Foreign Agencies on January 20th, 1997

Reuter
Dogs Bark for Democracy in Serbia Protests

(02:02 01/20/97) BELGRADE (Reuter)
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Thousands of student protesters massed in central Belgrade as usual Sunday night, vowing again to stay put until police cordons gave way and let them march. Police have done so before but only after midnight when streets have emptied of traffic.
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Yugo Police Beat Protesters
By MISHA SAVIC
Associated Press Writer
Monday, January 20, 1997 6:55 pm EST

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP)
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Meanwhile in Belgrade, university students who have played a large part in the pro-democracy protests remained in the pedestrian mall they have occupied since Sunday, continuing a standoff with riot police who had orders to prevent them from marching.

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pavle, blessed the students earlier in the day, reinforcing an earlier message that the traditionally neutral church was siding with the opposition.

CNN
January 20, 1997
Web posted at: 7:15 p.m. EST

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN)
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Students vow not to leave

[Picture: police]

In another tense confrontation, hundreds of Serbian students and some local residents prepared to spend a second consecutive night a few feet away from riot police who are blocking their way.

Their aim is to outlast a police cordon which has been set up to prevent them from marching through the city. Ordinarily the protests break up in the early morning hours when the police cordon disbands. But when the police did not leave early Monday morning, the students vowed to stay.

The police were spelled by a new shift, but the students remained, blowing whistles and dancing. Witnesses said the police arrested one student who stripped to his underwear to protest the police blockade.

Cedomir Jovanovic, one of the student leaders, encouraged the students not to give up. "We're the spine of the protests," he said.
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Reuters contributed to this report.

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