The Signs Of The Imminent Elections

On May 20 Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic visited the Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad. Strolling between the stands he was welcomed by directors of large agricultural producers and factories associated with agriculture. He stopped next to one stand, had a sip of wine and tried to be funny. He praised the peasants excessively.

Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic organized a dinner (seafood) in the honour of Russian Patriarch Aleksey II and Serbian Patriarch Pavle. The prayer was said before the meal.

The Serbian Parliament decided in mid May to discuss the spring works without an obvious reason.

The Serbian Government decided that the poorest citizens of Serbia will receive a loaf of bread every day over the next two months.

The public transportation in Belgrade had somewhat improved.

Vojislav Seselj, the leader of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), and Vuk Draskovic, the leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), made peace for the sake of saving democracy, i.e. the Serbian Radical Party, and without annihilating the differences in the platforms of SRS and SPO.

Seselj accused the Communist Leaguethe Movement for Yugoslavia (SKPJthe party of Mirjana Markovic, the wife of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic) of having staged the failed coup in Banja Luka (September 1993) and of sponsoring armed formations disguised by the company ``Komet.''

Charges were raised against a group of MP's of the Serbian Radical Party because of preventing a member of security in carrying out his duty when one MP was being thrown out of the parliament hall during the session of the Federal Parliaments' Chamber of Citizens.

Seselj stated that he does not recognize the (socialist) court, but that he won't rely on his MP immunity, announcing that the proceedings will turn into a trial to Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

The trials for libel in the Dafingate affair have been hastily announced in the press. The trials for the robbery and fraud in this affair are still not in sight.

Four parties (the Serbian Renewal MovementSPO, the Democratic PartyDS, the Democratic Party of SerbiaDSS, the Serbian Radical PartySRS) announced their intention to start the procedure of replacing Radoman Bozovic, the Speaker of the Federal Parliaments' Chamber of Citizens.

The Socialists quietly discussed the problems in their ranks behind closed doors.

Zoran Djindjic, the leader of the Democratic Party, announced that the Democrats will organize the Week of the Fight against Sanctions. The drive began when the members of this party's leadership donated blood. This seems to be the first case when the leaders donated blood in a national campaign. It is the people who are usually asked for blood.

``The diplomatic circles in Belgrade'' announced that the sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia will soon be lifted (the Yugoslav news agency Tanjug mentioned May 30).