Yugoslav power-sharing deal delayed

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- Nationalists in the Serbian parliament have delayed a power-sharing deal agreed by both the new Yugoslav president and allies of his predecessor.

President Vojislav Kostunica and supporters of ousted Slobodan Milosevic only agreed make-up of the transitional Serbian assembly after days of haggling.

But the deal has yet to be ratified by parliament because of delaying tactics employed by the ultra-Nationalist Radical Party employed a series of delaying tactics.

Deputy after deputy from the Radicals took to the floor during a marathon six-hour session to frustrate the reformers. They accused Kostunica and his allies of seizing power illegally.

"This government is leaving not because some parties cut a deal on a new one, but because ... revolutionary committees took the power away from it," said Radical Tomislav Nikolic.

Deputies told reporters they would meet again on Tuesday to try to put the deal into practice.

The parliament session began as Kostunica was meeting Chris Patten, the European Union External Affairs Commissioner.

Patten told Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica that the world's lending organisations would look to help Yugoslavia.

But he added Yugoslavia would also have to take steps to utilise its own "huge potential."

Patten, who is the first senior EU official to visit Belgrade since 1998, said the first step Yugoslavia would have to make would be to improve relations with the world's key financial institutions including the World Bank.

Yugoslavia has been barred from Western lending bodies during the reign of President Milosevic, ousted in a popular uprising earlier this month.

"You only have one chance of making a success of a donors' conference and before you have a donors' conference you need to have sorted out a lot of problems," Patten said.

He added: "We are starting work with the World Bank on an assessment mission as soon as possible."

Former Serbian Prime Minister, Mirko Marjanovic, sits through six hours of haggling

EU leaders have already pledged $167 million to see fuel-starved Yugoslavia through the winter during an informal summit in Biarritz earlier this month.

The aid will concentrate on the energy sector, the provision of drugs and commodities, Patten said.

"We want to be able to provide assistance as soon as possible, but it will take a few weeks for us to get things off the ground," he said. "I hope that we'll manage to get things moving during November."

"There is clearly huge potential in Yugoslavia and we want to see that tapped in the interests of Yugoslavia but also, I have to say, in the interest of Europe."

Kostunica said direct aid could help support Yugoslavia's political consolidation, but he added: "Long-term assistance is what we are particularly looking to."

Patten will also meet with economists, leaders of the independent media and town mayors already receiving EU aid.

He will fly to Montenegro, Serbia's West-leaning junior partner in the Yugoslav Federation, on Tuesday for talks with its leaders.

Cabinet agreed

Milosevic's Socialist Party and Kostunica's multi-party coalition, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia, finally agreed on the make-up of a transitional government on Monday after days of haggling between the two key groups.

The Socialists had agreed last week to dissolve the current Serbian administration and establish a temporary power-sharing government but had failed to settle on the key posts.

The DOS has appointed "crisis committees" to run some state institutions and companies, while workers have spontaneously set up groups to run other firms after ejecting Milosevic allies from management jobs.

The transitional government, which is to run the country until elections in December, will have a Socialist prime minister but other cabinet posts will be shared between the Socialists, the DOS, and the Serbian Renewal Movement, another party which had been in opposition.

The Socialists have proposed the relative moderate Milomir Minic as the new premier.

Four key ministries, including interior and finance, will be under the joint control of all three main camps.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
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