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), March 24, 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
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      NEWS BY 4 PM

        No Trade Concession Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  21
        Milosevic President?   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  34
        Milosevic: Djukanovic or Me  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  41
  15    Ownership Transformation Bill  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  51
        Call to Arrest Dafina Milanovic  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  69
        Demaci Refuses New York Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . .  82

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      NEWS BY 4 PM
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      NO TRADE CONCESSION DISCUSSION

      BBC economic commentator Andrew Walker told Radio B92 on Monday
      that trade concessions for Yugoslavia would probably not be
      discussed at that day's EU meeting in Brussels. Mr Walker said
  25  that if that were the case it would deny to Yugoslavia the kind of
      access enjoyed by other countries in east and south-east Europe.
      Asked what the conditions would be for Yugoslavia to be granted EU
      trade concessions, Mr Walker replied ``I don't think that the EU
      is actually spelling it out explicitly, but clearly the kind of
  30  thing they would be looking for is a very much more open,
      democratic political system, where election results are invariably
      respected, a system in which there are clear and well-understood
      rules.''


      MILOSEVIC PRESIDENT?

  35  Belgrade daily Demokratika reported on Monday that Serbian
      President Slobodan Milosevic would probably move to the position
      of President of Yugoslavia in June. The daily claimed that
      Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic would become Prime Minister
      of Yugoslavia and that the presidents of the two republics had
  40  already agreed on this.


      MILOSEVIC: DJUKANOVIC OR ME

      The Management Committe of the ruling Montengrin Socialist
      Democratic Party convened in Podgorica on Monday to discuss the
      crisis over Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic's recent outspoken
  45  statements. Mr Djukanovic has recently criticised Serbian
      President Slobodan Milosevic and relations between Serbia and
      Montenegro.

      The Belgrade Dnevni Telegraf reports that the Serbian President
      has presented Mr Bulatovic with the ultimatum: ``Give up either
  50  Djukanovic or me.''


      OWNERSHIP TRANSFORMATION BILL

      Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic on Monday presented a
      working draft of the Law on Ownership Transformation to
      entrepreneurs, government and trade union representatives at the
  55  Serbian Chamber of Economics. Mr Marjanovic said that the law was
      based on the principles of efficiency, stimulation and justice. He
      said that preference would be given in the privatisation process
      to those who had contributed to socially owned assets, as well as
      to all employees, past and present.

  60  Mirko Vasiljevic of the Belgrade School of Law described the bill
      as historic and said that the process of transformation should be
      complete within eighteen months. A basic discount of 20% would be
      given for purchase of equity in socially owned property, with an
      additional 1% a year added for each year of employment. The
  65  discounts would be available to all employees and pensioners, and
      their direct heirs. Mr Vasilijevic said that of the proceeds, 50%
      would go to the Development Fund, 25% to the Pension and Invalids
      Funds and 25% to the Labour Market Institute.


      CALL TO ARREST DAFINA MILANOVIC

  70  Holders of plundered savings accounts on Monday demanded that the
      Serbian and Yugoslav authorities ``take urgent steps to arrest
      Dafina Milanovic, owner of the Dafiment Bank.''  The account
      holders' representative, Tomislav Perisic said that the
      authorities should take decisive action to clamp down on criminals
  75  and bureaucrats involved in the embezzlement of account-holders'
      funds. The Dafiment scandal happened at the beginning of 1994.

      Mr Perisic said that the account holders were dissatisfied with
      Monday's meeting with representatives of the government and the
      National Bank. He said that they would continue their protest in
  80  front of the Yugoslav National Bank and the Serbian Presidency on
      Tuesday at noon.


      DEMACI REFUSES NEW YORK CONFERENCE

      The Kosovo Parliamentary Party leader, Adem Demaci said on Monday
      that he would not go to New York for talks between Serb and
  85  Albanian factions from Kosovo. He said that his refusal was
      because more Serbs were invited than Albanians.

      ``I wanted to present ways to reach a solution for the conflict
      between Serbs and Albanians, but this appears not to have been
      taken seriously. We are not, therefore, prepared to go where our
  90  position and our issues are not regarded in a serious light,'' Mr
      Demaci told media.

      Prepared by: Marija Milosavljevic
      Edited by: Steve Agnew

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  95  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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