This Week (May 28 to June 2, 1998)

Thursday, May 28
Luxemburg.  Diplomatic Chiefs of NATO member states asked military experts for a draft of a plan to distribute troops in Albania and Macedonia so that a spreading of the Balkan conflict can be prevented.
Belgrade.  The Spasovdan Litany passed through city streets.
Hague.  Milojica Kos, former Commander of Guards at concentration camp Omarska, has been arrested by SFOR soldiers.
 

Friday, May 29
Belgrade.  The Government of Yugoslavia asked the Constitutional Court to assess the accordance between the constitutions of the republics and the federal constitution.
Cost of living up by 24.9 percent compared to May last year.
Nine out of thirty faculties of University of Belgrade called a strike.
Washington.  U.S. President Bill Clinton met with Ibrahim Rugova.

Saturday, May 30
Pristina.  Around 5,000 Albanians demonstrated in the streets demanding that athletes of Albanian nationality be permitted to use sports facilities.  At the 51 protest, demonstrators shouted slogans “UCK” (Liberation Army of Kosovo), “Drenica”, “Decani”, “Adem Jasari” and “Freedom — independence”.
Belgrade.  Headquarters of the Yugoslav Army announced that on May 29, in the community of Djakovica, Sergeant Dragan Ignjatovic and G.I. Vojkan Matic were killed by a terrorist mine, while Second Lieutenant Vladica Djordjevic and G.I.’s Zarko Milosavljevic and Dusan Tasic were wounded.  On route to VMA military hospital, Tasic died.
Students, who have been protesting for twelve days already because of the new Law on Universities, for the first time walked through the streets of Belgrade and drew the borders of the “Free University”.
Banja Luka.  Biljana Plavsic, President of Republika Srpska, has been unanimously elected for President of the Serb People’s Alliance.

Sunday, May 31
Podgorica.  Early parliamentary and community elections in Montenegro held without incidents.  Voters voted at 1,087 polling stations, electing 78 MP’s to the Parliament of the Republic and representatives in 21 community assemblies.
Pristina.  The Organizational Committee for the protests of Kosovo’s Albanians decided to organize a half-hour protest on June 1 by Albanian children.  The protest slogan is “We also have the right to live”, and the children, as announced, will walk through the main street of Pristina with balloons and flowers in hand.

Monday, June 1
Podgorica.  Coalition “For a Better Life” won 49.5 percent of votes, while the Socialist Peoples’ Party won 36.07 percent in the election, the Election Committee of the Republic of Montenegro announced on the basis of data collected from 94.4 percent of the electorate.  According to the Committee’s information, the Liberal Alliance of Montenegro is in third place with 6.2 percent of votes.  In the community elections, Coalition “For a Better Life” won power in 14 communities, and SNP only seven.
SNP announced that it will respect the election opinion of the citizens of Montenegro, “even though the elections were not held under free, democratic conditions.”
Belgrade.  Yugoslav Secretary for Information, Goran Matic, announced that the application procedure for getting radio and TV frequencies will remain permanently open.
New York.  UN General Secretary Kofi Annan met with Ibrahim Rugova.
Pristina.  Around 20,000 Albanian children demonstrated in the main street under the slogan “We also have the right to live”.  The children carried balloons, posters, flowers and American and Albanian flags.  The posters had the following lettering: “UCK”, “Freedom, independence”, “Drenica”...

Tuesday, June 2
Cetinje.  Leader of the Liberal Alliance of Montenegro, Slavko Perovic, submitted his resignation because of the poor election showing by his party.
Zagreb.  Mate Granic and Milorad Dodik, Premiers of Croatia and Republika Srpska, agreed that in the future citizens of these two states will be able to cross the border without visas.

Wednesday, June 3
Tirana.  UNHCR Office learns that 3,700 people fled from Kosovo into Albania.
Podgorica.  Momir Bulatovic announced his resignation as President of SNP.
Brussels.  NATO is still not ready to send a military force to the borders of Yugoslavia, as stated in an announcement by the alliance.
 
 

Words and Facts

Ratko Krsmanovic, President of the Communists of Yugoslavia, Coordinator for the JUL Directorship in Montenegro stated: “JUL has as many members as half of the electorate of Montenegro, and has more supporters than Montenegro has citizens!”

The Jugoslav Left won 445 votes, or 0.1 percent — announcement by the Election Committee of the Republic of Montenegro, after 99.7 percent of the votes were counted.