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 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 11 PM
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    DJUKANOVIC: US DELEGATIONS WELCOME

    Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said that all US and
    other foreign delegations who wished to visit Yugoslavia would be
    welcome. Mr. Djukanovic was responding to the recent announcement
    by the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry that the practice of issuing
    visas to US Congressmen visiting Belgrade to show support for the
    Serbia opposition was under review, Slobodan Pavlovic reported for
    FoNet on Sunday.

    Mr. Djukanovic's statement, sent via the Montenegrin Trade Mision
    and made public in Washington on Sunday, said that Montenegro and
    Serbia had different positions on the possibility of future visits
    from US Congressmen. Mr. Djukanovic concluded that Montenegro had
    nothing to hide and welcomed any fact-finding delegation.


    NO OFFICIAL REACTIONS BY MONTENEGRO

    Montenegro has still not given an official reaction to the
    vitriolic attack on Prime Minister Djukanovic by state-controlled
    Radio Television Serbia. A Montenegrin top-official, who asked to
    remain anonymous, stated that the case should not be over-
    dramatized and presented as a conflict between the two
    governments, Nebojsa Redzic reported for B92 on Sunday. The RTS
    comment followed Mr. Djukanovic's earlier interview with Belgrade
    weekly 'Vreme' where he had criticised the Serbian government.

    Independent Montenegrin Radio Antenna M commented on Sunday that
    it was likely Mr. Djukanovic's statements were meant as a
    deliberate attempt to provoke his own removal from the political
    scene. The Radio assessed that Mr. Djukanovic would be able to
    painfully extract himself from the political chaos in Montenegro,
    without suffering the consequences.


    LALIC: MONTENEGRO'S ECONOMY SUFFERS BECAUSE OF SERBIA

    Milutin Lalic, Manager of the Montenegrin Agency for Economic
    Restructuring and Foreign Investments said in an article in
    Sunday's issue of the Montenegrin newspaper 'Pobjeda' that
    Montenegro's economy had suffered extensively as a result of the
    Serbian government's indifference to current political disputes.

    Mr. Lalic explained that many huge Montenegrin companies linked to
    the Serbian economy had run up massive debts as a result of
    Serbia's political crisis, Montena-Fax reported on Sunday.

    Mr. Lalic warned that a lack of fresh foriegn capital could result
    in devastating inflation.


    POLICE CORDON STOPS STUDENTS

    Some 10,000 Belgrade students were blocked on Sunday from marching
    to Dedinje in their search for Belgrade University Chancellor. A
    cordon of police stopped them in Kneza Milosa street. After a
    20-minute stand-off with the police, the students returned to the
    School of Philosophy.


    VASILJEVIC: SOLUTION EXPECTED NEXT WEEK

    Student Protest 96/97 spokesman Dusan Vasiljevic told FoNet on
    Sunday that students would continue demonstrating until all their
    demands had been met. But Mr. Vasiljevic also said he expected the
    situation to be solved by the beginning of next week.


    EU TO SEND MISSION TO FR YUGOSLAVIA

    The European Union (EU) is considering the possibility of sending
    a mission to Belgrade to investigate the implementation of the
    special law on the reinstatement of the November local election
    results.

    The mission is also expected to establish whether the Serbian
    government is respecting its declared commitment to embark on a
    dialogue with the opposition, to free the media and to effect
    democratic reform, BETA reported on Sunday.


    GSS COMPLETES ITS PART OF PROGRAMME PLATFORM

    The Civil Alliance of Serbia (GSS) stated on Sunday that it had
    completed its contribution to the joint programme platform of the
    Zajedno opposition coalition.

    The GSS statement specified that they had focused on international
    and inter-ethnic relations and social and economic reform, full
    democratization and reform of state management. The full Zajedno
    programme platform will be discussed in detail by the Zajedno
    Presidential Council, FoNet reported.


    VESNA PESIC SPEAKS TO 'DIE PRESSE'

    Vesna Pesic leader of opposition Civic Alliance of Serbia told
    Vienna daily 'Die Presse'on Sunday that the situation in the
    cities where the opposition had assumed power was far from
    unproblematic, Aleksandra Scepanovic reported for FoNet on Sunday.

    Ms. Pesic explained that city coffers were empty and local power
    was seriously curtailed by central government. She stressed that
    all parties in Serbia should have equal access to the media and
    also that the issue of party funding should be solved as many
    private companies were afraid to support opposition parites.

    Ms. Pesic added that Zajedno would run in the upcoming
    presidential and parliamentary elections as a coalition and
    believed that it would win.


    NIS COMPANY IN DIRE STRAITS

    The Managing Board of the Electronic Industry of Nis, one of the
    city's largest firms, stated on Sunday that it had accepted the
    resignation of the current general manager.

    The Managing Board then appointed one of the former Presidents of
    the Socialist city government of Nis as acting General Director.
    Chair of the Managing Board, Bratislav Milovanovic said that the
    board had proposed a package of urgent and long-term measures as
    ``workers were barely able to survive on current salaries.''

    Mr. Milanovic stated that the Serbian Government had offered on
    Friday to help the Electronic Industry of Nis.


    YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT FAILS TO PAY DEBT TO MONTENEGRIN PENSIONERS

    Regardless of the conclusions of both chambers of the Federal
    Assembly, and a law suit started by the Montenegrin Pension Fund
    against the Yugoslav Government, the Federal Budget has not been
    adjusted accordingly, Montena-Fax and FoNet reported on Sunday.
    The Montenegrin Pension Fund is unable to meet its financial
    obligations partly because the Yugoslav Government owes it 107.3
    million dinars.


    NEWS FROM BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA AND CROATIA
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    9 HOUSES DESTROYED IN MUMICI

    S-FOR, the Stabilization Force for Bosnia Herzegovina, stated on
    Sunday that 9 deserted Muslim houses had been blown up in the
    village Mumici, Republika Srpska.

    Russian and US S-FOR troops had been deployed in the village after
    the explosion, AFP reportsed on Sunday. According to UN data,
    several hundred deserted houses have been destroyed in both the
    Bosnian entities over the past few months.


    TUDJMAN HDZ PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR THIRD TIME

    The ruling Croatian Democratic Party (HDZ) officially endorsed the
    candidacy of Franjo Tudjman in this year's the presidential
    elections.

    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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