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Protests in Serbia Archive
Serbian Renewal Movement: News of Feb. 13

Eighty Sixth Day of Protests in Belgrade

February 14, 1997

The column of protesters took another route last night and went to visit the house where the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament Dragan Tomic lives. The citizens tried to give him a present - a whistle, eggs and a photo-document with signatures of the participants of the protest. The gift was left in the hallway first, but Mr. Tomic did not respond although the citizens tried to call him on the intercom and pointed the reflector to his windows. One of the protesters, accompanied by three journalists, then went up to the apartment door. They were greeted by Mr. Tomic's bodyguards who hit the young men several times. The journalists ran away in time to escape the hits.

After visiting Mr. Tomic, the citizens went to the Liberty Square, where Zoran Djindjic and Vuk Draskovic addressed them. Vesna Pesic did not address the protesters last night because she spoke at the rally in Kragujevac.

Vuk Draskovic, president of the Serbian Renewal Movement ironically remarked that the president of Serbia had a rough day. "He received today the whole Polit bureau of YUL, and the TV announcer mistakenly identified them as the Government." However, we should not mock him and added that in a situation when thousands of hungry teachers and citizens are protesting, Slobodan Milosevic did not see appropriate to receive any of them.

Draskovic's explanation for such behhaviour is that the president is not the president of the hungry, but "he is the president of the rich and soon all of them will fill the Presidency building. For us, the people of Serbia, there will not be room enough on the streets and squares of Serbia so we are going to have to take shifts."

Commenting the March 9, 1991, Vuk Draskovic said: "We all know now that March 9th marks the beginning of the war, disintegration of our country, the sanctions... If we knocked them down then, there would not have been any war. I do not believe that there would have been any war, and if the disintegration of the country was to happen - it could have gone peacefully. Therefore, we must not waste this year away. Serbia is in a hurry, and when Serbia, with all this ebnergy is in ahurry, be convinced that we are going to turn the victory of this half-time (local elections) into full victory at the end of the whole game- the republic elections," concluded Draskovic.

Opposition victory confirmed in Belgrade

After the political and legal affair which has been going on fro three months, the City Election Commission finally announced the results of November 17 election results -in accordance with the "lex specialis". According to the Commission, the Coalition Zajedno won 67 seats, SPS-YUL won 24 seats, Serbian Radical Party 17 seats and the DSS 2 seats.

The Coalition Zajedno got another seat, apart from the confirmed 67 mandates. One of the Radical's representatives joined the Coalition Zajedno. The City Hall has 110 seats, with 68 seats now belonging to the Coalition Zajedno, and the SPS-YUL coalition will have 23 seats, since former Mayor of Belgrade, Nebojsa Covic was expelled from the SPS.

Leaders of the coalition ZAJEDNO visit Madrid and London

The leaders of the Coalition Zajedno will visit Madrid upon invitation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abel Matutes Y Juan on February 25 th.

After Madrid, leaders of the Coalition will visit London and meet with the Foreign Secretary Mr. Malcolm Rifkind and representatives of the Conservative and Labour Party, as well as the Crown Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic.

Two million dollars to help independent media

The Clinton administration decided to send two million dollars worth of aid to the newspapers, radio stations and unions who opposed Slobodan Milosevic's authoritarian government. This aid will not be given in cash, but in technical equipment, paper etc.

Yugoslav embassy in Paris denies visas to french ecologists

Unofficial sources claim that the Yugoslav Embassy in Paris refused to issue visas to the group of French ecologists, who were planning to test the quality of drinking water in Kragujevac.


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