[ALBSA-Info] {QIKSH =?ISO-8859-1?Q?=AB?=ALBEUROPA=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=BB?=} FWD: NEW LEADER, BUT SAME OLD SERBIA

[Nikoll A Mirakaj]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Wolfgang Plarre" <wplarre at bndlg.de>
http://theage.com.au/news/20001023/A1046-2000Oct22.html

   NEW LEADER, BUT SAME OLD SERBIA

By BALINT BALASA
Monday 23 October 2000

What does a change of president mean for Serbia? After electing Slobodan
Milosevic several times and keeping his photo on their walls for almost
a decade and a half, what was the main reason Serbians suddenly woke up?
     I believe it was hurt national pride. Their God had betrayed them
by losing control over Kosovo, the cradle of Serbian culture. Other
reasons may be purely selfish as well: Serbians knew they would be under
sanctions forever if they had kept their Slobo as leader. They want and
need Western money.
     All this is understandable, because life has been miserable for the
great majority of the population. What is hard to understand is that
very few Serbian souls seemed disturbed about the atrocities committed
by their own people in Kosovo, Srebrenica, Sarajevo or Vukovar. They had
collectively supported their government's Greater Serbian policies and
crimes for many years. They have always seemed to find an outside force
responsible for their misfortune and suffering: the Turks, Germans,
communism, Slovenians, Croatians, Bosnian Muslims, Albanians, the United
States, NATO, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and, most recently, dictatorship
and Slobodan Milosevic.
     What have these same Serbian people done recently that is so worthy
they are suddenly being called overthrowers of a tyrant? Those people
who now change their support from Milosevic to Vojislav Kostunica are
the same people who kept Milosevic in power for more than a decade - and
he is still supported by a large proportion of the population. All the
signs suggest the new government and the people of Serbia will let him
stay involved in their country's political life as long as they can get
away with it.
     Perhaps the worst scenario would be if the new "democratic"
Yugoslav government were allowed to have control over Kosovo again. Then
the building of new Serbian settlements would start, and the vicious
cycle would resume.
     Only Serbian nationalists have been able to get senior positions in
the Yugoslav government since the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, yet
there is still a large non-Serbian population that includes Albanians,
Serbian Muslims, Montenegrins, Croatians, Hungarians, Romanians, Slovaks
and others. Nothing has changed in that respect after the most recent
events.
     Not much is known about Kostunica, but one thing about him is
certain: he is a Serbian nationalist. In fact, he opposed changes to the
Yugoslav Constitution in 1974 that gave Vojvodina and Kosovo greater
autonomy, while even Milosevic and his fellow communists were still
applauding Tito's policy of "Brotherhood and Unity".
     Many might say that at least Kostunica seems to be more honest than
his predecessor; that, at last, here is an honest Serb nationalist. But
how big a step forward is that?
     Many also believe Kostunica has already finished his task by
removing his opponent, and good changes will start happening
automatically now. That is the stuff of fairy tales.
     On October8 on Channel Nine's Sunday, Alexander Downer was asked a
straightforward, important question: has Kostunica ever spoken up
against the "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo? Downer politely avoided the
question and kept talking about how Kostunica was a great democrat, how
he wanted all the Serbian refugees to be able to go back to Kosovo, and
to get Kosovo back into Serbian hands. What Serbian does not want that?
     Downer also said the Australian view on Milosevic is clear: he
should be sent to The Hague for trial. Kostunica is opposing that. Yet
our government has already congratulated Kostunica on his appointment,
and the world has already started lifting its sanctions.
     Kostunica's view on Milosevic's crime is that he should be tried in
Serbia (if at all), under Yugoslav law, because this case is
Yugoslavia's internal affair. Does Kostunica mean trial by the same law
under which Care Australia workers were jailed for many months without
evidence? Would Slobodan get the same treatment, or would he be offered
a glass of sljivovica by the prosecutors and allowed home free?
     If Milosevic's case is Yugoslavia's internal affair, perhaps
rebuilding their economy should also be their internal affair. Perhaps,
before any financial assistance is given, the world community could make
sure Serbians are committed to live in peace and harmony with their
close neighbors and the world, and that their first agenda item will not
be the rebuilding of their armed forces.
     World leaders should stick to their principles, and not give an
inch yet. The new Serbian Government should not be given any financial
assistance until Milosevic, Karadzic, Mladic and all the rest of them
are on a plane to The Hague. Any compromise on that will have dire
long-term consequences.

Balint Balasa is a Melbourne musician. E-mail:
opinion at theage.fairfax.com.au

Copyright © The Age Company Ltd 2000.

********************************************************************
           Wiederaufbau Kosov@ - Reconstruction Kosov@
              Rindërtimi i Kosov at s - OBNOVA KOSOVA
   http://www.osnabrueck.netsurf.de:8080/~dbein/wiederaufbau.htm
********************************************************************

     +---------------------------------------------------+
     | Wolfgang Plarre                                   |
     |     Dillinger Str. 41, D-86637 Wertingen, Germany |
     |     E-mail: wplarre at bndlg.de  w.plarre at kosova.nu  |
     |     Tel: +49-8272-98974       Fax: +49-8272-98975 |
     |     Internet: http://www.bndlg.de/~wplarre        |
     +---------------------------------------------------+
   _________________________________________________________

     Ein Zeichen setzen: @ !   KosovO + KosovA = Kosov@ !
   _________________________________________________________



____________NetZero Free Internet Access and Email_________
Download Now     http://www.netzero.net/download/index.html
Request a CDROM  1-800-333-3633
___________________________________________________________


-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/8/_/920292/_/972302850/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->

Nëse don të çregjistrohesh nga ALBEUROPA, dërgo një Email në:

albeuropa-unsubscribe at egroups.com