<nettime> ANEM WEEKLY REPORT; November 11 - 17, 2000

[mediawatch-owner@freeb92.net]

ANEM WEEKLY REPORT ON MEDIA REPRESSION IN SERBIA
NOVEMBER 11 - NOVEMBER 17, 2000.

AGREEMENT ON PARTY MEDIA PRESENTATION 

BELGRADE, November 11, 2000 - Representatives from the Democratic
Opposition of Serbia, the Serbian Renewal Movement and the Serbian
Radical Party yesterday signed an agreement on media representation of
all political parties in the forthcoming pre-election campaign.
Serbian Socialist Party representative Ivica Dacic refused to sign the
agreement until the Radio Television Serbia Managing Board had been
set up which he described "as a guarantee that the agreement will be
respected". "We have adopted all party proposals and have attempted to
reach agreement on the majority of the amendments proposed by the
Serbian Renewal Movement, the Serbian Radical Party and the Serbian
Socialist Party, DOS representative Cedomir Jovanovic told the press
after the meeting yesterday. Jovanovic also expressed his hope that
the Serbian Socialist Party would change its position and would sign
the agreement, stressing that the Radio Television Serbia Managing
Board could not be set up until such time as the problems of the
transitional government had been resolved. RTS Editor-in-chief Nenad
Ristic stated that on the grounds of the agreement, RTS would sign
contracts with all relevant political parties on media representation
as soon as possible, reports FoNet.

DRASKOVIC ON ANTI-MONTENEGRIN MOOD IN SERBIA 

PODGORICA, November 11, 2000 - Serbian Renewal Movement President Vuk
Draskovic stated yesterday that he was astonished by the extent of the
anti-Montenegrin mood in the Serbian media, reports FoNet. Montenegrin
media quote Draskovic as saying that the current situation in the
Serbian media reminded him of  the 1991 hysteria when everything form
Croatia was described as criminal and genocidal. "Listening to various
live contact shows now, where fascistic and racist thesis can be heard
such as the suggestion that all Montenegrins should be expelled from
Serbia along with all their mobile property is just something I cannot
condone. For now, these thesis are not dominant, but the mere fact
that they exist at all is just terrible", stated Draskovic.

POLICE INSPECT NOVI PAZAR RADIO SAN PREMISES 

NOVI PAZAR, November 11, 2000 - Novi Pazar police visited the premises
of Radio San yesterday demanding to inspect all working licenses and
technical and other documentation. "The police visit happened after
the radio was returned frequencies which had been seized", Radio San
Director Ruzdija Sabotic said, adding that the police had talked with
all those employees who were present at the radio stressing that they
would return. "The Novi Pazar Municipal Court confirmed the decision
for the return of the transmitters seized in 1997 on Thursday, and we
renewed the radio premises fifteen days ago. Regardless of the fact
that Radio San rebroadcasts B92 programmes, some people still have not
heard about it', concluded Sabotic.

KOSTUNICA MEETS MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE
 
BELGRADE, November 11, 2000 - Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica
yesterday received a representative from the international journalism
organisation Rapporteurs Sans Frontieres. Alexander Levy presented
Kostunica with a letter of support and confidence from the president
of the organisation. Levy told media that Kostunica had said that he
was flattered by the organisation's trust in his commitment to media
freedom. The president also warned that the Yugoslav media had been
through very hard times and effort was now needed to reorganise the
media sector along democratic and European lines, reports Beta.

CASE AGAINST VRANJSKE NOVINE DROPPED 

VRANJE, November 11, 2000 - The misdemeanor case brought under the
infamous Public Information Act against weekly Vranjske novine based
on charges filed by Vranje Lumber Camp officials was dropped
yesterday.

The Lumber Camp officials had demanded that Vranjske novine and
Sladjana Veljkovic, author of the disputed text published by the
weekly on November 2, be fined. Veljkovic's article deals with the
financial machinations of the Lumber Camp's senior officials.
Magistrate Dragan Stojanovic has dropped the case since "Vranjske
novine journalist Sladjana Veljkovic cannot be charged under Article
69 of the Public Information Act, which was used as a basis for
launching the procedure."

PEJCIC: WE WILL RETURN MONEY SEIZED FROM MEDIA

BELGRADE, November 11, 2000 - The Serbian Ministry of Information is
to propose that funds be set aside from next year's Serbian budget in
order to return money to those media which suffered heavy fines under
the Public Information Act, Co-Minister of Information Bogoljub Pejcic
announced yesterday, Beta reports. At a press conference in the
Serbian Government yesterday, Pejcic said that the adding of around 30
million dinars to the Ministry of Information budget would be
proposed, i.e. the exact sum Serbian media had been obliged to pay
under the Information Act. "That is justice", concluded Pejcic.

LAWYERS MOVE AGAINST INFORMATION ACT 

BELGRADE, November 11, 2000 - The Yugoslav Legal Experts' Committee
for Human Rights yesterday demanded that the Serbian Constitutional
Court begin proceedings so as to determine the constitutionality and
legality of Serbia's notorious Public Information Act. The Committee
alleged that the act seriously endangered the freedom of the media and
demanded that it be immediately ruled unconstitutional. This, said the
Committee, would open the door for interested parties to demand the
overturning of all verdicts passed under the Act. Until a new law is
adopted the Committee proposes that the Information Act of 1991 be
re-enacted.         

NEW JOBS FOR FORMER POLITIKA MANAGERS 

BELGRADE, November 11, 2000 - Media house Politika former managers
have been informed of their new positions, Beta reports today. Former
Belgrade daily Politika Director and Editor-in-chief Hadzi-Dragan
Antic and TV Politika editor-in-chief Goran Kozic have been appointed
positions in the marketing department. Former Ekspres Politika
editor-in-chief Djordje Martic and journal commentator Miroslav
Markovic have been moved to the documentation department. The former
managers have all received a reduction in salary to between 5, 500 -
6, 000 dinars. Beta was told that the decisions on the new
appointments had been signed by current Politika Director Darko
Ribnikar, but that the decisions were brought in consultation with the
newly appointed managers of the media house.           

ANEM DEMANDS GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS TO RADIO DIFFUSION PROBLEMS 

PIROT, November 12, 2000 - The Pirot Association of Independent
Electronic Media Technical Commission yesterday sent a letter to
Federal Prime Minister Zoran Zizic and Federal Minister of
Telecommunications Boris Tadic pointing out the current problems in
the area of radio diffusion with proposals for the further development
of the Yugoslav communication system. The Association's Commission
President and Pirot Television technical director Miloje Nesic told
Beta that the Federal Government and relevant ministry should publish
all licenses for radio and TV channels given over for temporary use as
well as all demands for temporary frequencies. "The ANEM Technical
Commission demands an inspection and is willing to offer expert
support to the new Yugoslav government in order to regulate the
present situation in the area and to induce the development of
contemporary communication systems", concluded Nesic.

SERBIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY DISSATISFIED WITH SITUATION IN RTS

BELGRADE, November 12, 2000 - The Serbian Democratic Party yesterday
estimated that the 'illegal' forming of crisis headquarters and strike
committees, whose intention was to become the Radio Television Serbia
Managing Board made the work of the media difficult. In a statement
issued yesterday, the Serbian Democratic Party stated that the current
situation had exerted a negative effect on programming quality, the
consequences of which were visible especially in informative
programmes, which lacked both editorial and technical skill. "If the
new Radio Television Serbia really intends to be new, then all
employees should concentrate on carrying out their work
professionally, leaving aside their personal interests in the fight
for power within RTS until the Serbian parliamentary elections in
December and the subsequent election of legal management', concluded
the party statement.

GERMAN PUBLISHING HOUSE BUYS 49 PERCENT OF BLIC

BELGRADE, November 12, 2000 - The biggest European publishing house
from Germany, Grunner & Ja  has purchased 49 percent of shares in
Belgrade daily Blic. A statement issued by Gruner + Ja last night did
not give exact details of this transaction but emphasised that Blic
was the largest Yugoslav daily with a circulation of 175,000. Gruner +
Ja publish 100 dailies and magazines in 13 countries including the
most popular German weekly, Stern. The contract with Blic was the
first large foreign investment in a media house after the recent
democratic changes in the country.

Blic Editor-in-chief Veselin Simonovic told B92 that the former
foreign owners, known to the public as the Mitsui Company, had sold
their shares to the German company. When asked whether there was any
possibility of media magnates taking over the monopoly of the largest
Serbian media, Simonovic said that there was no need for fear of
foreign capital, not even in the media, and that the role of the
editorial offices and publishers was to fight for their autonomy.
"They insist on the redaction being independent and that is the only
way forward for the rapid development of the newspapers, I have heard
this directly from our new co-owners, and that makes me especially
happy", said Simonovic.

TV NS SHOWERED WITH THREATS BECAUSE OF NATASA KANDIC'S GUEST APPEARANCE 

NOVI SAD, November 12, 2000 - Television Novi Sad received an
anonymous bomb threat from one of its viewers during the appearance of
the Director of the Human Rights Foundation Natasa Kandic on its
programme Signal on Friday night, reports Beta. Police responded to
the situation immediately, placing security guards at all entrances to
the building. The television station reported the receipt of numerous
threatening and insulting messages because of Kandic's guest
appearance on the programme.

MERIMA FILES CHARGES AGAINST GENERAL DIRECTOR

KRUSEVAC, November 13, 2000 - Charges have been filed laid against
Krusevac Merima General Director Vladimir Markovic and the independent
union has begun collecting signatures for a petition demanding his
replacement, writes today's issue of Glas javnosti.

The union has filed charges against Markovic for, among other things,
financing Radio Television Serbia, RTV Kosava and TV Pink. The charges
concern large sums which were paid into the 'accounts' of the media
houses for 'marketing' expenses. The employees are reported to have
been puzzled by the 'fact' that one or two seconds of television
commercial space could add up to two million dinars, as well as by the
fact that Merima paid for journalists reports. The contract with
Marija Milosevic's TV Kosava was signed on January 20, 2000 for
commercial broadcasts on TV Kosava and Merima immediately paid 228,
000 dinars. That was the 'price' for the promotional period from
January 21 to February 24, 2000. However, the Merima employees did not
hear or see any Merima commercial on TV Kosava during that period.

On the basis of two accounts dating from January 19, 2000 and May 22,
2000 Merima made two payments to TV Pink of 2, 394 000 and 927, 547,
32 dinars for broadcasting space relating to an economic propaganda
programme. The Merima employees claim that they noticed only one or
two short commercials of one or two seconds' duration on the Radio
Television station.

As regards the contract on business co-operation with Radio Television
Serbia, the two sides agreed that the advertising of Merima's products
during the European Football Championship would cost two million
dinars. The contract was signed on March 17, 2000 by Zoran Modrinic
and Vladimir Markovic. The employees watched live broadcasts on Radio
Television Serbia, but they did not notice their Merima products being
advertised on the TV screen, neither before nor in the football match
breaks.

There were around twenty accounts through which Merima financed RTS
under strange circumstances amounting to payments of between100, 000
and 180, 000 dinars per account which were all paid immediately.

MATIC: TWO PROPOSALS FOR PARTY MEDIA PRESENTATION 

BELGRADE, November 13, 2000 - Co-Minister for Information in the
Serbian Government Biserka Matic stated today that there were two
proposals for balanced media presentation of all parties involved in
the pre-electoral campaign for the parliamentary elections in Serbia
scheduled for December 23. In an interview for Novi Sad Dnevnik, Matic
said that one proposal had been put forward by the Democratic
Opposition of Serbia and the other by the Serbian Socialist Party.
Matic described the DOS proposal as being in accordance with OSCE
regulations and the most democratic one she had ever seen, whereas the
proposal put forward by the Socialists had several limitations
including an insistence on the ban of rebroadcasting foreign
programmes. She added that the DOS proposal was related only to Radio
Television Serbia, and the Serbian Socialist Party to all media.

Matic also estimated that due to the general transition in Serbia some
form of Information Act was required and that journalists should be
permitted to be involved in its creation. According to Matic, Radio
Television Serbia had demanded around 170 million dinars from the
Serbian Socialist Party and the Yugoslav Left for the pre-electoral
campaign for the September elections, estimating that with that money
RTS 'could form funds for those journalists who had abused the
profession and who consequently would not be doing their job for a
while. She also supported the Association of Independent Electronic
Media's demand for an investigation into the origins of capital
invested in Pink, Palma and Kosava television stations.          

NATURA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND JOURNALIST ASSAULTED 

BELGRADE, November 13, 2000 - The recent physical attacks on the
editor-in-chief and journalist from journal Natura are suspected to be
the consequences of their involvement in publicising the numerous
irregularities in the work of the Serbian and Yugoslav Cynology
Associations, daily Danas writes today. According to the findings of
Natura journalists, the Yugoslav Cynology Association collected one
million and a half German marks annualy, the destiny of which is
unknown, said a statement signed by Natura editor-in-chief Dusan
Marinovic. Marinovic's house was stoned on October 18, and the stoning
was repeated on November 11 when his car was also damaged. Following
rumours of the possible resignation of Cynology Association President
Mahmed Al Dagestani, Natura journalist Ivan Lukic was attacked in
front of his house in Resnik on October 19, and the windows of his
house were broken a few days after the attack. Dusan Marinovic urged
all his colleagues to show their solidarity and to publicly condemn
the physical attacks and threats made to himself and journalist Ivan
Lukic..

AGREEMENT SIGNED ON PARTY PRESENTATION ON RTS 

BELGRADE, November 14, 2000 - The agreement on elections lists
bearers' presentation in the public media during the pre-electoral
campaign for the extraordinary republic elections scheduled for
December 23 was signed in the Radio Television Serbia building
yesterday. Representatives from the Democratic Opposition of Serbia,
the Serbian Renewal Movement and the Serbian Radical Party,
Co-Ministers of Information Biserka Matic and Bogoljub Pejcic and
Radio Television Serbia Director Nenad Ristic all signed the
regulations. Serbian Socialist Party representatives refused to sign
the document, as did the third Co-Minister of Information Ivica Dacic.
The documents states that the pre electoral campaign will begin on
Radio Television Serbia on Wednesday.

"By signing this document we will enable Serbia to gain the most
democratic elections it has ever had', stated Co-Minister of
Information Biserka Matic, adding that this would be guaranteed by the
criteria adopted from OSCE regulations in an extremely democratic and
tolerant atmosphere, when all signatories had made concessions and all
amendments had been adopted. "I am genuinely sorry that the third
Co-Minister of Information Ivica Dacic is not here with us this
evening, since his party - the Serbian Socialist Party has not
accepted these rules', concluded Biserka Matic.

DOS representative Cedomir Jovanovic stressed that these regulations
would accelerate the process of democratic changes in our country. "It
is good that more or less everybody participated the process,
everybody in their own way - some by accepting, some by ignoring the
rules. I am not sorry for those who are not with us tonight. Their
duty is to take care of their party's interests, we take care of the
interests of the Serbian citizens, who will have an absolutely regular
match in which, regardless of the current position, all of us will
really be equally represented on Radio Television Serbia', said
Jovanovic.         

Serbian Renewal Movement representative Vlajko Senic said that the
agreement was good and that it represented a solid basis for Radio
Television Serbia to begin functioning like a real state institution
and to treat all political subjects in the country equally - the
Democratic Opposition of Serbia, the Serbian Renewal Movement, the
Serbian Radical Party and the Serbian held in a fair and correct
atmosphere and that for the very first time in the last ten years
Serbian citizens will have the opportunity to express their will in a
normal atmosphere in the forthcoming Serbian parliamentary elections,
said Senic.

FORMER DIRECTOR SUES POLITIKA MANAGERS AND JOURNALISTS 

BELGRADE, November 14, 2000 - The former director of the Politika
media corporation, Hadzi-Dragan Antic has filed criminal charges
against several senior executives and journalists from the company,
alleging damage to his reputation through articles published in
dailies Politika and Danas. Those charged include Politika's new
director, Darko Ribnikar, editor Vojin Partonic, journalists Slobodan
Aleksandric and Gordana Knezevic and printer Djordje Vidakovic. The
disputed articles allege that Antic abused his authority in the
company, causing it great material and other damage. Antic is seeking
damages of a million dinars (approximately 30,000 German marks) from
each of the defendants. Antic's lawyer announced that further charges
would be filed against journalists from dailies Borba and Vecernje
novosti.            

JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATIONS ARGUE OVER JOURNALIST HOUSE

BELGRADE, November 14, 2000 - Association of Independent Serbian
Journalists Secretary General Dragutin Rokvic stated last night that
association representatives would not leave the premises of the
Journalist House in Belgrade as demanded by the Association of Serbian
Journalists, adding that only the police could force them to leave the
building. The dispute between the two journalist associations on the
right of use of Journalist House escalated on Monday morning when
Association of Serbian Journalists security guards tried to prevent
Association of Independent Serbian Journalists representatives from
entering the premises on the second floor of the building which the
Association of Independent Serbian Journalists had been given the use
of by a former Association of Serbian Journalists management decision.
Rokvic told the Beta agency that Vracar security services probably
received the order from Association of Serbian Journalists
representatives who did not recognise the decisions made by the former
association management. The former Association of Serbian Journalists
decision gave the Association of Independent Serbian Journalists the
use of the second floor of the Journalist House building including a
key for the separate entrance to the premises. Since the new
Association of Serbian Journalists management had changed the lock at
the entrance, an Association of Independent Serbian Journalists
representative broke it in order to allow workers to continue the
renovation of the premises. The Association of Serbian Journalists
called the police, and according to Association of Independent Serbian
Journalists representatives the police estimated that the case was
under the authorisation of the court.

The decision to give the Association of Independent Serbian
Journalists use of the premises from October 12 stated that the act
was 'an expression of professional solidarity and the will for the
realisation of one of the most important statute aims of the
association - the improvement of co-operation with journalist
organisations in the country and the world'. The new Association of
Serbian Journalists management insisted, however, that the decision
was not valid and that the Association of Independent Serbian
Journalists should pay 'at least a symbolical rent' for the use of the
premises based on the 1976 Act by which the building in General
Zdanova Street 'as a society property is given to the Association of
Serbian Journalists for use'.

DEMANDS FOR URGENT APPOINTMENT OF RTS MANAGING BOARD

BELGRADE, November 14, 2000 - The Association of Independent Serbian
Journalists has demanded that, regardless of the current governmental
crisis, the Ministry of Information urgently appoint the new Radio
Television Serbia Managing Board in order to prevent the present
illegitimate situation which occurred as a result of the self
appointment of the Radio Television Serbia Strike Committee as the
managing body, Beta reports today. In its statement, the Association
also estimated that the board had preserved the state television
property as a communal service belonging to all Serbian citizens and
had begun programming publicising the malversations of the former
management. However, the Association stressed that the explanation of
the non functioning of the Serbian transitional government as the only
reason for the self-appointment of the Strike Committee as the Radio
Television Serbia Managing Board was not acceptable.
 
TV KRALJEVO RESUMES BROADCASTING

KRALJEVO, November 14, 2000 - Television Kraljevo resumed broadcasting
at 7 p.m. yesterday after a several day pause resulting from the fire
which broke out in the premises of the Ibarske novosti informative
house where the television was situated. Beta reports that Radio
Kraljevo, which was in the same building, has still not resumed
broadcasting, but is expected to do so by the end of this week. Two
Radio Kraljevo studios, part of TV Kraljevo equipment, part of the
sound archives and several offices were completely burnt out, and
weekly Ibarske novosti equipment was damaged in the fire which broke
out on November 1 in the premises of Ibarske novine informative house.

RADIO CONTACT IN BELGRADE

BELGRADE, November 14, 2000 - In co-operation with other Contact Net
members, Pristina's Radio Contact yesterday founded Radio Contact in
Belgrade with the aim of establishing a 'daily informative Belgrade -
Kosovska Mitrovica - Pristina bridge'. Radio Contact is to broadcast
music and its identification sign only by November 20 on 89.1 MHz in
Belgrade. The radio will rebroadcast radio B92 services, but will also
have daily specials dedicated to displaced persons from Kosovo,
refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, socially endangered
groups and victims of civil war.

PROCEDURE AGAINST TWO HACKERS STARTS

BELGRADE, November 14, 2000 - The preliminary criminal procedure
against two hackers began in Belgrade's Fifth Municipal Court
yesterday on suspicion that they misused the computer and caused a
collapse of the system thus rendering the Internet connection unusable
and causing damage estimated at around 100, 000 dollars, Belgrade
daily Glas javnosti writes today. The daily writes that there are
indications that the two hackers were not working alone and that an
organised group was behind them (according to some information part of
Black Hand, known for changing the NATO site during the bombing
campaign against Yugoslavia). That is the first such trial in
Yugoslavia carried out according to Act 188, paragraph 1 of the
Serbian Criminal Code. According to Belgrade Fifth Municipal Court
Deputy Prosecutor Aleksandar Milosavljevic, the hackers counted on
that the fact that the jurisdiction and the police would be unable to
take action for this sort of crime. "From this pre-criminal procedure
we have realised that we can do this although the Code does not have
precise definitions for that sort of crime. If we collect more new
facts then the list of suspects will certainly be extended", said
Milosavljevic.

As prosecution expert associate Branko Stamnekovic explained, it was
not possible to estimate the damage in this case since it was still
under way. The hackers 'knocked down' around ten link knots in the
world , and the attacks were still spreading. The hackers 'knocked
down' around 20, 000 users in Yugoslavia, and around 50, 000 users in
Ohio, USA.

POPOVIC: MEDIA POISONING MONTENEGRO-SERBIA RELATIONS 

PODGORICA, November 15, 2000 - Media in Montenegro are poisoning
relations between Serbia and Montenegro, creating an unnatural
atmosphere of blatant anti-Serb intolerance, the vice-president of
Montenegro's National Party, Predrag Popovic, said yesterday. There
was a similar anti-Montenegrin mood in Serbia, said Popovic, adding
that he believed this was a result of Milosevic's regime's campaign
against the southern republic. Popovic reiterated his party's demand
that Montenegro's governing Better Life coalition discuss changes to
its position paper on the redefinition of relations within Yugoslavia.
However, he said, if the other coalition members were inflexible in
their opposition to the National Party's stand it was difficult to
imagine the talks being successful.

HALF OF RTS EMPLOYEES SURPLUS, THE OTHER HALF USELESS?

NOVI SAD, November 15, 2000 - Out of around 7, 000 employees in new
Radio Television Serbia, more than half are surplus and the other half
useless, Vojvodina Reformists representative in the Yugoslav
Parliament and candidate for Radio Television Serbia director Miodrag
Isakov told the SRNA agency in Novi Sad yesterday. "All the good
employees in Radio television Serbia were expelled during the last ten
years and uneducated and unskilled cadres which the regime needed as
parrots to repeat via screens and radio waves the things which they
were ordered to say remained', Isakov said, describing the situation
in RTS as critical and demanding interventional measures, since it had
been destroyed from within during the last ten years. Isakov added
that Radio Television Serbia equipment had been physically destroyed
on October 5 and that the current economic situation in the country
had contributed to RTS now facing total financial bankruptcy. 'If I
decide to return to RTS, where I spent more than 20 years as editor
and journalist, I will end my political career, just as I resigned
from my position at Novi Sad weekly Nezavisni in 1996 when I decided
to become engaged in politics', concluded Isakov.

TRIAL ON OTPOR CHARGES ADJOURNED

KRAGUJEVAC, November 15, 2000 - The trial on the grounds of Otpor
charges against daily LID founded by the local Kragujevac branch of
the Serbian Socialist Party was adjourned yesterday because of the
illness of Judge Olivera Obradovic. Otpor filed charges against LID
because of an article published on September 22, 1999 in which
journalist Gordana Milosevic labeled Otpor members fascists and Hitler
youth. Kragujevac Otpor members were labeled as black-shirt members in
an article on a local Alliance for Change meeting. The charges were
filed against LID editor-in-chief Goran Mitrovic, his deputy Rade
Prokic and the author of the disputed article Gordana Milosevic. Otpor
activist Zoran Matovic said that Olivera Obradovic had not appeared in
the court since "there is a trend among judges dissatisfied with their
income to go on sick leave". Matic told the Association of Independent
Electronic Media correspondent that Otpor lawyers would demand that
the accused and their lawyer be detained and brought to the next
hearing, since they had not answered the court summons.

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT SCHEDULES DEBATE ON INFORMATION ACT

BELGRADE, November 16, 2000 - The Federal Constitutional Court has
scheduled a public debate aimed at estimating the constitutionality of
the Serbian Public Information Act for November 24. As FoNet learnt,
around a hundred experts in the field including representatives from
the Association of Independent Serbian Journalists are to participate
in the public debate. Under the republic Information Act independent
media in Serbia paid fines amounting to over 2. 5 million German
marks. After the recent political changes in Yugoslavia, independent
media stopped the action "Stop the violence' and launched a new
campaign to demand compensation for all fines paid under the
Information Act. Based on the former practices of the Federal
Constitutional Court, the decision on the constitutionality of the
disputed act could be expected to be brought on the same day as the
public debate.             

PROPOSAL FOR TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AREA 

BELGRADE, November 16, 2000 - Temporary solutions for the work of the
electronic media, until the adoption of new legal regulations, must
include the elimination of former privileges and deviation from
publicly proclaimed criteria on radio frequencies and the usage of
television channels, the association for the development of private
radio diffusion Spektar and the Association of Independent Electronic
Media told Beta yesterday. Association of Independent Electronic Media
legal representative Milos Zivkovic and Spektar General Director
Slobodan Djoric stated that the temporary measures which they proposed
to the Federal Ministry of Telecommunications should provide order and
security for all radio television stations of which there were more
than 500 in Serbia excluding those in Kosovo, around 150 in state and
public ownership and around 350 in private ownership. They described
the current situation in radio diffusion as legal, technical and
financial chaos, emphasising that stations close to the former regime
had been permitted to take over and spread across the air space, while
the other electronic media had been exposed to various forms of
repression and had been left without any legal status, thus being
closed down and robbed during the previous period. According to the
proposal, all radio and television stations which had lodged
applications and regulated documentation to the Federal Ministry of
Telecommunications advertisement dating from February 1998 should be
given the right to the usage of radio frequencies and television
channels.

Besides the 247 stations which signed contracts with the Ministry, it
also included a further 235 which had not received any response to
their requests for frequencies during the last two years, most of
which were Association of Independent Electronic Media or Spektar
members. Zivkovic and Djoric proposed that the requests for radio
frequencies and television channel licenses sent after the date
mentioned in the Ministry advertisement (March 1998) should be
considered as late, and the decisions brought on the grounds of these
not valid. Djoric reminded the Ministry that shortly before the
September elections around ten stations close to the Serbian Socialist
Party and the Yugoslav Left were opened, and that around twenty
stations were opened during the year. According to the proposal, those
stations which had been given ten year licenses (via the competitions
announced by the Serbian Government in 1992 and 1994) as well those
which had been issued licenses before 1992 should have the right to
extend their use of frequencies under the same technical conditions,
but only such time as new legal regulations were adopted. According to
the proposal, the right to radio frequencies and television channels
under the ownership of Radio Television Serbia which had been given or
borrowed on the grounds of contracts or in any other way should be
banned in the forthcoming period. An investigation into any
compensation the stations had paid for the use of radio frequencies
and television channels was also proposed. The proposal also requested
that the new Federal Minister of Telecommunications Boris Tadic
appoint an experts group to investigate all omissions, illegal
decisions and illegal deeds in the Ministry's work dating from 1997
when it was established. The expert group should, among other things,
prepare a model of an act on radio diffusion and establish the
integration of republics and members in the area. The current most
important regulations which regulate electronic media work are the
former Yugoslavia Act on Links System dating from December 1988 and
the Radio Television Serbia Act dating back to August 1991.

AID ACTION FOR TELEVISION KRALJEVO
 
KRALJEVO, November 16, 2000 - A great humanitarian review of movie
hits is to be organised in Kraljevo in December with the aim of
collecting money for a fund set up to provide compensation for damage
caused in the recent fire in Radio Television Kraljevo and Ibarske
novosti. The Fund was established by Radio Belgrade, the Association
of Cinema Theatres and Distributors, Kraljevo City Center, the
Yugoslav Film Library and Vrnjacka Banja Festival of Film Screenplay,
said a statement issued by Radio Television Serbia yesterday. Cinemas
have promised to give the fund one day's takings from all tickets
sold. Radio Kraljevo, part of TV Kraljevo's archives and technical
equipment as well as Ibarske novosti equipment were burned in the fire
which broke out on November 1. The damage which has not yet been fully
determined is estimated as amounting to over 250, 000 German marks.

PROBLEMS IN RTS

BELGRADE, November 16, 2000 - Radio Television Serbia currently has
debts estimated at over 25 million German marks, and at least 30
million marks is currently required to meet the costs of managing,
without any investments being made in equipment and the premises, the
Radio Television Strike Committee stated at a press conference
yesterday. "The Serbian transitional government has not responded to
our appeals and since no aid has been forthcoming, the Strike
Committee has decided to take on the obligations of the Managing Board
temporarily in order to attempt to solve at least some of the burning
problems", Strike Committee President Miodrag Zupanc told the press.
Zupanac proposed that the temporary Radio Television Serbia Managing
Board remain in place until the republic elections or until such time
as the transitional government found a temporary solution. "The
Government could appoint Nenad Ristic as director and give him the
responsibility. The other solution could be to form an expert team of
lawyers and economists who would help in the control of managing and
economic organs and help uncover the various machinations which took
are still taking place, said Zupanac. Strike Committee member Milena
Vucetic described the technical conditions at Radio Television Serbia
as catastrophic. "The people who entered the building at Takovska
Street on October 5 and a few days after that day knew exactly what
they were taking, these were not citizens who simply wanted some
souvenirs from Radio Television Serbia", she said, adding that donors
had no intention of helping RTS.

INITIATIVE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL ESTIMATION OF RTS TAX REJECTED 

BELGRADE, November 16, 2000 - The Federal Constitutional Court
yesterday rejected the initiative for launching a constitutional
estimation of the Serbian Act on radio and television regulations by
which a tax on electricity for financing Radio Television Serbia's
common business interests was introduced. The Court rejected the
initiative without discussion with the explanation that it had been
decided previously that there were no grounds for the new start of the
estimation of the legal regulations in accordance with the Yugoslavian
Constitution. As Beta reports, the court stated that it was in
accordance with the Constitution that a member republic regulated
special kinds of income for financing 'actions which are an
unchangeable condition of the life and work of the citizens and the
organisations in the domain of economy on the republic's territory'.
The Fund for Democracy Development launched the initiative.             

TV NOVI SAD JOURNALIST DETAINED ON GROUNDS OF INTERNATIONAL WARRANT

VUKOVAR, OSUJEK, November 17, 2000 - Vukovar Municipal Court
Investigative Judge yesterday ruled to detain TV Novi Sad journalist
Vladimir Harak in custody pending extradition, subsequently
transferring him to Osijek prison, Beta was told by the Yugoslav
Consulate in Vukovar. Harak was part of the Novi Sad Assembly
delegation which went to visit Kranj, Slovenia. He was arrested at the
border between Yugoslavia and Croatia on the grounds of an
international warrant from Argentine Interpol on charges of attempting
to smuggle protected birds from Buenos Aires in 1997. Harak is accused
of attempting to smuggle 11 birds protected by Argentine customs law
which warrants a sentence of between 2 to 10 years imprisonment. Beta
reports that Harak confessed to the investigate judge that he had
indeed committed the crime but added that he had not been aware of
doing so since an unknown man at Buenos Aires airport had asked him to
take the package for him.

TADIC ORDER TO BE ESTABLISHED IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA 

SMEDEREVO, November 17, 2000 - Federal Minister of Telecommunications
Boris Tadic announced the establishment of order in the field of radio
diffusion in Smederevo on Wednesday. "After such revisions have been
made, we will call public tenders for free frequencies, said Tadic
said, adding that this was in his opinion the only way forward. "I
will request the balance sheet, I have already issued some orders for
it. The most dreadful thing is that the Ministry still does not have
complete documentation on it. The other thing I will request is a
moratorium on the issue of frequencies in the following period, until
such time as the Ministry has prepared normal processes for issuing
frequencies. I hope there will be enough time until the end of that
moratorium to prepare new legislation which will specify the whole
field in detail and allow everybody to apply under equal conditions.
We need to establish order in this sector once and for all," Tadic
concluded in a statement made to B92.

COMPENSATION FOR PAID FINES?

BELGRADE, November 17, 2000 - The Association of Independent Serbian
Journalists and those media fined under the Public Information Act
yesterday demanded compensation amounting to 2, 5 million German
marks, reports FoNet. In its statement, the association reminded the
public that two years ago independent media directors and
editors-in-chief launched an initiative in the Federal Constitutional
Court for the revision of some regulations of the Public Information
Act. 'We demand that the Federal Constitutional Court take into
consideration the initiative so that those media fined under this
notorious act be enabled to begin proceedings for compensation for all
paid fines', concluded the statement.

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