Passport

There is at least a symbolic way to make Milosevic's government proclaim Serbian independence and give up its dreams on "Serbian Yugoslavia": to make the foreign minister Jovanovic show his passport of the Republic of Serbia when visiting Europe. Jovanovic could easily get into trouble in Germany. But Belgrade started it all when the police asked Genscher to present his German passport. What a clever move! It enables the Germans to go one step further- they can now introduce a new measure whereby Yugoslav immigrant workers will replace their passports with republic ones. In the opposite case, they will become persona non grata, refugees or tourists. The Serbian authorities are naive to think that they can fight with Europe over the status of Serbia. Should the Europeans demand that our citizens carry their republic passport, Milosevic's dislike for independent Serbia would come to an end. If Serbia refuses to print passports, its citizens will be refused access abroad and many will return, angry at the fact that their own country deprived them of their living. Thus the nationalists will be dying with pride in their isolated country. By proclaiming independence, Serbia would improve considerably its economic and political situation. It would relieve the problem of immigrants, since they would be treated as foreign citizens. Naturally, it would be helping the refugees. It would control the level of unemployment by selective issuing of temporary work permits. To keep the political stability and preserve the law and order, citizens outside Serbia would be given temporary visas. This state of affairs could be maintained until agreements are signed with the Yugoslav republics concerning the free flow of workers and capital. Only the Serbian citizens would have the right to vote. Citizenship would be difficult to obtain. Thus Serbia would discipline many who come to live here and think that they have the same political rights as its citizens.

A much more urgent issue for Serbia is to appease the situation in Yugoslavia by announcing its independence and to start the peace negotiations, instead of continuing with its projection of integral Yugoslavia. Serbia is only wasting time by continuing its transparent policy in favour of Great Serbia. After the recognition of Slovenia and Croatia, it is now even less clear what Belgrade really wants. The Macedonians have officially left the federal parliament and this institution is only frequented by officials from Serbia, Montenegro and Serbs from Bosnia and Herzegovina. No Yugoslavia can be formed out of these two states and the Bosnian Serbs, since the world will immediately recognize the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Milosevic will fail to make Belgraders risk their lives for Karadzic (the president of Bosnian Serbs). No more war!

Europe is waiting for the nationalist tempers to subside in Serbia and then it would recognize Bosnia and Herzegovina and ostracize Serbia if it fails to issue its own passport. Should Izetbegovic (the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina) persist in making Serbia decide on its status, he should also start issuing Bosnian passports. Milosevic would drop dead!

It seems that the time has now come for Karadzic to retire. It would be difficult to imagine that anyone in Bosnia could effectively pursue the national Serbian politics by publicly giving over the voting rights of Bosnian Serbs to Milosevic, and then complain about the way Milosevic conducts politics. A politician who relinquishes his responsibility and, before his own people, puts their fate into the hands of another politician, whom they did not elect-is a weak politician. "Milosevic has deceived us", they cry. Why not? He is accountable to the citizens of Serbia, not to you.

The nationalist proclamation of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents a hasty political move. The Bosnian Serbs do not want to understand even now that they will not form a coalition with Serbia, that Serbian Yugoslavia is not possible and that their only country is Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even Patriarch Pavle is unable to help them. Serbia will not fight for them, but will, on the contrary get another blow if it tries to break up Bosnia and Herzegovina. Karadzic's faithfuls do not seem to realize that the eyes of the world are fixed on Belgrade and that it is time for him to leave Milosevic and shake hands with Izetbegovic. Instead, he is roaming the streets of Belgrade and finding consolation with certain Belgrade opposition politicians. For them democratic compromise can be described as follows: we don't want war, but we want Serbian self-determination to the destruction of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and possibly Macedonia. With the resettlement of people. And Serbia should bear the cost of it.

The incredible idea "Association of Serbian states" which Karadzic is advancing is taken as a joke in Belgrade. Karadzic's men are so immersed in nationalism that they have forgotten caution. They are openly withdrawing their loyalty from Bosnia and Herzegovina, without previously having secured the unity with Serbia. And that idea was put to rest after Milosevic called the international peacekeeping forces to come to Knin and Slavonia. And Serbia did not define itself as the state of Serbs, but as a state of citizens. This is why Serbia should not be expected to enter the association of "Serbian republics", which do not exist, which it does not recognize and for which it does not wish to risk its international stability and territory. Serbia, of course, was not proclaimed a citizens' state for tactical reasons, since the Serbian nationalist hypocrites think that Serbia is exclusively "Serbian". It will not formally enter a union with "Serbs", but only with the Yugoslav states. But, who would want to join in with Serbia?

Now Serbia is, vainly, working on its constitution which will be accepted only by Montenegro and Belgrade. Yugoslavia will be made up of Serbia and 400 000 Montenegrins. How is it possible for nationalists to proclaim a multinational state? Wouldn't it be better for them to issue the republic passports as soon as possible? That would enable them to visit the ex-Yugoslav states, the country which they have destroyed.