• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=09/28/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-267207

TITLE=YUGOSLAV ELECTION (L)

BYLINE=EVE CONANT

DATELINE=KOSOVSKA MITROVICA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Yugoslavia's opposition says it will take its fight against President Slobodan Milosevic beyond street protests and is calling for a blockade of government institutions. V-O-A Correspondent Eve Conant in Pristina reports the opposition announcement comes as President Milosevic says he will take part in a runoff election scheduled for early next month against Vojislav Kostunica, the front-runner in last Sunday's election.

TEXT: Leading opposition figure Zoran Djindic said opposition supporters will take their campaign beyond street protests to what he called a "general blockade" of the system and its institutions. He said he would call on supporters not to work and children not to go to school until Mr. Milosevic accepts defeat and leaves office.

Mr. Djindic called the state electoral commission's tally of Sunday's vote, in his words, "a bad joke."

The Serbian Orthodox Church said the opposition's results are legitimate and joined opposition forces in calling for Mr. Milosevic to step down. In a statement released Thursday, the Orthodox Church said it recognized Mr. Kostunica as president-elect and urged him to take power in a peaceful and dignified way.

Despite the opposition's threat of a general strike, President Milosevic said he would press ahead with plans for an October Eighth runoff, ignoring calls both from home and abroad for him to recognize Mr. Kostunica's victory.

The opposition says its candidate, Vojislav Kostunica, already won in the first round and called the government's statement that neither candidate won a simple majority on Sunday a blatant manipulation of the truth. An opposition member of the electoral commission said representatives were presented figures without being allowed to inspect the returns, and he accused the commission of reducing by hundreds of thousands the total number of votes.

Opposition supporter and the leader of the Serb National Council for Northern Kosovo, Oliver Ivanovic, says only protests, combined with heavy international pressure, can succeed in bringing down President Milosevic.

/// IVANOVIC ACT 1 ///

First of all, I would like to say that I am not sure there will be a second round. This is a trick. It is an attempt to convince the Democratic Opposition of Serbia and all the people to accept a second round and to give a chance to Mr. Milosevic to (try) another trick to win the election, but I don't think he will be successful.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Ivanovic says the opposition is expecting world leaders to recognize Vojislav Kostunica as the legitimate president of the Yugoslav federation. But Mr. Ivanovic says even though President Milosevic made a political error in calling the elections and exposing his weakness, no one wants bloodshed.

/// IVANOVIC ACT 2 ///

This is politically suicide. But it would be better for the whole nation to (remain calm). We had in the past a lot of war. It is not necessary to have one more.

/// END ACT ///

Addressing a crowd in Belgrade, Mr. Kostunica said that if the opposition bargained with authorities, it would be, in his words, recognizing a lie instead of the truth.

Campaign manager Zoran Djindic told an interviewer from Radio 21, based in Novi Sad, that the opposition will call on supporters to show total civil disobedience until the electoral will is recognized. (Signed)

NEB/EC/KL/JWH