News for March 3rd, 1997

A group of students of the School of Mechanical Engineering confronted the independent, unobjective and unprofessional media, according to the statement of the minister of information of Serbia Radmila Milentijevic, as part of the 102-day student protest. About 20 students took part in the action and named themselves the SOS troops of Radmila Milentijevic and were dressed appropriately in gray trenchcoats. These "troops" burned a large number of independent papers and greeted the objective journalists in front of the buildings of Borba and Politika. In front of the "Red Borba" they demanded the republishing of the Flash paper which has been "brutally stopped".

Belgrade students handed the wanted circular for the "ex-Chancellor" of Belgrade University, Dragutin Velickovic before the 102th protest gathering in front of the School of Philosophy today. Students of both Belgrade Universities distributed the wanted circular with the following words printed on it: "Ex-Chancellor of BU. Wanted, with or without resignation. Prize - seven days at Kopaonik, at his expense." Belgrade students demand the resignations of Chancellor Dragutin Velickovic and Student Vice-Chancellor Vojin Djurdjevic because they have been ignoring their protest.

Around 15,000 Belgrade students stopped today, in the course of their 102nd protest walk, at all significant, as they put it, former student, now quasi-student institutions, expressing in that way their dissatisfaction with the fact that those institutions are now under the control of the ruling Serbian Socialist Party (SPS).

Serbian Ministry of Education announced today that the yesterday's Assembly of "a part" of Belgrade University was "the continuation of illegal activities of a group of Deans and managers of the institutes". "The aims of their illegal activities are the violation of regulations, complete destabilization of the University and the attempt at achieving certain political goals which have nothing to do with the University," reads the announcement of the Ministry, broadcast by the Belgrade media. According to this announcement, the decisions made by that Assembly have no legal force. The Ministry shall do everything to put the University Law into effect.

The president of the Independent of the Syndicate of Education Workers, Jelena Hristodulo confirmed today that this syndicate is not giving up their demands and is continuing their protest gatherings. She said that the education workers will gather in front of the building of the Serbian government at 2 o'clock and then join the protest gathering of the Parent Forum at 4 o'clock at the Republic Square. Hristodulo then refuted the information that classes are being held in 96 percent of the schools in Serbia and announced the meeting of the representatives of the Independent Syndicate of Education Workers with the representatives of the schools which are still in strike.

The Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists Aidan White arrived for a two-day visit to the Independent Journalist Association of Serbia (NUNS), announce NUNS. The visit schedule includes for White to talk with representatives of the independent media and meet with the Federal Secretary for information, the Republic minister for information and the president of the Journalist Association of Yugoslavia.

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