Bits And Pieces Of Politika

Just over a week ago VREME asked two couldbe heads of a newspaper about the balance of power in Yugoslav journalism and got two almost identical answers: ``come see me this autumn, that's when everything's going to happen.''

Then the everything began happening on Monday, August 22. Aleksandar Tijanic resigned from his job as TV Politika Editor in Chief.

New (old) rumors immediately flooded Belgrade's oldest newspaper publisher; conflicts, the roots of the clashes, and their connection to movements in the center of the Serbian authorities, hard and soft wings in the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), the President's favorites and the favorites of his wife Mirjana Markovic. The story of powerful people in Serbia which started in the last issue of VREME continued itself.

A day after Tijanic quit his job, Zivorad Minovic, Chairman of the Politika Company, went to the country, his secretary said. Ljubomir Mihajlovic, Komercijalna Banka Director and Chairman of the RTV Politika management board, also left. His secretary said he'd gone abroad on vacation.

Tijanic himself was angry at VREME and wouldn't comment, just like Hadzi Dragan Antic, Director of the Politika Newspaper House (which includes the RTV).

Publicly, the curtains feel. In other words some things don't change, at least not here.

The whole Tijanic mess was thought up, carried out and closed in a very small circle of people. Some political leaders, close to the Serbian center of power, were surprised because, as one of them noted: ``Favorites are created and rejected overnight.''

In the newspapers that depend or a directly linked to the state the situation hasn't changed. Whoever wants to head those newspapers has to be close to the real decision makers in this country and count on the unpleasant fact that he'll be there only as long as they support him. Support includes obedience but, unpleasantly, it has to be won. That's why much of the press goes too far in praising or condemning policies, people etc. Finally, fighting among the power brokers in the profession are not only permitted, they're welcome. Probably so whoever is handing out support will have fun.

The only testimony after the Tijanic mess came in Telegraf weekly which published an unauthorized copy of notes from the RTV Politika management board meeting when Tijanic quit.

Why Telegraf was chosen is clear because it had good and official relations with RTV Politika and its Editor in Chief. Tijanic had a regular column in the weekly, Slavko Curuvija, Telegraf's Director, had his own show on Politika (last Tuesday a day after Tijanic resigned, Curuvija's show wasn't aired although it was announced). Why were they unauthorized notes is also clear because the people at the meeting said there was no stenographer present. Everything else is unclear.

First, are the notes authentic? They were confirmed by some who attended the meeting but they said they had been edited just slightly, others didn't comment. It's strange that the notes are extremely detailed, as if a stenographer had taken them down or they're a transcript from a tape (the meeting wasn't taped, at least not officially).

It's almost unbelievable that a member of the Board would play at being a stenographer and the only possible conclusion is that the notes, if they're authentic, are a tape transcript. Some technical details point to that conclusion. The word ``Voices'' in parts of the notes are usually used by stenographers in making transcripts of taped meetings when they don't recognize the voices.

So who taped the meeting? Tijanic himself, so he could publish it in Telegraf? Some other board member so he could publish? Telegraf, secretly? The police which later sold it to Telegraf? Someone else. Anyhow, the notes were published. And in them some interesting points.

First, Tijanic's biggest sin is Vojislav Seselj. The Serbian Radical Party (SRS) leader appeared in one of RTV Politika's most popular programs early this summer and attacked none other than Mirjana Markovic, leader of the Yugoslav United Left (YUL) and Wife of the Serbian President. TV Politika issued a statement immediately after the show, disclaiming everything. The statement was signed by Tijanic. Tijanic told the board meeting he had been fighting Seselj's policies for three years but that didn't help him. Ljubomir Mihajlovic said the Seselj show did great damage to Serbia and Yugoslavia and that was obviously the argument no one would fight against.

According to one version, Zivorad Minovic is making a spectacular comeback to Politika and politics along with SPS hardliners (Brana Crncevic, Mihalj Kertes, Milorad Vucelic, Jovica Stanisic). But accepting that theory is too simple, even brave, since who can prove that any of them ever left their positions in the Serbian court.

There's also a war/antiwar theory, within both the SPS and Politika, which says Tijanic and Hadzi Antic are advocates of the antiwar option, while Minovic and his SPS boys are with the War lobby. That story is the most interesting because if it's true it means the following: first Tijanic has obviously dropped out and that means Milosevic's positions (as an antiwar option advocate) have weakened unbelievably and that there is someone in Serbia who is stronger than he is, someone he can't prevent from throwing out the greatest advocate of the anti war option. Second, because of the Tijanic dismissal, Milosevic is just projecting the peacemaker image and has already started removing anyone who could be a problem when he shows his true face tomorrow. Both versions are just too hard to believe.

Along with everything else, everyone involved in this is being linked to figures in the top ranks of the Serbian regime, but the confusion just starts there because of the details. He was seen with Milosevic, then Markovic, with Mirjana Markovic, then Milosevic, someone else met with both.

All in all, it seems the President and his wife have argued severely. That's also unbelievable.

So the only remaining fact is that the people in Politika argued fiercely, that Tijanic got kicked out in that clash, that Minovic is where he always was and that someone had fun.