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Alternative News on Kosovo

Our picks of insightful news and analysis of the Kosovo crisis. Updated weekly.

Aug. 19, 1999

Thousands protest in Belgrade, call for Milosevic to resign
It is estimated that 100,000 people gathered in front of the Yugoslav Parliament building today to demand the resignation of President Milosevic, reports the LOS ANGELES TIMES. It is the first major anti-Milosevic demonstration in the capital in two years. Former deputy Prime Minister Vuk Draskovic, a central opposition leader, did not attend the demonstration but said that he would send a representative to convey their demands for free and fair elections in Yugoslavia. Serb authorities, meanwhile, claimed the rally was really meant to celebrate President Clinton's birthday and to support NATO forces operating in Kosovo.

It is no secret that the US has been meeting with Yugoslav opposition groups, although State Department spokesman James Rubin was extra cagey in yesterday's press briefing about exactly what kind -- and how much -- assistance the US has directly contributed to the cause. Exhibiting his concern for the plight of the Serbian people, Rubin said "[Milosevic is] an indicted war criminal. His time has come to leave and improve the lots of the people of Serbia. Without an indicted war criminal at its head and with democratization, the Serbian people can look forward to the support of the international community and much greater opportunity to be part of the Europe they richly deserve to be part of." How touching.

Kosovo's news media to be placed under int'l control
A system of standards and controls for Kosovo's post-war media has been developed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), according to the NEW YORK TIMES. (The only place we could find the article reprinted online is on FreeRepublic.com.) The United Nations has charged the OSCE with the "democratization" of Kosovo, and officials maintain that cultivating the province's news media is vital to their task. The proposed "Media Regulatory Commission" and "Media Monitoring Division" of Kosovo's Department of Media Affairs will create "a code of conduct for journalists, monitor their compliance with it and establish enforcement mechanisms to punish those who violate its rules," reports the Times. Requests have been sent to OSCE member countries for nominations of "suitable personnel" to fill the Department's 50 staff openings.

A senior Western official said that the plan is not to stifle or censor the local press, but rather to "bring people [in the media] up to Western standards." The Commission would, however, have the right to censor material and order specific journalists or stations off the air. The plan has provoked concern from international media-monitoring organizations.