18 October 2002 Morning Edition

Kosovo Stories

· Serbian leaders cool to Kosovo administrator's plea that they urge (AP)
· MoU on implementation of Kosovo-Metohija elections signed (Tanjug)
· Street in Kosovo named after former US president Clinton (dpa)
· CoE report on Kosovo slams treatment of Serbs (Beta)
· Steiner and Covic encouraged by talks (Beta)
· Tough words from Kostunica for Kosovo governor (Beta)
· Calling the tune but never mind paying the piper (Beta)
· But how do you define a street (Beta)
· Head of Kosovo Serb assembly group says Serbs will not vote…(BBC)
· Serbian Orthodox Church does not mention patriarch supporting…(BBC)
· Yugoslav president draws attention to lack of progress in Kosovo Serb (BBC)
· Kosovo electricity board disconnects Russian Kfor for nonpayment of bills (BBC)
· Yugoslav President, Kosovo Serb discuss conditions for local elections (BBC)
· Orthodox eparchy denies endorsing Serb participation in Kosovo elections (BBC)
· Two young Albanians beat up elderly Serb in centre of Gjilanë (BBC)
· Serbian journalist body protests to Kfor over harassment of two colleagues (BBC)

Regional News

Serbia

· Serbian Assembly postpones session on election law (Reuters)
· Election authorities turn back Kostunica's party (dpa)
· Kostunica Party election appeal thrown out (Beta)
· DOS revokes proposal, session postponed (Beta)
· Svilanovic appeals to DSS no to "radicalize" (SRNA)
· Seselj discusses coalition with Socialist Party (Beta)
· Serbia's Seselj discusses joint presidential candidate directly with Milosevic (BBC)

Macedonia

· Macedonian political sides agree on new government (dpa)
· Football takes over from politics for one day as arrogant England are held (dpa)

Bosnia

· UN fires 11 Bosnian policemen for links with illegal brothel owners (AFP)

Croatia

· Croatia's EU bid threatened by Bobetko case (AFP)

Milosevic Indictment

· Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect to be sentenced (AFP)

Special Reports

· Election Promises Don't Change in Kosovo (Balkan Times)
· In face of Strong criticism, U.S. backs away from resolution (AP)

Serbian leaders cool to Kosovo administrator's plea that they urge

By MISHA SAVIC

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) _ Yugoslav and Serbian political and religious leaders gave a cool reception Thursday to a plea from Kosovo's chief U.N. administrator that they urge Serbs in the province to vote in upcoming local elections.

While several of them suggested that they might be more willing to back the request from administrator Michael Steiner in exchange for more local autonomy for Kosovo's Serbs, they suggested the present situation did not warrant their support.

``There has been hardly any improvement in the extremely bad security situation for Serbs in Kosovo ... or in respect for their human rights,'' said Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica after meeting with Steiner.

Steiner is in charge of Kosovo, which has been U.N. run since 1999 after NATO bombing forced Serbia, the dominant Yugoslav republic, to relinquish control over the mostly ethnic Albanian-populated province.

After the change of authority, some 230,000 Serbs fled Kosovo. About 90,000 remain there, mostly in enclaves under NATO protection against ethnically motivated attacks by Kosovo Albanians seeking revenge for the wrongs committed against them.

Seeking to establish a multiethnic society in Kosovo, Steiner insists that Serbs take part in the Oct. 26 local elections, but many Kosovo Serbs protest, saying they still live in fear and remain exposed to violence despite their participation in last year's vote for Kosovo parliament.

Serbs ``can become part of political life in Kosovo only if they take part in elections,'' Steiner said after the meetings in Belgrade, adding that Serbs must have their representatives in future local governments if those who fled are ever to return.
Steiner said he was ``encouraged'' by response he received on the issue from Serbian Orthodox Church. But the clergy released a statement expressing ``reservations about participation of Serbs in elections,'' which could ``turn out to be merely window-dressing for international officials.''

The top Kosovo Serb representative, Radmila Trajkovic, said Steiner's demand might be met if he agrees to decentralization of Kosovo, which would allow some autonomy to scattered Serb enclaves in the province.

Serbia's Deputy Prime Minister, Nebojsa Covic also said ``Serbs cannot see their future in Kosovo without decentralization,'' and that a firm pledge from Steiner to allow that might induce Serbs to vote.
Serb Bishop Amfilohije Radovic, whose diocese covers Kosovo, said that ``considering the situation in the province ... I would be despised by the (Serb) people if I urged them to vote.''

MoU on implementation of Kosovo-Metohija elections signed

BELGRADE , Oct 17 (Tanjug) - Serbian Commissioner for Refugees Sanda Raskovic-Ivic and head of the OSCE mission in Yugoslavia Ambassador Pascal Fieschi signed in Belgrade on Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of elections in Kosovo-Metohija, referring to Kosovo IDPs who are currently in Serbia, the Office of the Serbian Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement.
The statement said that both governments - Yugoslav and Serbian - had adopted the MoU and that this would enable the "IDPs from Kosovo-Metohija - potential voters - to realise their right to vote at the local elections in Kosovo-Metohija on October 26."

Street in Kosovo named after former US president Clinton
Pristina (dpa) - The people of Kosovo honored former U.S. president Bill Clinton Thursday by naming a street in the capital Pristina after him.
The president of the Balkans province, Ibrahim Rugova, said the naming of the street in a residential area of Pristina was a gesture of thanks to the U.S.
In 1999 the U.S. led the air campaign, which forced Serbian troops to leave the province.
Earlier in the day a small-scale replica of America's Statue of Liberty was unveiled on the roof of an hotel.

CoE report on Kosovo slams treatment of Serbs | Beta

STRASBOURG -- Thursday - In a report released today Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Alvaro Gil-Robles calls for an urgent investigation of crimes of revenge committed against Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo.

These crimes, say the report, have continued since the deployment of NATO troops and the arrival of the UN mission in the province.

In his analysis for the Council of Ministers, Gil-Robles said that statements had been taken from victims and relatives, but rarely had anything been done.

This, he said, strongly damaged the confidence of ethnic minorities in KFOR and UNMIK and their impartial attitude.
One of the greatest problems said the Commissioner, was that of missing persons, with the fate of some three thousand seven hundred people of various ethnic communities remaining unknown.

He warned that the lack of solutions for this problem was an obstacle to reconciliation and to public confidence in the international administration.

In the sixty-page report, Gil-Robles notes that almost all the 850,000 refugee Kosovo Albanians had returned to Kosovo after NATO's bombing attacks and the deployment of KFOR troops.

However, of 230,000 Serb refugees, only a few thousand had returned he said, adding that UNMIK was approaching the process of resolving this situation "very slowly".

"Resolution 1244 stipulates that the international administration in Kosovo has the obligation to ensure a safe return for all refugees and those displaced from their homes but, so far, this has been so only for 850,000 Kosovo Albanians," noted Gil-Robles.

Absentee vote deal signed for Kosovo election | Beta

BELGRADE -- Thursday - Serbia's commissioner for refugees, Sanda Raskovic-Ivic, today signed a memorandum of understanding with OSCE Ambassador Pascal Fiesci.

The agreement covers the casting of votes in Kosovo's local government elections by refugees currently residing in Serbia proper.
Under the deal, Kosovo refugees will be able to vote at the October 26 elections, said a statement from the Refugee Commission.

Steiner and Covic encouraged by talks | Beta

BELGRADE -- Thursday - UNMIK chief Michael Steiner and Coordination Centre for Kosovo head Nebojsa Covic said they were encouraged by today's talks in Belgrade.

Our talks were very good, and we agreed that the future of Serbs lies in Kosovo and should be in Kosovo, Steiner told the press after the meeting with Covic.

He said he was encouraged by today's separate talks with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and Covic.

Covic told the press that the talks were "interesting, tough and firm". He also said that the talks were "good."

"We'll see what results await us in the period before us, but it is obvious that the Serb national community would decide for themselves about participation in local elections in Kosovo," said Covic.

Tough words from Kostunica for Kosovo governor | Beta

BELGRADE -- Thursday - Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica has asked UNMIK chief Michael Steiner for firm and unambiguous guarantees for the decentralisation of the province and improved conditions for Kosovo Serbs.

At a Belgrade meeting today, Kostunica told the Kosovo governor that virtually no progress had been made in honouring human rights, establishing security or preparing for refugee repatriation.

Nor, he said, had any firm intention been expressed in these areas.

The Yugoslav president went on to call for the establishment of a framework to solve these problems, noting that resolving the situation was on obligation stipulated by UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

Calling the tune but never mind paying the piper | Beta

PRISTINA -- Thursday - The OSCE mission in Kosovo and the Russian KFOR contingent have both lost their electric power supply after a decree by Governor Michael Steiner.

Steiner issued the decree under which the Kosovo Electric Power Company cut supply over unpaid bills.
The OSCE is reported to owe 74,487 euros and the Russian KFOR half a million euros in arrears.

"We have no intention of being selective towards consumers, whether they be KFOR, the Kosovo Parliament or some other institution, said a senior official of the company.

The OSCE described the power cut as unjustified and illegal.
A spokesman for the organisation said that a request for resumption of supply had been sent to the company, together with a letter from a lawyer.
The OSCE denied being in arrears with its power payments.

But how do you define a street? | Beta

PRISTINA -- Thursday- Central Pristina boasts its very own Bill Clinton Street from today.

Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova today unveiled the street's new identity, telling the handful of Kosovo politicians and US officials present that it was a small token of gratitude for everything the former US president had done for Kosovo.

Albanian living in the US presented a fifteen metre by six metre picture of Kosovo's benefactor which has been hung on a building close to the new street.

Head of Kosovo Serb assembly group says Serbs will not vote in local elections

BBC Monitoring Service

Pristina, 17 October: Despite the wish of the Kosovo Serbs to participate in the creation of a democratic society in Kosovo-Metohija and take part in the elections, UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] chief Michael Steiner has not shown understanding by rejecting the sole Serb request that the government of the province be decentralized, the head of the Povratak (Return) coalition floor group, Rada Trajkovic, told Tanjug on Thursday [17 October].

She pointed out that without the decentralization of power the Serb community in Kosovo cannot be preserved.

"After the Serbian Orthodox Church and its head Patriarch Pavle refused to call on the Kosovo Serbs to take part in the 26 October local elections, I cannot believe that any of the leaders in Serbia and Yugoslavia will have the courage to urge them to vote," Trajkovic stated.

Source: Tanjug news agency

Serbian Orthodox Church does not mention patriarch supporting Kosovo election

BBC Monitoring Service

Belgrade, 16 October: Patriarch Pavle in Belgrade today held talks with UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] chief Michael Steiner about the difficult position of the Serbs and other non-Albanians living in Kosovo-Metohija, the information service of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) has announced.

They also discussed the return of displaced persons to Kosovo-Metohija, as well as those who went missing or were kidnapped during the clashes in the province.

It is further stated that in the course of the talks special attention was paid to demolished churches and the latest attacks and killings of Serbs who are still living in Kosovo-Metohija.

Michael Steiner, according to the statement, demanded from Patriarch Pavle to support the Serbs' participation in the forthcoming [local] elections in Kosovo-Metohija.

The statement does not specify whether Patriarch Pavle replied to this demand by Steiner.
Members of the SPC Synod also took part in the talks.
Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade

Yugoslav president draws attention to lack of progress in Kosovo Serb position

BBC Monitoring Service

Belgrade, 17 October: Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica met on Thursday [17 October] in the Federation Palace in Belgrade the UN secretary-general's special representative, UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] chief Michael Steiner, to discuss the position of the Serb national community in Kosovo-Metohija and the forthcoming local elections in the province.

Underscoring the need for providing firm and unequivocal guarantees for the decentralization of the province and the final improvement of the very serious position of the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, Kostunica pointed out that practically no progress had been made in creating the elementary conditions for the respect of human rights, ensuring security, and the creation of conditions for the return of the displaced.

The Yugoslav president set out that so far no determined readiness in this sphere had been demonstrated, and underscored the need for concrete obligations, coupled with the existence of an agreement and taking into consideration the Serb proposals as the necessary conditions for Serb participation at the forthcoming local elections and the setting up of a framework for the resolution of the mentioned problems. He recalled that the resolution of these problems is an obligation stemming from UN Security Council Resolution 1244, Kostunica's cabinet announced.

Source: Tanjug news agency,

Kosovo electricity board disconnects Russian Kfor for nonpayment of bills

BBC Monitoring Service

Dark until it pays 500,000 euros", published by Kosovo Albanian newspaper Koha Ditore on 17 October Prishtina [Pristina], 15 October: For several weeks now the Russian Kfor [Kosovo Force] troops in Sllatine [Slatina] have been without electricity, while the KEK [Kosovo electricity board] says that it does not intend to connect them until they have paid them what they owe.

"For some time now the Russian Kfor has not paid the bills for the electricity consumed. They owe KEK approximately 500,000 euros," Shemsedin Klaiqi, acting director of the distribution division, has told Koha Ditore.
KEK has announced that it will disconnect from the system all those who do not pay their bills, regardless of who they are, locals or members of the international community.

"For some time now we have started disconnecting debtors and we do not intend to differentiate among users, regardless of whether they are Kfor, the Kosovo Assembly, or any other institution," Klaiqi said.

He said that several weeks ago the Russian Kfor, which is located at Sllatine Airport, had a problem with electricity, but KEK officials refused to solve the problem because of their debt. The Russian news agency Itar-Tass also reported that the Russian Kfor had been disconnected.

But, according to this agency, the disconnection of the Russian Kfor has a political background because "the Kosovo government is trying to freeze the Russian troops".
"This is a political initiative and the purpose is to complicate the presence of the 365 Russian troops in Kosovo," the Russian agency reported.

KEK officials have denied that the disconnection is related to any political issue, but rather to the debts that the Russian Kfor has to the KEK.

KEK has not published a list of those who may be disconnected because of the debt. It seems that KEK officials have recently been more preoccupied with the election of the new board of directors than with the many debtors.

Yugoslav president, Kosovo Serbs discuss conditions for local elections

BBC Monitoring Service

Belgrade, 16 October: FRY President Vojislav Kostunica this evening held talks with a delegation of Kosovo Serbs about their position in the province and participation in the local elections scheduled for 26 October, a statement issued by the Yugoslav president's office reads.

The statement says that the participants in the meeting, which was also attended by [Serbian Deputy Prime Minister] Nebojsa Covic, chairman of the Kosovo Coordination Centre, "reiterated the need for firm and clear guarantees for decentralization on the basis of agreements with Serbs and the acknowledgment of their proposal". They also stressed readiness to hold further talks so as to create elementary conditions for Serbs to vote in the elections.

The participants in the meeting concluded that the recent tragic events in Pec and Klokot [shootings and explosions] "clearly show that Serbs in a large part of Kosovo still live without elementary conditions for exercising their human rights, that they lack security, and that not enough is being done to enable them to return", the statement reads.

Orthodox eparchy denies endorsing Serb participation in Kosovo elections

BBC Monitoring Service

[No dateline as received] The Raska-Prizren Eparchy has stated that UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] chief Michael Steiner has not received the Serbian Orthodox Church's support for Serb participation in the local elections in Kosovo and that he has been told that the decision should be made by those who live there.
After his talks with Serbian Patriarch Pavle in Belgrade today [as received], Michael Steiner said that he was pleased because the Patriarch had encouraged Kosovo Serbs to take part in the Kosovo local elections on 26 October.

"Naturally, members of the Holy Synod and Patriarch Pavle did not agree to give a blank endorsement to the policy that has not been able to protect churches and cemeteries from desecration and vandalism for three years," reads a statement issued by the Raska-Prizren Eparchy last night.

The Eparchy says that the UNMIK chief is wrong when he equates his plan with the Serb plan for the decentralization of the province, adding that the proposal by the Kosovo Coordination Centre envisages the restoration of municipal authorities in the "entire territory of the province, which would enable Serbs to participate more directly and freely in solving their problems and preserving their ethnic, spiritual and cultural independence".

The statement says that Steiner's plan focuses on Kosovska Mitrovica and the ways to integrate the northern part of the town, which is predominantly inhabited by Serbs, with the southern part, in which Albanian population makes up the majority.

The statement also says that "making the return of the displaced conditional on the 'decorative' Serb participation in the local self-administration represents a kind of ultimatum with which UNMIK is trying to shift responsibility for its failure onto the Kosovo Serbs, who, according to this logic, would themselves be responsible for their difficult position".

Allowing the displaced to return is the only way to secure normal participation of Serbs in the Kosovo administration, and not the other way round, reads the statement by the Raska-Prizren Eparchy.

Source: Beta news agency

Two young Albanians beat up elderly Serb in centre of Gnjilane

BBC Monitoring Service

Gnjilane, 17 October: Zivorad Djokic (aged 75) of Silovo was beaten up today in the centre of Gnjilane where he came to regulate his pension, the Raska-Prizren Eparchy said this evening.

Two young ethnic Albanian men attacked Djokic, inflicting several injuries to his head and body, it said.

The young men stomped a "sajkaca" [traditional Serbian peasant cap], which Djokic wore on his head.

The old man was taken to hospital and the police returned him home after he had received aid.

This was the second attack on Djokic since the arrival of the international community to Kosovo-Metohija.

Source: FoNet news agency

Serbian journalist body protests to Kfor over harassment of two colleagues

BBC Monitoring Service

Belgrade, 17 October: The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) on Thursday [17 October] sent a letter to UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] chief Michael Steiner protesting that Kfor [Kosovo Force] troops on Wednesday arrested, harassed and threatened to throw into jail correspondent of Serbian Radio-Television (RTS) Zarko Joksimovic and his cameraman Boban Sekulic in the village of Klokot, Kosovo-Metohija, although both were in the possession of official accreditation.

Stating that in Klokot Joksimovic and Sekulic intended to film a footage about the death of Svetlana Stankovic, UNS told Steiner that there can be no justification for the fact that the two were forced to lie handcuffed on the wet ground for two hours with some 20 long rifles aimed at them, after which they were driven out of Klokot.

UNS set out that the public rightly expects an investigation into the case.
Source: Tanjug news agency

Serbian assembly postpones session on election law

By Andrew Gray
BELGRADE, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A parliament session to change a law that scuppered Serbia's presidential election was postponed on Thursday because of a dispute over who had the right to take part.
The parliament had been due to meet on Friday to abolish a minimum turnout requirement which invalidated Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica's victory over liberal economist Miroljub Labus in a run-off vote for the Serbian presidency on Sunday.
The postponement prevented a power struggle among the politicians who ousted Slobodan Milosevic from descending into pure farce. Kostunica's faction had vowed to attend the session but its rivals insisted it had no right to be there.
International experts had recommended changing the law to pave the way for a new vote in December to dispel uncertainty, which could delay or derail measures to revive Serbia after a decade of wars, isolation and plunging living standards.
The parliamentary group, which had proposed the amendment, withdrew its motion due to a dispute over whether Kostunica's moderate nationalist party could take part in the session.
``The need for holding tomorrow's session ceases to exist,'' said Cedomir Jovanovic, the head of the parliamentary group, generally loyal to Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.
Parliament's speaker postponed the session after Jovanovic's move, according to an official statement on local news agencies.
TWO FACTIONS
Djindjic and Kostunica head the two factions to emerge from the anti-Milosevic movement. Djindjic cultivates an energetic, pro-Western image while the more nationalist Kostunica portrays himself as more cautious and concerned with legal issues.
Earlier this year, Djindjic's faction engineered a move to sack Kostunica's 45 members of the Serbian parliament, arguing they were no longer part of the coalition that won the seats.
Yugoslavia's constitutional court ruled on Wednesday that Kostunica's deputies should be reinstated, at least temporarily, but Djindjic's faction refused to recognise the decision. Serbia is the dominant republic in the Yugoslav federation.
The standoff raised the prospect of Kostunica's deputies turning up for parliament only to be blocked by officials or have to jostle for their seats with their ``substitutes'' loyal to Djindjic.
Western diplomats hope the two sides will finally decide to work together rather than continue a battle distracting them from measures to revive a battered economy and transform institutions left over from Milosevic's authoritarian rule.
Kostunica is looking to switch to the Serbian presidency because his current post will change when the federation is revamped to create a looser union of Serbia and much smaller Montenegro.
Current Serbian President Milan Milutinovic will complete his five-year term around the end of the year. He is expected to join his former patron Milosevic at The Hague where a war crimes tribunal has charged them both with atrocities in the province of Kosovo.

Election authorities turn back Kostunica's party

Belgrade (dpa) - The Serbian Election Commission on Thursday rejected objections filed by Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), standing by its decision that the presidential election failed.
The election shattered in the runoff last Sunday, when just 44.5 per cent of the electorate showed up to vote, while the law requires a more than half the eligible voters cast ballots.
Kostunica won two-thirds of the vote. DSS claimed victory for Kostunica, alleging that the voters roll was manipulated to include hundreds of thousands of phantom names and that in reality the turnout requirement was met.
Rejecting the objection, the Commission said it had no authority over the electoral registry. DSS said it would appeal the case to the Serbian Supreme Court within the legal deadline of 48 hours.

Kostunica party election appeal thrown out | Beta

BELGRADE -- Thursday - The Serbian Election commission today dismissed an objection by the Democratic Party of Serbia to the results of last week's presidential elections.

The party had objected on the ground that the electoral roils were inflated by up to 600,000 names, which had brought the voter turnout below the fifty per cent level required by law to validate the election.

The leader of the party, Vojislav Kostunica, won almost seventy per cent of the votes cast in the election.

The party said today that it would file an appeal with the Supreme Court of Serbia against the decision.

The appeal must be lodged within 48 hours of receiving the Commission's ruling.

DOS revokes proposal, session postponed | Beta

BELGRADE -- Thursday - Serbian Parliament caucus DOS-Serbian Reforms has revoked its proposal for amendments to the election law from the parliament procedure, the caucus head Cedomir Jovanovic told Beta.
"Since Serbian Constitutional Court failed to declare itself today on the constitutionality and legality of the dismissal of DSS MPs and the decision of the unauthorised Federal Constitutional Court additionally complicates the political situation, I decided to revoke the proposal, which abolishes formal need for tomorrow's parliament session," said Jovanovic.

Jovanovic added that the MPs he represents stand behind the decision of the Parliament's Administrative Committee, but that it became obvious that the process of its implementation resulted in the conflict wanted by the DSS.

Svilanovic appeals to DSS not to "radicalize" | SRNA

BELGRADE -- Thursday -- Legal procedure launched by Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia can result only in annulment of presidential elections, and not confirmation of different election result, the Civic Alliance of Serbia leader Goran Svilanovic said at a press conference.
He appealed to the DSS not to radicalise the already complicated situation in Serbia by refusing to accept the decision of the Republic Election Commission on failure of the elections.

He pledged for amendment to the election law and repeated elections.

Seselj discusses coalition with Socialist Party | Beta

BELGRADE -- Thursday - Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj claimed today that he had held a number of discussions with Slobodan Milosevic about the Socialist Party of Serbia and the Radicals fielding a common candidate for Serbian president.

Seselj said that he had spoken to Milosevic three times by telephone last week because he believed he was the only proper representative of the Socialist Party.
The Radical leader said he was consulting on possible coalitions only with Milosevic and with Serbian Renewal Movement leader Vuk Draskovic.
Seselj also alleged that it was problematic to be electing a Serbian president at a time when the Federal Constitutional Court was completely in the hands of Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica while the Serbian Constitutional Court had been instrumentalised by Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.

Serbia's Seselj discusses joint presidential candidate directly with Milosevic

BBC Monitoring Service
Belgrade, 17 October: Serbian Radical Party (SRS) leader Vojislav Seselj has said that he has held several discussions with former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, currently on trial for war crimes in the Hague tribunal, on a joint opposition candidate for the new presidential election.
"I held serious discussions with the representatives of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). Last week I spoke three times by telephone with Slobodan Milosevic because for me he is the only regular representative of the SPS, as is Bogoljub Bjelica, who has been authorized by Milosevic to run the party," Seselj told a news conference.
Seselj stressed that the consultations on a candidate for the new election would be held "directly with Milosevic" and Vuk Draskovic, the leader of another opposition party, the Serbian Renewal Movement.
"If I want to talk to the SPS, you do not think for one minute that I will talk to (SPS deputy chairman and spokesman) Branko Ruzic? You cannot believe that Milosevic is keeping Ruzic informed about his contacts with me," he said.
Seselj said that the SRS "in principle" would not oppose changes to the law on the election of the Serbian president, but he said that the circumstances under which this was happening were problematic.
He said that the decision by the Federal Constitutional Court showed that this court was "completely in the hands" of FRY President Vojislav Kostunica, while the Serbian Constitutional Court "is an instrument in the hands of (Serbian Prime Minister) Zoran Djindjic".
Seselj said that the Federal Constitutional Court had earlier declared itself unauthorized to handle a SRS complaint over the fining of its deputies.
"So what are we, who have no constitutional court, supposed to do?" he wondered.
Commenting on Prime Minister Djindjic's proposal that the Serbian president be elected in the republic assembly, Seselj said that this was in line with the SRS programme, and that this manner of election would be "more democratic".
Source: Beta news agency

Macedonian political sides agree on new government

Skopje (dpa) - Macedonia's Social Democrats and former ethnic Albanian rebels turned politicians have reached agreement on forming a new government Thursday, said sources from both parties said.
A month after parliamentary elections the two sides agreed that former ethnic Albanian rebels from the Democratic Integrative Union (BDI) will take control of four ministries in the future Macedonian government.
``BDI will take over the ministries of justice, transport and communications, education and health,'' a political source said.
The remaining ten ministries will be split between members of the coalition led by Social Democrats.
The names of nominees to the highest ranking government posts are expected to be released Friday.

Football takes over from politics for one day as arrogant English are held

By Rade Maroevic
Skopje (dpa) - Macedonian footballers have managed to achieve something the country's politicians have failed to do, and united the country, for one day at least, after a surprise 2-2 away draw against mighty England in a Euro 2004 qualifier.
For the first time in years, Slavic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians stood united over a single cause and celebrated goals scored by their local heroes - Macedonian Vanco Trajanov and Albanian Artim Shaquiri.
Heavy gun-fire greeted each Macedonian goal in the capital Skopje and there was total pandemonium when the referee blew the final whistle as hundreds of cars, horns honking, crowded the streets.
``This is great and historic result for our national team. Arrogant England's players had no idea where Macedonia is prior to the game...But they had a good 90 minutes to figure it out'', state television gloated after Wednesday night's shock result.
The football frenzy was visible in local bars even on Thursday, as numerous youngsters showed up for traditional noon coffee wearing Macedonia's red and yellow kit.
``It was about time. Frankly, it's a pleasant change to wear a Macedonian shirt instead of Inter's, Lazio's or Liverpool's. The guys really fought hard and deserved the point'', a Skopje resident said, as state television replayed the match against England for the third time.
However, Macedonian footballers failed to bring home the traditional souvenirs from St. Mary stadium in Southampton, as most of England's players refused to swap shirts or even shake hands with the inspired underdogs from southern Balkan country.
``I was disappointed with the behaviour of the England team at the end. They did not shake hands,'' Macedonia's coach Nikola Ilievski said in Skopje early on Thursday.
``I am proud with what we have achieved, though, with such a young team. We missed our chances to beat Turkey last weekend and we have learned our lesson,'' Ilievski said.
Macedonian players were accused of taking every opportunity to break up the flow of the game by diving and over-reacting to tackles.
``Just look at the size of England's players... Those tackles must be painful,'' local football fans commented dryly, cheering loudly once again at the red card shown to the Leeds' striker Alan Smith at the end of the match.
``Off you go. Off you go,'' fans in the cafe cheered, as state television interrupted the rerun of the match briefly to broadcast President Boris Trajkovski's message of thanks to the footballers, who had secured the most famous result in the country's 11-year footballing history.
``We are all proud of the way you played against the footballing giants of England...You have proved that citizens of this country are capable of doing great things,'' Trajkovski said.

UN fires 11 Bosnian policemen for links with illegal brothel owners

SARAJEVO, Oct 17 (AFP) - The United Nations police mission here has sacked eleven Bosnian policemen for regularly visiting brothels known for keeping human trafficking victims forced to prostitution, and tipping off the owners about police raids, a UN spokeswoman said Thursday.

"All eleven police officers have been found to have violated codes of professional conduct when frequenting nightclubs and using sexual services in these establishments," Kristen Haupt told reporters.

By doing that they "were directly or indirectly condoning the fact that human trafficking was taking place there" which is "particularly appalling," she stressed.
The UN investigation revealed that Zdravko Nikolic, while serving as police crime inspector in Bugojno, in central Bosnia, had had "an agreement" with the owner of two bars there "to obtain sexual services in exchange for information on possible raids" by the police, Haupt said.

Between January and May Nikolic also sexually abused a number of women, and had assaulted one physically.

On top of that, Nikolic was also a local team leader of the "STOP" operation that UN launched last year in coordination with local police against trafficking in women in Bosnia, Haupt added.

The STOP team composed of UN and local policemen have raided over 200 nightbars throughout the country and closed over half of them.
Six policemen from the central town of Vitez, including the chief of the town's police, Dzemail Hrustanovic, were identified by several women rescued from the Roki nightbar by a STOP raid, as being "frequent cusomers."

Some of the women were trafficked to Bosnia and forced into prostitution at the Roki bar.
The Vitez police also failed to solve some of the crimes committed by customers in Roki. At one occassion a pregnant woman who worked there was kicked in the stomach until she lost the baby, while another one was stabbed to death with a screwdriver.
The remaining four policemen were sacked for tipping off the bar owners about planned raids by the STOP team.
Two of them took part in a STOP team raid on a nightclub in Kiseljak, and then stayed behind and used sexual services of the club.

Some 120,000 women and girls are believed to be trafficked into the European Union each year, mainly through the Balkans, while some 10,000 women, mostly from Moldova, Romania and Ukraine are working in the sex trade in Bosnia, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The UN police force in Bosnia has been given the task of training and supervising the work of local police, following the country's 1992-95 war.
It has already dismissed over 200 police officers for misconduct.
Those sacked are banned for life from rejoining the country's police force.
The UN is expected to complete investigations on an undisclosed number of police officers before its mandate runs out at the end of the year.
It will then hand over the running of the police mission to the European Union.

Croatia's EU bid threatened by Bobetko case

By Jean-Pierre Altier
ZAGREB, Oct 17 (AFP) - Croatia's refusal to extradite wartime army chief Janko Bobetko, charged with war crimes by the UN tribunal but upheld as a hero at home, threatens to derail the country's bid for EU membership.
Croatia has appealed the court's indictment against the 83-year-old retired general, which concerns the 1993 killing of ethnic Serbs, on the grounds that it would violate the country's constitution.
But the moderate government in Zagreb -- whose key goal has been accession to the European Union -- has come under increased pressure this week to cooperate with the tribunal in The Hague.
Britain on Tuesday suspended ratification of Croatia's 2001 association agreement with the EU, saying it would be put on hold until Bobetko appears before the court.
The decision was received with "regret" in Zagreb, but Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula conceded he heard a similar message from French counterpart Dominique de Villepin during a visit to Paris this week.
"Croatia knows that the success of its EU membership bid depends on the country's political credibility in general, and specifically on its cooperation with the tribunal," Picula told the HINA news agency.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) charged Bobetko last month with planning, instigating, ordering and committing persecutions of ethnic Serb civilians in the Medak pocket, 220 kilometers (137 miles) south of Zagreb in 1993.
Croatia, which had until now pledged full cooperation with the UN court, insists that the military operation in question was aimed at freeing a Serb-held area and that Bobetko's indictment conflicts with the armed forces' constitutional duty to defend the country's territorial integrity.
Bobetko commanded Croatia's armed forces during most of the 1991-1995 war, when Serb separatists fighting the Zagreb government occupied one-third of the country.
The ailing former general, who started his military career during World War II in the anti-Fascist forces Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito, has said he would rather die than surrender to the court.
He is backed by Croatia's strong nationalist opposition and, according to surveys, by a large part of the population who see him as a war hero.
Zagreb's legal challenge against the indictment is widely seen as an attempt to avoid a political backlash by nationalists, whose refusal to cooperate with the UN court when they were in power until early 2000 pushed Croatia into isolation.
Picula said he expects the issue to be resolved "before the end of the month", "but whatever happens, we will respect the decision of the appeals court."
The court's tough chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, who has called Croatia's refusal to arrest Bobetko "unacceptable", is expected in Zagreb on October 23.
Mindful of the stakes, Croatian President Stipe Mesic ventured into the fray on Tuesday by urging cooperation with the UN warcrimes court.
"General Bobetko has been indicted. This does not mean he's guilty," he said. "The tribunal and only the tribunal can decide that."
But, he added, "Croatia can and must use all the legal means allowed by the tribunal to protect the general."
Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect to be sentenced
THE HAGUE, Oct 17 (AFP) - The UN war crimes court on Thursday handed down a five-year prison sentence to a Bosnian Serb local official who pleaded guilty to two counts of torture during Bosnia's 1992-1995 wars.
Milan Simic was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the northern Bosnian town of Bosanski Samac.
Simic, 42, pleaded guilty in May to charges of torture, considered a crime against humanity, after which the prosecution decided to drop the other charges against him.
He was originally indicted on five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crimes.
Simic was sentenced to a five-year term for each of the two counts for which he had enter a guilty plea, but the court ordered that the two sentences be served concurrently.
It also decided that 835 days that he has spent in detention be deducted from the sentence.
Explaining the verdict, the court estimated that "the sexual, violent and humiliating nature of the acts are aggravating circumstances" to the crimes.
In addition, the judges also took into account Simic's position at the time when the crimes were committed and his discriminatory intentions towards ethnic Muslim and Croat victims.
Simic, an official of the Bosanski Samac's municipal assembly from May 1992 until June 1993, was indicted by The Hague-based tribunal, for leading along with others a "campaign of terror" aimed at expelling the town's non-Serb population.
Before being captured by Bosnian Serb forces, the population of Bosanski Samac included 22,500 Bosnian Muslim and Croats, but only 300 remained after the war, according to Simic's indictment.
The judges took into Simic's favour the fact that he had pleaded guilty, although at a late stage in the process, and that the statments of regret he had voiced to the victims were sincere.
The court also took into the account, "for reasons of humanity," his health condition. Simic is a paraplegic.
He will be transferred to a prison in one of the countries where people sentenced by the UN war crimes tribunal serve their jail terms, according to an accord between The Hague-based court and respective countries.

Election Promises Don't Change in Kosovo

By Visar Ymeri for Balkan Times in Pristina

As another autumn dawns in Pristina, billboards are again full of campaign posters promising Kosovars a better future after the 26 October local elections. Yet the target audience does not seem very excited. Memories of the 2000 local elections memories are still fresh. Promises made then are only now being kept.

"That is why I will not go out and vote this time around," said Bedri Shabani, a self-employed taxi driver in Pristina, pointing at the potholes in streets. Two years ago, eager voters awaiting the first democratic and free elections in their war-torn country were promised the world - political stability, zero tolerance for crime and corruption, honest administration and a safe environment. Today, many people believe the current municipal governments have not lived up to expectations.

The streets of Kosovo municipalities are probably among the worst in Europe, torn by years of fighting, poor maintenance and severe temperatures. Illegal portable shops still occupy most of the pedestrian-designated walkways. Illegal buildings have become unbearable. Meanwhile, billboards display politicians with clean-shaven faces and elegant, expensive suits, along with slogans promising a better future.

Voter turnout is again essential to the establishment and development of a truly democratic political system and a civic society in Kosovo. Yet, the elections are perceived by many Kosovars as a game that politicians are playing for themselves - one having little to do with everyday struggles.

"Let them vote. They are doing nothing else anyway," an elderly woman said as she was paying for tomatoes at the Pristina market. She is a pensioner earning 28 euros a month. She does not want to know that her pension has nothing to do with the upcoming local elections - pensions are a Kosovo-wide, not a municipal problem. The politicians are all the same, she insists, whether they are running for municipal assemblies or the Kosovo Parliament.

Political parties in Kosovo continue to make promises about independence, increases in salaries and pensions and better electric power. Yet it also appears that the larger parties are being more cautious this time. They are promising what people expect from them, starting with better roads and cleaner neighborhoods to functional, less bureaucratic administrations. Political analysts, mostly of Albanian ethnicity, admit that this campaign has focused more closely on what municipal governments can and should address.

There is also the recurring issue of whether the Serb minority will participate.

Branislav Radenovic, a Serb living in Gracanica, likely won't. The reason is the usual one. Their lack of freedom of movement limits Kosovo Serbs and pushes them to work against Kosovo institutions and their elections. Radenovic has no faith in the will or the power of candidates to implement the changes he wants. However, he believes the majority of Serbs living in his area will participate. They have seen from last year's general elections that it is better to participate and influence, rather than to watch from the sidelines.

In face of strong criticism, U.S. backs away from resolution

By DAFNA LINZER

UNITED NATIONS (AP) _ Seeking to win a new Security Council resolution on Iraq, the United States has removed language explicitly threatening military action while making clear there will be consequences if Baghdad fails to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors, diplomats and U.S. officials said Thursday.

The latest compromise appeared tailored to win support from powerful council members including France and Russia, which want to give Iraq a chance to cooperate before authorizing force.

A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposed resolution wouldn't spell out the consequences but says Iraq's President Saddam Hussein will be in ``material breach'' if he violates any U.N. resolution.

The legal term allowed for military action to be taken in Kosovo in 1999, and the official said that since no measures would be ruled out in the text, the White House believes U.S. President George W. Bush would have ``maximum flexibility'' to mete out consequences should Saddam fail to comply.

Moreover, the official said, the new U.S. proposal doesn't require a second resolution before Bush acts.

But diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that if the Iraqis obstructed inspections, the United States would be required to consult with the Security Council before taking any action.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who met with chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix in New York on Thursday, said a U.S.-drafted resolution would leave ``no opportunity for the Iraqis to deter the inspectors.''

``There must be a threat,'' Powell said. ``There must be consequences for their continued failure.''

The five permanent veto-wielding council members have been badly divided on the next move toward Iraq following its announcement last month that U.N. inspectors could return unconditionally after nearly four years.
Earlier this month, the United States, supported by Britain, circulated a draft resolution that would beef up the inspections regime and authorize military action if Iraq failed to cooperate.

France, backed by Russia and China, agreed that inspections needed to be overhauled but wanted a two-stage approach that would give Iraq the opportunity to comply without threats.

U.S. officials argue the French approach leaves Saddam Hussein with too much wiggle room and isn't tough enough to reverse 11 years of Iraqi noncompliance with resolutions.
But French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte told the Security Council on Thursday that France was sticking to its demand. Only if a first resolution fails would the 15-member council meet to consider ``the appropriate measures to take without ruling out anything,'' he said.

Powell spoke by telephone with his French counterpart, and officials in Paris were studying the latest U.S. offer as diplomats sought to resolve the impasse among Security Council powers.

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov welcomed the new U.S. proposal and said Powell told him it would be formally presented to the council within days.

``We believe that there are favorable conditions now to preserve the unity of the global community and ensure the return of international inspectors and their efficient work in Iraq,'' Ivanov said in Moscow.

According to excerpts of the new U.S. proposal, obtained by the Associated Press, weapons inspectors would be instructed to ``report immediately to the council any failure by Iraq to comply with its disarmament.''

If failures were reported, the council would convene immediately ``to consider the situation and the need for full compliance.'' The earlier draft had instructed inspectors to report any ``interference or problems,'' and authorized member states to use ``all necessary measures'' to force compliance.

The new U.S. draft also softens demands on a new inspection regime, removing several items and taking into consideration skepticism from weapons inspectors over U.S. proposals for armed guards to escort inspectors.

During an open Security Council debate on Iraq that continued for a second day Thursday, more than five dozen nations _ including Iraq's closest neighbors and key U.S. allies _ refused to endorse the original U.S. demand. Only Israel and Britain supported the U.S. position.

Ambassadors from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America warned that a new war would add to the suffering of Iraqis, possibly engulf the Middle East and have dire consequences for global stability.

Britain's U.N. Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock said the emphasis was on reaching a deal that all sides could accept.

``The weaker we collectively appear, the more probable it is that military action will be the outcome,'' he said.

Sanctions imposed on Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait cannot be lifted until U.N. weapons inspectors certify that Iraq's chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs have been destroyed. Weapons inspectors left Baghdad in 1998 ahead of U.S. and British air strikes punishing Iraq for obstructing the inspectors' work.

Baghdad banned them from returning until last month.