Who Framed Bora Jovic?

Without any particular cause the 11 February issue of Zena carried an interview Duga magazine editor Ljiljana Habjanovic-Djurovic (who gained notoriety by publishing lists of well known figures who had become rich thanks to banker wheeler dealer Dafina Milanovic) made with Snezana Aleksic. Ms Aleksic, one of the spearheads of the 8th session of the Serbian Communist Party (when Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic rose to power), has led a rather anonymous existence. And the readers learn why, in an article called "In the Waters of Politics". "With the arrival of Borisav Jovic to the post of SPS president, the party slowly moved to the right and quietly started forming a coalition with the nationalist right. That was reason enough for me to leave the party", said Snezana Aleksic in the interview, showing that there were things she considered more important than her career.

Snezana who is heart and soul Yugoslav oriented, cannot get over the disintegration of our unfortunate former fatherland. And during a painful debate, she told Borisav Jovic: "I have nothing to say to a man who has lost the country he headed and still remains in office." The article abounds with interesting details. Readers learn that Ms Aleksic has "remained a leftist, and has found herself in JUL (Yugoslav United Left)". She says: "I was professor Mira Markovic's student... Sometimes after the long meetings of the Faculty or University committees, those of us who were friends would visit Mira at home. They lived in the Crveni Krst municipality then. Sloba was the director of Beogradska banka. He'd come home from work and find us deep in discussion. Then he'd take a pot and he and Marko (Milosevic's son) would go off to the nearest cafe and bring back some roast meat for dinner... They haven't changed they are still very open people. It's just that they have less time. But when we meet, it's just like it was before." Ms Aleksic was also a Women's Movement for Yugoslavia activist and as such visited Krajina. She helped get aid to the endangered people and, "Sneska wished to stay on as a volunteer with the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). Her comrades wouldn't hear of it, claiming that the rear was very important for the situation in the front lines. She was seen with the Serbian army during the breakthrough of the corridor. For the past two years Snezana has held the post of Serbian Trade Minister assistant, a very important and responsible post under sanctions, one which is given to those who are trustworthy."

"Snezana lives alone in a flat in the suburb of Vracar, in a femininely cozy environment with lots of books and flowers. Snezana loves nature and reading. There are many pictures of her boyfriend, placed so that wherever one looks one sees him".

But, to get back to Borisav Jovic. In the magazine "Nova Nada" published on 11 February, in the column Panorama, one can find an article "Changes in Politics and the SPS". It says that the Politika Company committee has demanded that NP Politika director and acting editor-in-chief Hadzi Dragan Antic resign. And: "Nada's sources indicate that changes in Politika are part of a SPS cleaning up of ranks. Zivorad Minovic's dismissal is coming up soon. Tanjug director Slobodan Jovanovic is being mentioned as a possible replacement. Jovanovic is also being considered for the post of SPS secretary general, because Milomir Minic the present secretary belongs to the old guard and those supporting a war option. Borisav Jovic and Milorad Vucelic are also on the list." It is claimed that one of the key SPS figures, Radmilo Bogdanovic, is "mysterious", while Serbian PM Mirko Marjanovic's future is described as "uncertain."

Some of this has also been elaborated on in the 4 February issue of Duga. In an interview "The Secret Red Hand", Zoran Cicak another JUL official and currently special advisor in Beobanka, targeted the until recently, untouchable Jovic. "Borisav Jovic was the last President of SFRY, a state he didn't succeed in preserving, and I personally doubt that he wished to. His decision on the withdrawal of the JNA from Slovenia was not just unconstitutional, but under the laws in force at the time -treason, and it helped spread the war to Croatia and Slovenia. That is why I think that Borisav Jovic along with Branko Kostic and other members of the last SFRY Presidency are more responsible for Slovenia's and Croatia's secession than Tudjman and Kucan. It is common knowledge what solution an honorable man has if he has broken the oath he has given: resignation or suicide", said Cicak.

Zoran Cicak has the following to say about Milorad Vucelic: "I must remind you that until about a year ago, he promoted extremist warmongers... Vucelic stopped when he realized this was no longer profitable... I've heard a lot of reliable people say that he sees himself as Slobodan Milosevic's successor, and I think that that says a lot about his infantility as a politician and a man..." When speaking of clashes in Politika, Cicak's view is that: "It is normal that Hadzi Dragan Antic, who is a successful young manager, is not liked by those whose political and biological time has passed... People who have publicly declared themselves as being close to JUL, in the sense that they share our political beliefs, and who manifest their allegiance to us, or will be part of our leadership tomorrow, such people are under pressure from a part of the SPS establishment which feels threatened and is afraid of losing its monopoly..."

Asked: "Cicak, it is well-known that you were very close to the Ministry of the Interior. What is the nature of your links with the police?" Cicak said: "As a politician I collect, process and use information. It is true that I am one of the best informed people in Belgrade, and I count that as professional success. As far as the police are concerned, they have a lot of information, since its in the nature of their work. I can always get the information I need. There are still communists and leftists in the Police, and it's natural that they should help me. The same holds true for the Army."

After all that has been said, the story about Borisav Jovic gets more and more complicated. Republic of Serb Krajina (RSK) President Milan Martic doesn't seem to like him anymore, either. At a press conference in Belgrade a few days ago, he refused to talk about him. Borisav Jovic said recently: "The public usually gives a wrong interpretation of SRY guarantees concerning Srpska Krajina, which were signed by Kadijevic and not me". Martic claims that Yugoslavia signed an agreement during the adopting of the Vance plan, whereby it is bound to protect the RSK in the event that the UN peacekeeping forces withdraw. "Apart from this, I have had a number of talks with top Serbian and Yugoslav officials on the topic, and all the persons I talked to were correct, and will abide by the obligations arising out of the Vance plan. I do not wish to comment Borisav Jovic's statement, because he contradicts himself - that which is set down in the notes taken when the Vance plan was adopted, differs from what Jovic says."

When speaking of official reactions to the latest redefinition of those who are guilty and enemies, we can only conclude that some of Cicak's party colleagues were rather cross with him after the interview in Duga. A JUL statement signed by spokesman Slobodan Panov says that "Cicak has arbitrarily taken the liberty of speaking in the name of JUL". In his reply Cicak claims that he was speaking in his own name in the interview, and that he cannot be a JUL leadership member because the leadership has not been constituted, but that he is a member of the Initiative Committee which is currently at the head of this organization. President of the Republican Committee of the SK-PJ (League of Communists -Movement for Yugoslavia) branch for Serbia, Goran Latinovic, said that Cicak's interview was "damaging to the whole Left", and that "it was far below the level at which the SK-PJ had appeared so far" and that "Zoran Cicak's move is motivated with the wish for self-promotion". There are no comments on Snezana Aleksic's interview.

Politika of 12 February carries a statement by SPS spokesman Ivica Dacic in which he denies the possibility of purges in the SPS, and claims that at "the last session of the Main Committee cadre and party unity were strengthened". Dacic said that stories whereby the new members of the Main Committee were less Socialists and more JUL policy supporters, were unfounded. Asked if the SPS Executive committee had allowed its party officials to become involved in JUL if they wished so, Dacic said: "There has been no mention of the matter in the party." He did add, however, that the SPS supported the spreading of the Left front and that some forms of cooperation with the Yugoslav Left were not excluded.

Ms Mirjana Markovic (Milosevic's wife) is expected to have the last word.