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 22, 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

        Draskovic ``Ordered to Run for President'' . . . . . . . . .  24
        Montenegrin Government Commission on Security Service  . . .  65
        Kuburovic Resignation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  72
  15    Zajedno Loses Novi Sad Majority  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  84
        War Crimes Verdict on May 7  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
        Health Workers Set to Strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
        Croatian Refugee Bureau Sets Up Shop in Vukovar  . . . . . . 112
        Izetbegovic Calls for Penalties  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
  20    Macedonia  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

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      NEWS BY 4 PM
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      DRASKOVIC ``ORDERED TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT''

  25  Vuk Draskovic, leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), said
      on Tuesday that Zajedno wanted to reach an agreement with the
      ruling Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) on the electoral conditions
      which should become a law by June 28. ``We want to meet with the
      SPS and other parliamentary parties as soon as possible, as soon
  30  as next week,'' said Mr. Draskovic in a Tuesday news conference in
      Belgrade. It the law is not effected, Mr. Draskovic warned that
      Zajedno would have no other choice but to call its supporters out
      on the streets again. He stressed that there would be no elections
      without democratic condition for them.

  35  Mr Draskovic stressed that the agreement must cover the editorial
      policy of the state Radio Television Serbia and other state media,
      the electoral law, q the control of elections and their date, the
      funding of political parties and an increase in the number of
      signatures required for a person to be nominated for president.

  40  ``I received instructions to accept the nomination for president
      from the SPO, the largest democratic opposition party in Serbia. I
      am backed by the biggest and most organized party in Serbia rather
      than some tailor-made opinion poll,'' said Mr. Draskovic. Asked
      whether he would drop his candidacy if another candidate appeared
  45  who would have the support of democratic forces broader than
      Zajedno and who would be acceptable to the SPO, Mr. Draskovic
      replied: ``The only candidate acceptable to the SPO is holding
      this press conference. You should forget such silly stories once
      and for all.''

  50  Mr. Draskovic stated that Zajedno would seek support from all
      democratic forces and individuals in Serbia, but that his party
      deemed the institutional broadening of the coalition unnecessary.
      He said it was decided on Monday evening that if the Zajedno
      partners inisted on the expansion, the SPO would go along with it
  55  on condition that the new members sign all agreements already
      reached within the coalition. He said, however, that it was agreed
      that there would be no institutional expansion.

      Mr. Draskovic expressed surprise at the news of one coalition
      partner, the Democratic Party, returning to the Yugoslav
  60  Parliament. He stressed that his party would not go back until the
      parliament's sessions were again broadcast live on television or
      an agreement reached at a round table.

      He announced that an aggressive electoral campaign would begin
      immediately after his party's assembly has been held on June 28th.


  65  MONTENEGRIN GOVERNMENT COMMISSION ON SECURITY SERVICE

      The Montenegrin Government has moved to establish a special
      commission to inquire into allegations about the Montenegrin State
      Security Service. The initiative was launched by the Montenegrin
      Interior Ministry and should be implemented as soon as possible
  70  according to a statement released after the Montenegrin Government
      last session.


      KUBUROVIC RESIGNATION

      Slobodan Homen, Chairman of the Student Parliament of the
      University of Belgrade, told media late on Monday that the acting
  75  Chancellor Dragan Kuburovic had announced his resignation because
      the Serbian Education Minister, Jovo Todorovic, had for two weeks
      been ignoring his demand to discuss the financial problems of the
      University.

      The Student Parliament demanded that Chairman of the University
  80  Council Momcilo Babic resign because of the manner in which he had
      conducted sessions of the Council, and his persistant refusal to
      allow representatives of the Student Parliament to speak in the
      Council.


      ZAJEDNO LOSES NOVI SAD MAJORITY

  85  The Zajedno coalition on Tuesday lost its majority in the Novi Sad
      City Council. Nine Zajedno deputies defected to a new block
      calling itself the Novi Sad Serbian Renewal Movement. In last
      year's local elections Zajedno won 39 out of 70 seats in the Novi
      Sad City Council. The establishment of the new party was announced
  90  at a news conference in Novi Sad on Tuesday.

      In reply to fears that the new block jeopardized the position of
      the new city government and Mayor Mihajlo Svilar, Novi Sad SPO
      leader Branjko Bjelajac, also a member of the new group said that
      the this new development did not imply the fragmentation of the
  95  oppostion in Serbia. ``We are not against the overal policy of the
      SPO and we support Vuk Draskovic's candidacy for Serbian
      President,'' said Mr. Bjelajac. However he went on to accuse the
      Novi Sad Mayor and City Council of abuse of their authority and
      unexplained financial expenditure.


 100  WAR CRIMES VERDICT ON MAY 7

      The Hague War Crimes Tribunal announced on Tuesday that the
      verdict on Dusan Tadic, a Serb indicted for crimes against Muslim
      and Croat civilina in Bosnia during 1992, will be brought down on
      May 7. The trial of Dusan Tadic lasted from May 7 to November 28,
 105  1996, and was the first case tried by the Hague Tribunal.


      HEALTH WORKERS SET TO STRIKE

      The Serbian committee of the health care trade union demanded on
      Tuesday that the Serbian Government pay out the first part of
      March wages by April 30 and the second part by May 9. The Board
 110  also announced that, failing this, health and social workers would
      strike on May 12th.


      CROATIAN REFUGEE BUREAU SETS UP SHOP IN VUKOVAR

      An office of the Croatian Government's Bureau for Refugees and
      Evicted Persons was opened in Vukovar on Tuesday. This is the
 115  Government's first initiative in Eastern Slavonia. Lovre Pejkovic,
      manager of the office, told media that the registration of
      refugees in Vukovar, Ilok, Tovarnik, Erdut, Bilje and Beli
      Manastir would begin on Wednesday. He also announce that the
      Croatian Government would present its program for repatriation of
 120  refugees to Eastern Slavonia by April 25.

      The head of the UN Transitional Administration in Eastern
      Slavonia, Jacques Klein, said that the elections represented the
      beginning of reconcilliation and better life for all in the
      region. But, General Klein added, that funding would be the chief
 125  factor in the repatriation, adding that he expected support from
      the international community.


      IZETBEGOVIC CALLS FOR PENALTIES

      Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia Herzegovina on Monday
      threatened that Bosnia was heading for disintegration. Mr
 130  Izetbegovic issued an appeal to major powers to enforce the terms
      of the Dayton agreement. He claimed that both Croat and Serb
      authorities were violating the agreement with impunity. Mr
      Izetbegovic called for the international community to impose
      penalties for any breaches of the accords.

 135  Addressing diplomats from the Contact Group, Mr Izetbegovic
      singled out High Representative Carl Bildt for particular
      criticism. He accused Mr Bildt of tolerating violations of the
      treaty and allowing Serb and Croat authorities to erode the
      authority of the central government.

 140  In a report to the UN Security Council last week, Mr Bildt called
      on Bosnian Moslems to show more willingness to share power. He
      accused the Moslem authorities of paying only lip service to the
      idea of joint institutions.


      MACEDONIA

 145  An agreement between Yugoslavia and Macedonia for the abolition of
      visa requirements was signed on Monday. Yugoslav Deputy Foreign
      Minister Dragan Sekulovic and his Macedonian counterpart Branislav
      Stojanovski signed the drafts of the agreement and a consular
      convention at a meeting in Skopje. It is expected that the
 150  governments of both countries will ratify the agreement in the
      near future.

      Prepared by: Marija Milosavljevic
      Edited by: Steve Agnew

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 155  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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