Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service

    Odraz B92 vesti (by 8 PM), January 29, 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 8 PM
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    IVANOV CALLS ON MILOSEVIC TO ACCEPT OSCE RECOMMENDATIONS

    For the first time in more than ten weeks of civic protest in
    Serbia, a Russian official -- Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov
    -- has called on authorities in Belgrade to accept the
    recommendations of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
    in Europe and recognize the November election results i.e.
    opposition victories in 14 cities, FoNet reported on Wednesday

    Mr. Ivanov stated that the recognition of the November results
    would create a way out of ``the current stalemate which is not in
    the national interests of Serbia.''  But Moscow media also claimed
    that Mr. Ivanov, in spite of being kept waiting by Mr. Milosevic
    for two days, had still tried to defend the Serbian President. Mr.
    Ivanov denied that Milosevic had showed a lack of political
    resolution in the face of the Serbian local election dispute.
    ``Milosevic's position has been prominent enough, but various
    political forces have branded it otherwise,'' Mr. Ivanov said.


    GERMAN MEDIA: WHITHER MILOSEVIC?

    The German news agency DPA reported on Wednesday that President
    Slobodan Milosevic's rumoured transfer to the position of the
    President of Yugoslavia, had only one goal -- to preserve his
    power indefinitely. ``President Milosevic wants to avoid
    responsibility for the deep political crisis caused by the recent
    electoral fraud, and at the same time, he wants to have the whole
    of Yugoslavia under his control,'' the report added.

    Some internaitonal media are also speculating on Mr. Milosevic's
    possible departure for Greece. The German weekly 'Bild' claims
    that President Milosevic has already bought a yacht in Greece,
    registered in the United Kingdom, and several houses in an
    exclusive suburbs of Athens.

    German TV reported that, as was announced by Russian Deputy
    Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on Wednesday, Mr. Milosevic was
    preparing to end the conflict with the Serbian opposition, but his
    exact plans were still unknown.


    STUDENTS DENY TANJUG COMMENT

    Student Protest 96/97 issued a statement on Wednesday in which
    they denied Tanjug's -- the Yugoslav state news agency -- January
    28 comment. ``Claims by an unnamed Tanjug journalist, that our
    delegation to Washington requested the re-introduction of
    sanctions in Yugoslavia, were simply lies. On the contrary, our
    delegation insisted on the loosening of, so the called, outer-wall
    of sanctions, which is not recognized by our authorities, but
    which are very real for our people,'' said the students in their
    statement.

    The students also denied the claim that Milan Panic -- former
    Yugoslav Prime Minister and Serbian-born American businessman --
    had covered the costs of the student delegation to the USA.  ``Mr.
    Panic paid for one plane ticket and the cost of the first three
    days of the visit for one member of the delegation, Dusan
    Vasiljevic. All other costs were covered by different Serbian
    emigre organizations and Mr. Ratko Knezevic, Head of the
    Montenegrin Economic Mission to the US,'' the students said in
    their statement on Wednesday.


    STUDENTS' WEDNESDAY PROTEST WALK

    Belgrade University Students protested for the 69th day on
    Wednesday. They gathered in the downtown square of Slavija, and
    walked through the city centre. At their usual rallying point, the
    terrace in front of the Faculty of Philosophy, the student crowd
    was addressed by a number of University teachers who had
    participated in the protest. Students publicly appealed to
    Belgrade lawyers to offer their support by taking industrial
    action. ``We consider that the lawyers are in the best position to
    raise their voices against breaches of the law,'' said the the
    students in their statement.


    STATE MEDIA THIRD CHANNEL STAFF SUPPORT STUDENTS

    A group of about 50 employees of the Third Channel, belonging to
    the state-run RTS media company, have come out in support of
    protesting students. The television staff released a statement in
    which they describe the students as good natured and independent.
    The statement says that the staff considers it their moral duty to
    support the students, and that they are expressing their opinion
    in public in order to restore the tarnished reputation of state
    media.


    ARMY HEADQUARTERS: NO SOLDIERS IN CORDONS

    The Supreme Headquarters of the Yugoslav Army has denied reports
    that army conscripts are among the riot squad troops forming
    police cordons. The statement, released by the Army Infomration
    Service stressed that the Army was politically neutral and claimed
    that ``such insinuations are an attempt to drag the Army into
    political events in the country.''


    SERBIAN RADICALS OPPOSES KOSOVO AUTONOMY

    The Serbian Radical Party has made a public statement condemning
    calls from ``certain parties'' to grant autonomy to Kosovo.
    ``Regardless of any support Zajedno may have from the US and the
    West, the Serbian people will not tolerate new treasons, from them
    or from the Serbian Government'' the Radical statement warned.


    DUSAN KOVACEVIC DENIES HE WILL BE SERBIAN HAVEL

    Playwright Dusan Kovacevic has denied speculation that he could be
    a presidential candidate, and stressed that he did not intend to
    change either his profession or his surname. ``I have been
    mentioned as a 'new Havel'.  I would not change my profession for
    anything in life, and I certainly would not like to change my
    name,'' said Kovacevic according to a report of Beta news agency.

    Prepared by: Goran Dimitrijevic
    Edited by: Julia Glyn-Pickett

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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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