<nettime> ANEM WEEKLY REPORT: November 4 - 10, 2000

[mediawatch-owner@freeb92.net]

ANEM WEEKLY REPORT ON MEDIA REPRESSION IN SERBIA
NOVEMBER 4 - NOVEMBER 10, 2000

STRIKER COMMITTEE BECOMES TEMPORARY BOARD

BELGRADE, November 4 2000 - The Radio Television Serbia Independent Union
Strike Committee yesterday "grew" into a temporary body "analogous with
the Managing Board" and appointed Nenad Ristic as acting general director,
the state television Striker Committee announced today.

A statement issued by the Strike Committee, which took over the
responsibility of managing Radio Television Serbia on October 5, stated
that it had on November 1 requested that the transitional Serbian
government appoint new managing bodies within three days.

Beta reports that due to the government's failure to respond to that
request by Friday, the RTS Strike Committee, in order to preserve
programming and business, decided at its latest session to turn the Strike
Committee into a temporary body analogous with the Managing Board. "As
professionals, loyal to our profession and the house which employs us, we
will give our best in the forthcoming period so that RTS be an unbiased
source of information, for the benefit of the entire public and all
citizens," concluded the statement.

EMPLOYEES DISMISS RADIO GRACANICA DIRECTOR

GRACANICA, November 4 2000 - The employees of Radio Gracanica yesterday
dismissed the radio's Director and Editor-in-Chief Vesko Stojkovic. The
employees claimed that Stojkovic had been dismissed because of bad
business deals and a one-sided and biased editorial policy which favoured
the former ruling Serbian Socialist Party, reports Beta.

SESELJ GUARDS TRIGGER-HAPPY AGAIN

VALJEVO, November 4 2000 - Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj's
guest appearance on Valjevo Television Vujic on Thursday night resulted in
a verbal and subsequent physical showdown between his bodyguards and the
citizens of Valjevo.

A group of around thirty citizens, former Radical supporters, accused
Seselj at the end of the programme of "betraying the cause and turning
Communist". Seselj responded in equal measure.

Beta reports that Seselj's bodyguards then resorted to force, drawing
their handguns and Hecklers. Seselj got into his car with his crew and
left Valjevo, while the citizens attempted to break into the premises of
Television Vujic. The programming of this television station was
temporarily terminated, and the police were called out to the scene.

The Serbian Radical Party headquarters in Valjevo were subsequently
vandalised by the former Radicals.

JOURNALIST ASSOCIATION FOR ANNULMENT OF ALL INFORMATION ACT RULINGS

BELGRADE, November 4 2000 - The Association of Serbian Journalists stated
yesterday that it had launched an initiative for the annulment of all
rulings made under the Public Information Act, which involved huge fines
against numerous media.

The Association has also proposed that the money paid out in fines be
returned to the media concerned, and if that was not possible then a way
to compensate those media through tax exemption or other legal means
should be sought.

In their statement, the Association added that only one group of activists
out of the total of 150 had registered to date for the Journalist Assembly
scheduled for November 6 by former President and Director of Radio
Television Serbia Milorad Komrakov, reports Beta.

SLOBODAN ALEKSANDRIC HEADS RADIO TELEVISION POLITIKA

BELGRADE, November 4 2000 - The Belgrade Commercial Court has appointed
Slobodan Aleksandric as Radio Television Politika's representative to the
temporary body of finance, the Politika company stated today. The
statement specified that Aleksandric was the acting director of the
Politika stockholder company's newspaper affairs, reports Beta.

PROTIC: STUDIO B TO BE PRIVATISED

BELGRADE, November 4 2000 - Democratic Opposition of Serbia Federal
representatives and Belgrade Mayor Milan St. Protic announced yesterday
the imminent privatisation of Radio Television Studio B.

Protic said that the privatisation of Studio B was in the interests of the
Belgrade City Assembly, not only for media, but also for financial
reasons, emphasising that "it seemed unjust to him to restrict it only to
twenty former founders and stockholders".

"We believe that all media must be independent, and in order to be truly
independent, they must be financially independent of all political bodies.
Until they are a part of the budget, their independence in that respect is
questionable," Protic told the press in the Serbian Parliament, FoNet
reports.

HADZI-DRAGAN ANTIC'S LAWYER ANNOUNCES SUIT

BELGRADE, November 4 2000 - Former director of Politika Hadzi-Dragan
Antic's lawyer Dragoljub Todorovic announced yesterday that he had filed
private criminal charges to the authorised courts "against all authors and
editors of information containing untruths, lies and libel" against his
client.

The statement specified that "the majority of articles and news reports
amounted to pure fabrication, crude untruths, forgeries and malicious and
derived claims" about Hadzi-Dragan Antic, which resembled an
"unprecedented manhunt and open call for lynch," reports Beta.

He added that in co-operation with this client, he would soon "reveal
facts and precise data regarding persons and events in Politika over the
last decade," which would, "present people and events in the oldest
newspaper in the Balkans in an entirely new light".

RADIO AND TELEVISION FREQUENCIES TO BE OFFERED ON FREE-MARKET

BELGRADE, November 5 2000 - New Federal Minister of Telecommunications
Boris Tadic told the press yesterday that his main aim was to create a
stable media system and that he intended to call a public frequency
tender.

When asked whether media who had not been granted frequencies during the
run of former ministers Goran Matic and Dojcilo Radojevic would obtain
frequencies now, Tadic replied that he would go through the legal
documentation and see who had been stripped of frequencies and in what
way.

Democratic Party Deputy President Tadic emphasised that "all
municipalities or the so-called self-management units would have to have
their own media, while the rest of frequencies would be offered on the
free market".

GORAN MATIC: JOURNALISTS SHOULD BE MORE COURAGEOUS AND POLITICALLY
COMPETENT

BELGRADE, November 5 2000 - Former Yugoslav Minister of Information and
Yugoslav Left Federal representative Goran Matic yesterday described the
media situation in the country as "interesting", but added that it still
lacked what it had lacked before - more courageous and politically
competent journalists. He said journalists should compete with politicians
in the interpretation of the political situation in the country.

When asked why he had not struggled for an improvement in the media
situation while he was a minister, and why he had participated in the
closing down of independent media, Matic replied, "The fight for the media
is a specific fight. In my mandate, 120 television and over 500 radio
stations were opened. Free newspapers were published in every colour and
every way. I cannot accept that the Federal Secretariat of Information was
closing down media - it was a republic law and republic authority. The
current atmosphere within the media is even worse than it was before,
because there is more arbitrariness and less responsibility than there was
previously".

NEW BEGINNING FOR TELEVISION MLADENOVAC

MLADENOVAC, November 5 2000 - Television Mladenovac has resumed
broadcasting six months after police terminated its programming on May 17.

The Mladenovac branch of Television Studio B will broadcast on a new
frequency, on the 34th UHF channel, for which it was granted a permit by
the Federal Ministry of Telecommunications on October 20.

Police closed down Television Mladenovac, as part of Studio B, in May
2000, the same day the Serbian government took over this media house, Beta
reports today.

DIRECTOR OF POZAREVEC REC NARODA DISMISSED

POZAREVAC, November 5 2000 - The Managing Board of the Pozarevac Public
Information Company Rec naroda yesterday relieved Director Natasa Coguric
of her duty, also acknowledging her request to leave the position, Beta
reports.

The dismissal was preceded by protests from the employees of this media
house and the signing of a petition which demanded her dismissal.

Apart from newspaper Rec naroda, this house also includes Radio Pozarevac.

In the last couple of months both the daily and the radio solely served
the former ruling Serbian Socialist Party and Yugoslav Left, so in
addition to improved financial positions and cadre changes, the employees
also demanded a change in editorial policy.

BK TELEVISION SORRY ABOUT FEELINGS OF MISSING SERBS' FAMILIES

BELGRADE, November 5 2000 - BK Telekom yesterday expressed its deepest
regret because of the dissatisfaction and rage the guest appearance of
Albanian intellectual and former KLA political representative Adem Demaci
on this television station caused to the families of abducted and missing
persons in Kosovo, said a statement issued by the media house after the
protest from the Association of Families of Abducted and Missing Persons
from Kosovo.

BK Television claimed it had intended to open communication with Albanian
representatives, which had not existed for almost two years.

"This communication is essential for the urgent opening of Serb-Albanian
dialogue regarding the current problems in Kosovo on all levels and
seeking civilised resolutions to those problems, including the dramatic
issue of abducted and missing Serbs and members of other non-Albanian
nations in the province," emphasised BK Television.

LAWYER HAS EVIDENCE AGAINST MILANOVIC

BELGRADE, November 6 2000 - The lawyer representing the families of Radio
Television Serbia employees killed in the NATO bombing, Slobodan Sisic
last night reiterated that he had come by important evidence which
"unquestionably" pointed to the responsibility of the former state
television Director Dragoljub Milanovic and his associates for the death
of those people, Beta reports.

Sisic confirmed that he had found an official memo written by the four
senior Radio Television Serbia guards dated April 2 1999. "In that note
the officials remarked that despite their insistence Milanovic had refused
to issue the so-called order number 37 by which the Government ordered the
moving of the employees and equipment to the Kosutnjak centre," Sicic
said.

MONTENEGRIN TELEVISION USES KOSTUNICA'S TITLE

PODGORICA, November 6 2000 - Montenegrin Television has begun using the
exact title of Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica in news programmes,
which it had failed to do to date. On Saturday night's state television
prime time news programme, Kostunica's activities were reported and he was
referred to as the Yugoslav President, reports Beta.

SOC DEMANDS DISMISSAL OF MONTENEGRIN TELEVISION MANAGEMENT

PODGORICA, November 6 2000 - People's Party President Dragan Soc told
Sunday's edition of Belgrade daily Glas javnosti that his party would not
resume talks with the ruling Montenegrin coalition on a referendum until
the editorial staff of Montenegrin Television had been dismissed.

"Not only has Montenegrin television become an instrument of the political
idea of an independent Montenegro, but it has also been spreading
anti-Serb sentiment throughout Montenegro and creating an ambience which
will prevent any agreement between Serbia and Montenegro being reached at
the same time blaming democratic Serbia for this situation," said Soc.

He assessed that Montenegrin television resembled Radio Television Serbia
from the time it was run by Dragoljub Milanovic, reports FoNet.

TADIC: ILLEGALLY CONFISCATED FREQUENCIES WILL BE RETURNED

BELGRADE, November 6 2000 - Yugoslav Minister of Telecommunications Boris
Tadic stated yesterday that the frequencies should be seen as national
property, which was not for sale.

"National property is leased, like a beach, like any water territory, and
in order to do this well, it is necessary to call public tenders, and use
the national property for the good of all people," Tadic said during a
break in the Federal Parliament session.

Beta reports that Boris Tadic emphasised that he would look into the facts
relating to which radio and television stations had been stripped of their
frequencies without a valid reason, and from which stations equipment had
been stolen. "This must be returned," said Tadic.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY OFFICIAL: ANEM, SEMI-MAFIA ORGANISATION

CACAK, November 7 2000 - At the session of the Cacanski glas public
company, held on Friday November 3, a decision was made to form a
three-member commission whose task it would be to examine all data
relating to past donations, as well as what the money was used for and
what kind of equipment was obtained, Danas daily reported yesterday.

Kosta Milosevic, president of the Democratic Party local branch and member
of the Cacanski glas Managing Board also demanded that the management
request that ANEM, which he referred to as a semi-mafia organisation, and
whose members include Radio Cacak and Television Cacak, provide a complete
report on the equipment the Association of Independent Electronic Media
had given to Cacanski glas, the founder of these two media outlets.

INTERNATIONAL GATHERING ON MEDIA TRANSITION

BELGRADE, November 7 2000 - An international gathering dealing with the
"Transition of Free Journalism" will be held in Belgrade today. Media
experts will discuss the priorities in the change of the media's position.
Participants in the gathering in the Media Centre will discuss the legal,
financial, professional and educational aspects of the forthcoming media
transition.

It was announced that one of the goals of the gathering would be the
coordination of strategy, tactics, methods of realisation, and the time
frame regarding certain concrete steps, in order to avoid possible
conflicts of directions in the media transition.

The guests scheduled to participate include Yugoslav Minister of
Telecommunications Boris Tadic, Federal Secretary of Information Slobodan
Orlic, Republic Minister of Information Biserka Matic, as well as
President of the International Federation of Journalists Aiden White,
European Commission and UNESCO representatives, as well as other
international organisations in the media field.

The debate will feature front men from media and media organisations and
associations from Yugoslavia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Albania,
Bulgaria, and some other countries, reports Beta.

MILANOVIC AND ASSOCIATES CHARGED WITH PREMEDITATED MURDER

BELGRADE, November 7 2000 - The lawyer representing the families of the
Radio Television Serbia employees killed during the NATO bombing, Slobodan
Sisic, yesterday changed and expanded the criminal charges filed against
the former RTS Director Dragoljub Milanovic and a group of his associates,
suggesting that they were responsible for the premeditated murder of
sixteen people.

"I expanded the charges and changed their qualification into the
premeditated murder of several people," Sicic told Beta. In the earlier
charges he merely claimed that the RTS officials had not respected the
protection measures of workers on the job, "which had resulted in their
deaths".

Sicic also expanded the charges to include Jovan Ristic, Radio Television
Serbia deputy director, based on a statement made by Special UN Rapporter
for Human Rights in the Former Yugoslavia Jiri Dienstbir who stated on
October 2 that Milanovic and Ristic had been informed twenty-four hours in
advance of the exact moment of attack on the RTS building.  Sisic proposed
that the relevant investigative bodies confiscate the passports of those
who had been charged, because of the danger that they might flee the
country.

Sisic went a step further, proposing a preventive custody against several
former RTS officials including General Director Dragoljub Milanovic,
Editor-in-Chief Milorad Komrakov, Deputy Editor Dusan Vojvodic,
Secretary-General Dusana Jakovljevic and Deputy Director for Defense and
Protection Affairs Slobodan Perisic. The same measures were also proposed
for former President of the RTS Managing Board Vukasin Jokanovic, who is
still a Yugoslav State prosecutor.

Sisic said that he had opted for the amendment to the criminal charges,
which might be used as a basis for the prosecution to launch an
investigation, after finding on November 5 in the RTS central offices a
"photocopy of an official memo" written on April 2 1999, at 9 p.m., by the
senior official of the television's defense and protection service
Slobodan Perisic and his associates Mitar Djeric, Zvonimir Jocic and
Andrija Tadic. In that note the officials remarked that despite their
insistence Milanovic had refused to issue so-called order number 37 with
which the Government orders the moving of the employees and equipment to
the Kosutnjak center.

The note which Beta were given the opportunity to examine, said that
Slobodan Perisic had visited RTS General Director Milanovic in order to
persuade him to activate the order he himself had signed, but that he had
refused to do so, saying that programming would be broadcast from
Aberdareva, Takovska and Hilandarska streets, from the headquarters which
was subsequently bombed on April 23.

The participants in the meeting claim in the memo that they had been
warning Milanovic since March 26 1999 that the measure had been "ordered",
but that he repeatedly refused to carry it out. It does not say so in the
note, but Sisic claims that the appropriate order for moving was issued by
the Federal Government, somewhere between March 24 and 26.

TATJANA LENARD: NO OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF RTS BOMBING

BELGRADE, November 7 2000 - Former editor of Radio Television Serbia
foreign news department Tatjana Lenard stated yesterday that there were no
official warnings that the television would be bombed on the night between
April 22 and 23 last year, and that she was not in charge of the
employees' safety, Beta reports today.

In her guest appearance on RTS Channel Three, Lenard said that during the
bombing of RTS she was on watch guard duty every night, and that during
the night when the RTS building was bombed she was on a previously
arranged business trip to Budapest.

She denied having provoked the bombing of the television premises with one
of her comments broadcast on RTS, emphasising that her statement, "Let
Clark shoot, we are waiting him in number 10 Takovska Street," was merely
a "figure of speech".

AUTHENTICITY CHECK REQUESTED ON CURUVIJA DOCUMENT

BELGRADE, November 8, 2000 - The Belgrade Municipal Public Prosecution
yesterday requested an authenticity check on the recently publicised
document claimed to be the State Security Service report on 'the secret
surveillance' of daily Dnevni telegraf owner and journalist Slavko
Curuvija who was murdered in April last year. Beta reports that public
prosecutor Slavisa Simic told journalists yesterday that the prosecution
had proposed a hearing of the State Security Service highest officials
Rade Markovic and Milan Radonjic who were connected with the murder case.

SUBOTIC: DONATIONS TO PAY FOR REBUILDING OF DESTROYED TV NOVI SAD

NOVI SAD, November 8, 2000 - The Vojvodina Parliament is to request that
the international community obtain funds for the rebuilding of Television
Novi Sad which was destroyed during last year's NATO attacks on
Yugoslavia, Vojvodina Parliament Information Board President Djordje
Subotic announced yesterday. "NATO did it and we will launch an initiative
proposing that the international community rebuild Television Novi Sad
through donations so as to return to Vojvodina that which it used to own',
Subotic told the Beta agency. Subotic also said that talks would be held
on the return of the founding, not only the managing rights of the
Vojvodina Parliament in relation to Radio Television Novi Sad, which had
been taken away by adding the media house to the Radio Television of
Serbia system.

INVESTIGATION OF TV KRALJEVO FIRE

KRALJEVO, November 8, 2000 - The first facts about the fire in TV Kraljevo
have confirmed that the cause of the fire was faulty electrical
installations. As ANEM correspondent for Kraljevo reports, although there
has not yet been an official statement, human error has been ruled out.
Two radio studios, both the television and Ibarske novosti editorial
offices were burnt out completely and the archives, which were one of the
richest in Yugoslavia, were also destroyed in the fire that started last
Wednesday. According to initial estimates the damage is thought to be
around half a million German marks. Kraljevo Municipality Executive Board
President Mile Koricanac yesterday announced the building of the new
premises. Radio programming should be resumed within fifteen days and
television broadcasts within a month

MORATORIUM ON FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION PROPOSAL SUPPORTED

BELGRADE, November 8, 2000 - The transition of domestic media will be a
long term process based on the experiences of neighbouring and East
European countries, as well as on the specific nature of media space here,
concluded the international round table under the title 'Transition
towards free journalism'. B92 reports that at the gathering organised by
the Belgrade Media Centre, leading media, domestic and international media
associations and non-governmental expert organization representatives are
expected to discuss joint strategies for the reconstruction and
professionalisation of the domestic media system. The majority of
participants supported the proposal made by the Association of Independent
Electronic Media and the Association of Independent Serbian Journalists
for the setting up of a moratorium on radio and television channel
frequencies distribution as well as the revision of the managing of state
and pro state media. Future Federal Secretary for Information Slobodan
Orlic told B92 that he would do his best to ensure that both the
government and ministers be available to the public, i.e. to the
journalists.

TV STUDIO B JAMMED AGAIN

BELGRADE, November 8, 2000 - Television Studio B stated yesterday that
the TV station had been jammed again during the last few days. The
statement issued yesterday said that the TV Studio B signal was being
jammed by Television Fan which broadcast 'its programmes on channel 32
without any license thus totally covering our programming in the
municipalities of Karaburma, Mirjevo and Stari grad'. The statement
added that other jamming was from Television YU Info 'which also
broadcasts its programmes on channel 40 without any license'. The
statement reminded those concerned that TV studio B was in possession
of a valid license which did not expire until March 3, 2002. "We
appeal to the Federal Ministry of Telecommunications to take measures
to protect Studio B from the illegal use of the radio specter',
concluded the statement.

BIG MEDIA HOUSES AMONG GREATEST DEBTORS

BELGRADE, November 9, 2000 - Director of the Serbian Electric Company
Center for Public Relations Momcilo Cebalovic stated yesterday that
the lack of electricity in Serbia was caused among other things by the
unpaid debts of users. "There are great debtors, who have been
protected for years and who have failed to pay for the electricity
they have consumed, and among them are certain big media houses',
Cebalovic said, adding that he would do his best to reveal the list of
the greatest debtors as soon as possible, reports Beta.

DOS PROPOSAL FOR PARTIES' PRESENTATION ON RTS

BELGRADE, November 9, 2000 - The Democratic Opposition of Serbia
yesterday sent all media the rules set out for parties' presentation
on Radio Television Serbia in the period prior to the extraordinary
parliamentary elections in Serbia scheduled for December 23. According
to the Bill, RTS is obliged to equally and objectively present all
elections list givers and their candidates during the election
campaign. The document regulated, among other things, that propaganda
material, except for that which was obligatory and free, should not be
broadcast if the parties involved had not paid debts owing to RTS from
the previous electoral period. The lists givers would be able to
broadcast advertisements in a free block even if they had not paid
their debts to RTS, but this was not the case with the commercial
block. Each giver of a confirmed list has the right to broadcast only
one propaganda spot lasting a maximum of thirty seconds in any one
election - propaganda block. Givers of confirmed lists have the right
to two announcements of promotional gatherings in a special block of
'Announcements'.

Media are not to comment on the pre-election activities of the parties
during the pre-election campaign, and the activities of state
officials and organs are not to be used to the benefit of electoral
and party propaganda aims. According to the proposed rules, all
agreement signatories will have the possibility of equal presentation
of their programmes and pre-election activities. The scheduling of
such broadcasts and the duration of special programming blocks will be
established by the relevant editors-in-chief. Participants in the
electoral process will be obliged to respect the Serbian Constitution
and refrain from the spreading of religious, national, sexual and
racial hatred and chauvinism. RTS will organise five special shows of
120 minute duration on television and 60 minute programmes on Radio
Belgrade where the representatives of electoral participants will be
given the opportunity to address the viewers and listeners. The
subjects of the shows will be established by party consensus, or RTS
editorial collegiums should the parties be unable to reach an
agreement.

PRESS SOS CENTER FORMED

BELGRADE, November 9, 2000 - The Association of Serbian Journalists
stated yesterday that it had formed a Press SOS Centre, with the aim
of returning money taken from the redactions in accordance with the
heavy penalties imposed under the Public Information Act as well as
the reinstatement of illegally sacked journalists. FoNet reports that
the Association urged all redactions and individuals who have suffered
under the Information Act to contact them on 3236  337 and 3242 134 in
order to receive free legal aid in these matters.

STUDIO B MANAGEMENT APPOINTED

BELGRADE, November 9, 2000 - The Belgrade City Assembly yesterday
confirmed the appointment of Radmila Hrustanovic as Studio B Public
Radio Diffuse Company General Director, Beta reports. Hrustanovic was
appointed to this position on October 26, after the decision of the
City Assembly Executive Board and the proposal of Belgrade Mayor Milan
St Protic. At its session, the City Assembly also appointed Zoran
Ostojic as Studio B Managing Board President, and Aleksandra
Joksimovic, Nebojsa Djurdjevic, Dragor Hiber, Ljiljana Lucic, Nenad
Stefanovic, Sinisa Djukic, Miroslav Hristodulo, Ljiljana Nestorovic,
Ofelija Backovic, Vladimir Dobrosavljevic, Ljiljana Obradovic,
Miroslav Corbic, Jadranka Jankovic, Aleksandar Gajsek, Milorad
Roganovic, Slavomir Cirovic and Milan Nikolic were also appointed to
the new Managing Board.

TELEVISION SMEDEREVO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF IS SERBIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
SPOKESPERSON

SMEDEREVO, November 9, 2000 - Democratic Party of Serbia Spokesperson
Bojana Jaksic is the new editor-in-chief of the local television
station founded by the Smederevo Municipal Assembly. Jaksic was
appointed to the position following the decision of Television
Smederevo Director Dragan Sormaz, who is also the president of the
local Smederevo branch of the Democratic Party of Serbia, who was
appointed to the position of director last month. At the redaction
meeting, Sormaz said that 'DOS has an obligations to Jaksic, who is
both a proved journalist and single mother' adding that the
municipality had not been offered a better proposal.

ORLIC: FIVE US JOURNALISTS DENIED VISAS

BELGRADE, November 9, 2000 - OSCE Media Commissioner Freimut Duve
protested today to Yugoslav Information Minister Slobodan Orlic over
the denial of visas to five US journalists. Orlic told Beta that he
had appealed to the immigration authorities to issue visas to the
journalists or at least explain why their valid applications had been
refused.

He added that it appeared that certain state bodies were continuing
the old regime's practice of blacklisting certain foreign journalists.
This, he said was not acceptable to the Democratic Opposition of
Serbia's reformist policies.

CHARGES FILED AGAINST DRAGAN HADZI-ANTIC

POZAREVAC, November 10, 2000 - Pozarevac Otpor members Momcilo
Veljkovic, Radojko Lukovic and Nebojsa Sokolovic yesterday appealed to
Municipal Court President Slobodan Coguric and the court judge Dragan
Vucicevic to accelerate the legal process and withdraw the charges
filed against them.

Veljkovic, Lukovic and Sokolovic were accused of attempted murder
after the conflict with Marko Milosevic's security staff in Pozarevac
Pasaz cafe on May 9 this year. At a press conference yesterday, the
three Otpor members demanded that those who were really responsible
for the incident be brought before the courts. Lukovic stressed that
Marko Milosevic had confessed to him that he personally had beaten
Nebojsa Sokolovic, whom he took to be Radio Bum Director Misa Tadic.
"Among other things, the former president's son stressed that he was
sorry for harassing Sokolovic, but he also said that he was not sorry
for Veljkovic who he described as a psychopath', said Lukovic. He said
that charges had been filed against Politika Director Dragan
Hadzi-Antic and journalist Milan Galovic as well as against all those
who had made false claims connected with the incident in front of the
Pozarevac cafe. Charges against Vlajko Stojiljkovic were also
announced, since he had demanded that psychiatrists declare Veljkovic
insane, reports FoNet.

RESPONSIBILITY OF THOSE WHO VIOLATED PROFESSION

BELGRADE, November 10, 2000 - Transitional Government Co-Minister of
Information Biserka Matic yesterday expressed her dissatisfaction that
a group of foreign journalists had been denied Yugoslav visas. At the
Association of Independent Serbian Journalists press conference, when
The Fifth File on Repression was presented, Matic demanded that the
Ministry of Justice instruct the courts not to judge in accordance
with The Public Information Act, which regulated high penalties for
media and journalists. "The heaviest consequences for journalism as a
profession have been suffered by former regime media', Matic stressed,
adding that 'in the independent media we have preserved the
profession. These people were the victims of law and persecution, but
there the profession has been preserved. The regime media suffered
financially and were crippled in cadre and professionally. What is the
fate of Milanovic, Cukic, Hadzi-Dragan Antic and many others who put
their profession and their powerful media houses at the feet of
Slobodan Milosevic and Mira Markovic?"

"There will be no revenge or return game, but, really, as a profession
which wants to gain autonomy, we must get rid of politics, as well as
to demand that those who cruelly violated the profession be held
responsible for their actions", concluded Matic.

INDEPENDENT TRADE UNION DISASSOCIATES ITSELF FROM SOME STRIKE BOARD
DECISIONS

BELGRADE, November 10, 2000 - Radio Television Serbia Independent
trade union has dissociated itself from some of the decisions made by
the RTS Strike Committee which took over the programming and business
management of state television after the recent democratic changes in
the country. In a statement issued yesterday, the RTS Independent
trade union said that the agreed co-operation with the Strike
Committee had not materialised and some decisions on cadre changes in
the house were not acceptable. The Beta agency was told by the union
that the decisions on the appointment of certain RTS managers,
including the appointing of Nenad Ristic as director were not
acceptable. The decision of the Strike Committee to appoint itself the
temporary RTS Managing Board was also estimated as not being
acceptable.

SPS TO ESTABLISH NEW DAILY

BELGRADE, November 10, 2000 - The Serbian Socialist Party has voted to
found a daily whose first issue could be expected within the next ten
days, FoNet learnt from reliable sources within the party. According
to the same source, preparations for a company which would be the
publisher of the daily were in the final phase and the name of the
papers would be '24 hours'. The original idea of the Socialists was
that the magazine Smisao become a daily, but the position that a new
daily should be founded replaced this idea.

CHARGES AGAINST VRANJSKE UNDER PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT

VRANJE, November 10, 2000 - - Officials of the Vranje Lumber Camp have
filed misdemeanor charges under the Public Information Act against
weekly Vranjske novine and the paper's Deputy Editor-in-Chief Sladjana
Veljkovic. Beta was told by Vranjske novine that the charges had been
filed because of an article published in the November 2 issue, which
claimed that the officials of the camp were responsible for financial
machinations. The charges were filed by the company's Director Jovica
Stefanovic and his Deputy Zvonimir Cvetkovic. Cvetkovic is a former
director of the Gnjilane Lumber camp. The disputed article gave data
on the improper use of the credit Stefanovic was granted. The daily
published photos of land where the Lumber Camp Director should have
used the given means, but where, according to the daily, he did
nothing. "Municipal Public Prosecutor Srboljub Miskovic has filed
charges against director Jovica Stefanovic on the grounds of this
article. I have respected all the rules of my journalist profession, I
have patiently interviewed both sides," author of the text Sladjana
Veljkovic said. Vranjske novine owner Vukasin Obradovic told Beta that
the launch of criminal proceedings against his daily was further proof
that some people, above all those from the Yugoslav Left, still lived
in the past and were not aware of what happened in Serbia on October
5. Today's hearing against Vranjske novine was canceled since the
daily's defense lawyer was not able to attend. Judge Dragan Stojanovic
scheduled a new hearing for Friday at 8.30 p.m.

BOR TELEVISION BECOMES ANEM MEMBER

BOR, November 10, 2000 - Bor Television will shortly become a member
of the Association of Independent Electronic Media and has already
started broadcasting its productions. Bor television co-ordinator,
Ismet Hotnjanin announced today that ANEM and Radio B92 programmes
would be broadcast daily between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. followed by Bor
television programmes, reports Beta.

DAILY NOVO JEDINSTVO ACCOUNT BLOCKED

BELGRADE, November 10, 2000 - The Serbian Ministry of Information
yesterday blocked the giro account belonging to Zvecan daily Novo
jedinstvo following demands from the daily's Crisis headquarters which
was not satisfied with its editorial policy. The Crisis Headquarters
accused Novo jedinstvo Director and Editor-in-chief Nikola Saric, who
is also a member of the Serbian Socialist Party, of already removing
some equipment from the editorial office. "We are interested in the
consolidation of Novo jedinstvo and want the daily to follow the path
of an independent media, thus we decided to protect our property and
means from further ruin', said the statement issued by daily Novo
jedinstvo Crisis Headquarters, reports SRNA.



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