Radicals say opposition has been staging a coup in Serbia since 5th October Beta

Radicals say opposition has been staging a coup in Serbia since 5th October
Beta - October 9, 2000

Belgrade, 9th October 2000: The SRS Serbian Radical Party deputies to the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia accused the DOS Democratic Opposition of Serbia of trying to take over the authorities in Serbia "by force".

The SRS presidential candidate in the 24th September election Tomislav Nikolic said that "everything that had been going on and transferred to Serbia since Thursday 5th October , which was not the object of election, must be called a coup".

"The indignation of the people because of the violation of law and the denial of their will was justified, but the things that have been going on ever since is pure banditry," Vojislav Seselj, the SRS leader, said.

He added that "federal institutions could not be taken over, either, since the federal government had not been constituted yet".

"There is no indignation that can justify a coup. A coup has already happened, and the DOS wants to find a justification for it now," Seselj said.

He went on to say that the SRS proposed to the DOS to enter the Serbian government today and take over the Ministries of Energy, Health Care and Education. "This is their chance to legalize the situation, to resolve the problems," Seselj said, pointing out that "the SRS and the Serbian Renewal Movement are making agreements now as to who is taking what".

"The DOS does not want this the proposal for the ministries , however. They say they want the police minister, and all other ministries are unimportant. This does not work. I do not think this will be accepted by this parliament," Seselj said.

He accused the DOS of "having already taken charge of the police". "That would have been impossible in one night, in a week, or in a month, this was being prepared for at least a year or two," Seselj said.

SOURCE: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbo-Croat 1531 gmt 9 Oct 00

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