CHINA WANTS A STRONG YUGOSLAVIA (tanjug 08.02.2000) BELGRADE - Chinese professor Yang Tazhou called on all peace-loving and freedom-loving peoples of the world to lend their moral and financial support to the heroic Yugoslav people, Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) reported Tuesday evening.
Academy member Yang who was a guest in an RTS program "Current Events" that was filmed in China expressed admiration for the successful completion of the first stage of reconstruction of facilities destroyed in NATO's aggression, which Yugoslavia has carried out by relying on its own resources. Pointing out that Yugoslavia did not accept the offers of some Western firms for aid, he said that aggressor countries should pay compensatory damages and not extend aid.
"Yugoslavia has fought not only for itself but also for other countries and peoples. Yugoslavia has fought for the supreme values of every country - freedom, independence, territorial integrity and dignity," Jang said.
The program, about the developement of China, dealt with Yugoslav-Chinese relations and the friendship of the two peoples, while many passers-by had words of support and best wishes for the friendly Yugoslav people.
Yugoslav Ambassador in Beijing Slobodan Unkovic pointed to the traditionally good and friendly relations between China and Yugoslavia, indicating that the two countries have developed cooperation in all fields, ranging from the economy to science and culture, which could be developed even further. Unkovic stressed the support lent by China and the Chinese people to Yugoslavia in the days of NATO's aggression.
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[from nettime]
ANEM press release
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER WARNS OF EXECUTION OF JOURNALISTS
BELGRADE, February 10, 2000 - The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) expresses dismay at today's statement by Deputy Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Seselj accusing journalists from the independent media of the murder of Yugoslav Defence Minister Pavle Bulatovic. Seselj, who is also the president of the Serbian Radical Party, made the accusation at a scheduled press conference. ANEM rejects with disgust this allegation that journalists have perpetrated terrorist action in this country and also expresses its gravest concern at Seselj's warning of executions.
In an unprecedented verbal attack, laced with open vilification and extremely serious threats, Deputy Prime Minister Seselj, repeating a number of times "the gloves are off," announced that the state would use all means at its disposal to do away with independent journalists. In addition to invoking the Constitution and other legislation, he also warned of the possibility of summary executions. Repeating his claims of treason, comparing journalists with murderers and describing them as being worse than criminals, Seselj openly called for the public lynching of independent journalists, a call to which no journalist can remain indifferent. Accusing journalists of being accomplices in the murder of Pavle Bulatovic, Seselj threatened that, in the case he were executed, many journalists would suffer the same fate. The deputy prime ministers threats were addressed to all employees of and contributors to independent media. In reply to a question from a journalist as to whether the re! ! cent spate of murders of senior state officials in Belgrade had put him in fear of his own life, the deputy prime minister replied "It's you who should be afraid".
ANEM notes with regret that our society has sunk to a state where a senior government official can, albeit in a passionate state, make such an unbalanced, irresponsible and frightening statement. In ANEM's view this statement if extremely dangerous, because the force of the state stands behind Deputy Prime Minister Seselj. The journalists of the independent media do not represent any terrorist organisation and are noted for having no weapons but words. Despite the absurdity of the accusation that independent journalists were involved in the murder of Defence Minister Bulatovic, ANEM emphasises that this is still the most ominous allegation heard in Serbia to date.
ANEM further believes that even if this statement from Vojislav Seselj (like those recently made by Serbian Information Minister Aleksandar Vucic) were merely intended to intimidate journalists, Seselj has gone too far with this threat and has overstepped the limits of social behaviour towards journalists from some media. This statement heralds the concrete introduction of open dictatorship in the country.
ANEM demands that the Yugoslav and Serbian presidents and all state institutions declare themselves in public on this statement and react in accordance with their duty. ANEM calls on the authorities, if they are in agreement with today's statement from Vojislav Seselj, to openly proclaim that there is no freedom of speech in this country, rather than claiming that such freedom exists while at the same time threatening journalists and others from the independent media with execution. In this way journalists would at least know the rules of the game and would not need, although blameless, to live in fear of being set upon and killed in some dark alley. This is the fate Seselj's statement implies may await them, although they are only exercising their own right to provide - and the public's right to receive - professional and objective news and information.