ANEM Press Release

POLICE BANS A RADIO OF GOOD-WILL AND RECONCILIATION IN KOSOVO

Belgrade-July 2, 1998

Association of Independent Electronic Media in Yugoslavia (ANEM) informs the public that on Wednesday, July 1, 1998 an inspector of the Yugoslav Telecommunications Ministry accompanied by fully armed policemen in four police vehicles effected the ban and physically disabled further broadcasts of Radio Kontakt in Pristina. The inspector served the banning order, sealed Radio Kontakt's transmitter and seized the vital part of the transmitter (the exiter), to ensure that Radio Kontakt would not possibly resume its broadcasts of its own will. The justification was that the radio did not have a licence by the Yugoslav Telecommunications Ministry, was therefore operating illegally, and had to discontinue its broadcasts. The Radio Kontakt staff's protests to the inspector that Radio Kontakt had tendered in the Yugoslav Telecommunications Ministry's frequency competition, that the station had completed its documentation in the second round, and even received a note from the ministry confirming that its application documentation was now complete and that the licence would be issued in the shortest possible term, served to no avail. On Thursday morning, the station's employees were banned from the radio's offices, regardless of the valid space-lease contract and the fact that the offices housed equipment, furniture and personal belongings of the employees. Contrary to all regulations in the contract, Radio Kontakt's staff was informed of this new ban by the Eksimkos company, the owner of the premises, and the ban was also backed by police.

Having started its broadcasts on June 28 1998, Radio Kontakt had plans to broadcast programs in Albanian and Serbian, as a radio of "good-will and reconciliation" whose distribution of information by several independent sources should have contributed to easing of the existing tensions and to the creation of a better understanding between the ethnic communities. The station aimed to assert itself as the first bilingual independent electronic medium in Kosovo whose reports would contribute to the appeasement of all forms of extremism, especially to the prevention of armed clashes of any kind and thus actively aid the political dialogue and peaceful resolution of the Kosovo crisis.

Radio Kontakt started its experimental broadcasts on June 19 to test its equipment. Its experimental, exclusively music programs were in no way hindered. However, it was closed the very day it started rebroadcasting Radio B92's programs (which are also rebroadcast via all radio affiliates within ANEM Radio Network) and some other foreign news services (the BBC and the VOA).

Radio Kontakt has not officially become an official affiliate of ANEM's, but enjoys ANEM's principled support for its overall positive engagement in Kosovo. ANEM would therefore like to air its stern protest at such action by the Yugoslav Telecommunications Ministry, especially in a situation where the only reason why Radio Kontakt had not been issued the licence was the delay by the Yugoslav Telecommunications Ministry, because it had acknowledged the fact that Radio Kontakt's documentation was complete. What causes even graver concern is the attitude of the government, which dictates these measures of repression for obviously political reasons, demonstrates incomprehension, and persistently and systematically stifles this and similar independent media initiatives. A wise government would support all media initiatives aimed primarily at establishing conditions for a dialogue between the conflicting sides and at arrival at politically acceptable solutions in an atmosphere of tolerance and better mutual understanding and respect, for it is obvious that these goals cannot be achieved by either state media, which serve as the government's loudspeakers, or the purely Albanian media which act as the go to the other extreme and advocate Kosovo Albanians' radical political goals that do not have international community's support. Only independent, b-lingual and professional media as Radio Kontakt can achieve these goals.

ANEM hopes that Radio Kontakt will be allowed to resume its broadcasts for the benefit of Albanians, Serbs and all other Kosovo's inhabitants. ANEM will therefore do everything in its power to help Radio Kontakt to resume its broadcasts.

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/

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