Doc. 7734
21 January 1997

MOTION FOR A RECOMMENDATION

presented by Mr VAN DER MAELEN and others

The Assembly:

1. Dismayed by the fact that the Serbian authorities immediately invalidated the results of the municipal elections held on 3 and 17 November 1996;

2. Concerned that the Serbian authorities have still not recognised all the results of those elections;

3. Concerned that the Serbian authorities have still not recognised the victory of the united opposition (Zajedno) in fourteen of the eighteen cities, including Belgrade;

4. Considering that an OSCE delegation, led by Mr Felipe Gonzalez, has confirmed the legitimacy of the municipal election results and consequently recommended that the Serbian authorities recognise Zajedno's victory in fourteen out of eighteen cities;

5. Considering that, to date, the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) have complied only to a very limited extent with the recommendation made by the OSCE Commission and have barely met the united opposition's legitimate claims;

6. Commending the totally peaceful way in which, for almost two months, the united opposition has demonstrated every day against the invalidation of the election results and for more democracy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;

7. Worried that an escalation of violence cannot yet be excluded;

8. Concerned that members of the opposition parties have been harassed;

9. Concerned that 95% of the official media are in the hands of the Serbian authorities and the ruling parties and that the population is being bombarded with inaccurate information;

10. Concerned that the unofficial and independent media are being attacked by means of pseudo-legal arguments and in a repressive manner;

11. Concerned that the government parties are unwilling to give up their monopoly in the field of the media and other areas of Serbian society;

12. Concerned that the interwoven relationship between the ruling parties and the state is an obstacle to genuine democratisation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;

13. Considering that genuine democratisation in the FRY and other states which succeeded Yugoslavia is a sine qua non for a lasting peace settlement in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

14. Considering that only if genuine democratisation comes about in the FRY will nationalistic and jingoistic sentiments be checked in;

15. Considering that important sections of the united opposition have realised that political democratisation and economic recovery must be given priority over the issue of pan-Serbian nationalism;

16. Calls upon the Committee of Ministers:

1. to insist that the Serbian authorities recognise the victory of the united opposition (Zajedno) in all the cities concerned;

2. insist that the FRY authorities accept the recommendations set out in the OSCE report;

3. insist that the FRY authorities refrain from using force in any circumstances against peaceful demonstrators;

4. insist that the FRY authorities engage in talks with the democratic opposition about democratising political institutions, instigating an economic recovery, introducing independent media, ending various party monopolies, devolving state powers, finding a peaceful solution to minority problems and honouring the FRY's international commitments properly and in full;

5. insist that the FRY authorities stop harassing the unofficial media and opponents to the regime;

6. insist that the united opposition (Zajedno) be guided by a clear commitment to democracy and work towards a peaceful solution to the problems of minorities, granting genuine civil rights to all ethnic groups living in the FRY;

7. insist that the united opposition _ in particular the Movement for Serbian Renewal and the Democratic Party _ make a clear commitment to full and proper implementation of the Dayton Agreements and the Zagreb-Erdut basic agreement on Eastern Slavonia.

Signed: ^[1]

Van der Maelen, Belgium, SOC
Bribosia-Picard, Belgium, EPP
Ghesqui�re, Belgium, EPP
Goovaerts, Belgium, LDR
Henry, Belgium, SOC
Maximus, Belgium, SOC
Staes, Belgium, EPP
Urbain, Belgium, SOC
Valkeniers, Belgium, LDR
Weyts, Belgium, EPP

[1]    SOC: Socialist Group
EPP: Group of the European People's Party
EDG: European Democratic Group
LDR: Liberal, Democratic and Reformers Group
UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
NR: Not registered