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previous day Wednesday, August 23

Montenegrin deputy minister of justice, Djordje Blazic stated today that the republic and local authorities in Montenegro would not take any part in organizing federal elections, adding that all operations connected to the federal elections are exclusively in the jurisdiction of the federal state. Blazic told Radio Montenegro that the bodies of local authority are not authorized to give certificates of the right to vote nor to create voting lists.

"There is no possibility for the federal state to obligate the member republic to perform the work in the jurisdiction of the federal state", said Blazic.

Today the ministry of justice informed the local authorities that they are not obliged to perform work connected to the federal elections scheduled for September 24.

Vojislav Kostunica, presidential candidate of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) denied accusations by certain politicians in today's "Pobjeda" that he supports a unitary state, saying that he had never spoken or written a word that would support such a claim. Kostunica said that regardless of what he thinks of the nationalities "created" by the communists in this region, as a legalist, he believes in acquired rights and has nothing against some defining himself as Montenegrin, Muslim or Macedonian. Serbia and Montenegro should live together, something the people should decide in a referendum in both republics, because it is for the wellbeing of both Serbia and Montenegro, said Kostunica.

Political parties and coalitions participating in the federal parliamentary elections should submit lists of candidates to the electoral commission by midnight tomorrow at the latest. According to the provisions contained within the laws on electing representatives for both chambers of the Federal Parliament, the deadline for submitting the election lists expires thirty days before the elections taking place. Presidential and parliamentary elections in FR Yugoslavia were scheduled for September 24. The same day local elections in Serbia will also take place as well as the elections for the Vojvodina's Parliament. The law prescribes that the elections lists must be upheld by at least 1,000 voters in an electoral unit with up to 1,000,000 voters, and 2,500 voters in an electoral unit with more than a million voters. The elections for the Chamber of Citizens will be conducted in 26 electoral units in Serbia, while Montenegro will be a single electoral unit.

As far as the elections for the Chamber of Republics are concerned, Serbia and Montenegro will be single electoral districts each. Registered elections lists could be withdrawn twenty days at the latest before the elections. The electoral commission will dismiss the list if it has not been submitted on time. If the electoral commission ascertains that an election list does not satisfy all the legal requirements, the commission will order that it be amended within twenty-four hours.

The police in Mladenovac stopped activists from the Democratic party of serbia to collect signatures for candidates of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia running for presidential and Parliament mandates. Policemen orered the activist to remove their petiotion booth located in the centre of Mladenovac and said they could collect signatures only in their official party premisses.

Otpor activist Branko Ilic was released from the police station in Belgrade yesterday after spending 17 hours in police custody after the magistrate fined him for disrupting law and order. Ilic told Beta agency that the magistrate fined him 700 dinars under police charges for disrupting law and order and trespassing on the property of the public transport enterprise "Beograd". The magistrate explained that Ilic has been fined 700 dinars for "insolent and rude behaviour which disturbed law and order, when he sprayed graffiti on a bus and agitated employees of the transport enterprise. Ilic said that the fine and court expenses add up to 1000 dinars.

Branko Ilic was arrested by police fro the Palilula district in Belgrade last night after being summoned by a security guard inside the grounds of the Public Transport Enterprise (GSP). Otpor stated that the security gun drew his gun at Ilic, while the rest of the security chased after other Otpor activists armed with guns and two security hounds because they sprayed

Otpor signs over the walls of the buildings. Ilic told beta that he was hit by a policeman during his arrest and has been put into police record. He said that he spent 10 hours in the police station in Paliula district and was then transferred to the main police department building. Ilic said that officers and police inspectors verbally abused him and tried to intimidate him at both police stations and claimed that they probably wanted to hinder Otpor's election campaign this way.

Alliance for Change Coordinator Zoran Djindjic stated today that the Serbian Democratic Opposition (DOS) would definitely not propose candidates for the federal MPs in Montenegro. "There are definitely no conditions for the Serbian Democratic Opposition to run the elections in Montenegro because the ruling Montenegrin parties since their announcement that they would ignore the federal elections have intensified their stance saying that they would actually boycott the elections. Given the circumstances, any such participation of DOS in the elections would lead towards confrontation with the authorities in Montenegro, and we do not want that," Djindjic told Beta news agency. His conclusion, he added, having talked to DOS leaders last night and the people supposed to run in the elections as the Serbian Democratic Opposition candidates in Montenegro, was that DOS should not run in Montenegro at all. Djindjic specified that this issue would not be on the agenda of DOS leaders anymore.

"We had an idea to have on the lists for the Federal Chamber of Republics in Montenegro young, politically unaffiliated people living in Montenegro who have previously studied at the Belgrade University and to nominate well-known Montenegrins for the Chamber of Citizens who live partly in Serbia and partly in Montenegro. Given the current developments, however, our participation in the federal elections in Montenegro would only result in deterioration of the relations with the Montenegrin authorities," said Djindjic, Democratic Party leader. He went on to say that "any mention of the logistic support of the Montenegrin authorities for DOS in the elections in Montenegro became irrelevant since the interests of DOS and the Montenegrin government respectively were different now which was why DOS would not want to allow confrontation with the ruling Montenegrin parties".

Podgorica mayor Miomir Mugosa said that the most recent move on the part of the Yugoslav Army, which halted the reconstruction of the road from Podgorica to the Golubovci airport, was "reminiscent of an act typical of occupation troops we had already experienced in the past". In his statement carried today by Podgorica daily Pobjeda he estimated that this "unscrupulous affair" also damaged the reputation of the Yugoslav Army which, as he put it, was desperately trying to project in public an image of its being "a people's army", but to no avail.

"Unfortunately, their actions demonstrate that they can no longer hide behind Yugoslavia and the concept of 'people's army'", Mugosa stated and asked "whose interests several army commanders were promoting". Podgorica mayor went on to say that they should be aware that Montenegrin citizens and residents of the Montenegrin capital would not tolerate such a behaviour of the members of the Yugoslav Army. The representatives of the Yugoslav Army information service yesterday declined to comment on the information that the Yugoslav Army had halted the reconstruction of the road leading from Podgorica to the Golubovci airport. Colonel Novica Stevanovic told Beta news agency that today an official statement of the Yugoslav Army would be released.

Djordje Blazic, assistant to the Montenegrin Minister of Justice, stated yesterday that state and municipal authorities in Montenegro will not be involved in federal elections and said that all matters concerning the elections at this level are under the sole jurisdiction of the federal government. Blazic said that local authorities are not authorised to issue certifications of the right to vote or to compile voting lists. "There is no way that the federal government can oblige the government of a federal unit to a job it is not authrised to do", said Blazic. The Ministry of Justice informed local authorities yesterday they were in no way obliged to any activity connected to the September 24th federal elections.

A number of international journalist associations has nominated Yugoslav journalist Miroslav Filipovic for the "Golden Pen of Freedom" award, which is awarded by the World Association of Newspapers.

The American Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting nominated Filipovic, and the initiative was supported by the World Press Freedom Committee and the Canadian Journalist for Free Expression organization.

The CPJ stated that Filipovic is one of the rare Serbian journalists who dared to write about the crimes of Yugoslav soldiers and police officers in Kosovo and Metohia. "The arrest was initiated by Filipovic's writings about the Yugoslav Army. He went further than many of his journalist colleagues writing about delicate topics with great persistence and preciseness", it is stated in the CPJ nomination delivered to the Beta news agency.

The nomination by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting emphasized that Filipovic's release should be obtained through international diplomatic pressure on the Yugoslav authorities. "Filipovic's only sin was that he decided to say the truth, exactly the way that the international community appealed to Serbs to do. He deserves support in achieving his rights, and the aid that would make sure that this case does not become usual", stated the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.

A member of KFOR from the United Arab Emirates shot and killed a Kosovo Albanian last night, stated the international forces today, Reuters reports. The soldier opened fire on a 54-year old man and his 21-year old son after they became aggressive towards KFOR members at a checkpoint near the village of Svinjare, stated Major Scott Sleighten, spokesman for the international forces. The elder man died on the way to the hospital, while his wounded son was operated.

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Wednesday, August 23