Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

---

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

    Odraz B92 vesti (by 10 PM), February 26, 1997

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



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


    TEACHERS IN NIS DECIDE TO CONTINUE STRIKE

    On Wednesday, the Nis branch of the Teachers Trade Union called a
    referendum to decide whether or not they were in favour of
    continuing the strike. The teachers must vote by Friday, FoNet
    reported.

    The Nis branch of the Teachers Trade Union rejected an agreement
    between the Serbian Prime Minister and the Chair of the Council of
    Association of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, stressing that
    it would be up to the teachers themselves to decide when to call a
    halt to their month-long strike. The trade union also stated that
    only 4 schools in Nis had fully resumed teaching.


    TEACHERS STRIKE IN SUBOTICA OVER

    The Council of Striking Teachers in Subotica decided on Wednesday
    to resume teaching as normal on Thursday, BETA reported.


    NEW AGREEMENT SIGNED

    Serbian Minister of Education Jovo Todorovic and Chair of the
    Republic Council of the Independent State Trade Union of Teachers
    Dragan Karajovic signed on Wednesday an agreement to increase
    teachers' salaries by 30%, the Serbian Ministry of Information
    stated on Wednesday.


    BELGRADE UNIVERSITY CHANCELLOR TO APPEAR AT THURSDAY'S SESSION?

    Student magazine 'BOOM 97' reported on Wednesday that Thursday's
    University Council meeting would be chaired by the senior Vice-
    Chancellor and that Belgrade University Chancellor Dragutin
    Velickovic was expected to attend.

    The session has been called to discuss replacing Belgrade
    University's current Chancellor and Student Vice-Chancellor, as
    well as the appointment of an acting Chancellor until it is
    possible to elect a new one. University staff are also expected to
    decide when the next Belgrade University Assembly session is to be
    held, FoNet quoted 'BOOM 97' as saying.


    97TH STUDENT PROTEST

    Belgrade students gathered in front of the School of Philosophy
    for their 97th protest on Wednesday. The students stressed that
    they would not return to lectures until the current Chancellor and
    Student Vice-Chancellor had been replaced, BETA reporeted.

    The students also announced the arrest of two students on
    Wednesday morning, near the residence of the Serbian President and
    his wife, for carrying cameras. The two claimed that they had been
    visiting their lecturer, and wife of the Serbian Presidant, Dr.
    Mirjana Markovic for coffee. The students were released shortly
    after their arrest.

    Wednesday's student march was again dedicated to ``removing the
    forces of darkness from the media.''


    STUDENT CONTINUE SEARCH FOR ``MISSING'' CHANCELLOR

    Students visited a Belgrade fortune-teller on Wednesday to
    discover the whereabouts of ``missing'' Chancellor Dragutin
    Velickovic five days into that search. After looking at a photo of
    Mr. Velickovic the owner of ``The Starry Eye'' clairvoyant's
    agency told students the Chancellor's date of birth and that he
    was willing to resign but a grey man and his powerful wife had
    pressed him not to.

    The soothsayer reassured the students that although that infamous
    couple had sent him away the Chancellor was safe and sound. She
    predicted he would resign in the next 10 days.


    ZAJEDNO LEADERS IN LONDON

    Zajedno leaders met with British Foreign Minister Malcom Rifkind
    in London on Wednesday, Milica Pesic reports for FoNet.

    Minister Rifkind told reporters after that meeting that the
    British government did not wish to identify itself with any
    particular party or individual in Serbia because it was up to the
    Serbian people to choose their political future.

    Nevertheless, Mr. Rifkind stressed the British government's
    willigness to assist all those who were committed to peaceful and
    democratic change in Serbia.

    Opposition leader Vuk Draskovic warned Mr. Rifkind that he
    expected Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic to hinder the smooth
    running of opposition controlled towns by introducing internal
    economic 'sanctions'.

    Opposition leader Vesna Pesic said that the recognition of
    opposition wins in last November's local elections represented the
    first step towards democratization in Serbia, but stressed that
    free media, was equally important if this year's presidential
    elections were to be free and fair.

    Zajedno leader Zoran Djindjic said that futher disintegration of
    the FR Yugoslavia could only be averted by implementing rapid
    democratic and economic reform and stressed that this would only
    be possible with the support of the democratic world.


    JUL EXPECTS TO CONTROL 25% OF YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT

    Following consultations with the Yugoslav Prime Minister on
    Wednesday, leader of Yugoslav United Left (JUL) representatives in
    the Yugoslav Parliament Zivko Cokolovacki said that his party
    expected to gain control of 25% of total ministerial posts in the
    new Yugoslav Government.


    YUGOSLAV PRIME MINISTER ON TASKS OF NEW GOVERNMENT

    Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic, who is to propose the line-
    up of the newly-elected Yugoslav Government this week, told
    parties on Wednesday that the main goal of the new Yugoslav
    Government would be to establish a more modern, democratic state
    with an administration equipped to implement such reform.

    Mr. Kontic stressed that the first task would be to reintegrate
    the FR Yugoslavia into the international community, the
    normalization of relations with the former Yugoslav republics and
    other neighbouring countries and radical economic reform.


    FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE TRULY FEDERAL

    On Wednesday, Montenegrin Parliamentary Speaker Svetozar Marovic
    stated in Belgrade, after consultating with the Yugoslav Prime
    Minister on the new line-up of the federal government, that
    Montenegro wanted ``a democratic, modern, and open Yugoslavia''
    and demanded that the new federal government ``respect the
    principles of a federalism.''


    ZAJEDNO ON NEW SERBIAN MINISTER OF INFORMATION

    Zajedno party member the Democratic Party (DS) stated on Wednesday
    that the newly-appointed Serbian Minister of Information Radmila
    Milentijevic had done nothing to liberate the media in Serbia, in
    spite of claims to the contrary.

    The DS also stressed that the ruling parties in Serbia continued
    to misuse state-owned media, according to Beta. The DS explained
    that state media still misrepresented on-going worker and student
    protests, even though Minister Milentijevic had promised to ensure
    fair coverage of the public demonstrations.


    MEDIA COULD BE LIBERATED INSTANTANEOUSLY

    The Serbian Reneval Movement (SPO), one of the Zajedno parties,
    commneted on Wednesday that if the Serbian government had any real
    intention of freeing the media, it could do so instantaneously.
    Instead, said the SPO, it is playing for time with plans for a new
    law on media.

    The SPO also insisted that Radio Television Serbia should be made
    accessible to all parliamentary parties, and that the station stop
    its malevolent and unsourced attacks on the opponents of the
    ruling Socialists.


    YUGOSLAV-CROATIAN GROUP OF EXPERTS TO MEET IN MARCH

    The Croatian Government proposed on Wednesday that experts from
    Croatia and the FR Yugoslavia meet at the beginning of March to
    discuss the further normalization of relations between the two
    countries.

    The main topics on the agenda are border crossings, consular
    convention, Agreement on International-Legal Assistance and rail
    traffic and economic relations, according to Beta.


    NEWS FROM BOSNIA
    ------------------------------------------------------------------


    BILDT DEMANDS ARREST OF CROAT POLICEMEN IN MOSTAR

    High Representative for Bosnia Carl Bildt demanded on Wednesday
    that those members of the Croat-controlled police force in Mostar
    who opened fire at Muslim civilians on February 10 be arrested
    immediately.

    According to AFP, the International Police Force (IPTF) made
    public on Wednesday photographs which proved that 3 Croat
    policemen had opened fire on Muslims in Mostar, killing 1 and
    wounding 22.

    The IPTF report said that violence in Western (Croat-controlled)
    Mostar started when a uniformed Croat policemen began to beat
    Muslims on their way to a funeral.

    When the Muslims turned to run back, plain-clothes policemen
    opened fire. One of the guilty policemen was identified as the
    Deputy Police Chief of Western Mostar.


    CROATS REFUSE TO ARREST POLICEMEN

    Bosnian Croat authorities rejected the UN demand on Wednesday to
    arrest the policemen who had participated in the February 10
    attack on the Muslim civilians, according to AFP and FoNet. Croat
    Mayor of Mostar Ivan Prskalo stated that he would not respect the
    UN demand to dismiss the Chief of Western Mostar Police and arrest
    6 Croat policemen.

    Prepared by: Marija Milosavljevic
    Edited by: Julia Glyn-Pickett

    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    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/
    ------------------------------------------------------------------