[ALST-L] News Summary - 08 November

[info at balkan-info.net]

The following is a summary of international news and information related from Southeast Europe and carried on the Balkan Information Exchange Web site.  For more information, click here: http://www.balkan-info.com.


Serbian Prison Unrest Spreads
Nis- Serb authorities promised to improve the living conditions at jails in Serbia in an effort to quell unrest at three prisons in the Yugoslav republic, wire services reported.   The riots at prisons in Pozarevac, Nis and the northern city of Sremska Mitrovica began when inmates demanded better living conditions and to be included in a proposed amnesty law that would release Kosovo Albanians, AP reported.  (AP, Reuters 07-08/11/00)


Bosnians Urged to Vote for Reform Candidates
Sarajevo- Wolfgang Petritsch, Bosnia’s international mediator, urged the election of pro-western reformers in this weekend’s ballot, AFP reported.  Petritsch called on Bosnians to vote for leaders “who will speed up democratic change in Bosnia and Herzegovina and lead this country away from the ethnic hatreds, poverty and isolation of the past and towards a better future,” according to AFP.  (AFP – 07/11/00)


OSCE Orders Removal of Hate Posters
Sarajevo- The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) ordered the central Bosnia-Croat nationalist party to remove campaign material which promoted ethnic hatred, AFP reported.  OSCE spokesman Luke Zahner said the organization gave the Croat Democratic Union a (1700 GMT) deadline to take down all posters with the slogan “Self-determination or extermination,” according to AFP.  Bosnia’s elections will be held on 11 November.  (AFP – 07/11/00)


Germany, Yugoslavia Renew Diplomatic Relations
Belgrade- Yugoslavia and Germany agreed to renew diplomatic ties and restart economic co-operation without delay, Reuters reported.  “Together with restoration of full diplomatic relations we want to boost economic relations at the same time,” German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said following a meeting with his Yugoslav counterpart Goran Svilanovic.  Tanjug reported that Fischer had earmarked approximately DM 50 million in aid for Yugoslavia, mostly in medicine and fuel.  (Reuters – 07/11/00)


Croatia and Montenegro Improve Relations
Dubrovnik- Montenegrin Foreign Minister Branko Lukovac said the Prevlaka peninsula, disputed by Croatia and Yugoslavia, must not damage the improving relations between Zagreb and Podgorica, AP reported.  “Prevlaka should not be a bone of contention as we do not see it as a territorial question,” Lukovac said, following a meeting with his Croatian counterpart, Tonino Picula.  Over the weekend, Yugoslav reformer Zoran Djindjic stunned Croats by calling on Croatia to cede Prevlaka to Montenegro, according to AP.  (AP – 07/11/00)


Romanian Opposition Calls for Halt to Privatisation
Bucharest- Romanian opposition leaders put forth a petition in the upper house of parliament, calling for the temporary suspension of privatisation activities until  presidential elections have been held, AP reported.  Parliament is scheduled to debate the petition on 14 November. Foreign Minister Petre Roman denounced the petition, saying it was merely a campaign manoeuvre.  (AP – 07/11/00)


Kostunica to Disband Paramilitary Force
Brussels- Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica is set to disband a paramilitary force in Montenegro, in a move that would diminish any threat to the reform minded government, according to Western diplomatic sources, Reuters reported.  The sources said Kostunica was ready to disband the Yugoslav Army 7th Military Police Battalion, which is comprised of nearly 1,000 troops loyal to former president Slobodan Milosevic.  “If indeed it is gone or going, then that is a good sign.  It was a source of tension and we’d be glad to see them get rid of it,” a NATO source said, according to Reuters.  (Reuters – 07/11/00)