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Protests in Serbia Archive
Serbian Renewal Movement: News of Feb. 6

6th February 1997

COALITION ZAJEDNO LEADERS LEAVING FOR PARIS

Accepting the invitation of French Head of diplomacy Herve de Charette, Coalition ZAJEDNO leaders are leaving for Paris today. The leaders are travelling on a French Government plane. They will meet there with the leading French politicians.

COALITION ZAJEDNO LEADERS TRAVELLING TO LONDON

Coalition ZAJEDNO leaders accepted an invitation to come to London at the end of this month where they will talk to the Foreign Office secretary, Malcolm Rifkind.

SPECIAL SESSION OF SERBIAN PARLIAMENT ON 11th FEBRUARY

At the Serbian Government's request, the President of Serbian Parliament Dragan Tomic scheduled first special session on 11th February. A new law proposition will be discussed at this session. This law would make the recognition of local election results definite in the Communities stated in the OSCE report. Also, at Assembly a law proposal of MP election would also be discussed.

By the new law and in accordance with OSCE report, temporary results of 17th November elections would become definite in the communities of: Pirot, Kraljevo, Jagodina, Uzice, Smederevska Palanka, Vrsac, Soko Banja, Pancevo, Lapovo, Zrenjanin, Sabac, Stari Grad, Vracar, Savski venac, Zvezdara, Rakovica, Palilula, Cukarica, Vozdovac, and in the City Halls of Kragujevac, Nis and Belgrade. The Communities of Novi Beograd, Lazarevac and Mladenovac, where the opposition had won and which were also stated in the OSCE report, are not mentioned in the law proposal.

On that occasion a member the Serbian Renewal Movement Presidency professor Milan Bozic said that the Coaliton ZAJEDNO will insist on total acceptance of the OSCE report e.g. demand recognition of the local election results in the Communities of Novi Beograd, Lazarevac and Mladenovac.

REACTIONS REGARDING LETTER OF SERBIAN PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC TO PRIME MINISTER MIRKO MARJANOVIC

Regarding the law proposition to recognize as final the temporary electoral results for the municipality representatives Vuk Draskovic, President of the Serbian Renewal Movement said:

"I fear that this law will be full of tiny deceits and that the Government will leave out from this law a town or a municipality, or recognize the results according to Gonsales' report, or not recognize the real election results, but try to steel a mandate or two. The Coalition ZAJEDNO will not consent to such deceits". If the authorities honestly accept the 17th November election results, Coalition ZAJEDNO could then, on the basis of the OSCE's recommendation, start dialogue at a round table. The decisions brought there would become obligatory - is Vuk Draskovic's opinion.

The President of Civic Alliance of Serbia Vesna Pesic said on that occasion:

"First, we should see whether this law would recognize all the mandates of the Coalition ZAJEDNO, and then, step by step, continue to fight for the democratic reforms in Serbia."

Zoran Djindjic, the President of the Democratic Party, when commenting upon this law proposal, pointed out: "We demand for Serbia to become a law-abiding state, for the media to work again in accordance with the law. The police forces should act according to the law and those who have exceeded their authorities should be punished."

STATEMENT OF THE FRENCH DIPLOMACY HEAD HERVE DE CHARETTE

Herve de Charette, French Minister of Internal Affairs, gave his comment on the new political move of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic: "I hope that this is not a postponing tactic, with the intention to place responsibilities for refusing the law upon the Serbian Parliament. On the other hand, if this announcement is followed by concrete steps, France will be the first to congratulate."

KLAUS KINKEL'S STATEMENT

German Minister of diplomacy, Klaus Kinkel, estimated the decision of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic as a positive signal, but also as the first step in the democratic development of the country. "It seems Milosevic has understood: his own behavior, as well as the behavior of his Government have caused great damage both in inner and foreign affairs. We should first wait to see if his decision will be followed by concrete steps: the elected representatives of the opposition must without further delay take positions belonging to them in new local management. Their functioning must not be disturbed". The head of German diplomacy concluded that peaceful perseverance of the opposition and patient foreign and inner pressures paid off after all.

SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC ORDERED THE BEATING OF CITIZENS

As the Coalition ZAJEDNO discovered, in the night between 2nd and 3rd February, 1997 at Branko bridge the beating of citizens was committed by special police units from: Kula, Vranje, Leskovac, Batajnica, Novi Sad and Pristina. The order for beating the citizens of Belgrade came directly from the President of Serbia Slobodan Milosevic.

FRENCH DIPLOMAT BEATEN UP

In last night's protest at the Liberty Square a French diplomat Raphael Vauchot was hurt. He was given medical aid at Department for Neurosurgery because he had head injuries, but he was released immediately after the treatment.

OSCE CONSIDERS SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC'S LETTER

The letter of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic addressed to the Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic will be taken into more detailed consideration at the regular OSCE meeting.

OSCE reports that President Milosevic's wish to resolve the problems regarding local elections is a good sign and that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's Government is on the right way towards recognizing local election results and applying the OSCE's recommendations made two months ago.


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