Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

---

      ------------------------------------------------------------------
      ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service

      Odraz B92 vesti (by 10 PM), April 24, 1997

      E-mail: odrazb92@b92.opennet.org, beograd@siicom.com
   5  WWW:    http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/, http://www.opennet.org/b92/
      ------------------------------------------------------------------
      All texts are Copyright 1997 Radio B92. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
      ------------------------------------------------------------------


      C O N T E N T S
  10  ==================================================================


      NEWS BY 10 PM

        Shake up of Serbian Socialists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  21
        University Staff Threaten Warning Strike . . . . . . . . . .  50
        Croatian Court Sentances JNA General . . . . . . . . . . . .  56
  15    Croatian Government to Accept Refugees . . . . . . . . . . .  64
        Novi Sad-SPO Splinter Group Grows  . . . . . . . . . . . . .  73
        Covic Attacks Milosevic  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  89

      ==================================================================


      NEWS BY 10 PM
  20  ------------------------------------------------------------------


      SHAKE UP OF SERBIAN SOCIALISTS

      The Central Committe of the governing Serbian Socialists (SPS)
      issued a statement on Thursday stressing the need to revitalize
      the party both materially and spiritually. The statement says that
  25  in order to implement necessary reforms all Left-wing, democratic,
      progressive and patriotic forces in society must unite to form a
      common front.

      The Committee statement observes that the past ten years have been
      some of the most difficult ever for Yugoslavia, but stresses that
  30  ``the disintegration of Yugoslavia was orchastrated from abroad.
      When war broke out in some parts of the former Yugoslavia, Serb
      people from those regions defended their national rights, freedom
      and equality. Those rights were severely violated by forceful
      secession from and the break-up of the country. Serbia did its
  35  best to help the just and heroic struggle of the Serbian people in
      those regions... but without international recognition [of that
      struggle], that fight would have produced no results and all
      victims would have died in vain. Thus freedom was saved and
      Republika Srpska created.

  40  At the same time severe economic sanctions were imposed on Serbia,
      even though Serbia accepted more than one million refugees with a
      GNP 60% lower than it had prior to sanctions. More powerful and
      richer countries than Serbia would have been deeply shaken under
      such conditions. That is the root of all today's political,
  45  economic and cultural problems...''

      The Committee concluded that reform must be carried at every level
      of society and appointed new SPS Vice Presidents in a major
      reshuffle. The new Vice Presidents are Socialist hardliners
      Milorad Vucelic, Dusan Matkovic and Zivadin Jovanovic.


  50  UNIVERSITY STAFF THREATEN WARNING STRIKE

      Belgrade University's Trade Union on Thursday announced a warning
      strike in protest at the ``University's catastrophic financial
      situation,'' BETA reports. The rally is expected to be held at
      Belgrade University between May 10 and 20 and to be joined by
  55  University staff from all of Serbia.


      CROATIAN COURT SENTANCES JNA GENERAL

      Zadar city court in Croatia on Thursday sentenced the Head of the
      Yugoslav Army Headquarters Momcilo Perisic to 20 years
      imprisonment. General Perisic was accused of war crimes committed
  60  in Croatia during 1991, when he was the regional commander of the
      former Yugoslav People's Army. The trial was conducted in absentia
      and another 18 Yugoslav army officers were also given prison
      sentences, the shortest of which was 12 years.


      CROATIAN GOVERNMENT TO ACCEPT REFUGEES

  65  The Croatian government on Thursday accepted the Agreement on
      repatriation of refugees from Eastern Slavonia. The government
      proposed the establishment of a special agency for real estate
      exchange, which would act on behalf of those Croatian citizens who
      no longer wished to live in Croatia and wanted to sell their real
  70  estate property. ``This programme offers each Croatian citizen,
      regardless of his or her ethnic group, a home in which to live,''
      the Croatian Minister of Renewal and Development said.


      NOVI SAD-SPO SPLINTER GROUP GROWS

      Six members of a splinter group of the Serbian Renewal Movement
  75  (SPO) in the Novi Sad Town Council on Thursday announced that
      another four members of the SPO would join them by April 29, Radio
      B92 reported.

      Members of the rebel Novi Sad-SPO denied media claims that SPO
      leader Vuk Draskovic had managed to calm the ``revolt'' within the
  80  Novi Sad branch. The so-called ``Novi Sad-SPO'' currently has 14
      members from the SPO, the Vojvodina coalition and the Democratic
      Party of Serbia.

      Radio B92 also reported on Thursday that Novi Sad Mayor Mihajlo
      Svilar, also a member of the SPO, has threatened to leave the
  85  party should the conflict within the Novi Sad branch continue. He
      explained that he wanted to be the ``Mayor of all citizens of Novi
      Sad,'' and added that he was ``shocked to learn that the SPO had a
      file of up to 100 pages on him, alledging illegal dealings.''


      COVIC ATTACKS MILOSEVIC

  90  Former high-ranking SPS official and ex Mayor of Belgrade Nebojsa
      Covic told NIN magazine that Slobodan Milosevic annulled local
      election results because he was unable to accept defeat.

      ``He was helped by a rabble of hangers-on and sycophants, as well
      as by those who feared to lose out financially... He then tried to
  95  buy time but made a poor assessment of the strength, persistence
      and lucidity of the civil protest. He always listens to what
      people tell him, but rarely accepts their suggestions. He makes
      all decisions by himself becuase he feels the need to make all
      decisions by himself. As a result the SPS has become nothing more
 100  than a machine for the preservation and use of power,'' Mr. Covic
      said.

      Mr. Covic added that the SPS ``created the Serbian Radical Party
      and made the opposition what it is now. The SPS helped to build
      the Radical's entire infrastructure... Seselj is useful and
 105  necessary, because he is seen as the best counter-candidate for
      the forthcoming elections. He has always been given the space and
      time to say whatever he wants and attack whoever he wants.''

      Prepared by: Goran Dimitrijevic
      Edited by: Julia Glyn-Pickett

 110  ------------------------------------------------------------------
      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/
      ------------------------------------------------------------------