organizations as "very meagre as compared to our needs." In February 1996, he said that refugees living in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia should be permitted to return safely to their former homes. He announced a fifteen-year plan for a cable television network in Serbia in 1996, noting the possibility of concessions to international investors. In April 1997, Ivković brought forward a legislative package that, among other things, gave legal standing to several housing units that had been illegally constructed in the period up to and including November 1995. The stated purpose of this reform was to remove the threat of eviction from low-income households residing in these units. In response to Serbia's chronic financial issues, he oversaw the passing of a controversial law that permitted international concessions for Serbia's roads, power plants, airports, and other state property; he later introduced complementary regional development legislation allowing international mining concessions. In September 1997, he announced the creation of a state agency to co-ordinate activities related to international investments in Serbia. In the same period, he introduced "tax holidays" in a bid to convince construction firms that had left Serbia due to international sanctions during the Yugoslav wars to return to the country. In October 1997, Ivković signed an agreement to restructure Serbia's debts with Russian energy firm Gazprom, allowing for half of the total debt to be paid via construction projects over the next two years. Leader of the Belgrade SPS (1995–1997) Ivković's political profile rose significantly in November 1995, when he was appointed as president of the SPS's Belgrade board. This occurred against the backdrop of major personnel shifts in the party at the conclusion of the Bosnian War, when Milošević removed a number of figures considered too "hardline" in their views. 1996 local elections Ivković led the SPS's campaign in Belgrade in the 1996 Serbian local elections. The local party organization was divided during this time, with Ivković and incumbent Belgrade mayor Nebojša Čović leading rival factions. Rumours circulated that Ivković and Čović would be rivals for the mayor's office in the event of a SPS victory. In the event, the opposition Zajedno (English: Together) coalition won the Belgrade election. State authorities did not initially accept the opposition's victories in Belgrade and other major cities, leading to an extended series of protests; the state's response to the protests was often violent. Ivković was rebuked for the SPS's poor performance