member The Democratic Party responded on
    Thursday evening that all SPO suggestions had been taken into
    account and that Zajedno as a whole had agreed on the celebration
    programme, BETA reported on Friday.


    DEMOCRATIC PARTY: DJINDJIC SOLE CANDIDATE FOR BELGRADE MAYOR

    Spokesman for the Democratic Party (DS) Slobodan Vuksanovic told
    reporters on Thursday that Zajedno's sole candidate for the Mayor
    of Belgrade was Zoran Djindjic, leader of the DS, and that the
    Serbian Renewal Movement had proposed Spasoje Krunic as the city
    government's Prime Minister. Mr. Vuksanovic stated that
    discussions on particular offices in the city government were
    still under way and that the conclusions would be made public
    before Friday's opening session of the Belgrade City Assembly.

    Mr. Vuksanovic stated that immediately after that opening session,
    a second session would be held on Friday to debate the appointment
    of a new Managing Board for Radio Television Studio B and the
    hiring of an independent agency to assess the work of the City
    Assembly. Mr. Vuksanovic stressed that the Studio B would be
    independent and that its journalists would control editorial
    policy.


    TEACHERS STRIKE CONTINUES AFTER NEGOTIATIONS BREAK DOWN

    Negotiations between the Serbian Government and representatives of
    striking teachers broke down again on Thursday. Neither side had
    shown any willingness to compromise. The teachers have announced
    that their month-long strike would continue until overdue wages
    had been paid in full and they had received a 40% wage increase.


    GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO BUDGE OVER TEACHERS PAY DEMAND

    Representatives of the Serbian Government told striking teachers
    on Thursday that there demands were unrealistic and exceeded the
    current government budget, the Serbian Ministry of Information
    stated on Thursday. The Serbian Government announced that they
    considered the negotiations over, as Serbian Prime Minister Mirko
    Marjanovic and Chair of the Council of the Independent Trade Union
    Tomislav Banovic had signed an agreement last week.

    The Serbian Government concluded that it had done all that was
    possible to meet the teachers demands and would now take steps to
    protect the constitutional rights of citizens to education, BETA
    reported the Ministry of Information as saying on Thursday.


    MILENTIJEVIC: SERBIA HAS MORE INDEPENDENT MEDIA THAN US OR EUROPE

    Serbian Minister of Information Radmila Milentijevic stated on
    Thursday that ``freedom of the press existed in Serbia and that
    there were more independent and opposition newspapers, radio and
    TV stations in Serbia than anywhere in Europe or the US,'' BETA
    reported on Thursday.


    EU MINISTERIAL COUNCIL TO DISCUSS YUGOSLAVIA ON MONDAY

    The Ministerial Council of the European Union will review the
    situation in Serbia and insist on the full implementation of the
    Gonzalez recommendations on Friday, Mirko Klarin reported for
    FoNet on Thursday.

    At Thursday's briefing before the Ministerial Council's session, a
    representative of the Dutch presidency of the European Union
    stated that they would focus on the OSCE demand for free media and
    the opening of dialogue between the government and opposition on
    electoral reform and democratization in Serbia.


    NEWS FROM BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AND CROATIA
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    EARTHQUAKE IN SARAJEVO

    Sarajevo was shaken by an earthquake on Thursday at around 3:30
    pm, FoNet reported. No serious damage was done though some parts
    of the city suffered power cuts, Reuters reported on Thursday.


    RULES OF PROCEDURE SIGNED

    Co-Presidents of the Ministerial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Boro Bosic and Haris Silajdzic signed the rules of procedure for
    this joint governing body in Sarajevo on Thursday.

    The Ministerial Council said ``some progress on draft Bills on
    foreign trade and debts, customs and tariffs had been made.'' But
    Mr. Bosic also stated much still had to be done before the Bills
    were ready for reading in the Bosnian Parliament.

    Mr. Bosic explained that the Serb side believed that Republika
    Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina should submit
    their own separate Bills on privatization, restitution and
    ownership. Mr. Silajdzic said that the representatives of the
    Federation wanted legal clarification of this issue under the
    Dayton accords, BETA reported on Thursday.


    KLEIN PROPOSES EXTENSION OF INTERNATIONAL MISSION IN EASTERN
    SLAVONIA

    Head of the UN Transitional Authority in Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES)
    Jacques Klein informed the Permanent Council of the Organization
    for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday that
    elections in the region would be held as planned, Aleksandra
    Scepanovic reported for FoNet. But Mr. Klein also proposed that
    the OSCE send a mission of 200 members after the UNTAES mandate
    expires in January 1998. The OSCE mission's task would be to
    ensure stability and security in this region for an additional
    year or more.


    RHEN DEMANDS HALT TO MUSLIMS EXPULSIONS

    UN Special Envoy for Human Rights in the former Yugoslavia
    Elizabeth Rhen demanded on Thursday that the culprits for the
    February 10 clashes in Mostar be punished, and that the expulsion
    of Muslim families from the Western Croat-controlled part of the
    town stop. After her talks with Mostar Mayor Ivan Prskalo, Mrs.
    Rhen said she was encouraged by his promise to do his best to
    establish peace in Mostar, BETA reported.

    Prepared by: Goran Dimitrijevic
    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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