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 25, 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

        SPO On SPS Restructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  23
        DS: Milosevic Withdrawing from Political Life?   . . . . . .  31
        Djindjic: Agreements not Holy Scripture  . . . . . . . . . .  47
  15    Draskovic: Opposition for Figurehead President . . . . . . .  54
        Mexico Junket for Loyal School Principals  . . . . . . . . .  61
        Montnegrin University Concerned Over Current Developments  .  69
        US Respond to Izetbegovic's Criticisms . . . . . . . . . . .  80
        UN Mission Demands New Trial for Zvornik Seven . . . . . . .  92

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      NEWS BY 4 PM
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      SPO ON SPS RESTRUCTURE

      The Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) warned on Friday that
  25  Thursday's session of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) Central
      Committee had marked the comeback of the politicians who had been
      closest to Slobodan Milosevic and Borisav Jovic, the chief
      strategists of the civil wars which demolished the region of
      former SFR Yugoslavia, and turned Serbia into an economic
  30  scarecrow.


      DS: MILOSEVIC WITHDRAWING FROM POLITICAL LIFE?

      ``The Democratic Party (DS) has learned that Slobodan Milosevic is
      considering withdrawal from political life. That would be his
      first true move as a statesman, and would help settle the
  35  situation in Serbia and get the country on the road to positive
      development,'' Slobodan Vuksanovic, spokesman for the DS said in a
      media conference on Friday.

      According to Mr. Vuksanovic, the reasons that might prompt Mr
      Milosevic to such a move were the defeat of his policy at the
  40  elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the local elections in Serbia,
      as well as in the stage-managed political dissension in
      Montenegro, the difficult economic situation in the country and
      the persistent opposition of the international community. Mr
      Vuksanovic stressed that the international community's position
  45  had changed in as much as Greece and Russia had come to support
      the coalition Zajedno.


      DJINDJIC: AGREEMENTS NOT HOLY SCRIPTURE

      In an interview with the Belgrade daily Dnevni Telegraf, Zoran
      Djindjic, one of the Zajedno triumvirate, said that, although he
  50  had signed all Zajedno agreements and at the moment had nothing
      against Vuk Draskovic as the coalition's presidential candidate,
      no agreement was Holy Scripture and that changes were possible by
      September.


      DRASKOVIC: OPPOSITION FOR FIGUREHEAD PRESIDENT

  55  Vuk Draskovic, leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement, saidd in
      Moscow on Friday that if the opposition wins in the forthcoming
      elections in Serbia, the post of president would have only
      symbolic importance. ``The decisions will made by the parliament
      and government rather than just one man,'' said Mr. Draskovic in a
  60  news conference after the launch of his book in Moscow.


      MEXICO JUNKET FOR LOYAL SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

      Teachers' union leader Jelena Hristodulo said on Friday that a
      trip by the Serbian Deputy Minister for Education and 40 school
      principals Mexico Education Resources Fair had cost 200,000
  65  Deutschemarks. She added that the headmasters were chosen on the
      grounds of their opposition to the recent teachers' strike. Ms
      Hristodulo reiteraded the union's demand that Serbian Education
      Minister Jovo Todorovic resign because of this outrageous case.


      MONTNEGRIN UNIVERSITY CONCERNED OVER CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS

  70  A delegation of the Montenegrin University met on Friday with
      Montenegrin Parliamentary speaker Svetozar Marovic and expressed
      concern over the latest social and political developments, as
      expressed in the clash between the Montenegrin President and Prime
      Minister. The delegation included the Chancellor of the
  75  Montenegrin University, the Chairman of the University Senate and
      the Student Vice-Chancellor. They stressed they would not side
      with political personalities but with the achievements of
      civilisation and the need for their fuller and faster
      implementation in Montenegro.


  80  US RESPOND TO IZETBEGOVIC'S CRITICISMS

      The US have responded harshly to President of Bosnian Presidency
      Alija Izetbegovic's statements that the Dayton accords had
      collapsed. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns on Friday
      told a news conference that there were many problems but that
  85  listing these when much had been achieved was not helpful. Mr
      Izetbegovic had presented Western representatives in Sarajevo on
      Monday with a document which they claimed had enabled Serbs and
      Croats to play games with the accords. Mr. Burns said that the
      international military forces had preserved the peace in Bosnia
  90  after the Dayton accords and facilitated the elections which had
      led to Mr Izetbegovic's holding his present post.


      UN MISSION DEMANDS NEW TRIAL FOR ZVORNIK SEVEN

      The UN has demanded a new trial for seven Muslims, three of whom
      the Republika Srpska court in Zvornik sentenced to 20 years in
  95  prison for murdering four Serb lumberjacks. AFP reported on Friday
      that the UN Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina claimed that the Muslims
      had pleaded quilty uner physical duress, that they had been denied
      legal assistance and that the evidence had been wrongly presented.
      Spokesman for the President of the Bosnian Presidency, Mirza
 100  Hajri, described the Zvornik trial as a crime against humanity.

      Prepared by: Marija Milosavljevic
      Edited by: Steve Agnew

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      ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service
 105  E-mail: odrazb92@b92.opennet.org, beograd@siicom.com
      WWW:    http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/, http://www.opennet.org/b92/
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