Vasojevići

Two convicted war criminals, former Yugoslav deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic and Yugoslav Army general Vladimir Lazarevic, appeared on Serbia's public broadcaster Radio-Television Serbia on Tuesday evening and denied that they committed the crimes of which they were convicted.

There are memorials across Serbia and Kosovo to commemorate hundreds of people who died during NATO's 78-day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, which began on March 24, 1999 and is being marked with an official commemoration in Belgrade on Wednesday evening.

As part of Yugoslavia, Montenegro took part directly in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia under the leadership of Slobodan Milosevic.

Famous for his critical role during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, 63-year-old Bogic Bogicevic faces huge challenges as he returns from political retirement to take up the important position of Mayor of Bosnia's capital, Sarajevo.

Bogicevic is expected to be formally elected to the position within the next month or so, as soon as the local election results are validated.

The protest is both a struggle for political dominance in the country, and a battle for political influence inside the Church. Finally, the protests reveal the deep discontent of many citizens with the broader situation in the country.

Some former and current politicians had roles in wartime events that most would like to keep under the carpet. As part of Yugoslavia, Montenegro took part directly in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia under the leadership of Slobodan Milosevic.

Three brigades of the Serb-dominated Yugoslav Army took part in fighting in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993 and, like the special operations unit of Serbian state security, were known as 'Red Berets', a defence witness in the retrial of two top Serbian state security officials in The Hague said on Thursday.

The news particularly angered Albanians, who say he is "known for his firm stance opposing NATO bombing, which brought "freedom to Kosovo." Similar reactions are coming from the USA.

The Alliance, which comprises a number of centrist, conservative and right-wing parties, indicated it would not go back on a decision confirmed on September 16 to boycott the election.

"Their efforts come too late," Marinika Tepic, deputy leader of the Party of Liberty and Justice, SSP, a member of the Alliance, told BIRN. "This is our final decision."

One of the most respected journalists in Serbia, Dejan Anastasijevic, a longtime correspondent for Time magazine, Vreme, Tanjug, B92, the BBC and many others, has died in Belgrade after a long illness.

Born in 1962, Anastasijevic reported from the wars in the former Yugoslavia and wrote extensively about war crimes, earning the wrath of the Serbian authorities at the time.