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U.S. warns Milosevic not to use force against protesters
December 3, 1996
Web posted at: 10:35 a.m. EST (1535 GMT)BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- About 20,000 student protesters marched in Belgrade Tuesday, as the United States warned Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic that he might face renewed sanctions if he cracks down on them.
The United States said it sent Belgrade a strong message urging Milosevic not to use force against the protesters, who began demonstrating about two weeks ago when the government annulled a victory by opponents of Milosevic in municipal elections.
The demonstrators have demanded an end to Milosevic's nine- year rule. He, in turn, has threatened to use force to quell the protests.
On Tuesday, Serbian authorities ordered Belgrade's only independent radio station B-92 shut down, radio staff said.
In another effort to stop the demonstrations, Education Minister Dragoslav Mladenovic ordered university departments Monday to make sure classes were held.
Tuesday's protest was in defiance of that order. At one point, a column of marchers came across a busload of police. The students flashed a traditional Serb three-finger salute at the police, who responded with the same salute -- an apparent sign of sympathy with the demonstrators.
Several Supreme Court judges also lent support to the protests. The Supreme Court last week upheld the annulment because of alleged voting irregularities, but some judges on Tuesday distanced themselves from that decision.
"I won't accept the slave role of the court, dependent judiciary, loyal and incompetent judges, and I won't keep quiet about their shameful role," said Judge Zoran Ivosevic in a letter to the independent Nasa Borba daily.
Nasa Borba said that Serbian reserve police were being mobilized in addition to 80,000 regular officers, apparently to quell the opposition protests.
Witnesses said Monday busloads of police -- apparently arriving from other parts of Serbia -- were being deployed in Belgrade suburbs. Armored anti-riot vehicles were seen in a Belgrade park.
Police continued to permit the demonstrations in Serbia, Yugoslavia's dominant republic. But in a possible prelude to tougher action, police reported the arrests of 32 people over the past several days for "brutal attacks on people's property." The government pledged to enact unspecified legal measures to prevent further "economic hardship" caused by the demonstrators.
Independent media said about 2,000 workers in a Belgrade suburban industrial zone went on strike Monday and were planning to join the protest. So far, Serbia's workers have taken part in the demonstrations only as individuals.
The Clinton administration's warning to Milosevic came on Monday. The United States said it would act, perhaps by re- imposing economic sanctions, if Serbian authorities tried to stifle the protests.
"Our government has made it perfectly clear publicly and privately to the Serbian authorities at every level, and with a variety of different individuals who are responsible for public order and for security, that the United States would be outraged if any attempt was made to use force against the demonstrators," U.S. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said.
Russia disagreed with the U.S. position. At the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe summit in Lisbon, Portugal, it defended Milosevic and lobbied the OSCE to remove language critical of Milosevic from an official communiqu€.
Because of Russian persuasion, the words "Democratization, independent media, free and fair elections are critical to fostering lasting stability in the area" were stricken from the document.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Anti-Milosevic protesters take to streets despite threats - December 2, 1996
- Belgrade protesters keep up campaign against Milosevic - November 30, 1996
- Students protest on streets of Belgrade - November 29, 1996
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