Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Panic foils foe, survives no-confidence vote Date: Wed, 4 Nov 92 16:16:30 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD \SS (WS) \HD Panic foils foe, survives no-confidence vote \BY Dusan Stojanovic \CR ASSOCIATED PRESS \DT BELGRADE, Yugoslavia BELGRADE, Yugoslavia - Premier Milan Panic barely survived his second no-confidence vote in two months yesterday, foiling an attempt by his archrival, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, to oust him. The victory could strengthen Mr. Panic, a moderate who has pushed for concessions to end warfare in former Yugoslavia before federal and Serbian elections Dec. 20. Mr. Panic, a Serbian-born California millionaire, won the vote in the upper house of the federal parliament 18-17 a day after being roundly defeated in the lower house. It would have taken 21 votes to remove him from office. "Democracy is working," he said. He said if he had lost, the democratization of Yugoslavia would have been jeopardized. Deputy Premier Oskar Kovac said Mr. Panic's government will continue its moderate policies toward peace. The lower Citizens Chamber, which voted 93-24 against Mr. Panic, is dominated by Mr. Milosevic's Socialists - the former Communists - and allied nationalists. The upper Chamber of Republics, however, is divided equally between deputies from Serbia and Montenegro, the only republics remaining in Yugoslavia. Montenegro supports Mr. Panic, who was appointed premier in July. His survival is certain to aggravate a power struggle among Mr. Milosevic, Mr. Panic and Mr. Panic's ally, Yugoslav President Dobrica Cosic. The no-confidence vote also could widen differences between Montenegro and Serbia. Some Serbian deputies warned that Montenegro would bear the consequences if Mr. Panic stayed in power, while Montenegrin deputies said they might move to secede if he lost. Mr. Panic gained broad support from Yugoslavs tired of warfare in the former Yugoslav republics, where rebel Serbs received support from Belgrade. The international community sees Mr. Milosevic as stoking the aggression by ethnic Serbs in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina and, earlier, in Croatia. At least 24,000 people have died in the fighting. Mr. Panic pressed Mr. Milosevic's Socialists and their allies for concessions aimed at getting the United Nations to lift economic sanctions it imposed to punish Yugoslavia for its role in Bosnia's war. He also made conciliatory moves in Serbia's restive Kosovo province, where ethnic Albanians are a majority. The Socialists accused Mr. Panic of betraying Serbia by advocating peace with rival Croats, ethnic Albanians and Bosnian Muslims. They also accused him of being a foreign spy under orders from the U.S. State Department. Mr. Milosevic sees Mr. Panic's rising support as a challenge to his authority before the elections, in which he is up for re-election. Mr. Panic and Mr. Cosic are elected by parliament. The opposition boycotted the Serbian elections in December 1990 and the federal Yugoslav election in May, allowing the Socialists to win easily. It was not clear whether the opposition would take part in December. Vuk Draskovic, leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement, the largest opposition party, said Mr. Milosevic wants to get rid of Mr. Panic to avoid free elections. "Milosevic is avoiding free elections like an ugly woman avoids a mirror," Mr. Draskovic said. "He is like a criminal who flees from justice." This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM