26. 04. 2006

NATIONAL MINORITIES PROTEST

BELGRADE, April 26, 2006 – Councils of National Minorities in Serbia and Montenegro protested against the fact that the Broadcast Agency Council failed to include their candidates in the composition of the managing and program boards of the Public Service Broadcasters of Serbia and Vojvodina. President of the Slovak National Minority Council Ana Tomanova Makanova said that none of the candidates jointly proposed by 13 national councils was elected member of the managing and program boards of the PSB. “National minorities have been marginalized and dragged to the surface only when such need arises”, said Makanova, adding that the legislations that regulate the sphere were strict in their provisions of including national minorities in decision making processes. President of the Bosniak National Minority Council Esad Dzudzevic said that the Broadcast Agency had violated conventions and international acts on national minorities and Human and Minority Rights Charter. “The absence of representatives of the national minorities’ councils in the media is simply the absence of the desire to create a multicultural setting in the public information system”, said Dzudzevic. The National Minorities’ Councils will request the meeting with the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament Predrag Markovic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.