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), January 22, 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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    STUDENTS TO BEGIN THEIR 4TH DAY IN FRONT OF POLICE CORDONS

    The Belgrade student stand-off with police cordons in Kolarceva
    Street continued Wednesday. At 18:00 hours the students entered
    their 4 day of the ``blockade against blockade'' action. The
    Steering Board of Student Protest 96/97 announced a counter-cordon
    of former police inspectors will be formed in front of the riot
    police line.


    DEANS AND INSTITUTE DIRECTORS OF BELGRADE UNIVERSITY URGE JOINT
    ACTION

    16 Deans and 5 Institute Directors of the University of Belgrade
    have signed a petition demanding that the UofB Chancellor resign.
    They urged all other UofB deans and institute directors to join
    them Wednesday at 21:00 and actively support the students in
    Kolarceva Street who are facing police cordons.


    DRAMA ARTISTS TO JOIN STUDENTS

    The Union of Dramatists of Serbia asked its members on Wednesday
    to gather and join the students vigil in front of police cordons
    in Kolarceva Street.


    DJINDJIC: WE SHALL STRUGGLE UNTIL SERBIA BECOMES A DEMOCRATIC
    COUNTRY

    ``Our final goal is the reform of our country; the recognition of
    our victory in the local elections is only a small move towards
    that goal,'' opposition leader Zoran Djindjic told the Czech daily
    'Pravo', Wednesday.

    Mr. Djindjic announced the ``institutionalization of the
    democratic movement'' would be the next step of the opposition
    coalition Zajedno. He stressed that the opposition must not allow
    this movement to peter out and must maintain the momentum of the
    protests until all the November election results were restored and
    the opposition was granted access to the media.

    He said that the West had now identified President Milosevic as a
    ``risk'' to the region and stressed that the Serbs in Republic of
    Srpska had already started to implement the Dayton accords and no
    longer needed pressure from outside.

    According to Mr Djindjic, the focus of the movement in Serbia was
    to establish democratic institutions rather than effect changes in
    the goverment.

    He said democratic change would be a firmer guarantor of stability
    for the country than a dictator's signature on an agreement.

    He predicted that within two months of victory for democracy in
    Serbia, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman would also be toppled.
    ``Milosevic and Tudjman used the same means to come to power, so
    they will go the same way,'' concluded Djindjic.


    KOSTUNICA: MILOSEVIC WILL EVENTUALLY CAPITULATE

    Vojislav Kostunica, leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia, told
    press on Wednesday that the Socialist appeal against the Electoral
    Commission's decision, which granted victory in the Belgrade City
    Assembly to the opposition coalition Zajedno, was a clear sign
    that Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic has refused to respect
    the OSCE recommendations.

    According to Mr Kostunica, the further delay in reaching a
    solution to the current political crisis in Serbia indicates that
    President Milosevic has not even considered the possibility of
    stepping down.

    Mr Kostunica warned however that this would eventually happen and
    predicted that President Milosevic's end might be dramatic if not
    tragic.

    He considers that the position of the international community,
    which has not been clearcut, has allowed President Milosevic to
    draw the crisis out. He blamed the international community for
    putting the issue of Kosovo above the problem of the local
    elections and democracy in Serbia.


    NEDELJNI TELEGRAF: MILOSEVIC AND BULATOVIC DISAGREE ON ARMY'S ROLE

    Sparks flew between the Serbian and Montenegrin Presidents during
    the last session of the Supreme Yugoslav Defense Council on
    January 15, Nedeljni Telegraf reported on Wednesday.

    ``The daily demonstrations by a part of the Serbian opposition in
    some cities in Serbia are a result of an alliance of foreign and
    local enemies who want to topple the current government illegally
    and establish a regime led by foreign dictators. The participation
    of serving army officers in the demonstrations should be
    completely prevented, because the army should be non-partisan and
    belongs in the barracks. Only thus can the unity of the Yugoslav
    Army be preserved, which should be its chief contribution to the
    solution of the current crisis in Serbia,'' said Serbian President
    Milosevic, according to Nedeljni Telegraf.

    In his reply, Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic warned that
    any postponement of the recognition of the report by the
    Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) would
    lead to the isolation of the FRYugoslavia and to further less
    predictable damage. He stressed that Montenegro had already been
    adversely affected by the crisis as economic deals with foreign
    partners had been frozen until a solution to the emergency in
    Serbia was found. He stressed that the Yugoslav Army should not
    interfere in the current political dispute and warned President
    Milosevic that the army had been misused in the civil wars in the
    former Yugoslavia, but should remain untarnished this time,
    reported Nedeljni Telegraf.


    ZAJEDNO: RESTORE KRAGUJEVAC MEDIA TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNERS

    A statement from the opposition coalition Zajedno demanded on
    Wednesday that the Serbian Goverment permits the new city council
    of Kragujevac to take over Radio Television Kragujevac and the
    local daily Svetlost. The Socialist Party has appealed the ruling
    of the Economic Court in Belgrade that returned the local
    television station and newspaper to the elected representatives of
    the citizens of Kragujevac.


    US STATE DEPARTMENT GRAVELY CONCERNED ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN SERBIA

    Spokesman for the US State Department Nicholas Burns stated
    Tuesday night that the US were still concerned by the actions of
    the Serbian Government, Reuters reported. Mr. Burns stressed that
    government procrastination over the contended local election
    results by abuse of legal procedures could not be seen as
    democratic in any way. Mr Burns also warned that the international
    community would not react positively to the use of violence
    against demonstrators in Serbia.


    ARBOUR SUGGESTS INDICTED TURN THEMSELVES IN VOLUNTARILY

    Chief Prosecutor of the Hague War Crimes Tribunal, Louise Arbor,
    told press in Sarajevo on Tuesday that she was looking into
    various ways of providing extradiction for indicted war criminals.
    She rejected arguments by Bosnian Serbs that their legal system
    does not provide for extradiction, suggesting that the Government
    of the Republic of Srpska should publicly encourage the indicted
    to turn themselves in.

    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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