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 23, 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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    PROTESTORS' CORDON STILL FACES POLICE CORDON

    UofB students were still facing the police cordons in Belgrade's
    Kolarceva Street on Thursday. On Wednesday night they were joined
    by doctors, lawyers and actors. A Huge number of students began
    the fifth day of stand-off with the riot police. The night passed
    without incidents and it was announced that members of the
    Association of Historians of Art, Lawyers' Association of Belgrade
    and Belgrade journalists would join them on Thursday.


    STUDENTS REPLY TO CHANCELLOR

    UofB students replied to an invitation for talks from the UofB
    Chancellor on Wednesday. The Chancellor's first invitation for
    talks with students came on Tuesday, after 62 days of student
    protests at the November electoral fraud. The Chancellor sent the
    invitation through the daily press, so the students replied
    through the same medium. They refused the invitation, saying that
    the only thing they demand from the UofB Chancellor is his
    resignation. The Students added that there was nothing to discuss
    with a University Chancellor who put his loyalty to the political
    party he belonged to above the demands of students and lecturers
    whose head he is supposed to be. The Information service of the
    Student Protest found out on Thursday morning that a delegation
    pretending to represent student protestors was talking to the
    Chancellor. They went to investigate but were met by UofB Student
    Official Vojin Djurdjevic, whose invitation to come into the
    Deanery building they refused, stating that after their failure to
    address the students for 62 days the UofB Chancellor and Student
    Vice Dean could only resign.


    CALL TO UNIVERSITY LECTURERS TO DEMAND RECOGNITION OF ELECTORAL
    RESULTS

    On Thursday a group of 17 UofB school Deans and 5 directors of
    UofB institutes called on all university lecturers to demand both
    recognition of the local election results according to the
    original electoral minutes and the resignation of UofB Chancellor
    Dragutin Velickovic. The deans and institute directors announced
    that a council of all university staff was soon to convene. The
    aim of the council would be to adopt a charter to protect academic
    freedoms and provide for complete autonomy of the University.


    TENSIONS IN KRAGUJEVAC CONTINUE

    New managers of the Radio Television Kragujevac company were
    prevented from entering their offices by police early on Wednesday
    afternoon. Vidosav Stevanovic, General Manager of Radio Television
    Kragujevac, told Radio B92 on Thursday that negotiations with the
    state run Radio Television Serbia company, which also claims to
    own Radio Television Kragujevac, lasted from 14:00--20:00 hours on
    Wednesday. He said that tension had peaked around midnight when he
    and the Mayor of Kragujevac were admitted into the Radio
    Television Kragujevac building. The opposition coalition Zajedno
    announced a blockade of the city of Kragujevac on Thursday at
    14:00 hours and a protest meeting in front of the Radio Television
    Kragujevac building at 17:00 hours -- the deadline for the Serbian
    Government to solve the situation. Mr Stevanovic stated that after
    this time responsibility for events would lie with the Serbian
    Government.

    He stated that the Mayor of Kragujevac had spoken on the phone
    with Dragutin Milanovic, General Manager of Radio Television
    Serbia. Mr Milanovic hung up when the Mayor of Kragujevac informed
    him that many lives were being brought into jeopardy by the latest
    tensions in this city. Mr Stevanovic commented that Mr Milanovic
    appeared unconcerned by what was going on in Kragujevac.


    ZAJEDNO: SPS AND JUL ENCOURAGE SEPARATISM AND TERRORISM IN KOSOVO

    The opposition coalition Zajedno issued a statement on Thursday
    saying that the Socialist Party (SPS) and the Yugoslav United Left
    (JUL) were indirectly encouraging separatism and terorrism in
    Kosovo by refusing to recognize the November local elections
    results.

    Zajedno said that the Serbian regime was giving the ethnic
    Albanians in Kosovo a clear signal that they had nothing to hope
    for in this country. They pointed out that even if the Albanians
    of Kosovo won in the local elections, the current government would
    never recognize their victory. Thus, the Serbian Government has
    given the Albanians a justification for their boycott of all
    elections so far, stated Zajedno.


    POPOVIC: MILOSEVIC AND BULATOVIC LEADING HARD-LINE FACTIONS

    Predrag Popovic, leader of the members belonging to the opposition
    coalition Narodna Sloga in the Montenegrin Parliament, stated on
    Thursday that Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and Montenegrin
    President Momir Bulatovic are leaders of the hard-line factions in
    the Serbian Socialist Party (SPS) and Democratic Socialist Party
    of Montenegro (DPS) respectively. He blamed the hard-line cores of
    the two ruling parties for the current political situation in FR
    Yugoslavia, reported Montena Fax on Thursday. He accused Mr
    Bulatovic and his party of worsening the already difficult
    economic situation by supporting President Milosevic's regime.


    KRAJISNIK: RS WILL NOT EXTRADITE KARADZIC AND MLADIC

    Momcilo Krajisnik, representative of the Republic of Srpska (RS)
    on the Bosnia Herzegovina Presidency has stated that the RS will
    not extradite Radovan Karadzic and general Ratko Mladic to the
    Hague War Crimes Tribunal because it is unconstitutional in the
    RS, FoNet reported on Thursday. He stressed that the RS was
    prepared to co-operate with the Hague Tribunal by prosecuting all
    those who had been proved guilty of war crimes internally. He also
    stated that Brcko must stay within the RS in accordance with the
    Dayton peace treaty.


    US TROOPS LEAVE BOSNIA AFTER 18 MONTHS

    Former Maine Senator and probable future US Defence Secretary
    William Cohen stated in a session of the US Senate Committee for
    Armed Forces that US soldiers will leave Bosnia after their
    18-month commitment even if the European allies decide to keep
    their troops there longer, Reuters reported on Thursday. He
    commented that it was time Europe assumed responsibility for
    Bosnia.


    UN CALL FOR EXTRADICTION OF KRARADZIC AND MLADIC

    United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary for Legal Affairs Hans Correll
    called on the Government of the Republic of Srpska (RS) to
    extradite Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic to the Hague War
    Crimes Tribunal, AFP reported on Thursday. Mr Correll rejected the
    RS position that it cannot legally do this.

    In a letter to the RS Government, Mr Correll stressed that the
    position of the UN was that the RS must unconditionally co-operate
    with the International Court and should extradite Karadjic and
    Mladic, as well as all others indicted for the war crimes who are
    living in the RS.

    Prepared by: Marija Milosavljevic
    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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