[ALBSA-Info] U.S. House Earmarks Funds for Yugoslav Opposition/Milosevic Seeks Runoff After Vote

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

1. U.S. House Earmarks Funds for Yugoslav Opposition
2. Milosevic Seeks Runoff After Vote


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#1.
U.S. House Earmarks Funds for Yugoslav Opposition

By Christopher Wilson

WASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - In a move meant to put more pressure on 
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic after Western nations declared him 
beaten at the polls, the House of Representatives passed a bill on Monday 
authorising financial aid for Serbian opposition groups. 

The bill, passed by a two-thirds majority in a voice vote, authorised $500 
million to help finance democratic forces in Serbia and Montenegro, including 
$50 million to fund the activities of pro-democracy and dissident groups. 

Although the outcome of Sunday's Yugoslav elections will not be announced 
until later this week, the United States, Britain,  Germany, France and other 
members of the European Union all declared on Monday that Milosevic had lost 
to main opposition challenger Vojislav Kostunica. 

Western nations warned Milosevic that any attempt to claim victory would be 
considered fraud. 

U.S. lawmakers underscored that warning, saying Monday's bill would be used 
to keep sanctions in place and aid the opposition if the Serbian strongman 
refused to step down. 

``In short, the bill authorises the provision of democratic assistance to 
those in Serbia who are struggling for change,'' said Republican 
Representative Christopher Smith of New Jersey, one of the leading sponsors. 

The bill calls for maintaining the so-called outer wall of sanctions against 
Serbia until a process of democratic change is under way and supports 
international efforts to bring Milosevic to trial at the war crimes tribunal 
in The Hague. 

A similar measure has already been passed by unanimous consent in the U.S. 
Senate. 

FAST RESPONSE DURING TRANSITION 

``This bill allows us the flexibility to react to those (election) results. 
Assistance for transition is authorised, allowing a quick reaction to 
positive developments. Sanctions can also be eased if needed,'' Smith said on 
the House floor. 

The measure provides financial aid under the 1989 Support for East European 
Democracy Act and include $55 million to bolster political and economic 
reforms in Montenegro, which is part of rump Yugoslavia but has tried to 
distance itself from Belgrade's control. 

Congress has long blamed Milosevic for causing four civil wars in former 
Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Outrage among lawmakers grew as the Serbian leader 
repeatedly defied U.S. efforts to loosen his grip on power. 

``Today, Serbia lies in shambles, and its people face a future that promises 
nothing better. Milosevic lingers on surrounded by a web of corruption, 
mysterious murders, political manipulation and state repression,'' said 
Republican Representative Benjamin Gilman of New York, chairman of the House 
International Relations Committee. 

``This bill makes it clear that regardless of the outcome of yesterday's 
elections, our nation has not given up on ... the freedom of the nation of 
Serbia and the effort to create a real and true democracy in Serbia,'' he 
said. 


#2.
Milosevic Seeks Runoff After Vote

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC
  
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) - Tens of thousands of jubilant opposition 
supporters celebrated Monday their apparent electoral victory over President 
Slobodan Milosevic, who was seeking to force a runoff despite calls to accept 
the end of his 13 years in power. 

Chanting ``Kill Yourself Slobodan and Save Serbia,'' more than 40,000 people 
jammed a downtown Belgrade square to celebrate the purported victory of the 
pro-Western opposition challenger, Vojislav Kostunica. Thousands also 
gathered in the Serbia's two other major cities of Novi Sad and Nis. 

But the lack of any official results more than 24 hours after polls closed 
Sunday raised fears that Milosevic would rig the results to force a second 
round of voting. 

The United States and more than a dozen other countries said they would not 
accept fraudulent claims of victory. The United States also pledged Monday to 
lift sanctions against Yugoslavia once Milosevic accepts defeat. 

Kostunica, a 56-year-old law professor, demanded the State Election 
Commission release official results within the next two days and warned if 
Milosevic tried to tamper with the vote, ``we will defend our victory by 
peaceful means and we will protest for as long as it takes.'' His party said 
its own unofficial count gave him around 55 percent of the vote. 

In the absence of official results, Milosevic's left-wing coalition insisted 
Monday that the president was ahead in the vote count but not far enough to 
guarantee that he would avoid a runoff with Kostunica on Oct. 8. 

At a press conference to bolster morale among the president's shocked and 
demoralized followers, Gorica Gajevic, Milosevic's party general secretary, 
said that with 37 percent of the ballots counted, Milosevic was ahead by 45 
percent to Kostunica's 40 percent. 

``This result gives us optimism that we can win in the first round,'' Gajevic 
said. 

Ljubisa Ristic, a neo-communist Milosevic ally, insisted Milosevic could 
still win. ``At this moment, the sample is too small for us to say, as we 
would like to, that our candidate won in the first round,'' he said. 

Ristic, however, admitted Milosevic's coalition suffered a sweeping defeat in 
municipal elections. The Democratic Opposition of Serbia claimed it has won 
102 seats in Belgrade's 110-seat city hall. 

Ristic predicted the left-wing parties will have a majority in the federal 
parliament. Parliament has become a relatively ineffectual legislature since 
Montenegro, the other republic that with Serbia forms Yugoslavia, has been 
boycotting federal institutions. 

An opposition leader said, however, that his group would not accept a runoff 
simply to appease Milosevic. 

``There will be no bargaining,'' Zoran Djindjic said. ``Milosevic should 
better avoid tormenting the people since he would be wiped out in the 
runoff.'' 

The Democratic Opposition of Serbia party claimed that with 65 percent of 
polling stations counted, Kostunica was leading with 55.30 percent, compared 
to Milosevic's 34.37. 

A spokesman for the coalition, Cedomir Jovanovic, said that if the State 
Election Commission remains silent about the results by Wednesday night, the 
opposition would ``proclaim official results no matter what the government 
thinks, since it is becoming clear that they are rejecting the possibility to 
accept the defeat.'' 

Opposition claims were based on reports from its poll watchers stationed 
voting stations. All political parties are allowed to have representatives 
present when votes are counted locally at the 10,000 precincts. 

Poll watchers sign an affidavit accepting the count and are free to report 
the results to their national headquarters. 

The opposition claimed its margin was so wide that Milosevic could not 
convince the public that he had won. The outcome may turn more on public 
perceptions than on whatever the election commission announces. 

``Votes can be rigged when there is a slim difference between two groups, but 
when the difference is this big there is no way anyone can falsify the 
results,'' said Vladan Batic of the opposition alliance. 

An opposition member of State Election Commission, Sinisa Nikolic, complained 
the vote count agency had not met since late Sunday and had not resumed work 
by Monday afternoon. That raised concern about manipulation. 

``We are encountering a wall of silence,'' Nikolic said. ``We are sitting 
here and asking what to do. We have no access to where computer results are 
being calculated.'' 

Throughout Europe, the reaction to a possible Milosevic defeat was almost 
euphoric. Milosevic has been blamed for fomenting instability in the Balkans 
for years, triggering wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo. 

The European Union said any attempt by Milosevic to claim victory would be 
``fraudulent,'' and Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini warned of 
``devastating consequences'' if Milosevic tries to steal the election. 

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said Monday that ``all the reliable 
evidence'' shows Milosevic had lost and urged the president to step aside. 

``Be honest with your people, don't cheat them, get out of the way and let 
Serbia get out of the prison into which you have turned it,'' he told a Labor 
Party conference in London, referring to Yugoslavia's main republic. 

On Belgrade streets, the mood was jubilant, with people celebrating what they 
thought was the final end of Milosevic's neo-communist rule. Belgrade has 
long been an opposition stronghold. 

``Finally, we are free,'' university student Milica Danilovic, 22, said. ``We 
can start breathing like normal people. Smiles are back, the pressure is 
gone, we are flying!''