-Caveat Lector-
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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 23:44:17 EDT
Subject: Yugoslav election as seen from a non-US government point of view
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MIME-Version: 1.0
Press release 22/09/2000
========================
CANADIAN OBSERVERS IN YUGOSLAVIA
BELGRADE. The international observers of the Yugoslavian presidential
and parliamentary elections have arrived in Belgrade - some 200 of them
from (so far) 54 countries. Contrary to the reports that "they have not
been allowed in," there are registered observers from the following
Western European countries. Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland,
Italy, Germany, Portugal, Sweden and UK. (The so far single American
observer is an active senior participant in the Gore presidential
campaign.) Among the observers are parlamentarians, delegates from
political parties and organizations, as well as independents like the
two participants from Canada.
The Canadian delegates have attended political rallies of the three
major presidential candidates, in Belgrade and Novi Sad. These events
were noisy and lively affairs, without any observable disturbances and
any noticeable police presence. Literature was freely distributed and
received at these events, in a way no different from political rallies
in Canada.
One of us (Marjaleena Repo) has paid particular attention to election
posters as she has been involved in the long-standing and
not-yet-finished fight for the right to poster in Canada - and she can
report that posters are everywhere in the street scene, accompanied by
graffiti and the defacing of each others posters even-steven fashion, it
seems. She has seen posterers at work in downtown Belgrade with posters
urging women to vote, while postering on top of other election messages!
She had a chance to discuss this contradiction with five
English-speaking Yugoslavian youth with their buckets and sponges.
Unlike in Canadian cities, the posters appear not to be scraped down by
city workers but live to suffer the indignities from competeing
political parties. In addition, there are huge billboards advertising
the three major presidential candidates all around the cityscape. All in
all, the appearance of democracy in action.
The other Canadian delegate, Professor Dimitri Kitsikis, has a long-time
experience of national elections, having systematically studied and
observed them in many countries, notably in France, Greece and Turkey.
His observations are therefore particularly valid and he has been
unshaken by Western insistence that Yugoslav elections could be rigged.
On the contrary, he is observing that these elections do not differ from
those in any other democratic countries, particularly from France, of
which Dr. Kitsikis is an expert.
The delegates have attended an information session on the electoral
process in Yugoslavia and have been provided with background information
and documentation on how the system works and how it makes an effort to
guarantee an equal, free and transparent voting method leading to
reliable results. Questions were invited and responded to. We were
informed that the delegates will be able to attend any and all polling
stations on voting day, Sept. 24, and officials at the polls have been
instructed to welcome foreign observers with full access to the actual
voting situation, while respecting the citizens' right to privacy.
While in Belgrade, disturbing news reached the observers. The
International Herald Tribune of Sept. 20 has a front page story, titled
"U.S. aids Milosevic foes: Millions allocated to a democracy program."
The article states that U.S. officials have acknowledged $77 million
financial "contribution" to opposition groups in Yugoslavia, from
students to labour, from so-called independent media to political rock
bands, and the newspaper states that "There is nothing secret or even
particularly unusual about the U.S. democracy-building program in
Serbia, which is closely co-ordinated with European allies and is
similar to previous campaigns in pre-democratic Chile, South Africa and
Eastern Europe, among other places."
Washington Post (Sept. 21) further reveals that U.S. officials and
corporations are also "providing a sophisticated opinion survey system,
engaging for the purpose the New York firm that has done the job for
Bill Clinton [Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates]" which explains the
many polls that "prove" that an opposition candidate is ahead of
President Milosevic and suggest vigorously that Mr. Milosevic will only
win by fraud.
While the Canadian and other Western media have alredy declared the
election to be "rigged" (without any evidence, of course), we believe
that the actual evidence for rigging and distorting the Yugoslavian
election results has been found in the pre-democratic countries of U.S.
and the European Union who in an wholly illegal and undemocratic fashion
are interfering in the domestic affairs of a sovereign country. This, of
course, must be condemned by all true democrats, be they individuals,
organizations or nations.
- 30 -
MARJALEENA REPO is a social justice activist and a long-standing member
of Canada's "democracy movement," with hands-on experience on how
Canada's democracy does and does not work. She lives in Saskatoon, Sask.
DR. DIMITRI KITSIKIS is a professor of International Relations at the
University of Ottawa since 1970 and a fellow of the Royal Society of
Canada. He is a specialist of the Balkans and Turkey and has written
many books on the area.
They can be reached for interviews at the Inter-Continental Hotel in
Belgrade: 381-11-311-3333. Ms. Repo at room # 335 and Professor Kitsikis
at room # 711.
Professor Kitsikis is multi-lingual and can give interviews in French
and Greek as well as in English.
Back in Canada on September 29, Ms. Repo can be reached at (416)466-6533
or (306)244-9724.
Professor Kitsikis will be back in Ottawa on October 2, and can be
reached at University of Ottawa, tel: (613)562-5735 or at his home tel:
(613)834-4634.
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