Milosovic warned

A warning to Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosovic to respect academic freedom and autonomy of Serbian universities has been issued by Unesco director general Federico Mayor.

In a letter to Mr Milosovic, Professor Mayor drew attention to the Law on Universities passed by the Serbian parliament earlier this year and awaiting presidential approval. Serbian academics have complained that the bill gives power over university appointments to the government and requires tenured professors to sign new contracts.

Professor Mayor said the law could breach the principle of academic freedom "by limiting or removing the possibility for the academic community to have a say in decisions concerning appointments to teaching and administrative posts in universities". This contravened a Unesco recommendation on lecturers's rights.