The Reader's Report

The reader who reported it even documented his claims with two photographs. We have no idea how he managed to mess up the photos so badly in the well lit cafe. Perhaps he didn't have a good camera and had to shoot them from a distance. Possibly better pictures would point to police involvement. But, as John Le Carre would say, pictures taken in secret are like a firing squad: the customer doesn't see or hear a thing.

Novosti wondered whether Stojadinovic "is joining the so-called peace mongers or is the DS chief being increasingly belligerent in his statements because of the friendship". People who only believe the state media don't know what's worse. "So-called peace mongers" are people whose names often don't end in the Slavic -itch, are paid from abroad and serve the new world order, and fiercely try to destroy the Serbs and Serbia. Also, belligerent statements now are only made by people who actively oppose the peace efforts of president Milosevic and by active advocates against the interests of the Serb people. There is no difference: once they would have been called enemies of all colors.

Now Novosti readers, thanks to the reader's report, can imagine two scenes:

1. Stojadinovic is revealing VJ secrets to Djindjic who is passing them on to so-called peace mongers who in turn pass them on to the power brokers of the new world order;

2. Stojadinovic, an officer who knows about war, is dictating especially effective war mongering statements to Djindjic.

It's up to the public to decide which they prefer.

"We met on Terazije square, "Stojadinovic told VREME. "We talked normally and anyone could have seen us and taken pictures. There was no need for a police reporter to climb walls and hide or risk his life. That is very irresponsible of his superiors. It's embarrassing for the security services to do that Orwellian job (whether they're general Aleksandar Dimitrijevic's men or Serbian police minister Zoran Sokolovic's) in a state where top level criminals are given time on state TV."

Djindjic said that an additional cause for concern is the fact that the reports those services gather, are available to a wide circle of users from the ruling party allowing them to manipulate with information. "A year ago I said, SPS deputies in the Serbian parliament were recounting my phone conversations," he said, "they exchange that information like video tapes, using them to discredit political opponents and they see nothing wrong in that. Now they want to insinuate that Stojadinovic is a secret DS member, that he did things in the army on my orders, that it is all a conspiracy dangerous to the state."

Both men said there was no explaining or notes. But the reader reporter went further and said regulars at the Writers' Club recognized Stojadinovic in the company of Soros activists. Probably that's the main proof: every honest citizen knows that that foundation is "an instrument of the new world order that turns Serb children into janissaries".

"I was at the Writers' Club with Aleksandar Vasovic and Milica Kuburovic, radio B 92 journalists," Stojadinovic said. "They've been my friends for years and I cooperated with them when I was VJ spokesman. Our conversation was about a job and our friendship. As for the Soros foundation, I have to say I know no one there and I have no prejudices about it."

What was the goal behind the whole thing? Don't officers of the officially non-political army have the right to meet anyone they want? If he had met with Ivica Dacic or Bratislava Morina there would have been no report.

Who knows maybe the report is revenge for the colonel's open letter to FRY president Lilic in which he openly accused him of protecting thieves in the VJ.

Maybe the goal is a message to Djindjic: whoever meets with Stojadinovic (thrown out of the army for "violating basic norms of behavior") will be compromised.

The Third Man

Just before this issue went to print the reader reporter sent us the following exclusive note:

"On the night in question in the Writers' Club, B 92 journalist Zoran Mamula, a proven Soros activist, was with Stojadinovic as well.

Specially for the reader reporter Mamula said: "Yes, I was there. I got there about half an hour after midnight. I assume the reader reporter didn't notice me because he dozed off."