Without Context

(Who's Going to Get Whom, VREME 154, Digest 106)
We are writing to you in regard to the article written by journalist Milos Vasic about the abduction of Mr. Dusan Reljic, the Foreign Editor of your magazine.

There are assessments in the article which we consider incorrect both in form and essence and they directly allude to our countries.

Mr. Milos Vasic gave a descriptive analysis of the event regarding the abduction of Dusan Reljic and used incorrect comparisons of this case and practices within the South American context and in that sense mentioned Argentine and Chile. It is strange that the journalist has not once provided any information on the basis of which it could be established what period or historical context his allegations refer to. On the contrary, he preferred to resort to the simplicity of generalising within an unclear and imprecise perspective, defining it as ``South American methods of anarchy and abduction.''

We have no intention of polemising with Mr. Vasic's concepts about our countries; we, however, maintain that they represent a rare instance of subjectivity and that they distort the true dimensions, range and traits of the unfortunate events of the brief historical interruption in the nearly two-century long republican, institutional and democratic traditions of both Argentine and Chile.

We also believe that to generalise historical exceptions, as Mr. Vasic did in his article, represents an erroneous procedure... causing incorrect notions and confusion among the readers.

Federico C. Barttfeld, Argentine Ambassador to F.R. of Yugoslavia

Jose Miguel Capdevilla V., Chilean Embassy in Yugoslavia Charge d'Affaires