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), January 31, 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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    ZAJEDNO RALLY

    Thousands of Belgraders marched rowdily into Republic Square for
    Zajedno's protest rally on Friday evening, many of them trekking
    from distant suburbs. Riot squad troops blocked a huge column
    heading for the city from Vozdovac, but wily protesters split into
    two groups and surrounded them. The outflanked police withdrew and
    the citizens marched on. In other parts of Belgrade, police squads
    managed to confine marchers to one lane of the road and tens of
    thousands of citizens finally reached Republic Square for the 73rd
    rally of protest against the government. Zajedno leader Vuk
    Draskovic again demanded that the government recognise the second
    round of local election results and begin a dialogue with the
    opposition. Saturday's Zajedno rally will commence at 8.30 pm.


    SOCIALISTS: ZAJEDNO ``JOBS FOR THE BOYS''

    Kragujevac City Council Socialist leader Miroslav Klacar on Friday
    accused Zajedno of using its majority in the Council to appoint
    its own people to official positions. Mr Klacar said that Zajedno
    was demoting competent staff for no better reason than that they
    were members of the Socialist Party. Mr Klacar also expressed
    outrage that many Zajedno appointees were directors of private
    companies and therefore legally disqualified under city statutes
    from holding public positions.


    CORNBLOOM: SERBIA BACKWARD AND UNDEMOCRATIC

    Delegates at a Rome meeting of the Contact Group again appealed to
    Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic on Friday to recognise local
    election results. High Commissioner for Bosnia Carl Bildt,
    speaking after the meeting, said that Serbia was becoming the sick
    man of Europe and had no hope of recovering from its desperate
    economic situation while Milosevic continued to deny opposition
    mandates. US Assistant Secretary of State John Cornbloom also
    commented after the meeting that there was no open, prosperous and
    democratic future for the countries of the former Yugoslavia while
    Serbia remained an island of backwardness and undemocratic
    behaviour.


    YELTSIN CALLS FOR AID TO SERBIA

    Russian President Boris Yeltsin confirmed on Friday that Russia
    would remain an active partner in the search for a solution to
    Serbia's political crisis. Mr Yeltsin was speaking after a
    debriefing session on Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov's
    diplomatic mission to Belgrade last week. The Russian President
    also stressed the need for international assistance in the
    economic recovery of Serbia.


    TUDJMAN TO RUN AGAIN

    Croat President Franjo Tudjman has confirmed his intention to seek
    another term as President, in an interview with CNN. There have
    been persistent reports that Mr. Tudjman is suffering from an
    incurable stomach cancer. However the Croatian leader insisted
    that these reports were exaggerations and that he was carrying his
    full load of presidential duties and even playing tennis
    regularly.


    FRENCH GUESTS BARRED

    Yugoslav immigration authorities have refused visas to
    international celebrities who had been invited to deliver lectures
    in Belgrade. The series of lectures at Belgrade's Centre for
    Cultural Decontamination was to have been on freedom of expression
    in the media and in culture generally. The barred guests are
    general manager of Arte television, Jerome Clermond, Jacques
    Gilliard, of the Paris newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur and Bernard
    Fevre D'Arcier, president of the Avignon theatre festival.

    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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