Military

DATE=10/18/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=SERBIA ELECTION (L ONLY)

NUMBER=2-

BYLINE=BARRY WOOD

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

INTERNET=YES

CONTENT=--

VOICED AT:

INTRO: A leading human rights advocate says non-governmental organizations played a key role in Serbia's still ongoing revolution. V-O-A's Barry Wood reports the official, who heads the German Marshall Fund Central and East European office (in Slovakia), Pavol Demes, made the comment Wednesday at Washington's Woodrow Wilson Center.

TEXT: Mr. Demes says organizations like his and others financed by contributions from European and American taxpayers were instrumental in building grassroots networks promoting change in Serbia. Mr. Demes, a former aide to the Slovak president, says non-governmental organizations were more effective than opposition political parties in promoting democracy in Serbia.

/// DEMES ACT 1 ///

The campaign of the N-G-Os was more massive than the campaign of the political parties. Because Mr. Kostunica appeared very, very late. Many N-G-Os had the capacity to organize things because it was not just that the miners a few days before the September 24th elections went on strike and they were decisive. Sometime we are hooking ourselves on some facts and then try to construct our belief systems on what was key. And in this regard it was almost a year of hard work by N-G-Os that learned how to organize themselves, how to create coalitions, and also how to relate to political parties.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Demes says with aid donors not able to enter Serbia, there were several critical support meetings of Serbian N-G-Os in Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia that were instrumental in laying the foundation of Serbia's democratic revolution. He mentions the positive work done by Scandinavian, Belgian and Finnish aid agencies, and the U-S based German Marshall Fund, Soros Foundation, National Democratic Institute, Freedom House, and International Republican Institute.

Mr. Demes says Serbian citizens are now free to travel abroad and the dictatorship is over. But he believes the political structure is fragile and that enormous problems remain.

/// DEMES ACT 2 ///

I think that Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo -- a triple -- will be an enormous puzzle which will be challenging domestic politics in Serbia and challenging the international community, for sure. I think there will be a necessity to redefine many relationships between these three. I think economic and social hardship and emigration from the country will be an enormous challenge. So for this reason, I think continued strategic assistance -- particularly economic, political and civil society, education, culture -- will be of utmost importance.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Demes says N-G-Os were particularly successful in mobilizing Serbian youth and promoting cooperation between Serbia's fractious political opposition. (Signed)

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