[ALST-L] News Summary 10 October

[info at balkan-info.net]

Dateline:  Belgrade
Source:  Reuters
09/10/00

EARLY ELECTIONS FOR SERBIA’S PARLIAMENT 
Serbia’s parliament, including members of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) agreed to hold early elections on 17 December, Reuters reported, citing the Serbian president’s office.  

Dateline:  Ottawa/Luxembourg/Washington
Sources:  Agence France Presse (AFP), Reuters
09/10/00

CANADA, EU, U.S., TO LIFT SANCTIONS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
Canada, the United States and the EU have moved to lift sanctions against Yugoslavia, following the change of leadership in Belgrade.  “With Vojislav Kostunica now inaugurated as President, Canada is pleased to revive its traditional ties of friendship with Yugoslavia,” Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy said, according to AFP.  Canada will lift the ban on Canadian export goods to Yugoslavia.  The EU announced it is removing a ban on flights between Yugoslavia and EU states, Reuters reported.  The EU ministers said that finances of Slobodan Milosevic and of people close to the former dictator would remain frozen.  U.S. officials will take “comparable steps in the coming days," according to Reuters.   


Dateline:  Belgrade
Source:  Associated Press (AP)
09/10/00

MILOSEVIC ALLIES RESIGN
Federal Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic and Serbian Interior Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic, two key allies of Slobodan Milosevic, resigned yesterday, AP reported. 


Dateline:  Sarajevo
Source:  Agence France Presse (AFP)
09/10/00

IZETBEGOVIC TO LEAVE OFFICE
Alija Izetbegovic, the Muslim chairman of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, will leave office on 12 October, AFP reported, citing Izetbegovic’s spokesman.  The 75 year-old Muslim leader cited his poor health and old age as the reasons for stepping down.  


Dateline:  Sofia
Source:  Agence France Presse (AFP), Democratzia
09/10/00

BULGARIA ASKS KOSTUNICA TO SUPPORT KOSOVO AUTONOMY 
Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov called on Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica to back autonomy for Kosovo, AFP reported, citing the daily Democratzia. “We have to find a peaceful solution for Kosovo, and not create a new conflict,” Kostov said, according to Democratzia.  


Dateline:  Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
Source:  Reuters
09/10/00

DANUBE SEEN CLEARED BY JUNE 2001
The Danube river will likely be cleared of debris and ready for shipping by next June, according to a senior municipal official in Novi Sad, Reuters reported.  “We will suggest the new government to start with the cleaning first and tackle the issue of new bridges later,” Radoje Cvetkov, head of the executive board for city planning in Novi Sad, said, according to Reuters.  “It will be a costly job, so it would be fair for the European Union to contribute with funds, as promised,” he continued.  


Dateline:  Warsaw
Source:  Reuters
09/10/00

KWASNIEWSKI RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT OF POLAND
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski was re-elected with 53.9 percent of the vote, the State Electoral Commission reported, according to Reuters.  Independent centrist Andrzej Olechowski finished second with 17 percent of the vote,  followed by the right-wing Solidarity bloc (AWS), led by Marian Krzaklewski who won 15.6 percent, Reuters reported.  Lech Walesa, former Solidarity movement leader, garnered just one percent of the vote.   


Dateline:  United Nations
Source:  Agence France Presse (AFP)
10/10/00

ANNAN WANTS YUGOSLAVIA TO REJOIN UN
 “Today, we have a unique opportunity to make a fresh start,” Annan wrote in a letter to Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica.  “I would like to suggest that the most effective way forward is for your country to submit an application for membership in the United Nations as called for by the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly,” the letter continued, according to AFP.  


Dateline:  Belgrade
Source:  Agence France Presse (AFP)
09/10/00

KOSTUNICA REJECTS INDEPENDENCE FOR MONTENEGRO, KOSOVO
 “As far as independence for Kosovo and Montenegro is concerned, let me explain it in this way, our Yugoslav constitution does not permit independence for Kosovo or independence for Montenegro, because these two elements are an integral part of the country, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,” Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said on French television, according to AFP.  


Dateline:  Belgrade
Source:  Agence France Presse (AFP)
10/10/00

YUGOSLAV JOURNALIST RELEASED FROM JAIL
The Supreme Court of Serbia released journalist Miroslav Filipovic, who was sentenced last July to seven years in jail for spying, AFP reported.  Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica pardoned Filipovic on 9 October, though his family demanded the Supreme Court overturn the conviction.