Foreign Agencies on February 16th, 1997

Past, Present and Future at Odds As Serbs Try to Read Milosevic
By Jonathan C. Randal
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, January 16 1997; Page A25
The Washington Post

...
Further anxiety was caused when Belgrade University's governing council -- made up of faculty, university officials and government-appointed representatives -- voted in a secret ballot to reject student demands that the university's rector be replaced.

Early in the seven-hour council session, a majority of its members had voted to accept a catalogue of demands from the university's students, who have formed the backbone of the daily anti-Milosevic demonstrations. Among the demands, which two government deputy prime ministers had promised would be honored, was the removal of the rector, Dragutin Veliskovic. But another vote was held, and the students' friends on the council persuaded only 25 of its 76 members to vote for Veliskovic's ouster.

The rector asserted that the first vote was on whether to consider his case, not to approve his dismissal. Student leader Cedomir Andic remarked, "We are confused, and they [the council] are hypocritical."
...

Serb Students Press University
By MISHA SAVIC
Associated Press Writer
Sunday, February 16, 1997 5:45 pm EST

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) -- With opposition rallies for democratic reforms on hold, Serbia's university students sought to keep up the pressure Sunday on President Slobodan Milosevic.

On Saturday, Serbia's opposition leaders told supporters that the three months of rallies that forced key election concessions from Milosevic would end -- to resume if Milosevic does not loosen his grip on the state news media by March 9.

But in their own display of opposition, up to 5,000 students gathered Sunday for their 87th consecutive day of protests, calling anew for the resignation of the hard-line, pro-Milosevic Belgrade University rector.

The students, who have kept their protests separate from opposition rallies, marched by state television offices, making noise to symbolically drown out the evening news broadcast.
...

The wave of opposition and student protests began in November when government officials annulled local election results in an attempt to undo losses by the ruling Socialist Party and its allies.
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Opposition Halts Protests In Serb Capital
Regime Has 3 Weeks To Act on Demands
By Boris Maricic
Reuter
Sunday, February 16 1997; Page A37
The Washington Post

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Belgrade students, who also have been been demonstrating for nearly three months, said they would continue their protests until the government meets their demands for the dismissal of the university rector and his deputy, and the prosecution of those responsible for annulling the local elections.

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