Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service
    Odraz B92 vesti (by 7 PM), December 13, 1996

    e-mail: beograd@siicom.com      URL: http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/
            odrazb92@b92.opennet.org     http://www.siicom.com/b92/
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    All texts are Copyright 1996 Radio B92. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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    NEWS BY 7 PM
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    DEMOCRATIC PARTY: ASTONISHMENT AT DINI'S STATEMENT

    Spokesman for the Democratic Party (DS), Slobodan Vuksanovic said
    today DS was astonished at the statement made by Italian Foreign
    Minister Lamberto Dini which said the acknowledgment of the
    annulled results was no longer possible. DS was surprised to hear
    opinions coming from Italy according to which the authorities and
    the opposition in Serbia could negotiate the electoral will of
    their people, especially since Dini had affirmed during the talks
    he had with the leaders of Zajedno yesterday that ``the electoral
    will and results must be adhered to.''

    The DS spokesman emphasized that, as leaders of coalition Zajedno
    has been saying for more than a week now, the opposition would
    agree to a series of round-table talks with the authorities but
    only after the electoral results were acknowledged.


    DRASKOVIC: NEW ELECTIONS UNDER DEMOCRATIC CONDITIONS

    Leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), Vuk Draskovic told a
    press conference today that the coalition Zajedno would readily
    agree to renewed local and federal elections under ``democratic
    conditions'' which would include the freedom of the media and
    presence of international observers. He also expressed his dismay
    at Dini's proposal, made last night, that the opposition should
    drop their key demands, saying Dini thereby sided with Milosevic.


    KOSTUNICA ON MILOSEVIC'S LETTER

    Vojislav Kostunica, leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS)
    told Radio B92 today that Milosevic's letter was not surprising
    for Milosevic ``does not recognize the Serbian public,'' but is
    ``setting his accounts straight'' with the secretary of ``a
    foreign state.''  [For contents of the letter, see today's News by
    3 PM.]


    LONGEST STUDENT MARCH IN BELGRADE SO FAR

    Tens of thousands of UofB students marched today through Belgrade
    streets and onto the campus of the School of Agriculture located
    in Zemun, a town a few miles outside Belgrade. Students took their
    rally to Zemun to protest the order issued by the Dean of the
    School of Agriculture forbidding students from absenting
    themselves from lectures. Today's 5-hour march is the longest so
    far.


    STUDENTS OF NOVI SAD ON THE ROAD

    Some 130 students of the UofNis, set out today on a 80-kilometer
    march to Belgrade in support of their Belgrade colleagues. The
    marchers, among whom is one university professor, set out after a
    protest rally by several thousand students in front of the School
    of Philosophy in Novi Sad. They are expected to arrive in Belgrade
    tomorrow noon, where they will be greeted by an official welcome
    party of UofB students.


    ``STUDENTS' AUTONOMOUS REGION'' IN NIS

    Some 10.000 students of UofNis announced today the establishment
    of ``The Students' Autonomous Region'' on the Bridge of Youth in
    Nis, the city's main traffic artery. They have organized a
    ``customs service'' for the collection of symbolic fees to let the
    pedestrians use the bridge. The action is yet another symbolic
    protest against the Serbian regime, which has introduced heavy
    taxes for Yugoslav citizens to wish to travel abroad. The
    ``autonomous region'' was an impromptu, temporary gesture and
    lasted for an hour. The Steering Board of Student Protest in Nis
    announced it is planning a ``march to Belgrade aimed at spreading
    the truth about Nis and the electoral theft.''  The march to
    Belgrade is expected to take place next week.


    COURT REJECTED DEMAND BY NIS ELECTORAL COMMISSION

    The Council of the Nis Municipal Court rejected today the request
    by the Nis Electoral Commission that the court dsimiss the
    complaint lodged by Zajedno which alleges that the electoral
    commission had not taken into account the previously submitted
    complaints by Zajedno on the electoral results. According to the
    vice-president of DS [Democratic Party], Zoran Zivkovic, the judge
    Ljiljana Nisevic has issued a writ for the Nis Electoral
    Commission requiring it to submit to the Court all the records
    pertaining to these complaints within an hour of being served the
    writ.


    YUGOSLAV UNITED LEFT (JUL) FOR DIALOGUE AND INTERNATIONAL
    OBSERVERS

    A statement by the leadership of the Yugoslav United Left (JUL)
    said today that any ``possible'' mistakes in the electoral
    procedure should be corrected by state institutions and through
    ``meetings between the representatives of the political parties''
    involved in the dispute. The JUL statement stressed the party's
    support for the ``well-meaning and objective international support
    and presence of international organizations'' in Serbia. JUL
    expressed their ``utmost pleasure'' with the fact that the left
    and the democratic forces of Serbia were united in a coalition
    that ``won more votes in the federal elections than all opposition
    parties in Serbia'' and ``was victorious in 148 municipalities in
    Serbia.''  JUL's statement also called for criminal suits against
    those who advocate political terrorism, condemned the misuse of
    children and students in the demonstrations, and demanded that the
    possible financial and political support the opposition might be
    receiving from abroad be made public.  [JUL is headed by Mira
    Markovic, wife of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.]


    RADICALS CALL FOR LIVE TV BROADCASTS FROM PARLIAMENT

    Serbian Radical Party (SRS) said in its statement today that a
    solution to the present political crisis in Serbia must be found
    by the Serbian Parliament, whose sessions should be broadcast
    live. SRS ``condemned in strictest terms the interference of the
    so-called international community'' in Serbia's internal affairs.
    ``NATO and the US have nothing to do with the elections in Serbia,
    the same way we have nothing to do with the election of the NATO
    Council or with the US presidential elections,'' said SRS.

    Prepared by: Aleksandra Scepanovic
    Edited by: Vaska Andjelkovic (Tumir)

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