Voice of America, 00-04-08

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From: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>

CONTENTS

[01] BOSNIAN ELECTIONS (L-ONLY) BY TIM BELAY (TIRANA)

[02] KOSOVO CONFERENCE (L-ONLY) BY STEFAN BOS (BUDAPEST)

[01] BOSNIAN ELECTIONS (L-ONLY) BY TIM BELAY (TIRANA)

INTRO: Bosnians are voting in municipal elections Saturday. Tim Belay reports Western officials hope voters there will use the occasion to reject hardline nationalism, which in the past has led to war and bloodshed.

TEXT: Pre-election surveys indicate more moderate politicians will win in some areas, including the capital Sarajevo. But diplomats and observers say it's probably too soon after the devastating conflict of 1992-1995 to expect radical political change. This is in contrast to the results of recent voting in neighboring Croatia, where a centrist coalition this year ended a decade of nationalist rule. Bosnians will be electing councils in 145 municipalities. Saturday's vote is the second municipal election since the war. General elections were held in 1996 and 1998. With many Serbs, Croats and Muslims likely to continue voting along ethnic lines rather than on economic issues, hardline parties look set to remain influential in post-war Bosnia, despite poverty and an estimated forty percent jobless rate. Even though the fighting in Bosnia ended almost five years ago, Western officials say corruption and poor local leadership are still hampering efforts to speed up refugee returns and introduce free market reforms. These are seen as the key areas which would reduce Bosnia's dependence on massive foreign aid. Since ethnically based parties remain popular, observers say the international community has done little to change the political landscape in post-war Bosnia. For example, the Serb Democratic Party founded a decade ago by wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic -- now an indicted war criminal in hiding -- is expected to remain the single biggest party. SDS leaders insist the party has changed and that Mr. Karadzic no longer has any influence on it. In Croat areas in the south, the local branch of the nationalist Croatian Democratic Union is expected to retain power, despite its heavy defeat in Croatia. Still, the opposition Social Democratic Party, which enjoys support from the West, is predicted to do well in Sarajevo. Some two and a half million Bosnians are eligible to vote. Preliminary results are expected by Monday. (signed)
NEB/TB/PLM 08-Apr-2000 05:05 AM EDT (08-Apr-2000 0905 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[02] KOSOVO CONFERENCE (L-ONLY) BY STEFAN BOS (BUDAPEST)

INTRO: The issue of independence for the Yugoslav province of Kosovo has overshadowed a two-day conference in Budapest, where senior ethnic Albanian and Serb officials met for the first time since the war ended last year. Stefan Bos reports from Budapest.

TEXT: The conference in Budapest ended Saturday on a bitter note: Organizers said it will be difficult - if not impossible -- for the ethnic Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo to agree on the future status of the province. The Budapest talks also included representatives from the European Union, the United States NATO. But after two days of negotiations, ethnic Albanian leaders and Serbian officials appeared unwilling to make any compromises on the issue of independence for Kosovo and each side accused the other of instigating hatred. Even so, the chairman of the conference, Allen Kassof, told reporters that both groups agreed in principle to continue their talks. But Mr. Kassof says it has become clear that reconciliation between the various ethnic groups in Kosovo is still a long way off.

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