RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 96, 00-05-18

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RFE/RL NEWSLINE

Vol. 4, No. 96, 18 May 2000

CONTENTS

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] KOCHARIAN SAYS ARMENIA SEES IRAN AS FRIEND

[02] CONSULTATIONS CONTINUE ON ARMENIAN CABINET

[03] YEREVAN DENIES DISCUSSING REDEPLOYMENT OF RUSSIAN BASES FROM

[04] RUSSIAN MAYAK RADIO RESUMES OPERATION IN ARMENIA

[05] ARMENIANS MOST PROMINENT ON MOST WANTED LIST

[06] U.S. SAID PRESSING ARMENIANS TO BACK KOCHARIAN ON KARABAKH

[07] BARONESS COX SAYS ISLAMISM THREATENS KARABAKH

[08] PACE TO CONSIDER ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI ACCESSION IN JUNE

[09] AZERBAIJAN'S ALIEV NOTES GOOD TIES WITH IRAN

[10] BAKU SIGNS ACCORDS WITH MOSCOW, SVERDLOVSK

[11] BAKU SEES RUSSIA PRESSURING GUUAM STATES

[12] TURKEY EXPANDS AID TO AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES

[13] JOURNALISTS, LAWYER INCARCERATED IN AZERBAIJAN

[14] AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA REJECT RUSSIAN CHARGES

[15] GEORGIAN PROTESTERS CALL FOR WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN TROOPS

[16] GEORGIANS HAVE EVIDENCE RADUEV INVOLVED IN SHEVARDNADZE

[17] GEORGIANS BACK INDIA FOR PERMANENT UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT

[18] GEORGIA HOPES TO BUY TANKS FROM CZECHS

[19] KAZAKHS TO SELL THEIR SHARE IN OIL VENTURE TO CHEVRON?

[20] KYRGYZ COURT GIVES SUSPENDED SENTENCE TO OPPOSITION LEADER

[21] TAJIKISTAN PRESIDENT MEETS UZBEK OFFICIALS

[22] TURKMENISTAN PRESIDENT SAYS PUTIN VISIT A DEFINING MOMENT

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[23] SERBIAN OPPOSITION WANTS MORE PROTESTS

[24] INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION OF SERBIAN MEDIA CLAMPDOWN

[25] STAMBOLIC: SITUATION AT ITS MOST DANGEROUS

[26] DJUKANOVIC: MILOSEVIC ACTING OUT OF WEAKNESS...

[27] ...WHILE MONTENEGRO STANDS FIRM

[28] DID KOSOVAR NEWSPAPER 'CONDEMN' SERB TO DEATH?

[29] ETHNIC ALBANIANS DEMONSTRATE IN TETOVO

[30] CROTIAN MILITARY POLICE ARRESTED FOR ANTI-SERB ACTION

[31] CROATIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES AID TO SERBS

[32] BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT CRISIS CONTINUES

[33] COALITION ACCUSES ILIESCU OF ILLEGAL ACTS IN 'HOT LINE' TALKS

[34] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT EASILY SURVIVES CONFIDENCE VOTE

[35] BULGARIA SHORTENS OBLIGATORY MILITARY SERVICE

[C] END NOTE

[36] SERBIAN AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN ON PRIVATE MEDIA

[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

[01] KOCHARIAN SAYS ARMENIA SEES IRAN AS FRIEND

President Robert Kocharian told newly appointed Iranian

Ambassador to Armenia Muhammad Farhad Koleini that Yerevan

views Iran not only as a neighbor but as a friendly country,

Noyan Tapan reported on 17 May. PG

[02] CONSULTATIONS CONTINUE ON ARMENIAN CABINET

Andranik Markarian on 17 May continued his consultations with

Armenian parliamentary groups in order to muster support for

his cabinet, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Speculation

about the negotiations was widespread in Yerevan, but

Markarian refused to comment on the results so far. PG

[03] YEREVAN DENIES DISCUSSING REDEPLOYMENT OF RUSSIAN BASES FROM

Acting Armenian Defense Minister

Lieutenant-General Mikayel Arutyunyan described as false

recent reports of talks between Armenia and Russia on

shifting to Armenia Russian military bases currently located

in Georgia, Snark reported on 17 May. "Such talks are not

being held," he said. PG

[04] RUSSIAN MAYAK RADIO RESUMES OPERATION IN ARMENIA

radio station Mayak, closed down in September 1996 by then

President Levon Ter-Petrosian, has resumed broadcasting in

Armenia, Snark reported on 17 May. The station will soon

operate 24 hours seven days a week, with two-thirds of its

time carrying Mayak programming and one-third Armenian

materials. PG

[05] ARMENIANS MOST PROMINENT ON MOST WANTED LIST

reported on 17 May that 22 of the 52 people recently put on

Interpol's most-wanted list are Armenians. The agency said

that the country with the second most-wanted number of people

is Yugoslavia. PG

[06] U.S. SAID PRESSING ARMENIANS TO BACK KOCHARIAN ON KARABAKH

chairman of the Armenian parliament's Committee on State and

Local Affairs, said that U.S. State Department officials had

urged him and his colleagues to support President Kocharian

on the resolution of the Karabakh issue, RFE/RL's Armenian

Service reported on 17 May. Dallakian said that the U.S. side

hinted that such a resolution might require a territorial

swap, an outcome Dallakian said he and his colleagues would

oppose. PG

[07] BARONESS COX SAYS ISLAMISM THREATENS KARABAKH

Caroline Cox told "Azg" on 17 May that Islamism threatens the

security of Nagorno-Karabakh. She stressed that Muslims and

Christians can live peacefully together, but those who use

Islamic slogans to mask political goals can represent a

threat. PG

[08] PACE TO CONSIDER ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI ACCESSION IN JUNE

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will take up

the issue of Armenian and Azerbaijani membership at its June

session, ITAR-TASS reported on 17 May. PG

[09] AZERBAIJAN'S ALIEV NOTES GOOD TIES WITH IRAN

Heidar Aliev told visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister

Morteza Sarmadi that relations between their two countries

were on a good level and that there are numerous

opportunities for improving them still further, Turan

reported on 17 May. Aliev promised to participate in the 9-10

June meetings of the Economic Cooperation Organization in

Tehran and to meet with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami at

that time. PG

[10] BAKU SIGNS ACCORDS WITH MOSCOW, SVERDLOVSK

Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation initialed a protocol on

exceptions to the framework accord on free trade as well as

on procedures of collecting indirect taxes, according to

Azerbaijani new reports on 17 May. Meanwhile, those reports

said that President Aliev signed an economic agreement with

visiting Sverdlovsk Governor Eduard Rossel. PG

[11] BAKU SEES RUSSIA PRESSURING GUUAM STATES

Minister Vilayat Guliev said in Kyiv that Russia will

pressure the GUUAM countries in order to prevent the five

member states (Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and

Moldova) from forming a free trade zone, Interfax-Ukraine

reported. "But the strength of our organization is in its

ability to resist this pressure," he said. Meanwhile, the

ambassadors of these five states told an RFE/RL seminar in

Washington on 17 May that they plan to expand contacts with

one another because that reflects the specific needs of their

populations. PG

[12] TURKEY EXPANDS AID TO AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES

Azerbaijani officials on 16 May signed an accord that calls

for Turkey to provide the Azerbaijani military with $3.1

million in assistance, the Trend news agency reported on 17

May. PG

[13] JOURNALISTS, LAWYER INCARCERATED IN AZERBAIJAN

Rustamkhanly, the son of Civil Solidarity Party parliamentary

deputy Sabir Rustamkhanly, has been arrested for taking part

in a 29 April rally, ANS television reported on 16 May.

Meanwhile, the Yeni Nesil Journalists' Union issued a

statement expressing concern over the deteriorating health of

Intibakh journalist Vagif Hajibeyli, who has been

incarcerated since that demonstration. And Turan reported

that prominent Baku lawyer Isakhan Ashurov was sentenced to

five days in jail for his involvement in the same action. PG

[14] AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA REJECT RUSSIAN CHARGES

Interior Ministry on 17 May said a report disseminated by

Russia's Interfax news agency the previous day suggesting

that more than 100 Chechen militants have been treated in

Azerbaijani hospitals is not true, Turan reported. Meanwhile,

the Georgian Interior Ministry denied Russian media claims

that some 200 Taliban fighters are staying in Georgia near

the Russian border, ITAR-TASS reported. PG

[15] GEORGIAN PROTESTERS CALL FOR WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN TROOPS

Opposition parties staged a demonstration

outside the Russian embassy in Tbilisi on 17 May to call for

the withdrawal of Russian border units from the Georgian

village of Pichvni, Prime-News reported. The two countries

disagree as to whose territory that village is located on.

Demonstrators said that unless their demands are met, they

will resort to more radical forms of protest. PG

[16] GEORGIANS HAVE EVIDENCE RADUEV INVOLVED IN SHEVARDNADZE

A Georgian prosecutor told Caucasus

Press on 17 May that Chechen field commander Salman Raduev

has given evidence to Tbilisi concerning his involvement in

the February 1998 assassination attempt against President

Eduard Shevardnadze. The prosecutor said that he will "not

comment" on the details of this evidence. PG

[17] GEORGIANS BACK INDIA FOR PERMANENT UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT

visiting Indian counterpart, Jasvant Singh, that Tbilisi

backs New Delhi's aspirations for a permanent seat on the UN

Security Council, Caucasus Press reported on 17 May. PG

[18] GEORGIA HOPES TO BUY TANKS FROM CZECHS

Georgian Defense Ministry told Russia's Agentstvo Voennykh

Novostei website on 17 May that Tbilisi hopes to purchase

several T-55 main battle tanks from the Czech Republic. PG

[19] KAZAKHS TO SELL THEIR SHARE IN OIL VENTURE TO CHEVRON?

Kazakhstan government is seeking to sell the U.S. Chevron

company the 5 percent stake in Tengizchevroil joint venture

owned by Astana, an unnamed source told Interfax on 17 May.

But the sale has not taken place because of disagreements

over the purchase price. PG

[20] KYRGYZ COURT GIVES SUSPENDED SENTENCE TO OPPOSITION LEADER

suspended sentence to opposition politician Daniyar Usenov

after convicting him of beating the head of a tourist agency,

RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported on 17 May. Usenov announced

that he will appeal what he calls a politically motivated

charge. PG

[21] TAJIKISTAN PRESIDENT MEETS UZBEK OFFICIALS

Rakhmonov on 17 May met with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz

Kamilov and Uzbek Interior Minister Zakirdzhan Almatov to

discuss regional security and expanded cooperation between

the two countries, Interfax reported. Prior to that meeting,

the Tajik and Uzbek interior ministers agreed to step up

cooperation in fighting drug smuggling, Tajik radio reported.

[22] TURKMENISTAN PRESIDENT SAYS PUTIN VISIT A DEFINING MOMENT

upcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin will

define the basis for cooperation between Russia and

Turkmenistan for the next 10-15 years, Interfax reported. The

two are slated to discuss gas sales and pricing policies

along with regional security issues. PG

[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

[23] SERBIAN OPPOSITION WANTS MORE PROTESTS

heads the Civic Alliance, told Reuters on 18 May that the

opposition plans to hold daily rallies in several cities and

towns to protest the authorities' latest clampdown on non-

state media (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 May 2000). At least

dozens of protesters were injured in clashes with police in

Belgrade the previous evening when up to 30,000 people turned

out in support of the opposition media. Matters came to a

head when buoyant fans of the Crvena Zvezda soccer team

sought to join the protest and clashed with police. A

declaration read out at the rally concluded that "this is the

beginning of the end of the dictatorship" of Yugoslav

President Slobodan Milosevic. Svilanovic argued that

Milosevic is trying to "turn Serbia into a [isolated, hard-

line] Cuba in the middle of Europe." The "Frankfurter

Allgemeine Zeitung" commented that the government takeover of

Studio B Television is a "direct challenge" to Vuk Draskovic,

whose Serbian Renewal Movement owns that station. Elsewhere,

the authorities shut down Radio Pancevo on 17 May while it

was broadcasting coverage of the Belgrade protest. PM

[24] INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION OF SERBIAN MEDIA CLAMPDOWN

Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington on 17

May that Milosevic's latest actions "smack of desperate

Bolshevik-style oppression." Boucher added that Secretary of

State Madeleine Albright will raise the possibility of

unspecified "joint action" at a conference of NATO foreign

ministers in Italy slated for later this month. In Vienna,

OSCE Chair Benita Ferrero-Waldner and media coordinator

Freimut Duve also condemned the moves against the non-state

media. In Brussels, EU Commissioner Chris Patten said that he

"deplores this cowardly crackdown on the independent Serbian

media...carried out under cover of darkness by Milosevic's

henchmen.... Milosevic will ultimately lose this battle," AP

reported. PM

[25] STAMBOLIC: SITUATION AT ITS MOST DANGEROUS

who is the estranged former political mentor of Milosevic,

said in Nis that Serbia is now in a power vacuum, "Vesti"

reported on 18 May. Milosevic no longer has the situation

under control, and the opposition is not yet ready to take

the reins of power. The only solution is to hold elections,

Stambolic added. He said that Otpor "is a wonderful thing"

because it is so amorphous. "There are no leaders, so you

don't know whom to arrest or whom to corrupt." The more the

regime tries to crush it, the more members and supporters it

obtains, Stambolic argued. For Milosevic to attack such an

organization is "his last line of defense...and he knows it,"

the Serbian leader's former mentor noted. PM

[26] DJUKANOVIC: MILOSEVIC ACTING OUT OF WEAKNESS...

President Milo Djukanovic said in Brussels on 17 May that

Montenegro will continue with its plans for reform and

democratization regardless of the increased repression in

Serbia. He added: "This arrogant move of Mr. Milosevic is not

a sign of strength but a sign of weaknesses. It shows the

panic among his regime. Mr. Milosevic is conscious that his

political rating reached the lowest point of his 15-year

political career. But it doesn't mean that his dictatorship

is near the end. Unfortunately, opposition in Serbia is still

weak despite the poor rating of Mr. Milosevic," RFE/RL's

South Slavic Service reported. Djukanovic also said that the

opposition will find new strength from its current

difficulties. He added that Montenegro "will continue to

provide all possible assistance to the democratic forces in

Serbia...for instance, with our satellite television

program." PM

[27] ...WHILE MONTENEGRO STANDS FIRM

on 17 May that his government will not allow Milosevic or the

army to intimidate it in the runup to the 11 June local

elections. He said: "We have indications that the Yugoslav

Army may start military exercises in Montenegro precisely on

11 June. Of course, this is Milosevic's classic psychological

provocation, but it has backfired.... He lost both

parliamentary and presidential elections [in the past] and it

appears that he has not learned the lesson and will lose

another, third election in Montenegro. We will come to terms

with the Yugoslav Army so there will be no massive

mobilization that could affect the outcome of the

elections.... We will not plunge into Milosevic's traps. We

have all the instruments to control the economic and social

situation in Montenegro," RFE/RL's South Slavic Service

reported. PM

[28] DID KOSOVAR NEWSPAPER 'CONDEMN' SERB TO DEATH?

Albanian-language daily "Dita" recently published an article

alleging that Serbian UN worker Petar Topoljski committed

atrocities against Kosovars during the 1999 conflict. UN

officials are investigating the possible role of the article

in the recent murder of Topoljski (see "RFRE/RL Newsline," 17

May 2000). An unnamed international official told Reuters

that printing such an article about a specific individual in

Kosova is equivalent to "signing the death warrant" for that

person. UN officials promised to increase security for their

Serbian employees and expressed fears that some Serbs might

quit their jobs and leave Kosova. PM

[29] ETHNIC ALBANIANS DEMONSTRATE IN TETOVO

Albanians marched in the western Macedonian town of Tetovo to

protest government plans to close the controversial private

Albanian-language university there. University rector Fadil

Sulejmani accused the OSCE's Max van der Stoel and the ethnic

Albanian politicians in the Macedonian government of allying

themselves with the Macedonian leadership at the expense of

the university. Van der Stoel, who is the high commissioner

for questions involving ethnic minorities, has proposed

setting up a legal multilingual university to replace the

private one. His proposal ensures that graduates will have

completed practical programs such as teacher training or

business management, as well as broad ones in European

studies, rather than take degrees in Albanian studies, as was

the case for many years at Prishtina University. PM

[30] CROTIAN MILITARY POLICE ARRESTED FOR ANTI-SERB ACTION

police spokesman said in Zagreb on 18 May that five military

police have been arrested for badly damaging an anti-fascist

World War II monument in the mainly Serbian village of Veljun

near Slunj in the Kordun area. The men broke up the monument

with their hands the previous day, "Vecernji list" reported.

It is unclear whether they will face criminal charges, dpa

reported. Prime Minister Ivica Racan said that "democratic

Croatia condemns this barbaric act of destroying [sic.] anti-

fascist monuments. We will demand an investigation." He added

that the men's military superiors will be held responsible

for the five men's actions, AP reported. The incident in

Veljun is the latest in a series of recent actions by right-

wingers aimed at destabilizing the government. PM

[31] CROATIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES AID TO SERBS

18 May discussed a government proposal to extend financial

assistance for repairing war-damaged homes to members of the

Serbian minority, "Jutarnji list" reported. At present,

Croats qualify for such aid but not Serbs. The proposal would

extend assistance to all but 25 Serbs whom the authorities

have indicted for war crimes. Legislators from the Croatian

Democratic Community (HDZ) of former President Franjo Tudjman

charged that the draft law would "give reparations to those

who destroyed Croatia" and "equate Croats expelled from their

homes [during the 1991-1995 conflict] with those who expelled

them." Istrian deputy Damir Kajin said that the destruction

of the Serbian homes was politically motivated and should

never have happened in the first place, AP reported. PM

[32] BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT CRISIS CONTINUES

presidency failed on 17 May to agree on a new prime minister,

thereby raising the possibility that the crisis surrounding

Bosnia's fragile joint government could continue for some

time. Serbian presidency member Zivko Radisic recently

proposed his fellow Socialist Party member Tihomir Gligoric

for the job, but Muslim member Alija Izetbegovic blocked the

move on the grounds that the international community regards

Gligoric as an ally of Milosevic and will not work with him.

Radisic will propose another Serbian candidate before the end

of the month, "Oslobodjenje" reported. PM

[33] COALITION ACCUSES ILIESCU OF ILLEGAL ACTS IN 'HOT LINE' TALKS

Coalition deputies on the Chamber of Deputies'

Defense Commission, which is investigating talks between the

regime of former President Ion Iliescu and the Kremlin on a

secret "hot line," have accused former top officials of

illegal procedures in negotiations, Mediafax reported on 17

May. Twelve deputies said negotiations on the Bucharest-

Kremlin secret line were approved only by Iliescu,

presidential defense adviser Vasile Ionel, and Special

Telecommunications Service Director Stefan Coman. According

to the deputies, the agreement should have been approved by

the country's Supreme Defense Council and the parliament

should have been informed about the talks. Deputy Mihai

Gheorghiu of the ruling National Peasant Party Christian

Democratic said the investigation showed a "concentrated and

intense effort" from the Romanian side in signing the

agreement. The preliminary report needs to be approved by the

Defense Commission. The "hot line controversy" was triggered

by an article published in the Russian publication "Zavtra"

and resulted in a political uproar in March. ZsM

[34] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT EASILY SURVIVES CONFIDENCE VOTE

confidence vote in the cabinet of Premier Ivan Kostov failed

on 18 May, Reuters reported. Only 67 of the 216 legislators

present voted for the measure, while 133 voted against it.

Kostov said the vote "is a sign of additional confidence in

the government." He added that "it will enable us to follow

irrevocably our policy against corruption and crime, the

policy of reforms and memberships talks with the EU." The

motion was initiated by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which

accuses Kostov of allowing corruption at top levels of

government and of failing to bring corrupt officials to

trial. An austerity program implemented by Kostov has

increased unemployment, lowered living standards, and brought

the government's popularity ratings to an all-time low. PB

[35] BULGARIA SHORTENS OBLIGATORY MILITARY SERVICE

voted to reduce mandatory military service for 18-year-olds

from one year to nine months, AP reported on 17 May. The

change takes effect on 1 October. Those with university

degrees will serve just six months. Bulgaria also introduced

an alternative military service program last year. In other

news, hundreds of school teachers staged a one-hour warning

strike on 17 May to protest unpaid wages. The strikes took

place at schools in Pernik and Ruse. The teachers, who have

not been paid in three months, threatened an all-out strike

if they do not receive their wages by 23 May. PB

[C] END NOTE

[36] SERBIAN AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN ON PRIVATE MEDIA

In the early hours of 17 May, Serbian police raided

the premises of the opposition-controlled Studio B radio and

television as well as those of independent Radio B2-92,

student Radio Index, and the tabloid daily "Blic."

The police did not shut down the stations but

severely limited their news broadcasts, forcing Studio B to

broadcast news from government radio and the news-oriented

B2-92 to replace newscasts with music.

All four media outlets are housed in the same high-

rise building, Beogradjanka, in front of which more than 100

opposition supporters blocked traffic on 17 May to protest

the night-time police raids.

Deputy Serbian Prime Ministers Vojislav Seselj of

the Serbian Radical Party and Milovan Bojic of the Party of

the Yugoslav Left (led by Yugoslav President Slobodan

Milosevic's wife, Mirjana Markovic) have issued a statement

saying the Republic of Serbia has taken control of Studio B.

They allege that the station "frequently called for the

toppling of the constitutional order and rebellion against a

legally elected government."

The director and editor-in-chief of Studio B, Dragan

Kojadinovic, described the crackdown as a virtual state of

emergency and "state-organized robbery, without any legal

basis." He noted that the police burst into Studio B and took

over the entire premises. "A few hundred plainclothes

policemen--security people--were at the scene," he continued.

"They literally brought busloads of police, who entered the

building and broke into our offices, and practically took

over Studio B." After occupying Studio B's Belgrade offices,

the police proceeded to seize the station's branch office at

Mladenovac, and its transmitters, he added.

Opposition Social Democratic Party leader Vuk

Obradovic, for his part, described the crackdown as "a

declaration of war on the democratic opposition and all

democratic Serbia."

Studio B belongs to the Belgrade city government,

which in turn is controlled by the opposition Serbian Renewal

Movement and is the main media outlet for the party's leader,

Vuk Draskovic. The station has a range encompassing half of

Serbia. Belgrade municipal government spokesman Aleksandar

Cotric said after an emergency session of the city council

that street protests will be called for "all Belgraders to

come to defend their radio and television."

Draskovic is reported to be in Montenegro and has

not yet commented publicly. But an adviser, Ognjen

Pribicevic, says the crackdown is "a new means of state

terrorism" and will have unforeseen political consequences.

Radio B2-92 is funded by the Soros foundation and

other private contributors.

"Blic," with its racy, nationalist tone, has

attracted a readership of 200,000. The newspaper's managing

editor, Zivorad Djordjevic, is a member of the co-ruling

Yugoslav Left party. The 17 May raid on "Blic" comes one day

after the state-owned company that had been printing the full

color daily announced it would no longer print it until it

changes its editorial policy.

B2-92 general manager Veran Matic told RFE/RL on 17

May that the raid constitutes "a complete prohibition of

elementary freedom of speech today in Serbia. These media

outlets were, after all, the heart of our information sphere

in Serbia today. The media landscape in Serbia will be

permanently fragmented and damaged in the future if we don't

start working again the same way as we did before."

The Serbian opposition media has faced a series of

shutdowns over the last 20 months for alleged anti-regime

bias and unpaid fines. B2-92, for example, has been shut down

three times, most recently during the NATO air strikes

against Yugoslavia last year.

The latest wave of closures coincides with a

crackdown against the opposition following the 13 May murder

in Novi Sad of the head of the provincial government in

Vojvodina, Bosko Perosevic. The accused murderer, aged 50,

and Perosevic, who was 43, are natives of the same village.

Serbian authorities were quick to accuse Perosevic's

killer, Milivoje Gutovic, of having ties with the student

opposition movement Otpor and to Draskovic's movement. Since

then, the police have detained Otpor and opposition activists

in Novi Sad, Valjevo, and elsewhere. The information minister

has threatened that anyone participating in street protests

will face arrest. As a result, only 20,000 people showed up

for a scheduled anti-regime protest on 15 May, which prior to

the minister's warning had been expected to attract some

100,000 protesters.

But even before the Novi Sad murder Serbian

authorities were already actively engaged in harassing

reporters. Only last week police had detained 29 journalists.

The opposition parties in Belgrade remain largely

divided and public frustration with the inability of mass

protests to induce change is breeding apathy. As a result,

the independent news media have become perhaps the most

potent opposition force in Serbia and the Milosevic regime's

prime target in its bid to stay in power at all costs.

The author is an RFE/RL senior editor based in Prague.

18-05-00

Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
URL: http://www.rferl.org

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