USIA - State Department Report, 96-12-30

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From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>

REPORT: STATE DEPT. NOON BRIEFING, MONDAY, DEC. 30, 1996

(Serbia) (250)

SERBIA -- The United States cannot confirm the authenticity of a letter allegedly from Serbian military officials which expresses solidarity with anti-government demonstrators, according to Dinger.

The New York Times reported December 30 ("Letter Suggests Key Military Units Support Serbian Protesters" by Jane Perlez) that the letter supposedly represents the views of officers from several military posts and the elite Yugoslav 63rd Parachute Brigade. The article also noted that opposition leaders had not verified whether the letter was genuine, although Vuk Draskovic, one of the opposition leaders, did read it at a rally.

Dinger observed that "the fact that people are willing to think that this (letter) might be legitimate sends a signal of its own."

Dinger said that "the discussion which the letter has generated underlines yet again that the annulment of the November 17 municipal elections (by the Serbian government) is leading Serbia into political uncertainty which threatens the stability of the country."

He also noted reports that Montenegro officials last week expressed questions about the annulment of the election results, which, Dinger said "just shows that people who...one would have assumed would be four-square behind (Serbian President Slobodan) Milosevic are also expressing some doubts about this approach."

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