<nettime> URGENT: YUGOSLAV AUTHORITIES BAN INTERNATIONAL CONF

[Veran Matic <matic@b92.opennet.org>]

YUGOSLAV AUTHORITIES BAN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE
COUNCIL OF EUROPE

ANEM Press Release, Belgrade--September 30, 1998

Upon receiving information from the Council of Europe that the Yugoslav
authorities had failed to give any guarantees as to the issuance of visas
to the participants of the Broadcasting for a Democratic Europe
conference, which was to take place on October 2 and 3 in Belgrade, the
Association of Independent Electronic Media in FR Yugoslavia (ANEM) was on
Wednesday forced to postpone its conference.

The Chairman-In-Office of the Committee of the Ministers of the Council of
Europe, Mr. Giorgos Papandreou, said in a statement on Wednesday that he
had had the intention of attending this conference, which was to be held
under the auspices of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, but
that due to the refusal of the Yugoslav authorities to grant entry visas
to a large number of foreign participants in this conference, he
considered himself obliged to cancel his visit.  He expressed full support
to the organisers of the conference and shared the efforts put forward for
the strenghtening of the role of media in Yugoslavia. Mr Papandreou
concluded he would continue to act energetically in favour His statement
concluded that we would continue to act energetically in favour of the
Council of Europe achieving positive results in respect of the
multi-faceted crisis in Yugoslavia.

ANEM regrets that the Yugoslav authorities have refused to act in a
civilised and becoming manner notwithstanding the fact that top
representatives of the Council of Europe, including Mr Giorgos Papandreou,
the Chairman-In-Office of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of
Europe and Greek Alternate Foreign Ministers, had confirmed their
attendance.

This de facto ban of the conference is contradictory to the Yugoslav
expressed wish to join the Council of Europe as its fully-fledged member,
especially given that the Broadcasting for a Democratic Europe conference
was to be the first ever conference organised in FR Yugoslavia under the
auspices of the Council of Europe.

Such behavior of the Yugoslav authorities suggests that they have
abandoned the idea of Yugoslavia's be re-integration into the European
family of states. ANEM, as the organizer of the conference, along with a
majority of Yugoslav citizens, refuses to accept this position. ANEM
remains determined to host the conference in the nearest possible future.

Veran Matic ANEM Chairman

-- Veran Matic, Editor in Chief tel: +381-11-322-9109 Radio B92, Belgrade,
Yugoslavia fax: +381-11-322-4378

          Radio B92 Official Web Site --- http://www.opennet.org/
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