ANEM: NEWS RELEASE

Veran Matic (matic@b92.opennet.org)
Thu, 11 Jun 1998 14:35:52 +0200


NEWS RELEASE ON YUGOSLAV INFORMATION SECRETARY GORAN MATIC'S STATEMENTS
DURING THE SIGNING FIRST CONTRACTS ON USE OF FREQUENCIES

Belgrade-June 11, 1998

ANEM would like to air its stern condemnation of statements Yugoslav
Information Secretary Goran Matic made in yesterday's news conference held
on occasion of the signing of first contracts on the use of radio
frequencies and television channels allcoated in the notorious public
tender by the Yugoslav Telecommunications Ministry.

Regardless of Mr Matic and Yugoslav Telecommunications Ministry's
leadership's ardent efforts to prove that political criteria were not
applied in decisions in this public tender, his statements cast a
completely different light on the result of the "first round" of the
frequency allocation in the public tender.

In Mr Matic's words, "there are media [in Yugoslavia] that are an extended
arm of some political and other interests that are not working for the
benefit of this country but for some other interests…". When asked which
media he had in mind, he replied that the government had "on a number of
occasions published lists of media that received certain resources from
centres abroad." He went on to further describe these as those "urging for
NATO's military intervention, … distorting the important processes in our
society, … who lived only on financial support from those who are not
inlcined to us from abroad," and concluded: "The matter is clear - the boss
pays and the boss demands certain things to be done."

>From here, it is obvious that the bodies deciding on frequency allocation
see ANEM as an enemy organisation, funded from abroad in order to undermine
the Yugoslav state and people. Unfortunately, the claim is "true" as much
as his claim that the situation in Kosovo is calm and that currently
"people in Kosovo sit in cafes and bathe in brooks".

The most interesting point is that both Yugoslav Telecommunications
Minister Dojcilo Radojevic and Mr Matic consistently refuse to meet ANEM's
requests for a joint meeting to clear some facts as regards both ANEM as an
organisation and its goals, and state agencies' proceedings in the public
tender. It seems that ignoring ANEM's requests is the only manoeuvre laft
at the ministry's disposal, together with descriptions of the "some media"
that "don't mean well to their own people" "lists" of whom have been
published." Such attitude does not befit agencies of modern and democratic
states. The ministry continues to turn a deaf ear to the appeals requesting
that the rejected applicants be allowed to see the application
documentation of those stations who have been granted licences, which would
remove doubts as to the ministry's unbiasedness in approving applications.
The whole "public" tender is still treated as a top state secret.

Regardless of ANEM's belief that the state agencies are determined to make
legal operation of its affiliates impossible, ANEM reiterates its request
for a joint meeting of its representatives with minister Radojevic and
secretary Matic. ANEM will persist in meeting all requirements by the
govenrment to supply additional documentaiton, notwithstanding the
absurdity of these demands that apply only to ANEM affiliates. ANEM's goal
is to get licences for all its affiliates who tendered for a frequency as
they meet all technical requirements. ANEM will not give up on this goal
regardless of state agencies' obstructions.

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/